*Editor’s note - WhitetailDNA team member Kaleb Comstock whom if you watch our YouTube videos you’ve seen plenty is going to be adding to his repertoire and will start producing blog posts throughout the year. I’m excited to get some new written content on the site from Kaleb and am confident you’ll be able to learn from Kaleb’s experiences. With that said, it’s only right his first blog post infuses some turkey content. I hope you enjoy! - Alex Comstock
By Kaleb Comstock
When I first got into hunting as a little boy, turkey hunting is where my roots laid. I can remember being a little boy going turkey hunting with my dad and following his every move, not really knowing what I was doing, I was just happy to be there. I will always remember the first bird I ever shot with my bow at the age of 8 years old. I remember that very first bird I called in all on my own. Turkey hunting has provided me with countless memories that will last a lifetime. As I have gotten older, my passion for turkey hunting has only grown. Throughout the years as I’ve gotten older, I have learned how to use what I learned from turkey hunting and put that towards becoming a better deer hunter. To me, watching a big tom coming straight down the pipe, full strut, spitting and drumming is equivalent to that 150” buck reading the script and walking straight down the trail.
Movement
While turkeys can’t smell, they have some of the best eyesight there is. Minimizing your movement is crucial when it comes to turkey hunting. The same is true for deer hunting. Like turkey, deer have keen eyesight and can spot you from a mile away. Turkey hunting has taught me when to move at the right time and how to minimize my movement. This has benefitted me when it comes to deer hunting. Learning when to move and how much movement you can get away with is such an important part of hunting. One of the hardest things to do as a turkey hunter is getting full drawn on a gobbler as he is just yards away. This has helped me learn when to draw on a deer. This all goes back to knowing when to move to avoid the keen eyesight of both wild animals.
Turkeys have incredibly good eyesight.
Patience
Patience is one of the hardest things to have when it comes to hunting. This is probably one of my biggest lessons I’ve learned from being in the turkey woods over the years and it’s something I still struggle with even today. Nothing frustrates me more than a tom that is hung up, but gobbles at every call you throw at them. In a sense, turkey hunting is kind of like hunting the rut. You never know when that lone gobbler is finally going to break from his hen and come looking for a new hen to breed. Just like deer hunting, you never know when that buck will break away from the doe he’s been on lock down with and come cruising searching for a new one. This is where having patience and being patient is vital.
Scouting
Scouting is paramount when it comes to hunting. Luckily for me, I turkey hunt some of the same properties that I deer hunt so I am able to scout for deer while I turkey hunt. Not only am I scouting for deer sign from the past fall, I am also learning the layout of the land. I am constantly making mental notes of trails, scrapes, and rubs as well as marking them on my OnXMaps. This helps me when it comes fall because I have the scouting done from the previous years done on my maps. Even when I am hunting a property that I don’t deer hunt, I am continuously scouting and learning how deer navigate that landscape. This helps me when it comes to hunting a new property with similar terrain. Getting experience with different landscapes and terrain has helped become a better online scouter and better at reading topo maps because I am able to read the maps better and visually see what the property looks like.
OnX can help you turkey scout tremendously.
Execution
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from turkey hunting that has made me a better deer hunter is being able to execute the shot when the moment of truth presents itself. One of the biggest things I have learned is how to control my emotions until after the shot. Watching a tom strut in from 100 yards, spitting and drumming, will get any avid turkey hunter fired up. When I was younger I would be shaking like a leaf. Same as a big buck coming in. From countless opportunities archery hunting turkeys, I have learned to control my breathing and handle my emotions to be able to execute the shot. This has helped me keep my composure in the treestand when my target buck is coming in and capitalize on the opportunity.
Conclusion
Each season presents new challenges, new opportunities and new lessons learned. These learned lessons not only help me become a better turkey hunter, but also a better deer hunter. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from turkey hunting that have translated to deer hunting is to never be afraid of being too aggressive and taking chances. Some of my best hunts in the turkey woods have come from me being aggressive. This is a lesson I have learned that has made me a better deer hunter.
