Turkey Hunting Tips for Success

Experience the thrill of an Ontario Turkey Hunt and learn some tips to make it a successful hunt.

Wild turkey hunting in Ontario is one of the most thrilling pursuits imaginable. The sound of a big gobbler, thundering in response to a hen call, makes almost every hunter's blood boil. Then the sight of the bird appearing, head glowing white, fan spread, can make even the steeliest hunter get the shakes. Saying "it's just a bird" over and over should theoretically help, but doesn't.

Yet turkey foil many hunters and leave little or no room for mistakes. This is why a successful turkey hunt remains one of the most satisfying experiences a hunter can enjoy. I've been humbled enough by these birds to know what can go wrong will go wrong. But here are a couple of tips that have certainly helped increase the odds of having a wild turkey in the freezer for Thanksgiving.

morning dawn

Learn Different Ways to Call

turkey call

Calling like a lovelorn hen is a key ingredient to successful turkey hunting, particularly if you are hunting in the spring. The call does not have to be perfect: I've heard some of the wonkiest-sounding hen calls come from birds I had in my field of vision. You obviously need to have the basics of hen calling down, and you can turn to YouTube or any number of instructional videos to do that.

My suggestion is to learn how to use a box call, a mouth (diaphragm) call, and then one other style of your preference. The reason you need to be a multi-style caller is that turkey hunting is best executed with the utmost flexibility. If a gobbler is approaching and you are sitting at the base of a tree in its visual range, trying to operate a box call will get you busted. This is when a mouth or diaphragm call is gold. A diaphragm call also allows you to be hands-free and have your gun up.

turkey blind

On the flip side, there is nothing louder than a box call. If you are trying to locate a bird in the wind or other bad weather, a box call is your friend. A couple of years back, as pounding rain came down, I called out a gobbler with a very loud box call. I almost couldn’t believe it when the bird sounded to my right and appeared, soaked but ornery. The gobbler was also very nervous, but I managed to take him despite a long shot. That box call did the trick.

Other calls, like the slate call or a hand power call, have a lot of pluses. The slate call is very realistic but requires quite a lot of hand movement. Not bad in the pre-dawn dark, but a bit tricky in open light.

Try a Ground Blind

turkey hunting

The traditional way to hunt turkey is sitting on the ground, usually with your back to a tree, in full camo. This is a good technique and, when you are moving through hardwoods, the only real way to go. The downside of this is you are much more likely to give away your position to a turkey in the open. Even the best camo suit cannot cover an arm reaching up to scratch your nose.

However, when inside the confines of a pop-up ground blind, the random movements and noises of the hunter are covered and muted. You can still potentially be busted by a gobbler—especially by the flash of a face in the shooting opening—but it's less likely. Overall, a blind will give you a slight upper hand over Mr. Jelly Head. The blind also keeps you out of the wind and rain and allows you to be comfortable sitting on a chair or stool. The last two birds I shot were taken from a blind, and I am convinced that in both cases, the hunts would have turned out differently without it.

field

Blinds are best placed near areas where birds are likely to appear at some point during the day. Fields and openings are prime. Amazingly, some turkey hunters place ground blinds in the centre of a field, where turkey are often seen but are out of range from the tree line. Many hunters believe turkey don't care if a blind suddenly appears in a field. I can say that turkey seem not to notice them when they are placed on the edge of a field. Spend a little time adding some sticks and stubble to a ground blind, as it makes it look a bit more natural. Whether this matters to a gobbler is anyone's guess.

Harvesting a mature gobbler is one of the great thrills of hunting. Use these tips to help increase your odds.

About Gord Ellis

Gord Ellis is a lifelong resident of Thunder Bay, Ontario and a full time journalist, broadcaster, professional angler and guide. He is the senior editor of Ontario Out of Doors magazine, Canada's best read fishing and hunting magazine. Gord is a regular on CBC radio's Superior Morning and writes a monthly column on Ontario for the Northern Wilds magazine, in Minnesota. He has written over a thousand feature articles and columns for publications as diverse as Sentier Chasse Peche, in Quebec, the Financial Post and the Globe and Mail. He is a long time member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and has won better than 25 national awards for his writing and photography. In 2018, Gord was inducted into the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin.

Recommended Articles

Remote Shoreline Moose Hunting

A fly-in moose hunting adventure at Winoga Lodge in Sioux Lookout.

5 Reasons to Hunt in Sunset Country

Hunt for deer, moose, black bear, and several small game and waterfowl.

Ontario's Largest Moose by a Female

A father and daughter's big game hunt in Ontario.

Bird Dog Friendly Lodges

Bring the friend that does the most during bird hunts—your dog.

26 Amazing Whitetail Hunting Lodges in Sunset Country

Big game hunters look forward all year to when whitetail deer season opens.

Dog Lake Bears

Dog Lake Resort in Ontario's Sunset Country is truly an angler's and hunter's dream located just an hour north of Thunder Bay.

Combining Great Fishing and Hunting

Andomoozwe Outfitters & Lodge is located in an area known for its great black bear population.

Ogoki Moose

Fly-in Adventure with Mattice Lake Outfitters

An Unforgettable Northern Hunt

Kevin Beasley visits Pine Portage Lodge for a memorable fall hunt

Tracking Winter Moose

Low Temperatures, Snow & Traveling by Snowmobile

Top Pheasant Destinations

6 amazing places in Ontario that offer quality pheasant hunts.

Prince Edward Divers

Some of the Best Hunting in Ontario

Lake St. Joe's Moose Hunt at Winoga Lodge

A father son moose hunt in Northwest Ontario

Crossing the Border into Canada

How to legally bring your hunting rifle into Canada.

Buck on the Run

Understanding the Rut

Simple tactics for a successful deer hunt.

Ontario Waterfowl Hunt

Canada in the Rough hunts for waterfowl around Prince Edward County.

How to hunt black bears

How to Scout locations, Bait & Place a Tree Stand

Marten River Bear

A Hunting and Fishing Trip in the North

Black Bear Camp

Bird Hunting in Northeastern Ontario