Learning

Hosting a hunting-based outdoor skillsevent in yourcommunity

Mary Kay Salwey, Ph.D.WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources2004

to Hunt

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Credits

Project DirectorMary Kay Salwey, Ph.D.Wisconsin DNRBureau of Wildlife ManagementBox 7921Madison, WI 53707-7921

Editorial AssistanceNancy WilliamsCarrie L. Armus

ArtworkEric DeBoerMary Kay SalweyDynamic GraphicsCindie Brunner

PhotosRobert QueenMary Kay SalweyMike Roach

Design ConceptBlue Raven Graphics

Electronic LayoutMary Kay Salwey, Wisconsin DNR

Published by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Copyright 2004 by Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesMadison, Wisconsin.

All original illustrations copyrighted.

This book is educational in nature and not-for-profit. It is intended toinspire organizations to pass the tradition of hunting down to youngergenerations. However, all rights are reserved, including the right toreproduce this book or any part thereof in any form except briefquotations for reviews, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Calling a Trophy TomCalling a Participants

learn basicconcepts aboutturkey hunting,

includingscouting,

selecting theright firearm and

ammunition,range of fire,

calling, the needfor camouflage,

obtaininglandowner

permission andsafety rules.

Trophy TomTechniques ofturkey hunting

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Objectives

Participants shall:

identify the wild turkey and itshabitat.

identify places in the statelikely to provide good turkeyhunting opportunities.

identify which sex/age of wildturkey is legal bag for springand fall hunting.

identify the steps needed toappropriately tag and registera harvested turkey.

demonstrate the ability toaccurately judge which turkeysare within shooting range.

identify correct shotplacement.

demonstrate safe and ethicalhunting behaviors.

demonstrate how to build aneffective blind.

demonstrate how toappropriately dress for turkeyhunting.

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Equipment

Variety of realistic turkeydecoys, including toms, jakesand hens and/or a set ofcardboard, hardboard orplywood turkey decoysilhouettes with anuninflated red balloonpinned or taped to the chinof a tom turkey silhouette.

8 1/2" x 11" paper orcardstock with a numberwritten on it for each decoy

Heavy marking penBlind building materials such as

camouflage netting12-gauge shotgun and No. 4

and No. 6 shotCamouflage clothing, head net,

gloves, gun sock,camouflage tape, andcamouflage face paint

Slate, box, spring-box,diaphragm, and gobblershaker turkey calls

Crow and owl callsTurkey calling techniques

cassette tapeTail mounts, beards, and tail,

wing and body feathers fromtoms and hens

Preserved samples of turkeyfeet (with spurs)

Preserved droppings of bothtoms and hens

Tags used for tagging andregistering turkeys

2 signs: “Hunting byPermission Only” and “NoHunting / No Trespassing”

Landowner Permission CardsStick of summer sausage or

venison sausage3 x 5 index cards2 to 3 pencilsSpring and fall turkey hunting

regulation pamphletsCopy of Wisconsin Turkey

Hunter’s GuideTurkey carcass (check with

local warden)Cardboard, salt and BoraxPaper silhouette targetsStool2 wooden or metal stakesRoll of wire2 clothespinsNote card or small slip of

paper per participantNew diaphragm calls to give as

prizesTurkey tail feathers to give

awayArtificial sinew and/or thin

strips of leatherRustic glass or ceramic beads

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Station Setup

Set up a blind near the place wherethe participants will gather. Try toblock their view of what’s in frontof the blind. Set out a variety ofrealistic or simple silhouettes;some within 40 yards, othersfarther away. Group at least onetom with hens, so that the hensare blocking a clear shot of thetom. Have a strutting tom next toa jake that has its head stretchedout. Place a stack of 3x5 cardsand a few pencils inside the blind.

On a nearby tree post a “Huntingby Permission Only” sign. On thefar side of your demonstrationstation post a “No Hunting / NoTrespassing” sign.

