Getting ready for turkey season - Scouting
Part III of III in a series (Part I | Part II)
By Rob Somerville, Ol' Tom Elite Member

In parts one and two of this three part series in preparing Volunteer state hunters for getting a gobbler, we looked at patterning your gun and equipment. Today, we will take you to the fields and woods to pattern the birds and scout your land, whether it is public or private. In continuing this three part series, we will look at what can be done now, to better prepare you for doing battle with the "King of Spring."

Scouting 101

As with any other species that we hunt, the key to a successful turkey hunting season depends on doing your homework prior to the actual opening day. Turkey, like deer, will react to excessive human pressure. The more they are pushed out of their normal daily routine, the sooner they will vacate the area.

This is where "low pressure - long distance" scouting is the key. Do not get your buddies and run 4-wheelers all over the property you intend to hunt on. You must even move with stealth when walking the fields or entering the woods. Unlike whitetail deer, which often bed down for hours at a time, turkeys will remain mobile from the time they fly down from the roost until the time they head back to their roosting trees just prior to dark. They are also hard to see due to their short stature. This means that you could bump a flock easily. Keep in mind their excellent eyesight and hearing also.

Tip: Scout like you hunt. Be quite and move slowly. When you think you are moving slow enough - slow down some more. Mother Nature has evolved the wild turkey into a survival machine with super charged senses of hearing and eyesight. You will be at a disadvantage if you don't use the only tool you have that the gobblers do not possess- common sense.

Low Pressure scouting techniques

Proper woodsmanship skills are a necessity for successful pre-season turkey scouting. Stealth, full camo, quality binoculars and a good knowledge of the layout of the land and its topographical features are all necessary factors. If you are hunting unfamiliar property, try to get a topo map that shows ridges, streams, cutovers and power line right-of-ways.

The flocks will be hitting the fields to browse on new green shoots and insects, shortly after they fly down and again during the afternoon. Find a good visual vantage point, one in which you have proper concealment and the sun at your back if possible. Let the gobblers show you where they are coming into the fields from the woods. After the birds have completely vacated the area, enter the woods where they came out previously and look for turkey dropping {gobbler droppings will be in the form of a "J"}, tracks, scratchings where they searched for food, dusting areas and feathers. Check out the surrounding terrain and find a couple of suitable ambush trails for setting up on when the season arrives. Keep in mind that the bird's patterns will change with food availability and social {mating} activities, so this form of scouting should be done close to opening day.

Tip: Locate several good ambush sites for afternoon hunting set ups on the edges of fields. Take a little time to erect some blinds out of natural foliage, such as branches, logs and stumps. If you get a longbeard to gobble after lunch time, he will generally come running with hormones raging - looking for love in all the wrong places, as his previous girlfriends have gone to nest.

Take notes

Most of the better "gobbler getters" I know keep a running journal whether scouting or hunting. The journal should denote the amount of hens, jakes and gobblers sighted, the weather, time of day, date, wind speed and direction, and the ambient temperature. It should also denote the numbers of different gobbling birds heard, roosting areas and travel routes the birds took.

This journal will help you set up the feeding and social patterns of the resident flocks on the land you are hunting.

Tip: When keeping a journal, you should also map out strategic set up locations and the success rate of each as well as sightings of coyote, bobcats, possums, skunks and any other natural predators to the wild turkey. A proper predator control management plan can then be formulated to eradicate these natural predators through legal hunting and trapping methods.

Summary:

Scouting and patterning the turkeys on the land you hunt is essential in becoming a successful turkey hunter. You are up against the most wary big game trophy in our region. Use your brain and your woodsmanship skills and you will have a better advantage towards a successful harvest. Until then, be safe and enjoy the great outdoors and always remember that our kids truly are our most precious natural resource. They are our future.

See ya,
Rob


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