John's Journal...


BOB WOZNIAK - A GREAT NORTHERN TURKEY HUNTER

Hunt The Drums And Don't Depend Just On Your Calling

Click to enlargeEDITOR'S NOTE: Bob Wozniak of Boston, New York, one of the true masters of the sport of turkey hunting in New York State and a member of the Quaker Boy Calls' Hunt Team, has hunted turkeys for more than 30 years. He's bagged a gobbler or called in a gobbler for someone to take every year that New York has had a turkey season. Let's look this week at some of Wozniak's best northern tactics for taking toms in the spring, since many northern states still are having turkey seasons.

Click to enlargeWozniak believes many turkey hunters walk off and leave close-by toms because the hunters never hear them gobble. Although we all like to hear turkeys gobble, Wozniak reminds us that he's taken several toms that never even gobbled. "Often in a high-pressure area, a tom only will drum as he comes to a hen," Wozniak mentioned. "I know many turkey hunters I've guided before who never have heard that sound. They listen for a turkey to gobble and don't understand what they hear when a bird spits and drums. On a still morning, you may hear a turkey Click to enlargedrum 50 to 75 yards away."

Don't Depend On Calling:

When turkey hunters discuss bagging gobblers, they talk about calling the turkeys. However, Wozniak suggests you learn to hunt a turkey first and rely more on your hunting skills than your calling skills to take a tom. "One of the biggest mistakes most turkey hunters make is they don't anticipate what the turkey will do before the turkey does it," Wozniak explained. "Instead, they react to what the turkey does after the bird already has committed himself to go one way or the other. If you're a good woodsman and hear a turkey gobbleClick to enlarge after you call to him, you'll anticipate where that turkey will go, what he'll do and where you should be to intercept him. You won't just sit down and call the bird to you. Your chances for bagging a gobbler will be much greater, too."

By knowing where a turkey naturally wants to walk and the kinds of places a turkey won't move through, you can take a stand in a section where the turkey most likely will come, even if you don't call.

TOMORROW: ENDURE PAIN AND DON'T BE A COPYCAT

 

 

 


Check back each day this week for more about BOB WOZNIAK - A GREAT NORTHERN TURKEY HUNTER

Day 1: My Hunt With Wozniak
Day 2: Hunt Near The Traffic And Walk Instead of Ride
Day 3: Hunt The Drums And Don't Depend Just On Your Calling
Day 4: Endure Pain And Don't Be A Copycat
Day 5: Know Which Turkeys To Go To

 

 

Entry 298, Day 3