Scouting for turkeys should start in January. Observations during January-February will help to narrow down areas that hold mature flocks. Observations from these months can be applied to scouting in March-April, where detailed patterns of mature gobblers can be put to use.
What is the best time to roost turkeys?
Start by slipping into an area in mid-afternoon where you’ve heard birds before — or maybe just by targeting decent habitat. Scout open areas positioned not far from stands of big-branched trees. Sit calmly and quietly, listening as turkeys move into a likely roosting spot.
Do turkeys take the same path everyday?
Turkeys tend to travel the same routes or circuits to the same areas every day, as long as those areas provide what turkeys need and want. Hunters can use this information to place themselves right in the path of the birds, or at least pretty close to where those birds typically travel on any given day.
What time of day is best for hunting turkeys?
first thing in the morning
Time of Day: Since Turkeys make their nest in trees and on the ground in wooded areas, one of the best times of day to hunt is first thing in the morning. Get out to your blind early and listen for the yelps, cackles, and gobbles of turkeys as they start in search for breakfast.
How often should you call when turkey hunting?
every 15 minutes
Push button call
But don’t call too often – less is more. Calling every 15 minutes or so and starting off quieter and then getting more aggressive/louder as the day goes on are good rules of thumb. If you hear a hen, try to mimic her exact vocalizations.
How early do turkeys start gobbling?
The data shows peak gobbling usually falls during the first week of April, but a closer inspection reveals significant geographical variation. For example, gobbling activity rises much earlier in southern Mississippi and crests around March 20.
Will turkeys come back if spooked?
The gobbler wanted to be where you were when you spooked him. So, after he thinks you’re gone, and he hears a hen softly calling, there’s a very good chance he may come back in that direction. Remember — the gobbler has a limited number of days to breed.
What to look for when scouting for turkeys?
Look for tracks, droppings, and scratching areas in the leaves. Scratching will almost look like a deer scrape but there will be several of them in an area if there are a few or more turkeys. The bare dirt will be exposed about the size of a dinner plate or a little larger and the leaves will be bunched up to one side.
Where do turkeys go mid day?
If you can legally hunt past noon—or simply want to scout—midday is the time to sneak toward loafing areas. Preseason scouting likely uncovered a few select, shady areas adjacent to field edges and feeding zones. Turkeys congregate here to escape the midday heat. Turkeys also spend the midday hours dusting.
How long do you sit turkey hunting?
Stand When You Should Sit
That 60 minutes is nothing to an old turkey, but an eternity to you. Wait another five minutes.
Can you call turkeys uphill?
Anything to the old saw that you can call turkeys more easily uphill than down? A. Turkeys walk downhill as well as uphill, and I’ve called them up and down many times.
What weather is best for turkey hunting?
The best weather for turkey hunting season doesn’t always coincide on days where you hear the most gobblers. Gobblers will be more vocal on days where winds are less than 10 mph, the temperature is between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the barometric pressure is high and steady.
Do turkeys prefer woods or fields?
Cover – Although turkeys use forests for cover and roosting in the tall hardwood trees at night, they also like open and brushy areas for feeding, mating, nesting and rearing their young. Turkeys actually depend on a mix of open fields, pasture and forested for their survival.
How do you find a turkey while hunting?
Binoculars and a shock gobble inducer are a great start for finding birds.
- If you do come across turkeys but are only seeing hens, you’re still in luck.
- Roosting areas are ideal places to focus your listening efforts.
- The crow call is the call of choice for a number of turkey hunters trying for the shock gobble.
How do you call a turkey in the morning?
As a rule turkeys gobble best on clear, calm, high-pressure mornings in the spring. Stand on a ridge or bluff at dawn and you’re apt to hear birds gobbling a mile or more away in all directions. Not only can you hear well on a nice day, your calls also ring true and carry far. Any mouth or friction call works well.
When should you call turkeys not to call?
Instead of trying to excite a gobbler to answer, a better course of action would have been to stop calling after only a few very light tree yelps and listen closely. If there are still no gobbles, refrain from calling and keep listening for the birds to fly down before attempting another call or making a move.
What time of year do turkeys respond to calls?
One of the biggest myths of hunting is that male turkeys respond to calling only in the spring. The fact is, toms gobble all fall, too, and are sometimes more vocal in autumn than in spring. And they can be very responsive to a call.
Do turkeys gobble after dark?
Yep, they’ll gobble all night.
Is turkey hunting better in the morning or afternoon?
The fact that birds gobble and their location is known takes some of the guesswork out of it. Again, mornings generally provide faster and hotter action with vocal birds, making it the preferred time to turkey hunt.
How early before sunrise do turkeys gobble?
In the past few weeks the toms have always started gobbling about exactly at shooting light, which is a half hour before sunrise, and then they fly down shortly after. This morning they didn’t start gobbling until after sunrise and even then it was only once about every ten minutes.
Why do turkeys go silent?
Often, though, turkey hunters can look in a mirror to see why turkeys go silent. Human pressure in heavily hunted areas generally stifles gobbling, and when hunters are successful it can mean the removal of many vocal, willing birds from the flock.