Turkey Hunting Guidelines

Hunters can reduce the risks significantly by following good safety guidelines.

• Wear blaze orange when entering or leaving the hunting area. When you're set up to call, you can put on your camouflage.
• Identify your target, head to tail. Never shoot when you believe you recognize one area of the target. 
• Always aim a firearm at the head and neck of the turkey.
• Always look for other hunters. Never assume you are alone in the woods.
• Assume that any noise you hear has been made by a human being.
• If you do see another hunter, don't move. Remain perfectly still, and either speak to the hunter in a normal voice or call out loudly if the hunter is farther away. Make absolutely sure that the hunter knows you're there before you move.
• If you use camouflage, cover your entire body, including your face. Don't wear or use anything that is red, white, blue, or black. These colors are present on turkeys, and wearing them puts you at increased risk.
• Never carry harvested turkeys or decoys in the open. Conceal them completely, and wrap them in blaze orange.
• Use a flashlight in the dark. It alerts other hunters to your presence, and it prevents falls and accidents.