Editor’s Note: Osceola turkey season arrives earlier than any of the other turkey hunts in the U.S. These birds are limited to Florida – generally from central Florida to the southernmost tip of the Florida peninsula. Any turkey taken in the counties of Dixie, Gilchrist, Alachua, Union, Bradford, Clay and Duval is considered by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Florida Wildlife Commission to be an Osceola subspecies. Florida’s 2024 turkey season opens March 2 and runs through April 7 on lands outside the WMA system. North of State Route 70, spring turkey season opens March 16 and continues through April 21. Keith Kelly, the general manager of Dee Dot Timberlands throughout the state of Florida, hunts two different areas of Florida for Osceola turkeys.
Keith Kelly says, “Once when I was hunting with a wounded warrior in a wheelchair, we had our blind about 150-yards away from where the turkeys were roosted. One turkey gobbled about three or four times on the limb, and I gave him some soft calling, purring and clucking. When he hit the ground, I yelped to him a couple of times to make sure the turkey knew where we were.
“The first time I yelped to him, he gobbled back. The second time, he didn’t gobble back to us. That’s not unusual for an Osceola, because we heard some hens tree yelping with him. Once they finally flew down. and we heard the hens purring. clucking and moving toward us, the turkey began gobbling. But we didn’t call to him more than five times. We had a hen decoy out.
“Within 30 minutes, we saw that cotton-white head of the gobbler coming to us. Because the land was so open, I preferred to use a decoy to give the gobbler something to look at as he came in to my calling. My hunter started getting excited when he heard the turkey gobble and saw him moving toward the decoy. Some people believe that every time you call the turkey you ought to gobble to him, but that’s not true.
“My hunter said, ‘Go ahead, and call to him some more.’ I said, ‘Just sit tight, he’s coming, and the hens may come with him.’ Since my hunter was in a wheelchair, we had shooting sticks for him to use and had him sit out next to the decoy. The hens came in first, purring and clucking, and then the gobbler moved straight to the decoy. My hunter got excited, and his heart was beating fast. The tom gobbled two or three times coming to us. My hunter was even more excited! By the time he finally saw the gobbler, my hunter – a first-time turkey hunter – was having a hard time catching his breath. Then the longbeard came in strutting and drumming.”
There’s never a dull moment when hunting the magical wild turkey of any subspecies.
Looking for more content? Check out our YouTube channel and watch “Why I Build My Own Turkey Calls” by John E. Phillips.
Check out John E. Phillips’ 12th book: “Turkeys: Today’s Tactics for Longbeards Tomorrow“
- hunting strategies with pros Will Primos, David Hale, Eddie Salter, Preston Pittman, Allen Jenkins, Terry Rohm, Paul Butski, Larry Norton and others.
- information about taking turkeys with .410 shotguns.
- box-call techniques.
- strategies for moving on turkeys.
- ways to hunt public-land gobblers.
- the differences in calling and hunting Eastern, Osceola and Western turkeys.
- the latest research on turkeys; and other information.
Click here to check out John’s 12th turkey book.
Expert Guidebooks on Turkey Hunting: Best Sellers
Turkey Hunting Tactics
This turkey hunting audiobook has entertaining chapters like: “How to Miss a Turkey”, “Hunting with a Guide”, and “The Turkey and the New York Lady”.
You’ll learn about all the subspecies of turkey across North America, how to use a turkey call, how to scout before turkey season, how to find a turkey to hunt, and what hunting gear you’ll need to put the odds in your favor to take a wily gobbler.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
How to Hunt Turkeys with World Champion Preston Pittman
You easily can take a turkey if you don’t make any mistakes, but you have to know what the deadly sins of turkey hunting are to keep you from making those mistakes. If you understand how to hunt a turkey, you’re far more likely to take a gobbler than if you just know how to call a turkey.
Of course, calling is important, and if you want to learn to call a turkey, Preston Pittman will teach you how to call turkeys with box calls, friction calls, diaphragm calls, and other turkey sounds.
You’ll also learn why Preston Pittman once put turkey manure all over his body to kill a tough tom.
When you have turkeys that strut and drum in the middle of a field, when you know there’s no way to get close enough to get a shot, Pittman will show you some weird tactics that have worked for him to help you hunt tough ole toms.
But the main thing you’ll learn in this book is how to become the turkey.
