Rio Grande Turkey

The King of the Spring Woods

The Rio Grande turkey is the dominant subspecies across Texas — and El Chital Ranch holds one of the most robust wild populations in the Hill Country. Our creek bottoms, live oak mottes, and mesquite flats provide year-round roosting, nesting, and feeding habitat that sustains a thriving flock of birds season after season.

Spring turkey hunting is arguably the most visceral, skill-dependent hunt we offer. Calling a mature longbeard into range — watching him strut and drum, beard dragging, gobbling at every yelp — is an experience that demands woodsmanship, patience, and an intimate understanding of turkey behavior. Our guides have spent decades learning the rhythms of the birds on this land.

El Chital's turkey season runs from late March through mid-May, aligning perfectly with the peak of the Texas gobbling season. Hunters can expect to encounter birds actively responding to calls, frequently producing multiple shots at mature longbeards in a single morning hunt. We offer both shotgun and archery opportunities.

The ranch is also stunning in spring — bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush carpet the pastures, the bucks are in velvet, and the mornings ring with gobbles echoing across the creek bottoms. It is one of the most beautiful times to be on the land.