If you plan on allowing participantsto pattern a shotgun, set up twostakes with a wire stretchedbetween the two tops. Pin a papersilhouette to this wire with twoclothespins. Make sure there is asafe backstop for this exercise.Check with your local warden forassistance in setting up this part ofthe activity.

If the site is appropriate, simulatea turkey dusting and scratchingarea. Make some turkey tracks inthe dust, mud or sand using thepreserved feet of a tom or hen.

Have a variety of turkey callsavailable so participants canpractice using the various calls. Ifbudget allows, you might want tohave some unused diaphragm callsto give as prizes to those who arefirst to answer a tough question

you pose to the group.

Set out examples offull body mounts,

breast mountsand tail fan

mount withan attachedbeard.Haveplenty oftailfeathers on

hand alongwith artificial

sinew or leatherstrips and beads for

the creative arts activity atthe end of this station.

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Turkey Hunting Safety Tips❒ Keep the muzzle of your gun pointed in a safe direction.❒ Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.❒ Be 100% sure of your target and what’s beyond it.❒ Make sure your firearm is unloaded and the action is open except when actually

hunting. Always leave the safety on until just before you take the shot.❒ Attend a Wisconsin Turkey Hunter Education Clinic before you go on your first turkey

hunt.❒ Never wear red, white, blue, or black when turkey hunting. Wear a blaze orange vest

and hat when walking to or from your turkey hunting stand.❒ Never use a gobble call during the hunt. This may draw attention from other hunters

who may try to stalk you, thinking you are a gobbler.❒ To reduce the chance of being accidentally injured by another hunter, sit at the base of a

tree with a trunk wider than your body. You can see an approaching hunter and you areprotected from the rear. Choose a call position from which you can see well. Don’t hidein a blow down or thicket, as this may make it difficult for other hunters to see you, andprevent you from verifying an incoming bird as a legal target.

❒ Never try to sneak up on, or drive wild turkeys toward another hunter or cut between acaller and a turkey. Always call the turkey to you. The less moving you do the safer andmore effective you’ll be.

❒ The use of turkey decoys is increasing. Manufacturers are even promoting the use ofjakes and strutting gobblers. This may be dangerous, because another hunter may seethe decoys and assume they are real. Most turkey hunters who use decoys use hendecoys to attract toms. If you use one, place it so you are out of the line of fire ifanother hunter shoots at it. In a wooded setting, make sure a large tree or trees shieldyour position from the decoy. If you’re in the open, face the decoy directly toward youor away from you, so its broadside is most visible to approaching hunters, thus keepingyou out of the direct line of fire. Carry your decoys in a bag or backpack so anotherhunter will not mistake them for the real thing.

❒ Never wave, whistle or make turkey calls to alert an approaching hunter to yourpresence. Always shout to reveal your presence to an approaching hunter. Neverassume you are the only hunter in the woods. Assume every sound or movement isanother hunter until you can safely identify it. The most critical moment of any turkeyhunt is when you decide to pull the trigger. During the spring turkey hunting season, beabsolutely sure that the bird you see has a beard. This is the ONLY positive means ofidentifying a legal bird under all conditions.

❒ Never use noise, movement or color to confirm a legal bird. A person walking in thewoods can sound like a turkey. Color can be deceiving, particularly in poor light.Remember this rule and repeat it to yourself – See the turkey’s beard before youshoot. Never let excitement, nerves, panic, or peer pressure guide your behavior.Strive to remain calm and rational. There isn’t a turkey in the woods worth a human lifeor injury.

❒ If you shoot a turkey or have decided to quit hunting for the day, unload your shotgun.If you have shot a turkey, tag it immediately and wrap an orange vest or band around itsbody with its wings folded in. Then walk out of the woods using the most visible routeyou can. Remember to always wear blaze orange when you are moving.

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BackgroundInformation

The wild turkey is the largestgame bird in Wisconsin and is amember of the same family ofbirds as the grouse, pheasant,partridge and quail. Adult males,called gobblers or toms, averageabout 21 pounds. Adult females,called hens, average about 10

pounds. Some gobblers exceed 30pounds. For a completebackground summary of the wildturkey’s natural history,management, hunting regulationsand hunting techniques, refer tothe Wisconsin Turkey Hunter’sGuide.

