Southern Hospitality Guide Service: 804-339-3726
- Rob Tyler - "I have over 30 years hunting experience in
this territory. Our terrain consists of hardwoods,
river bottoms, swamps and creek bottoms. We also have
standing pines, cut over, open farm land and food plots. We
spend countless hours making your hunt safe, comfortable,
and with a high percentage of harvest opportunities. Our
stands (total of 18+) are both above and ground level. With
this many stands, we can work the wind, and travel routes of
game. Our Turkey hunts are affordable and enjoyable."
Get Free Virginia
Turkey Hunting Info!
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 Virginia,
you can hunt the Eastern Wild Turkey.
 The
Eastern Wild Turkey is found in eastern states including
Virginia. 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!
Virginia 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.
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