Turkey Hunting Grand Slam:
In order to complete your Turkey Hunting Slam, you'll need to
bag all 4 of the US Turkey species: Osceola, Eastern, Rio
Grande and Merriam Turkey. After you get those 4, you can
also get the Gould's Turkey native to Mexico. In Indiana,
you can hunt the Eastern Wild Turkey.
 The
Eastern Wild Turkey is found in eastern states, but also
in Indiana. The Eastern Turkey has chestnut brown-tipped tail
coverts (smaller feathers which cover up larger ones) and
dark-buff or chocolate-brown tail tips characterize the most
abundant and most widely hunted turkey, the Eastern Wild Turkey.
The tom turkey’s breast feathers are tipped in black, while
other body feathers are colored with copper or bronze metallic
iridescence. The primary wing feathers have white and black bars
that extend to the feather shaft, while the secondary wing
feathers mainly have prominent white bars. This results in a
white triangular area on each side of the back when the wings
are folded backward. Hens are browner with less brilliant
iridescence and the breast feathers are tipped in buff or
chestnut. The Eastern Turkey can weigh from 8 to 25 pounds and
grow as tall as four feet!
Indiana Turkey Hunting Methods:
Turkeys can be hunted with the shotgun,
bow and arrow or black powder. Rifles are also allowed in
some states, but not so often used. Hunters use a wide
variety of calls to attract and ‘romance’ the gobbler into
range. Turkey calling is truly a well-practiced art and
you’ll find many competitions if you check into it. Along
with sounding like a hen, you’ll also need to sound like an
owl to wake those birds up and get them off the trees.
Turkey have excellent eyesight and
hearing, and they are constantly aware of their
surroundings. You’ll have to don your best camo and
practice being very still and quiet to bag a nice trophy
bird! Wild Turkey are also very mobile. Turkey can run at
speeds up to 25 mph, and they can fly up to 55 mph.
Trophy birds are judged by three things: Body size, spur
size and length of the beard. Only the Tom Turkey has a
beard and spurs.
When mating season arrives, anywhere from February to April,
courtship usually begins while turkeys are still flocked together
in wintering areas. After mating, the hens begin searching for a
nest site and laying eggs. In most areas, nests can be found in a
shallow dirt depression, surrounded by moderately woody vegetation
that conceals the nest.
Hens will lay a clutch of 10 to 12 eggs during a two-week period,
usually laying one egg per day. She will incubate her eggs for
about 28 days, occasionally turning and rearranging them, until
they are ready to hatch.
A newly-hatched flock must be ready to leave the nest within 12 to
24 hours to feed. Poults (young turkey) eat mostly insects because
they need the protein, while
adults will eat anything from acorns and berries to insects and
small reptiles. Turkeys usually feed in early morning and in the
afternoon.
Wild turkeys like open areas for feeding, mating and habitat,
which makes them easier to hunt. They
use forested areas as cover from predators and for roosting in
trees at night. A varied habitat of both open and covered area is
essential for wild turkey survival.
Our friends at the National Wild Turkey
Federation have been working hard to keep Turkey Hunting a
safe and valued tradition in our country. They offer a
helpful guide to assist in turkey hunting safety and
success.
|
