John’s Note: Turkey hunting in many states is just cranking up, and seasons will last until June in some places. Bob Wozniak, one of the true masters of turkey hunting in New York State, has hunted turkeys for about 40 years there and in other states and has come up with tactics that work everywhere for bagging wily gobblers. He has bagged a gobbler or called in a gobbler someone has taken every year that New York has had a turkey season. Let’s look at some of Wozniak’s best tactics for taking toms this spring.

Regardless of the type of insect repellent you use, bugs always seem to aggravate you in the springtime when you’ve got a gobbler close to you.

You’ll find developing the ability to grin and bear bug bites a tremendous advantage to successful turkey hunting. “Even when you can’t see the turkey but have a gobbler close, don’t move,” Wozniak cautions.

A few years ago, Wozniak and a friend had sat down next to a big tree with a gobbler about 75 yards in front of them out of sight. “When my hunting partner felt a bug chewing on his forehead, he reached up to swat it,” Wozniak recalled. “He didn’t realize a second, very big gobbler with a long beard was sneaking in to our left. But my friend spooked the gobbler he hadn’t seen when he swatted the mosquito.

That bird gave an alarm putt and ran off, spooking the tom coming in to our calling out in front of us.” Often when you sit down to call a turkey you’ll call in more than one gobbler. But once you’ve made the decision to call the bird to you, sit as still as possible. If the bugs start biting, just learn to grin and bear it. Or, better yet, take a ThermaCELL device with you www.thermacell.com.

To get John E. Phillips’ eBook “Turkey Hunting Tactics,” click here.

About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (AMA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors.

Next: Bob Wozniak’s Other Tips for Turkey Taking Success