North 40 Life Magazine | Page 11

#1 hOMEWOrK This may sound difficult to a generation who’ve been raised on instant gratification, but trust me, it’s as enjoyable as the hunt itself! A day or two before the hunt, I always try to roost the flock (technically called a rafter). Bring flag tape to mark the spot back to the truck. You may think you know your way, but at 4 am it’s really dark and finding your desired spot may not be as easy as you thought. Side Note: If you can’t roost a rafter before your hunt (let’s face it, we don’t always have that much time) the next best thing is to show up to the turkey woods extra early. Giving yourself an additional hour to listen and locate will help you be successful. #2 UP EARLY Those of us who have been hunting for any length of time will know you need to be there at least an hour before sunrise if you want to get set up and positioned without alerting the rafter. One good tip to remember when you are setting up is this: face your decoys towards your blind. Why? Dominant Toms will want to face off with your decoy giving you opportunity to draw your bow without being seen and also give you a great target (his backside) to shoot at. Side Note: Set those decoys up close to your ground blind. Really close, 7 – 10 yards. It is true that turkeys have great eye sight, but when it comes to this set up they are blind as a bat (bad pun intended)! #3 The Wind Never Blows Around Here Until you set up 5’ kite also known as a ground blind. Always stake your blind down. Battling with the wind is real, trying to call a bird in with a flapping blind s YH\