IHEA-USA wishes all a safe and successful Turkey Hunting Season! Here are some tips to think about before you head out to the woods.

Each spring thousands of hunters enter the woods in pursuit of the wild turkey. Turkey hunting is considered one of the most challenging hunts. Hunters will use various tactics to lure the gobbler into shooting range; sometimes the concealment and calling, results in tragic shooting incidents.

The primary cause of turkey hunting incidents is a mistake in identifying the target. The hunter sees movement, hears sound, or sees a flash of color and shoots. This poor judgment often causes severe injuries and sometimes even death to another hunter. Here are some common sense rules that are keys to a safe turkey hunting experience:

Target Identification- Being 99.9 percent sure isn't good enough. The primary cause of turkey hunting incidents is a mistake in identifying the target. The hunter sees movement, hears sound, or sees a flash of color and shoots. This spring, identify your target and know what is beyond your target before you pull that trigger.

Calling- Stay away from the gobbler's call as the sound and motion can attract other hunters. Instead, try calling with very low volume clucks and purrs. Once they start talking back to you, try to match their tempo.

Dress Defensively- Wear full camouflage from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. Wearing partial camouflage may leave just enough exposed to look like parts of a turkey. Eliminate the colors red, white and blue from your turkey hunting outfit. Red is the color most hunters use to identify a gobbler's head from the hen's blue-colored head.

Calling Position- When selecting your calling position, don't try to hide so well that you cannot see what is happening around you. Remember, eliminating movement is your key to success, not total concealment. Select a calling position that provides a background as wide as your shoulder and one that will completely protect you from the top of your head down, such as a tree with a trunk wider than your body to protect your back. Small trees will not hide slight movement of your hands and/or shoulder which might look like a turkey to another hunter who could be unwisely stalking your calls, make sure that you can see 180 degrees in front of you.

Signaling an Approaching Hunter- Never wave, move or make turkey sounds to alert another hunter to your presence. Remain still and call out in a loud, clear voice to alert oncoming hunters of your presence.

Using a Decoy- When using a decoy, always place it so you are out of the direct line of fire should another hunter mistake it for legal game. When moving through the woods, totally conceal your decoy with camouflage or fluorescent orange, so it won't be mistaken for a live turkey.

Hunting Strategy- Never stalk a wild turkey. The chances of getting close enough for a shot are slim. The less you move, the safer and more effective you will be in hunting a turkey.

Bringing Home the Bacon- Once you have harvested a bird, wrap a fluorescent orange vest or band around its body with wings folded in before moving. Leave the woods via the most open route possible.

Hunting is one of the safest sports in the world. In fact, more people visit the emergency room from playing football, baseball and basketball each year than from hunting. Using a little common sense keeps you and other hunters enjoying this great sport for life. Be smart, consider your options and have a safe hunt!

About IHEA-USA
The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) - USA is the professional hunter education association affiliated with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the 50 state fish and hunter education programs. The programs employ 57,000 instructors, many of whom are volunteers, that teach hunting and shooting safety and responsibilities throughout the United States.

Hunter Education courses train and certify more than 700,000 students annually. Since 1949, almost 44 million students have completed hunter education courses that cover firearm safety, bowhunting, wildlife management, field care of game, responsible hunting, landowner relations, wildlife identification, and much more.

www.ihea-usa.org

Media Contact:
Brad Heidel
Executive Director
Phone: 651-403-1772
Email: bheidel@ihea-usa.org