Internet Scouting For Spring Turkeys - Help!

[frankcostanza]

I've got it in my head to get into turkey hunting this spring. I have never, ever hunted turkey before and so I am trying to learn as much as I can between now and when the season opens. I would appreciate any tips for a newbie turkey hunter, but in particular I am trying to figure out the whole scouting aspect of hunting turkeys: where to find them, when to find them, what to look for...etc.

I have resigned myself to hunting a large tract of public land near where I live, and in the next several weeks, I plan to go out and walk through the woods to get to know the land. This particular Wildlife Management Area is around 21,000 acres, so in order to not waste time I have been studying maps and satellite photos online to try to narrow down some areas that might be productive for hunting.

If I have done my homework correctly, turkeys will roost in an area where there is hardwoods or pines, a water supply, and a food supply/open ground.
I have picked out a couple areas that seem to have these things, and I wanted to post some pics and get some feedback to see if y'all think this would be a worthwhile place to scout when the season gets closer.

Area #1:
Looks like there is some pretty good sized fields and a couple sources of water close by.



Area #2:
There is a creek running through this area, and there is a right-of-way for some hydro lines (highlighted in yellow) which provides some open ground.



Here is an arial photo of the same area



Let me know what y'all think.

 

[rcmodel]

I think the clear-cut areas under the power lines would be likely spots for strutting & dusting grounds. Also the fields for that, and feeding.

Tall trees nearer the creek will be likely roosts.

Get within visual range, but not too close, before daylight and stay put & hid.
Watch for them flying down from the roosts, and listen for them gobbling.

Once you pin-point a direction where you hear them, you can scout for strutting & dusting areas later in the day.

rc

 

[627PCFan]

21000 acres is a lot of land for 1 hunter. Ive learned to show up late the evening before, call out some shock calls to get a vicinity call back. Then shock call in the AM before they come down from roost. Also scout for scratches in the woods.

 

[frankcostanza]

Ive learned to show up late the evening before, call out some shock calls to get a vicinity call back. Then shock call in the AM before they come down from roost.

Can someone explain this a little further? What is a shock call and what is a vicinity call? Sorry...Im clueless!

 

[rcmodel]

Check out the Owl Hooting. That amounts to a shock call. Makes them Gobble right back so you can locate them.

http://www.nwtf.org/nwtf_newsroom/turkey_calls.html

rc

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

You want to find where they roost, so you can shoot one as soon as they fly down. The best way to find where they roost is at dusk, when the sun is going down, when they are up on the roost, but still awake and making noise. You want to induce a shock gobble**, then move closer and repeat until you get close enough to where you pinpoint their roosting location. You can make some noise, but not too much, when they're up on the roost, without them flying off -don't get closer than about 45 yards though.

**Inducing a "shock gobble" or involuntary gobble, can be done with just about any loud noise - the most common ones used are a barred owl hoot call, crow call, or another gobble. I prefer another gobble. Use a gobble call to induce the shock gobble. Start walking around gobbling in suspect areas as the sun starts to set, until you hear a response. Then slowly move in until you locate them. Set up the next morning in a clear area about 50-75 yards from the roost, with your decoys, preferably where they'd be able to see the decoys while still on the roost, so they'll fly down immediately to your decoys at first light.

The other way to find a roost is just to happen upon it - you can ID it by the many J-shaped turkey droppings under the trees. Look for tall trees shielded from the north wind (i.e. on the south slope of a hill or in a bottom).

 

[Husker_Fan]

I agree with Dr. Tad, with an exception. I do not like using a gobble on public land, especially in the spring season. If you do, I'd limit it to pre-season scouting.

With some of the yahoos out there, I don't want to sound like a gobbler and have someone launch some #4 lead in my direction hoping to get lucky.

 

[frankcostanza]

I do not like using a gobble on public land, especially in the spring season.

I have thought about this, and heard the same advice from others. I suppose the same thing applies for using decoys on public land?

 

[Husker_Fan]

I suppose that could be an issue, I hadn't thought of decoys presenting the same problem. Of course, you could limit yourself to hen decoys only.

Then again, if your calling is anything like mine, you will be safe as nobody is going to want to take the sick gobbler that sounds like it is dying of dysentery.

 

[rcmodel]

Well, it's pretty hard to hunt turkeys without calling sooner or later.

I always set up with my back against a large tree trunk so other "hunters" (and I use the term loosely) can't sneek up behind me and let me have it.

I use a Crow call for shock-calling, but a goose or duck call would work as well.

rc

 

[Husker_Fan]

rc,
I agree with that. I use owl and crow calls to induce shock gobbles, but most of the calling is done to mimic a hen.

Where I am, only bearded turkeys are legal in the spring, so sounding like a hen doesn't create any undue attention. I just don't want to sound like a tom on public land.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I do not like using a gobble on public land, especially in the spring season.

While I agree with that too, he'd be gobbling on public land BEFORE the season opens while scouting. But yeah, stop gobbling once the season opens.

Oh, and I forgot, the basic hen mating yelp (which is easy to make) is actually the BEST shock gobble call during THIS time of year (March & April), for a TOM, more so than even a gobble call! But jakes don't always respond to a gobble, so you can locate a roost by making a jake shock gobble, with a gobble call, if'n you're looking for jakes, or want to find a roost which will (hopefully) have both jakes & toms. But then again, if it's got toms, then 99% chance the toms will shock gobble to a hen yelp. Soooooo, you'll want to basically alternate if you're looking for any male turkey - try a yelp, then something else (barred owl, crow, or gobble), then a yelp, then something else -keep changing it up looking for a response. Good luck.

 

[3pairs12]

I have had better luck getting a shock gobble with hen yelps than crow or owl. Truth be told I haven't had 1 response to any owl calling. I haven't heard them after a real owl even, so maybe my owl call isn't as bad I as I thought it was. You definitely want to get in there a day or 2 before opener and see if you can roost them. Your best chances for bagging that Tom on public land will be during the first week of season. After that they will have heard every call out there and been shot at or towards.

 

[mike724]

I use the roosting technique, too, but I try not to use turkey calls unless I'm set up and ready to shoot. Turkeys are smart birds, and are easily "educated" to false. human-made sounds. You'll train them to avoid you if you over-call!

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

3pairs, I'm with ya - they respond to yelps a lot better than owl calls. I don't know that I've even had one respond to barred owl before. The crow however will sometimes work.

 

[buck460XVR]

Sounds like you have a good start and you've gotten some good suggestions here. One thing I do when I'm hunting a new area is to go out before my season in the morning's before sunrise and just listen for them to gobble off on their own. Owl hoots work better in the morning than evening also. If you hear gobbles coming from one spot more than one day in a row that's a good place to start. Many times Toms that have been pressured on Public land get pretty tight lipped....those that gobble a lot die quickly. Many times they will not respond to attempts to make them shock gobble and many times won't gobble off the roost at night. Sometimes old Toms will only gobble once or twice in the tree before flydown and then shut up till mid-morning or early afternoon. Fresh sign such as scat, tracks and dust bowls are better indicators of turkeys in the area than gobbles. I have shot several toms over the years on public land that never make a sound till their death flap out in front of me. These were in places other hunters gave up in because they didn't hear any gobbles. I stuck it out cause there was fresh sign daily and I knew that Turkeys were in the area.

 

[Grizfire]

The other side of the coin of the "don't make gobble sounds" lesson is to NEVER STALK GOBBLE SOUNDS.

You might be walking up on another hunter.

For places to hunt, I like creek bottoms with steep hills on either side with dense trees. Best thing to do is just get out there and make notes (literally, bring a pad and pen, as well as a gps to mark spots).