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Spring turkey hunting is the mostdangerous sport in the UnitedStates involving a firearm. Part ofthe reason is that some huntersbelieve turkeys to be so intelligentthat they must shoot at the firstopportunity, without taking timeto be safe.

But turkeys are not intelligent.They don’t have reasoning powers.They are cautious and wary. Theother reason spring hunting is sodangerous is that some hunterswant to get a turkey so badly thatthey risk making a mistake. Theyfeel 90 percent sure that whatthey’re about to shoot is a gobbler,

so they shoot before they’ve had achance for positive identification –only to find out that the flash ofmovement was a person. Huntersmust always think before theyshoot, and they must always be100% certain of their target andwhat lies beyond.

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ActivityA

Where tohunt--What to seeProcedure

As participants arrive at yourstation, begin calling to them usingone of the turkey calls. Ask themif they know what animal makesthat sound. Tell them it’s the wildturkey, if they can’t guess. Explainthe various activities they willparticipate in at your station.

Tell your group that you are goingto go over some information theyneed to know if they are going tohunt wild turkeys in Wisconsin.Hand out copies of the current orprevious year’s turkey huntingregulations for spring and fall.Review some of the importantinformation in the regulations suchas how turkey hunters areselected, how to purchase a licenseand stamp, how to tag andregister a harvested turkey. If youhave a turkey carcass on hand, youcan use that to demonstrate howto tag a turkey.

Explain that your participants willneed to know where to hunt. Askthem to open their regulationbooklets to the page showing theTurkey Management Zones. Pointout that turkeys are plentiful in

southwest Wisconsin, but becomeless common to entirely absent inour northern counties due to poorhabitat and climate conditions.

Since most wild turkey huntingland is privately owned, it isimportant to scout an area at leasttwo weeks prior to the seasonopener. This is a good time toseek and gain permission to hunt.Look for tracks along roads andtrails, plowed fields, and creekbottoms. Show the participants adried turkey foot and ask avolunteer to make some tracks inthe dirt. Also show them somedried droppings that youpreserved. Point out that a tom’sdroppings are long and J-shapedwhile a hen’s droppings are usuallysmall blobs. A heavy concentrationof droppings under a tree indicatesa roosting tree.

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Gobbler Signs Hen Signs

scratchings and abandoned ones,and be able to tell the direction theturkeys were traveling. Leaves arepiled directly behind a scratchingturkey.

Feathers are another sign thatturkeys are in the area. Becausegobblers do quite a bit of fightingin the spring to establishdominance, they lose somefeathers. Show feathers fromdifferent parts of the body.Black-tipped feathers are from thebreast of a gobbler. Hen’s feathersare buff-tipped or brown. Showthe difference between a tailfeather and a wing feather. Pointout how the wing feathers arecurved and stiff, with one side ofthe vane shorter than the other.Tail feathers are not as stiff orcurved and their vanes areequivalent in width.

If you can re-create or find realexamples, illustrate what dustingareas and turkey scratchings looklike. Dusting areas are foundmostly in the summer and are animportant sign to look for whenscouting for fall turkey hunting.You won’t find dusting areasduring wet spring weather.Birds flock to dust in the samespot, which makes it easier foryou to see the sign. Birds oftendust themselves near the edges ofcultivated fields, sandy streams orcreek bottoms.

Scratchings can be found almostanywhere in woods inhabited byturkeys. If leaves are turned overand the ground is still moist, thebirds are using the area. With alittle experience, hunters will beable to distinguish between fresh

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ActivityB

matter how nice or polite thehunters are in asking, do not grantpermission to hunt. Thislandowner can be pleasant orunpleasant.

