# Wexford area, some turkey questions



## rocknreel2 (Jun 8, 2004)

New to Turkey Hunting, but bought 40 acres just south of Caberfae and figured its time to try. Putting my application in. Now to my questions
1) spring hunt- are my odds good for drawing a tag?
2) I have 40 acres but plenty of public around.. should I focus on my property or do I need to scout a lot of MNF to find some birds
3) anyone turkey hunt in the area that could give me and a few of my teenage sons a quick lesson or advise for the area
4) spring vs fall, anything make hunts different? 


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

You will have to make a choice to go into the draw for your area or hunt later with an over the counter tag.The draw hunt will be a shorter time to hunt than the late hunt but you will get a spring tag one way or the other
2.Your forty acres may or may not have birds.This depends on what it has to offer wild turkeys.Having close public land is a bonus.Many turkey hunters bounce between the twur property in Gladwin can be very good depending on when the birds disperse and we are there to hunt them.But it is hit or miss and we spend alot of time on public.
Find where birds are wintering usually in large flocks and then locate river bottoms, drainages,ridges or agriculture they might follow to disperse in spring close or on public ground.
I can not help you on your area,I'm sure someone will make an offer.
Spring/ fall can be night a day with the birds being much more vocal in the spring.
Hit one of the NWTF or sport show seminars and ask questions.
PM me your address and I will send you what I think is one of the better calling CDs.
Fortunately or unfortunately thet are too many things in turkey hunting you must learn on your own but that can make it fun.Good Luck!


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## stickbow shooter (Dec 19, 2010)

I'm in your area. There are scattered flocks but not big numbers. I usually put in for first hunt and usually draw. But will probably just buy over the counter ( tick season) hunt this year. A couple negatives about the first hunt.Tom's are usually henned up during the first hunt but you can get lucky . Might have snow still. Other then that is great to be hunting again, plus birds are not call shy yet.
Negatives on the late season are bugs,heat and they are really wise to hunters by then.
But it has positives also. You get the whole month of May to hunt late hunt.
You know you for sure have a tag. 
Tom's are still looking.
Lots of woods to look and chase birds around here.


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## rocknreel2 (Jun 8, 2004)

stickbow shooter said:


> I'm in your area. There are scattered flocks but not big numbers. I usually put in for first hunt and usually draw. But will probably just buy over the counter ( tick season) hunt this year. A couple negatives about the first hunt.Tom's are usually henned up during the first hunt but you can get lucky . Might have snow still. Other then that is great to be hunting again, plus birds are not call shy yet.
> Negatives on the late season are bugs,heat and they are really wise to hunters by then.
> But it has positives also. You get the whole month of May to hunt late hunt.
> You know you for sure have a tag.
> ...


Ok, didnt know there was a May hunt. I read the digest and entered in for the April draw w preference for second week, and my 18 yr old son did with preference for the first week. So if we draw a tag and are unsuccessful, we can still by an over the counter and hunt in may? Or is that elsewhere? 

Also you mentioned Tics... forgot all about those, how bad are they? wife will not be a fan..


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## stickbow shooter (Dec 19, 2010)

rocknreel2 said:


> Ok, didnt know there was a May hunt. I read the digest and entered in for the April draw w preference for second week, and my 18 yr old son did with preference for the first week. So if we draw a tag and are unsuccessful, we can still by an over the counter and hunt in may? Or is that elsewhere?
> 
> Also you mentioned Tics... forgot all about those, how bad are they? wife will not be a fan..


Once you draw a specific hunt that's it. No getting another shot at a different time frame. Now unless the DNR has changed the rules that's how it's always been. Exception I believe there was something last season with the covid that hey did something different. But I haven't looked at this year's regs yet.
And yes the ticks are really bad usually.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I have not appied for an early hunt since they cam up what at that time was called an experimental hunt. Now it is hunt 234 if i remeber correctly and can be bought OTC. No need to apply for it. It gives you a good part of May to hunt.

If you are worried aboout ticks, spray you clothes with permanoe that is a tick repellent. I have only had one tick get through it. Keeping your clothes tucked into your boots helps.


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## Flight of the arrow (Feb 11, 2008)

I hunt the east side of the state (Glennie area), ticks was horrible last year. This was my wife’s head and the end of her season.
Flight


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## rocknreel2 (Jun 8, 2004)

Flight of the arrow said:


> I hunt the east side of the state (Glennie area), ticks was horrible last year. This was my wife’s head and the end of her season.
> Flight
> View attachment 627677


Just lost my appetitie- will not show my wife that pic...
@multibeard thanks for the tip on permanoe


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Basically solid diversity of habitat on the south side of the Caberfae hills, you should be able to match the hunt season to the preferred habitat right then. But might need to scout the large amounts of National Forest land to do that, could use a sled on the various trails / seasonal roads in the area to start getting a handle on it right now.


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## grouse25 (Dec 28, 2010)

God I hate ticks.....


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

Where the turkeys are today will probably not be where they are when spring comes. The are flocked up where there is food. When spring comes they will disperse. Some times miles away.


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## rocknreel2 (Jun 8, 2004)

multibeard said:


> Where the turkeys are today will probably not be where they are when spring comes. The are flocked up where there is food. When spring comes they will disperse. Some times miles away.


answered my question before I even asked.... kept finding a flock same place at dawn and dusk and was hoping that would be a spring starting spot, I guess not


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

I’m in K unit. Used to be more birds.
The ban on supplemental feeding of deer up here really hurt turkeys I believe. We are at or above their far northern historical range due to the snow depth we typically get. So in a nut shell they kinda need us to survive in any decent numbers. This year should be a easy winter for them if things keep up. With so many people having time off last spring the birds got hammered. So that didn’t help either.
As said were you find the birds in winter flocks doesn’t mean that’s where you will find them in the spring.
I hunt public ground so if I can’t roost any the night before I’ll just drive two tracks stopping and calling every mile of so to see if I can get a gooble. Logged 1700 miles in the second season last spring if that says anything about bird numbers.
But turkey hunting is a blast. Sometimes the season lasts 15 min sometimes you end up with nothing.
Also we don’t have a fall season up here. That’s only for southern michigan


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