Using what he’s learned while hunting wild turkeys, he’s also become a master woodsman who can take most game, regardless of where he hunts. To learn more secrets about how to be a turkey hunter from one of the world champions of the sport, this turkey-hunting book with Preston Pittman is a must.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
The Turkey Hunting Guides’ Bible
The quickest way to learn how to turkey hunt successfully is to either hunt with a turkey hunter with years of experience or a turkey-hunting guide. These two types of turkey hunters have solved most of the problems turkey hunters ever will face.
Just as one size of shoes won’t fit every person, one style of turkey hunting doesn’t fit each hunter. Each turkey-hunting guide interviewed for this book has his own style of calling, hunting, and outsmarting turkeys.
While listening to this book, make a list of the new information you’ve learned, take that list with you during turkey season, and try some of the new tactics. Then you’ll become a more versatile turkey hunter and prove the wisdom from The Turkey Hunting Guides’ Bible.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
Outdoor Life’s Complete Turkey Hunting (2nd Edition)
This Audible book will help you learn how to call turkeys with two of the nation’s best, longtime and well-known turkey callers, Rob Keck, formerly with the National Wild Turkey Federation, and Lovett Williams, a wildlife biologist who recorded wild turkeys giving the calls that you’ll learn how to make on various types of turkey callers.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE & KINDLE
Expert Guidebooks on Turkey Hunting: Best Sellers
Turkey Hunting Tactics
This turkey hunting audiobook has entertaining chapters like: “How to Miss a Turkey”, “Hunting with a Guide”, and “The Turkey and the New York Lady”.
You’ll learn about all the subspecies of turkey across North America, how to use a turkey call, how to scout before turkey season, how to find a turkey to hunt, and what hunting gear you’ll need to put the odds in your favor to take a wily gobbler.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
How to Hunt Turkeys with World Champion Preston Pittman
You easily can take a turkey if you don’t make any mistakes, but you have to know what the deadly sins of turkey hunting are to keep you from making those mistakes. If you understand how to hunt a turkey, you’re far more likely to take a gobbler than if you just know how to call a turkey.
Of course, calling is important, and if you want to learn to call a turkey, Preston Pittman will teach you how to call turkeys with box calls, friction calls, diaphragm calls, and other turkey sounds.
You’ll also learn why Preston Pittman once put turkey manure all over his body to kill a tough tom.
When you have turkeys that strut and drum in the middle of a field, when you know there’s no way to get close enough to get a shot, Pittman will show you some weird tactics that have worked for him to help you hunt tough ole toms.
But the main thing you’ll learn in this book is how to become the turkey.
Using what he’s learned while hunting wild turkeys, he’s also become a master woodsman who can take most game, regardless of where he hunts. To learn more secrets about how to be a turkey hunter from one of the world champions of the sport, this turkey-hunting book with Preston Pittman is a must.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
The Turkey Hunting Guides’ Bible
The quickest way to learn how to turkey hunt successfully is to either hunt with a turkey hunter with years of experience or a turkey-hunting guide. These two types of turkey hunters have solved most of the problems turkey hunters ever will face.
Just as one size of shoes won’t fit every person, one style of turkey hunting doesn’t fit each hunter. Each turkey-hunting guide interviewed for this book has his own style of calling, hunting, and outsmarting turkeys.
While listening to this book, make a list of the new information you’ve learned, take that list with you during turkey season, and try some of the new tactics. Then you’ll become a more versatile turkey hunter and prove the wisdom from The Turkey Hunting Guides’ Bible.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE, KINDLE & PRINT
Outdoor Life’s Complete Turkey Hunting (2nd Edition)
This Audible book will help you learn how to call turkeys with two of the nation’s best, longtime and well-known turkey callers, Rob Keck, formerly with the National Wild Turkey Federation, and Lovett Williams, a wildlife biologist who recorded wild turkeys giving the calls that you’ll learn how to make on various types of turkey callers.
VERSIONS: AUDIBLE & KINDLE
You may also enjoy:
Hunting Osceola Turkeys with Keith Kelly Day 3: Knowing the Equipment for Taking Osceola Turkeys
Hunting Osceola Turkeys with Keith Kelly Day 1: Knowing about Osceola Turkeys
Hunting Osceola Turkeys with Keith Kelly Day 4: Decoying and Fanning Osceola Turkeys
The Master Public Land Turkey Hunter Day 1: How to Hunt a Shelter Wood Turkey
Successfully Turkey Hunting Public Lands Day 1: Why Hunt Public Lands for Turkeys
You Can Take More Turkeys Day 5: Enjoy a Non-Textbook Turkey Hunt
