Spring turkey hunting with turkey calls, decoys and dressed in full camouflage requires additional safety skills and responsibilities.
Many spring turkey hunters hunt by dressing in full camouflage and
calling gobblers (male turkeys) to them. We see people wearing camouflage
every day in our lives as we go about town. We forget how effective it is at
concealing someone in the woods. Can you spot the camouflaged hunter in
this picture? The photographer for this photo was only 20 feet away. Imagine if
this was another hunter 20 yards away!
There are many safety rules to follow when hunting here are some for spring turkey hunting:
1. Always keep your firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
2. Be sure of what is in front of and behind your target.
3. Be aware that using gobbler calls can attract not only turkeys but
also other hunters to you and put you in danger.
4. Do not wear the colors red, white, and blue as these are
colors associated with strutting gobblers.
5. When you sit in the woods and call turkeys, sit against a rock
or tree large enough to shield your head and back, so other hunters cannot
sneak up behind you. Position yourself so you can see the area around you in
case you are approached by another hunter. If you see another hunter
approaching call out in a loud clear voice.
6. When using turkey decoys do not set them right in line with you, you
do not want someone to take a shot at your decoys and you be in their line of
fire.
7. Be aware of additional circumstances that require caution. Watch
where you walk and sit as snakes are beginning to move after denning up for the
winter.
8. Once you have harvested a turkey, tag it properly and wrap it in a
hunter orange mesh bag or hunter orange flagging. When you walk out of
woods after hunting, put on a hunter orange vest. You do not want to be mistaken by another
hunter, as a tree carrying a turkey!
These are only a few spring turkey hunting safety rules, for more
information about spring turkey hunting and safety take a hunter education
course. Courses can be found at http://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education/online-course-for-certification