Avid Florida hunter Bartlow Montgomery Myers offers his top tips for the state’s March and April turkey hunting season.
The state of Florida has released its turkey hunting season dates for the spring of 2020. The turkey hunting season begins on March 2, and closes on April 7, in South Florida, and spans from March 16 through April 21, for all areas north of State Road 70. Avid Florida outdoorsman and hunting enthusiast Bartlow Montgomery Myers offers his tips for making the most of the turkey hunting season this year, including the best resources to read before you go, what to wear when turkey hunting, where to hunt, and more. Bartlow Montgomery Myers continuously expresses the importance of thoroughly understanding the rules and regulations of turkey hunting in Florida before heading into the woods.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time turkey hunting or your 50th, it always pays to check in with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website,” Bartlow Montgomery Myers says. “This website is my go-to place for license requirements, regulations, and more.”
Lifelong hunter and esteemed outdoorsman Bartlow Montgomery Myers has taken plenty of turkeys home for cooking over the years. This season is the first he has shared his turkey calling, gear, and blind tips with fellow hunters.
“I like to use a good handmade box call or pot/slate call. However, it’s not just imitation turkey sounds that can draw these birds near. I also imitate the sounds of woodpeckers, crows, and owls to get male turkeys to do their instinctive “shock” gobble,” Bartlow Montgomery Myers adds.
Bartlow explains that male turkeys often do an initial gobble, known as a “shock” gobble, when they hear crows, woodpeckers, and owls in the earliest hours of the day. He argues that his woodpecker and crow calls are just as effective as his actual turkey calls. Myers also explains that staying out of sight can be surprisingly difficult when hunting turkey.
“Turkeys have much sharper eyesight than most hunters think. That’s why a ground blind can be much more effective with these creatures,” Bartlow Montgomery Myers says. “You don’t even have to purchase a blind at the outdoors store. Just make one along the edge of a field with nearby fallen debris and vegetation. I’ve always done well with my handmade, natural blinds.”
Avid Florida hunters like Bartlow also express the importance of using as much camouflage as possible when turkey hunting. He recommends a face mask, cap, gloves, boots, long pants, and a long-sleeve shirt to trick a turkey’s keen eyesight.
“Of course, as most Floridian hunters know, the most useful gear you can carry with you into the woods when turkey hunting is a heavy-duty insect repellent to fight off ticks and mosquitoes,” Bartlow Montgomery Myers concludes.
