Spring Turkey Tips and Recipes from the CRUSH

We are just a few weeks away from the first turkey season in Iowa and hunters are already thinking about and preparing for the season. There are so many spring turkey tips and tricks that you could learn something new every day, but here are a few things that are tried and true for us. 

Turkey Sign & Location

• ROOSTS: Turkey’s favorite spots to roost are along creeks and steep hillsides where they are elevated so it makes it easier for them to fly off the roost and onto the top of a hillside. Turkeys have extremely good eyesight and like to scan the landscape for predators, if they are above the terrain, it makes it easier for them to survey the lay of the land. 
• DUST BATHS:  Another sign to look for is where turkeys take dust baths. These are prime areas and good locations to put Reveal Cell Cams over. We leave our trail cams out after deer season to roll into turkey season, which is a huge benefit to finding them early on.  
• LOCATION: Turkeys like to be in very visible, open areas to show off and create as much attention and visibility to attract females. Pastures, ag fields, and old logging roads are all great strut zones. 

Food Sources

• CLOVER: By frost seeding your food plots in late winter, come Spring you will have an established clover plot that is highly desirable to turkeys. Clover food plots are prime destination locations for harvesting a mature tom. We use Anilogics CRUSH Seeds of Science Pro Clover.
• ACORNS: In the woods or edges, look for areas that have an abundance of acorns or where turkeys have scratched for them as they are an irresistible food source for the birds. 

Calls & Decoys

This year we are excited to partner with Bone Collector Game Calls. Their new WoW Series is a standout choice for turkey hunters seeking exceptional versatility and performance. Offering a wide array of sounds, these calls are ideal for producing convincing cuts and raspy yelps with a range of volume, allowing you to reach out to distant Toms or keep it subtle when needed. 

For decoys, we always put out a couple of Dave Smith Hen decoys and a Jake decoy and you can always depend on a Tom coming in and beating up the decoy. So oftentimes, people get busted when they are coming into the decoy because the birds are still checking out their surroundings to get to the decoy. But once they start beating up the decoy, then you could basically almost stand up and do jumping jacks. So many times when they are coming in, people will get all set up, adjust their seat, angle, etc., and once the turkey picks up the movement they are gone, just like that. Sit like a statue as they are coming in and once they start beating up the decoy, you can pick up your gun and get set up and in position to shoot. 

The Set Up

Shotguns

• Cameron, our 8-year-old son, uses Stevens Model 301 with thumb hole stock in .410 GA with a Sig Optics Romeo3 Red Dot Scope. 
• Raygen, our 6-year-old daughter uses Stevens Model 301 in 20 GA with a SIG Optics Romeo3 Red Dot Scope 
• Lee & Tiffany use the Savage 12 GA Renegauge with no scope. 

Ammo: Federal Turkey 

Apparel: Under Armour Outdoors

Our Favorite Turkey Recipes

The best part of the hunt is the delicious, fresh wild game to prepare as a meal. We have several recipes on our website to try! 

• Turkey Taco Tuesday
• Smoked Wild Turkey Tex Mex Bowl
• Crescent Turkey Rollups
• Turkey Fajitas
• Turkey Nuggets

Good luck this season with these spring turkey tips and try to get the youth involved or a new hunter as well!  Also use this season to search for morels, deer signs, and sheds. 

CRUSH with Lee & Tiffany airs Sundays at 8p ET on Outdoor Channel 

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LeeandTiffanyLakosky

Instagram: @thecrushtv

Facebook: @LeeAndTiffany

Tiktok: @crushleetiff

Website: www.thecrush.tv

If you liked these spring turkey tips from the CRUSH, check out more of our Hunting Tactics.