Turkey scouting

[Gellar]

the turkeys were really talking this morning! It was dead calm and foggy with about 100 yards of visibility. I’m getting fired up for Monday! The weather looks good with lows around freezing and highs in the mid to upper 40s. I noticed the farmer adjacent to the public land where a lot of the birds like to go is discing the stalks from last year. I am sure it will change the turkeys routine, but I’m glad it’s now and not the night before!

 

[Old man bob]

If theres Hens , a Tom or 2 will be around If the Guy is discing watch where they move to if possible. Might force them to You. If He's done in a day they will be back!............BOB

 

[3855WIN]

I drew a 3 day public land hunt. I listened one morning. Heard two toms at two different stops. We were at the parking area, trying to hear one of them on Saturday. A friend texted me an image of where he killed one a few years earlier. I replied, “we’re at the same gate waiting for him to gobble”. We ended up killing that bird. Scouting can help, but I think knowing and reading the woods are more important. Our kill the other day probably happened because we got on the same ridge as the Tom.

 

[NEWHunter]

Well with the quarantine, I’m sending my Dad out to try and pattern the birds. This year all our turkey hunting will be done on small parcels around suburbia. Unfortunately, it was this same time last year that their patterns started changing and they became less accessible to us on the small parcel. Saturday can’t get here fast enough - hope the pattern holds and these guys hang around. Trying to get my little guy his first bird.

A few more joined the party this morning.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Checked out "my" favorite public land turkey spot on Monday and no sign of turkeys being there. I won't be able to scout it again the day before season opens like I did last year, so am debating how much time, if any, I want to spend there on opener. I did spot a turkey on some public about 1.5 miles from any access point, with no roads or trails, in an area I've never hunted. I doubt I'd have any competition from other hunters, so this might be my morning sit on the 13th.

 

[Gellar]

Checked out "my" favorite public land turkey spot on Monday and no sign of turkeys being there. I won't be able to scout it again the day before season opens like I did last year, so am debating how much time, if any, I want to spend there on opener. I did spot a turkey on some public about 1.5 miles from any access point, with no roads or trails, in an area I've never hunted. I doubt I'd have any competition from other hunters, so this might be my morning sit on the 13th.

That sounds like a big chunk of public and a good place to start! I like to turkey hunt on big parcels so I can chase gobbles.

 

[Art Vandeley]

Wow, we have a winter storm set to hit us opening morning here in Montana. 2-3 inches of snow predicted for Saturday through Sunday. This might be the first opening weekend I sit out. I have birds scouted and permission to hunt a few great properties, I'm excited for huntable conditions!

 

[Gellar]

Wow, we have a winter storm set to hit us opening morning here in Montana. 2-3 inches of snow predicted for Saturday through Sunday. This might be the first opening weekend I sit out. I have birds scouted and permission to hunt a few great properties, I'm excited for huntable conditions!

3 or 4 years ago we got 3 inches of snow overnight into opening morning. I woke up but went back to sleep midday after the sun came out and melted the snow a bit the birds were fired up. I called two in from different directions during my first calling sequence. The bird in the first post of this thread was the one I killed that day!

 

[1_pointer]

Drives me crazy seeing states further north and with colder climates opening so much earlier than here in Hoosier land. IMO, we open about a month too late, at least in the southern part of the state. I'd guess the hens will be sitting on nests come youth season the Saturday after Easter.

 

[trb]

Drives me crazy seeing states further north and with colder climates opening so much earlier than here in Hoosier land. IMO, we open about a month too late, at least in the southern part of the state. I'd guess the hens will be sitting on nests come youth season the Saturday after Easter.

The most recent Meateater podcast has an interesting interview with a turkey biologist who points to early opening seasons as a key factor in turkey overharvest/declines. It's definitely worth a listen.

 

[NEWHunter]

Wow, we have a winter storm set to hit us opening morning here in Montana. 2-3 inches of snow predicted for Saturday through Sunday. This might be the first opening weekend I sit out. I have birds scouted and permission to hunt a few great properties, I'm excited for huntable conditions!

