Well, March is about to show us whether she will go out like a lion or a lamb, which means the 2025 Kansas spring wild turkey season is in the “wings” (you see what I did there?) If you haven’t already, now is the time to begin preparations. Check out your camo, which seems to shrink each year as you get older. Camouflage is important in hunting most everything, but is probably most important when hunting wild turkeys, as they have eyesight like no other, and can spot suspicious movement from an unbelievable distance.
I’ve never been much of a “purist” in anything I do, but especially not when hunting wild turkeys. The guys that make the videos and sell the calls and other turkey hunting gear often park themselves against a tree next to a clearing. They put their decoy directly in front of them in the clearing and attempt to call the birds into the decoy in the clearing. That makes for really good videos, but doesn’t work for me, as I can’t hold still enough or be quiet enough, long enough to make it work. It was either adapt to my weaknesses or go “turkeyless.” So, I have learned to set myself in some cover along the route I hope the turkeys will travel and put the decoy in front of me but well off to one side or the other, which draws the gobbler’s attention away from me as they hone in on the decoy. This amounts to more of an ambush, but has harvested me more turkeys that trying to be something I’m just not. Also, if morning hunting, be careful NOT to set up too close to their roost, and choose a spot where you can come-and-go without being seen.
Also take your shotgun out and shoot a few shells through it so you know just where it is shooting. That sounds funny, since after all, you are using a shotgun, but trust me when I say, turkeys can be missed. Shells recommended for turkey hunting contain big BB’s so there are way fewer of them in a shell, and they can only wound a turkey all miss altogether because you are shooting at the neck and head, which are relatively small targets. The rule of thumb I have read, is to aim at the point on a turkey’s neck where the feathers begin, that should put BB’s in its head as well as its neck and kill the bird cleanly.
Turkey calling is another contentious subject, especially to the more purist hunters. In my opinion, its good and helpful to study and learn basic turkey calling techniques, but don’t let fear of making the wrong sounds keep you from hunting. While its good to know enough so you are not screaming out bad things about a gobbler’s mother, I feel its much more important to be camouflaged correctly at the right location, be quiet, be still and have confidence in your shooting than it is to be a champion turkey caller.
There you have it as KS spring turkey season is almost here. Turkey numbers in some parts of the state have been on the decline the last few years, but good turkey hunting can still be found. So, get your permit and take a friend or a kid turkey hunting this year. It’s a great way to introduce someone to hunting and to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve can be emailed at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.
