Turkey season around corner

Gobblers fair game from March 26 through May 15.

The 2016 wild turkey hunting season opens throughout Georgia on March 26 and continues through May 15. Many hunters in the state consider these birds to be the toughest quarry of all game species. Turkeys are extremely smart, considering they have a brain the size of the walnut.

A hunter sitting in a stand anywhere in the state that has good deer habitat likely will see one of these birds. Finding a legal turkey gobbler to shoot is a much different prospect. Only male birds may be harvested in Georgia.

The turkey season coincides with the birds’ mating season. Hunters first locate the gobblers by making calls designed to make the male bird give away his position. These are called shock calls, usually imitating hawks, owls or woodpeckers. The hunt really begins when the turkey gobbles in response.

The hunter, dressed in full camouflage, then takes a position with a wide field of view. The next step is to begin making calls that sound like a hen turkey that is looking for a mate. The hunter must convince the gobbler it is listening to a real female and fool him into coming into shotgun range.

Most hunters spend hours before the season perfecting their calling techniques. Some callers can make the correct sounds just using their voices. Others utilize diaphragm calls placed on their tongues or use their hands with a slate call and striker to produce the proper calls.

Making a killing shot is the final step. Most turkey hunters prefer 12-gauge shotguns and aim at the bird’s head. The body appears to be a bigger and better target, but it is mostly feathers. A lot of the pellets from the shotgun shell miss the vital body parts at a range of 20 to 30 yards or may not even penetrate the layer of feathers.

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