When Wayne Carlton hunts wild turkeys, the art of tracking takes on a whole new dimension. While looking for tracks in the snow or soft ground to locate areas favored by the often-elusive birds remains important, Carlton adds a novel twist.
“Look for the tracks made by a good hunter,” he said during a recent series of turkey-hunting seminars at the Denver Bass Pro Shops. “Chances are he knows where the turkeys are.
“I know people sometimes follow my tracks,” he said, beginning to smile. “But this year I’ve got some tricks that will make it a little harder. I might even lay down some false tracks to throw them off my trail.”
Most likely, he was joking just a bit. Or possibly not. Turkey hot spots often are well-kept secrets. A bit of deception may be part of the game among hunters, and after all, the element of deception is the very essence of successful springtime turkey hunting.
Either way, when Carlton speaks, people listen, because he’s led the way for countless hunters to get hooked on the pursuit of spring turkeys.
“Once you get started, it’s addictive because it’s such a challenge,” he said, reflecting on a career that began some 50 years ago.
Carlton, 67, began hunting turkeys while growing up in Florida. He soon discovered that calling wildlife added excitement to almost any type of hunting and that he had a talent for duplicating a wide range of animal sounds as well as teaching such skills to others.
He moved to Colorado with his family in 1976 and settled in Montrose. Soon enough, he had mastered elk calling and was successfully hunting them with a bow. He pioneered use of the diaphragm elk call, designed numerous other types of calls and began marketing them as Carlton’s Calls, a business he eventually sold to Hunter’s Specialties.
Turkey hunting remained his first love, and along the way, he was the founding president of the first National Wild Turkey Federation chapter in Colorado, based in Montrose.
“That started in my living room with me and 17 other guys,” he recalled.
The chapter soon was working with state wildlife officials to boost the region’s wild-turkey population.
“When I first came here, there were only 144 turkeys on the Uncompahgre Plateau,” Carlton said. “They were being winter fed; there was lots of disease and lots of predators. We helped with some studies that showed that the winter feeding was not productive. That eventually was ended, and we got some transplants to boost the turkey population. Now we have 250 to 400 wintering in one canyon every year.
“That’s what I’m proudest of — the National Wild Turkey Federation chapter and the study.”
Carlton has taken two turkey-hunting grand slams, produced two turkey-hunting videos and is a consultant for several companies in the hunting industry. He has hosted several television shows and in 2007 was inducted into the Bowhunters Hall of Fame. He remains an in-demand speaker and is coordinator, instructor and guide for the Vermejo Park Ranch Spring Turkey Hunt in northern New Mexico, a role he has filled the past 29 years.
He remains an avid hunter. Asked about the best time for hunting, he didn’t hesitate.
“When you love the outdoors, any time is the best time,” he said.
True enough, but for many a hunter, the spring turkey season is the best of all.
Learn from a pro
With the spring turkey hunt starting April 10, here are a few tips from turkey-hunting expert Wayne Carlton:
• Turkeys have excellent vision, said to be 10 times that of humans. They can see color and detect movements very well. Wear full camouflage when hunting and avoid excessive movement when turkeys are near. Break your outline by sitting in front of a tree, rock or similar object.
• Turkeys are capable of making 27 different sounds. You don’t need them all, but master the basics such as yelps and putts and the cadence of the call.
• Pattern your shotgun. Shoot at targets placed at 10, 20, 30 and 40 yards. At 10 yards, the pattern will be too tight, almost like a rifle, and you might miss. At 40, it will be too open. The optimal range will be somewhere between 20 and 30 yards.
• Know where to shoot. Aim at or just below a turkey’s head. Do not shoot it in the body unless you’re using a bow. If you miss, be ready for a second shot.
• Be safety conscious. Hunters are wearing full camouflage and sometimes call one another in. If you happen to call in another hunter, shout at him; do not wave.
• Avoid hunting in bad weather. Falling snow might keep turkeys in roosting trees for several days.
