If this is your first spring chasing ol’ tom, these six turkey tips for beginners might help you at least lessen the frustration he can cause.

For the avid turkey hunter, no season throughout the year compares to spring. More so after dealing with the cold, cabin-fever-inducing months of January, February, and most of March. Turkey season is like coming out of hibernation: coming out into the warm air and great smells of the earth’s reawakening.

If this is your first spring chasing ol’ tom, these six turkey tips for beginners might help you at least lessen the frustration he can cause; frustrations seasoned hunters still experience. If you take nothing else away from this article, remember that a lot of patience and humility will help you enjoy the sport of turkey hunting for many springs to come.

Learn Patience & Humility

This one is incredibly important, which is why it’s first. That’s because nine point nine times out of ten a gobbler is not going to cooperate the way he should. He might be coming on a rope to your setup only to stop 80 yards away without another bit of budge. You may slip close to a roost tree in the predawn darkness only to have every turkey pitch down in the other direction.

Keep in mind that the turkey is going to win nine point nine out of every ten times.

A gobbler might slip into your set up not having made a sound the entire time and you spook him before getting off a shot. You’re going to miss a few birds that seem like sure things (the problem there is that you’re already thinking about how to cook him). The list goes on.

A lot of time patience and humility are hard to overcome. Just know that you’re not alone in getting fooled by wily toms. It doesn’t matter if you have 30 springs or three under your belt, you’re going to lose more times than not. Keeping that in the back of your head will help you laugh off a bad hunt because, if we’re being honest, time in the woods is better than a lot of other things regardless if you’ve killed a turkey.

Learn to Drink Coffee

Learn to drink coffee if you don’t already as turkey hunting requires a lot of early mornings. Consider investing in one of the newish coffee mugs that keeps it hot for long periods of time. The combination of hot coffee and gas station doughnuts will help you forget any mishaps the morning produced as well as provide fuel to keep going.

Calls and Practice

Buy calls. Practice with them. Sounds simple.

But let us tell you that there is a certain skill involved in mastering the turkey call. Sure, learning the various disciplines of diaphragms, slates, and boxes is important. Though what we’re talking about is when and where you practice.

Always remember that the sharp yelp of a hen is not appealing to everyone. Practicing at home is taking a real chance that your spouse’s annoyance could diminish your ability to hunt at all. At work is a definite no-no; sort of like microwaving fish and broccoli. Turkey hunters make up a small and dedicated community. Those who would appreciate and even encourage your practice efforts typically don’t exist in everyday environments.

Here’s the place to practice: your vehicle. Whether you’re driving to work, the grocery store, wherever, this is the time to practice. Keep your calls in your vehicle; don’t even bring them in the house.

The car has two main advantages. The first is there’s nobody there to torture. A turkey call can emit some blood curdling sounds when in the hands or mouth of a beginner. While you’re driving, practice with the diaphragm. While you’re stopped at a light or sitting letting the engine warm, give the box and slate your best effort. The second advantage to practicing in your vehicle is that you can listen to tapes (well, these days podcasts or whatever) on turkey calling. Take advantage of the resources at your disposal to work toward mastering the art of speaking the love language that ol’ tom likes to hear.

Match Up Camo

If you can help it, don’t hunt the hardwoods wearing BreakUp bottoms and a Shadow Grass top. You wouldn’t believe how well a turkey can see. Do your absolute best to blend into your surroundings with matching pants, tops, gloves, and face mask.

Hunt the Shadows/Sun at Your Back

This combo is yet another point toward the importance of camouflage. Hunt the shadows and have the sun at your back when possible to increase your concealment. If the sun is shining right on you, no matter how good your camo looks to you, you’ll likely stick out like a sore thumb to the eyes of an already wary gobbler. Find a well shaded tree that breaks up your silhouette and puts the sun in the path of his approach.

Enjoy the Lessons

Enjoy the lessons. Learn from them. Take your time. Turkey hunting is tough. But when it all comes together, it is so rewarding.

Of all these turkey tips for beginners, learning to enjoy the experience may be the most important.

These tips can also serve as a reminder to the vets. We often have to slow ourselves down in order to see the forest for the trees. Because, unless you’re traveling, the season doesn’t last long. And that’s ever more the reason to appreciate the little things that only spring can offer.