After an unsuccessful morning turkey hunting, youth hunter Avery Miller and I, met up after lunch with high hopes for a better afternoon hunt. However, we were met with a strong 30 mph winds that were forecasted to stay until well after sunset. Since we were already on the 2nd day of a two day only youth hunt there wasn’t much time to come up with a plan B. We decided to sit at the edge of a green field where turkeys had been known to show up during the evening hours, with this in mind we would wait it out.
By 2:00 p.m. we were set up and ready for a long windy afternoon. Throughout the first few hours, I made some calls in desperation that a nearby gobbler might hear them and come in to check us out. An hour later, I caught sight of gobbler through my Nikon Monarch 5 Binoculars approximately 150 yards from us. I tried calling a few different times, but the strong wind blowing directly towards us made the feeding gobbler unable to hear my calls.
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| Nikon Monarch 5 Binoculars |
The bird fed for a few minutes and moved out of sight. Disapointed but determined we started to relax as the evening progressed. Just as we getting settled in, I glanced to my right only to be surprised as five gobblers made their way to our decoy setup directly in front of us.
We waited until a shot opportunity presented itself, and when it did the young boy was able to make a successful shot on one of the toms. This hunt was the perfect example as to why hunting gobblers in windy conditions is difficult.
If you have problems hunting mature toms in windy conditions, the following tips can help you have a successful hunt and never leave you sitting at home on a windy day again.
1. Where to Find Turkeys When It's Windy
During windy days everything is moving and a turkey's best defense against predators is their incredible eyesight, so it is pretty certain that gobblers will not be in the timber where leaves and tree limbs are swaying back and forth. The best place to find turkeys is in open areas such as fields or food plots where they can see predators coming from a long distance.
Tip: Set up a BlackOut X300 Ground Blind a week or two prior to season. Place in the edge of field where turkeys hang out throughout the day. This will give time for the turkeys to get accustomed to it, and it also eliminates having to do it when gobblers are close to the area which could spook them.
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| Zink Calls Wicked Series Turkey Box Call |
2. When It's Windy Use Turkey Calls That Carry Through the Wind
Not only does the wind make it hard for turkeys to see, it also makes it tough for them to hear, this means that they can’t hear calls as well. There are however calls designed to carry through the wind. For instance a box call such as a Zink Calls Wicked Series Turkey Box Call, this type of call has enough high pitch to cut through the wind so that gobblers can hear it at a distance. Another call that works great in the wind is a glass or crystal call such as the Zink Wicked Series Crystal Friction Turkey Call this too also has a high enough pitch to cut through the wind and be heard from a distance.
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| Zink Calls Wicked Series Crystal Call |
Tip: Don’t be afraid to call just because the wind is strong. Using high frequency calls allows the hunter to still be able to bring gobblers in, no matter the weather conditions.
Tip: Find the Zink Calls Wicked Series Turkey Box Call at Cabela's here or find the Zink Calls Wicked Series Crystal Friction Turkey Call at Bass Pro Shops here.
3. Tricks to Keep Your Turkey Decoys Stable on a Windy Day
The third factor when dealing with high wind conditions is using decoys. A few years ago I was hunting in the wind and had three gobblers working towards my decoys. When the toms were almost in gun range, a gust of wind caught my decoy and it began to spin out of control. Of course this action spooked the gobblers spooked never to be seen again that day.
Because turkeys spend a lot of time in open areas during high wind, it is almost a must to have 2 to 3 decoys out to grab their attention. But how do you keep them from spinning around out of control? I have learned that placing a extra decoy stake in the ground on each side of the decoy allows the decoy to only move back and forth a few inches, giving it a natural movement that makes other turkeys come to investigate.
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| Avian X Half Strut Breeder Turkey Decoy Combo |
When using decoys in this kind of situation, I prefer using at least 3 of them. I like using the Avian X Half Strut Breeder Turkey Decoy Combo which consists of a half strut Jake and a life like hen that is in the breeding response pose. Once these two decoys are placed fairly close together, I will then place a feeding hen decoy approximately 10 yards from the others; this adds realism by having a relaxed hen feeding along to the side.
Tip: More tips to Hunt for Windy Weather Gobblers
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