Don’t let a little snow stop you. Two years ago on the opener we got over 18 inches here in WI. I know guys that went out on snobeels (Sconnie for snowmobile) and got them. Some guys said it was a bit easier cause it seemed they could get closer with the snow falling. Unfortunately I didn’t have a tag at the time but got this guy a few days later.

 

[Gellar]

Drives me crazy seeing states further north and with colder climates opening so much earlier than here in Hoosier land. IMO, we open about a month too late, at least in the southern part of the state. I'd guess the hens will be sitting on nests come youth season the Saturday after Easter.

Iowa has 4 seasons starting April 13 and going thRough May 17. But we can only get 2 tags. Our youth turkey season is April 10-12 which I believe is to early, but having it after the other seasons would be to late. I don’t think there is much participation in the youth turkey season in Iowa compared to youth deer season.

 

[Art Vandeley]

Don’t let a little snow stop you. Two years ago on the opener we got over 18 inches here in WI. I know guys that went out on snobeels (Sconnie for snowmobile) and got them. Some guys said it was a bit easier cause it seemed they could get closer with the snow falling. Unfortunately I didn’t have a tag at the time but got this guy a few days later.

It's the Gumbo (MUD) that creates problems.

 

[1_pointer]

The most recent Meateater podcast has an interesting interview with a turkey biologist who points to early opening seasons as a key factor in turkey overharvest/declines. It's definitely worth a listen.

With a one bird in the spring limit, I do not see that being a problem here, but I could see that being an issue in places.

 

[trb]

With a one bird in the spring limit, I do not see that being a problem here, but I could see that being an issue in places.

Same here in Colorado. His point had to do with the social hierarchy chaos that ensues after the dominant tom is removed from a social group. I am probably understating the nuance that he explained in the interview, but basically I understood that all the subdominant toms spend too much time fighting for the vacancy in superiority and not enough time breeding. By delaying breeding, and therefore laying, it can impact poultry survival success, which is already very low.

 

[AggieHunter]

That sounds like a big chunk of public and a good place to start! I like to turkey hunt on big parcels so I can chase gobbles.

That's the benefit at least of hunting Merriam turkeys is that certain spots you have a couple of thousand acres to chase them through, but it also makes locating tuff.

 

[Zootownelk]

The most recent Meateater podcast has an interesting interview with a turkey biologist who points to early opening seasons as a key factor in turkey overharvest/declines. It's definitely worth a listen.

After listening to that episode it almost made me not want to shoot a Tom after learning how rare it is for a turkey to live long enough to be a Tom. Almost...

 

[Old man bob]

2 tags in New Mexico over the counter. Thats where us AZ. boys go ( , us Turkey fanatics) Leaving Sat . for opener on the 15th . got time to find em. Here in Az. Have to draw and only 1 bird. Only a 3rd of the state the Mountains have turkey and to many people in Phoenix now ,5 Million metro . Our season starts late too most think ,but up high can and does still have alotta snow. I allways do ok , Last year killed opening nite . The 24th with Youth the week before. where we do have them it is pretty good I think. We are lucky to have The GOULDS down in southern AZ. in about 5-6 units ,but only around 82 tags or so. I was lucky 3 years ago and drew one with 11 bonus points. You can get a point in the spring and 1 in the fall so they add up quick with the loyalty point and hunter ed point , You have 4 in 1 year. Our birds are all merriams except up on the Strip they have a 3-4 Rio tags ,they were reintroduced recently I would never wait on that . I went to Oklahoma.................GOOD LUCK all..................BOB!

 

[Old man bob]

I forgot to add in both States its Big Country ,Goes forever. You can follow or go around birds farther than you would want to. The only problem if they take to the climbing cause you are at 8-9k feet and better be in shape. I try to stay in big canyon bottoms where they like to feed on the green up . And there is generally water flowing, or I will stay on flats or ridge tops.................BOB!

 

[AggieHunter]

Anyone hearing much gobbling in Colorado?