Ask two participants to beprospective turkey hunters lookingfor a place to hunt in a few weeks.They’ve kept their eye on thesetwo parcels of land and are nowprepared to ask each of thelandowners for permission to hunt

Gaining the landowner’spermission to huntProcedure

Since most wild turkey hunting inWisconsin takes place on privateproperty, get your group involvedin some role-playing. Select oneparticipant to be a landownerstanding near the “Hunting byPermission Only” sign. Whisper tothis participant to be veryreceptive to the hunters. Ask foranother volunteer to be alandowner standing near the “NoHunting / No Trespassing” sign.Whisper to this volunteer, that no

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Talk about the different reactionsof the two landowners. What canbe done about landowners whowill not allow hunters to hunt ontheir property? Absolutelynothing, except to thank them fortheir time and to be on your way.

their land. Give them somePermission Cards to fill out. Giveone card to each participant forfuture use.

Have the selected participants actout in front of the group how theywould go about getting permissionto hunt turkeys from eachlandowner. Talk about etiquette,and remind hunters to bring alongsome small gift as a token to say,“Thanks for letting me hunt onyour property.” Summer sausageor homemade venison sausagemakes nice gifts.

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that they cannot see into. Tellthem it is important not to gosearching for the turkey during theseason, but rather use calls tobring the turkey to them. Providevarious camouflage materials andother blind building items to theparticipants. Demonstrate how touse existing brush to build a blind.Ask them to place one or moredecoys in relation to their stand.As a group, critique the placementbased on the information given inthe Turkey Hunting Safety Tipsoutlined in the BackgroundInformation section of this chapter.

ActivityC

Procedure

Tell the group that a blind isn’tnecessary to hunt turkeys, but itdoes allow the hunter morefreedom of movement. Otherwisethe hunter must sit very still, withlittle or no movement. Tell themyou’ve set up a blind that you’dlike them to enter, individually orin pairs. Inside the blind, they’llfind a stack of index cards andpencils. Have them look at theturkey decoys set up in front ofthe blind. Ask them to write thenumber of each decoy and then a“Y” for “Yes, I’d shoot thatturkey,” or a “N” for “No, Iwouldn’t shoot that turkey.”After everyone has visited theblind, review the answers and tellthem why they should or shouldnot shoot each of those turkeys.

Tell the group that you’vepreviously determined this areahas turkeys in it. Ask them to finda place where they will set up theirblind. More than one person canchoose a particular spot. Remindthem to look for a place wherethey are not hidden very well. Tellthem they need to be able to seeall around them so they can seeapproaching hunters. Turkeys arereluctant to approach a thicket

Building turkeyblinds

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Procedure

One of the most important piecesof equipment a turkey hunterneeds is a turkey call. Two basictypes of calls include friction callsand mouth or air-operated calls.Friction calls are the most popular.They use two surfaces for rubbingtogether. This creates friction thatproduces sounds that a hen canmake. Mouth or air-operated callsuse your breath to produce avariety of hen turkey calls. A thirdtype of call, called a shaker,produces a gobble when thehunter rapidly shakes the call.Some calls, called shock calls,imitate the calls of crows or owlsand are used to locate the birdsfirst thing in the morning. This“shock calling” shocks the birdsawake and they often call whenthey hear these sounds.

Demonstrate the use of a varietyof box and slate calls. Point outthat a major disadvantage offriction calls is that hunters mustuse their hands to call. Themovement could very likely spookthe turkey, or prevent a hunterfrom shooting in time.

The three basic air-operated callsare the yelper, the tube call and thediaphragm call. The diaphragmcall has the advantage that ahunter doesn’t have to use his orher hands while calling. Thehunter can also make all the callsof the turkey on a diaphragm call.But these calls are fragile, don’tlast long, and because of theirsmall size are easily lost. They alsorequire much practice to master.Demonstrate these air-operatedcalls. If you have extra diaphragmcalls as prizes, draw participants’names from a hat and help thewinners practice a bit in front ofthe group. Demonstrate thefollowing types of calls to yourgroup. If you don’t feel skilled orcomfortable enough todemonstrate these calls, then useone of the instructional cassettetapes available at most sportinggoods stores.

