With spring turkey season under way in many areas here are a few tips to help you bag a turkey and help control the turkey population.

Calling:

Effective calling practice starts with a good base. With the number of videos posted online, it is clear the number one mistake can come from watching the wrong calling techniques. Whether it is a pot call or mouth call, hand technique is extremely important to ensure a successful turkey call. Shane Simpson, an avid outdoors man and champion turkey caller, lends a few tips to get you ready for spring.

“The trick,” Simpson says, “is to filter out the good online videos from the bad. One simple way is to look for instructional videos specifically from champion callers. After you have learned the basics to handling a call, then you can move on to practicing the proper sounds you create with that call.”

Clothes:

Spring brings a lot of diverse weather conditions, no matter what state you are in. Be sure to put a lightweight base layer on and pack heavier layers so you can adjust accordingly. If you plan to sit in a blind, all black from the waste up works well. This breaks up your silhouette while in the blind. If you are a mobile hunter, pack a camo rain jacket that has hues of green in the pattern. Face masks are a must in in all turkey hunting situations.

Decoys:

Turkey decoys can make or break your hunt. While scouting, watch the patterns the birds display and try to match what they are doing with a decoy. In the spring, birds mate and their patterns are much different than fall. Typically, using a hen decoy alone can get the big boys ready to come take a peak. However, if the birds are not heading in the direction of your decoy, pair up a tom with a hen decoy to give real toms a chance to battle over her.