How to Hunt Turkey From a Tripod Stand
- 1). Dress in camouflage gear to reduce the chance of being spotted by a turkey as you hunt it. Wear camouflage pants, shirt, jacket and hat that cover as much skin as possible. Do not wear red, yellow or blue (the common colors of a turkey's head), as another hunter may mistake you for a turkey.
- 2). Set up your tripod stand in an area that gives you clear visibility, free of any low-hanging branches or short trees, of at least 40 to 60 yards. Choose land on which it is legal to hunt and avoid areas already occupied by another hunter. Hunting near fellow hunters not only reduces your chance of shooting a turkey, it increases the chance of accidentally shooting a human being instead of a turkey.
- 3). Load your shotgun with buck shot. Do not carry a loaded weapon while traveling to or from your hunting site and never point it at a human being. While carrying a shotgun, leave its safety on and always point the barrel toward the ground in case of an accidental discharge.
- 4). Climb up and sit on the tripod stand. Sit quietly and remain as still as possible to avoid spooking nearby turkeys.
- 5). Make turkey calls using your diaphragm (turkey caller). Perfecting the art of using a diaphragm to call turkeys takes practice. Talk with experienced hunters or watch instructional videos on how to make turkey calls to learn how to successfully make turkey calls. Practice before you hunt to improve your turkey-calling skill. While hunting, mimic the sound of love-starved hens to attract turkeys. Mix it up and make "clucking" and "yelping" noises as well. Hens vary their calls, so it is best to vary the calls you create with your diaphragm.
- 6). Scout the area, look and listen for turkeys. Listen for the "gobbling" sound made by turkeys and pay close attention to the sound of rustling leaves or bushes. Pay attention for other hunters and avoid aiming your gun in the direction of anything other than a turkey, especially another human being.
- 7). Aim your shotgun at a turkey that approaches nearby. Grab the shotgun near the trigger (near it, not on it) with your dominant hand (the hand with which you write). Rest the butt of the shotgun firmly against your dominant shoulder and grab the barrel of the gun with your opposite hand. Look down the barrel of the gun and take aim at the turkey, using the sight if necessary. The sight is the device located on the top of the barrel used to aid you while aiming. If you see a human being anywhere in sight, whether they are in front of your barrel or off to the side, lower your shotgun and do not fire.
- 8). Take off the safety to ready your shotgun to be fired. Shooting moving targets takes practice, so unless you are an experienced marksman, wait until the turkey is momentarily still before you fire. Before removing your safety, make sure that what you see is a turkey and not a person or another animal.
- 9). Shoot the turkey by pulling the trigger of the shotgun, keeping your body braced for the kick back. Shotguns fire with extreme force and may break or dislocate your shoulder if you do not brace yourself for the kick back created as the shotgun fires.
- 10
Collect your reward. Climb down off your tripod stand and retrieve your kill.
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