ActivityD

The box call is usedto immitate thevarious calls of henturkeys.

Calling inyour turkey

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Box call

Slate Call

Gobbler Shaker Call

Mouth Call

Crow Shock Call

Plain Yelp: This is the soundmost commonly associated withturkeys and is the standard call forworking in a spring gobbler.These are best done in a series of2 to 5 in a row, very even inrhythm.

Tree yelp: This slow, soft, nasalsound of 3 or 4 yelps is the firstsound a turkey makes at daybreakfrom its night-time roost. This callcan only be heard on still morningsin a roosting area.

Cluck: This short, soft, singlesyllable, non-musical tone hasseveral meanings. If made tooloudly, it will alarm turkeys. Use it

in the following way: “cluck,”pause briefly, “cluck,cluck,” pause, “cluck,”pause, “cluck,” pause,

“cluck, cluck.” It is usedto evoke an answering cluck

from any nearby turkey.

Purr: This is a soft call used byturkeys when communicating toeach other. Use it with cluckswhen gobblers are in close but notquite close enough.

Putt: This is a short, sharp, loudcluck. Do not use it. It is thealarm call of the turkey.

Mating call: Make three yelpsrising in volume, pause briefly,then two soft clucks. Repeat twoor three times. Call softly becauseturkeys have excellent hearing.

Cackle: This is an excited call of ahen. It is a series of 12 or moreyelps that rise abruptly in pitch andcadence and then gradually declinein pitch and cadence. Often theyelps are very short and staccato-like.

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ActivityE

during turkey hunting season arered, white, blue and black. Otherhunters can associate these colorswith a tom turkey. Black lookslike the body of the bird, and red,white and blue are colors of atom’s head.

Clothing andequipment

Procedure

Clothing. Demonstrate thedifferent types of clothing forturkey hunting. Point out theneed to camouflage the entirebody, face, boots and hands. Alsoshow how to camouflage a gun.Camouflage gun socks are availablefor guns, as well as camouflagetape and paint. A camouflagedjacket does not make the hunterinvisible, but conceals only theparts that are camouflaged. Aperson who wears partialcamouflage may be concealing justenough to make the visible partslook like those of a turkey. Ashiny cheekbone, a shiny or light-colored gun stock or action, partof a T-shirt, tops of socks,handkerchiefs, hands, boots andboot soles are all items that, whenexposed, can lead to accidents. Ifhunters choose to wearcamouflage, they should bethorough. They want anapproaching hunter to see themcompletely, or not at all.

Stress the importance of wearing ablaze orange vest and hat whenentering or leaving the woods,especially when carrying a turkey.Colors that should never be worn

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Guns and Ammo. Review themost frequently used types of gunsand ammunition. Most turkeyhunters use a 12-gauge shotgun.Smaller guns should not be usedbecause the chance for crippling abird increases. Some turkeyhunters like to use 10-gaugeshotguns because they offer theadvantage of more pellets, butthey are also much heavier and therecoil is much harder on theshoulder.

The most popular choke for turkeyhunting is a full choke, which givesthe tightest pattern. A tightpattern is important in order tostrike the vital head and neck areato ensure a quick, clean kill.

It’s best to use either No. 4 or No.6 shot for turkey hunting.Anything smaller than No. 6increases the likelihood of cripplinga bird.

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the shotgun. Patterning a shotgunshould be a dress rehearsal of theplanned hunt.

Tell participants they should aimabove the feather line on the neck,above the wattles and below thebeak. It’s best to shoot when thehead is sticking up, rather thanwhile the tom is strutting with hishead drawn in against his body. Ifa tom is strutting in front of them,they need to get him to raise hishead. They can usually do so bycalling once – a short putt or cluck– but be ready to pull the triggeras soon as the head comes up –don’t wait.

