Mike Giles, a writer from Meridian and member of the Mississippi Outdoors Hall of Fame, hunted turkeys most of his life.
His latest book, “Legends of the Spring, Masters of the Call,” contains stories of noted turkey hunters such as Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland with Mossy Oak in West Point and others telling how they hunted the special bird.
“In the book, I talk about one man who called up a turkey with a Pepsi-Cola bottle,” Giles said. “One of his friends collected bottles. One morning, this man worked a gobbler for three or four hours until he decided to leave. He found an old bottle and wanted to bring it to his friend. When he slapped the bottle to get dirt out, a turkey gobbled. He smacked the bottle again, and the man barely had time to put the bottle down and grab his gun before the turkey ran him over.”
Unless they get extremely lucky, novice sportsmen can’t just walk into the woods and bag a turkey. Hunting turkeys requires considerable preparation and knowledge of the magnificent birds.
“If someone wants to get into turkey hunting, I’d recommend they find a mentor who knows about turkey hunting,” Giles said. “If that’s not possible, people can listen to podcasts or watch numerous instructional videos on the internet. Some great hunters and callers make outstanding videos that teach people how to hunt turkeys.”
Every sportsman needs a good shotgun. Pattern the shotgun so it hits the target out to about 40 yards.
“Aim for the wattles, the little fleshy growths on a turkey’s neck,” Giles said. “That way, even if that turkey moves his head, the whole pattern will be on the bird. If someone aimed just at the head, a good portion of the pattern will miss.”
Next, people need good spring woodland camouflage from head to toe. With excellent eyesight, a turkey can instantly spot anything strange. They can also hear better than humans.
People can select from a variety of calls. Pick out one and learn the basics. Many companies post videos on the internet instructing people how to use their calls. Keep practicing.
“A box call is one of the easiest to master,” Giles said. “People can learn how to use a box call in a few minutes. A mouth call sounds good if someone knows how to use it properly.”
Next, hit the woods to find birds. Many Mississippi public hunting areas hold good turkey populations. Find where turkeys want to be and get close long before they wake up.
“The two biggest mistakes turkey hunters make are calling too much and a lack of patience,” Giles advises. “If people call too much, turkeys will know something is wrong. Some people call for 15 minutes. If they don’t see a gobbler, they leave. I’ve worked turkeys for hours before getting a shot at them.”
For Mississippi turkey hunting information, click here to visit the hunting seasons and bag limits page on the Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks website here.
To get a copy of Mike’s book, call 601-917-3898 or send an email to mikegiles18@comcast.net