A key point to make with yourparticipants is hunting distance. Toincrease chances of a clean, quickkill, turkey hunters should notshoot at a turkey that is over 40yards away. It’s hard to see abeard when the bird is more than40 or 50 yards away in the brush,and the beard is the onlyconsistent identifying characteristicof a legalspringtimeturkey. Havethe participantspractice pacingoff 40 yardsfrom theirstand.

Patterningyourshotgun

Procedure

If time, location and resourcesallow, give participants anopportunity to pattern a shotgunyou’ve provided for them. Beforeletting participants shoot theirguns, however, review the safetyinformation found in theBackground Information section.

Once you’ve stressed the safetypoints, then it’s time to allowparticipants to pattern theshotgun. Explain that participantsshould pattern their gun from theposition they will probably be inwhen they shoot their turkey. Thisis because the position they are incan affect the way they hold theirshotgun and this can change theirpoint of aim. Have participants trypatterning their shotgun whilesitting on the ground, sitting on astool and standing, so they can geta feel for the differentperformances.

When you pattern a gun, wear thesame clothes you’ll wear when youhunt. A head net, hat and otherclothes can affect the way you hold

ActivityF

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Procedure

Turkey hunting is carefullymonitored in Wisconsin.Demonstrate how to properly tagand register a turkey using aroadkill or other bird obtainedfrom a local warden. Explain thatonce a turkey is killed, the huntermust validate the carcass tag bycutting the slit corresponding tothe day of the kill. Then the tagmust be attached by sealing itaround the featherless part of theturkey’s leg.

Once a bird is properly tagged, it istime to field dress it so the bodycavity can cool down as fast aspossible, thus preventing meatspoilage. Demonstrate how tofield dress a turkey. Like any

other upland gamebird,start by cutting from thevent hole up to thebrisket. Remove theentrails. Tell participantsthat they may want tosave the heart, liver andgizzard in a plastic bag ifthey want to eat themlater.

Successful turkey huntersthen must take theirtagged turkey and

registration stub (attached to thecarcass tag) to a designatedregistration station. The stationattendant will remove the carcasstag and clip on a metal tag (thesame ones used for deerhunting).

Demonstrate how to pluck aturkey for baking. To pluck thebird, dip it first in scalding waterto help soften the skin and loosenthe feathers. While plucking ismore time-consuming andmessier than skinning, it doesallow you to leave the skin onwhich keeps the bird from dryingout during oven baking.

Once you have plucked a bird,you can demonstrate how to skina turkey. You can use anotherturkey carcass or use the one youjust plucked (don’t forget to tellparticipants that they don’t needto both pluck AND skin theirturkey). Tell participants that ifthey choose to skin a bird, theyshould wrap the turkey in foil orbaking bag during cooking. Theymay also want to add strips ofbacon to reduce drying duringcooking.

ActivityG

Now that you gotyour turkey

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ActivityH

Procedure

Tell participants that if they aresuccessful in harvesting a turkey,they can make some lastingmemorabilia by getting all or partof their turkey mounted. Showthem some of the different typesof mounts. You may want toprovide the names and phonenumbers of local taxidermists.

You can help participants learnhow to make some mounts oftheir own. One of the mostpopular types of mounts is thespread tail and beard. A largermount would include the fannedwing feathers. To preserve the tail,spread it out into a fan shape, thenpin the feathers to a piece ofcardboard or Styrofoam. Sprinklesalt and Borax on the fleshy partsof the tail. Allow the fan to dryfor several weeks. Then unpin it.It will remain fanned outindefinitely. Protect the mount bysprinkling Borax into the feathers.The preserved tail and beard canthen be mounted on either ahomemade board orone purchased from asporting goods store.

Give each participant

one or two turkey tail feathers,some artificial sinew or thin stripsof leather and beads. Have themtie the sinew or leather onto thepointed shaft end of the feather.String a few beads onto the sinewor leather and tie off. Participantscan take this decoration home withthem.

Making lastingmemories

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ReferencesWisconsin Turkey Hunter’s Guide, Wisconsin Department of Natural

Resources, Publication #: WM214-98-Rev, 1998. (training manual)