# How to scout for turkey?



## rwt2008 (Nov 17, 2008)

Ok, this is my first yr. applying for the spring turkey hunt. When it comes to scouting what should I look for? Water, Bedding, etc. I am hunting in clare county michigan outside of harrison if this helps any. Any tips would be great. Oh and when should I start looking? Are they in different areas or stick to certain spots all yr long?


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## Henrik for President (Sep 21, 2009)

I found two areas that had a large flock during a couple drives outside of town. Now I just need to get permission to hunt!


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## Thunderhead (Feb 2, 2002)

Pre season scouting has always been the best way to ensure a successful hunt. 
Here's a few things I've learned along the way.
Birds will pretty much use the same trees over and over again till disturbed. Look for the obvious signs. Gobblers will usually sleep in separate trees but still somewhat close to the hens.
Search for feathers, turkey dung, scratchings etc......you'll know the roost trees when you find them. 
Tom Turkey droppings are shaped like a " J " and are about 2" long whereas hen droppings are round and circular in shape.
Birds also like to pitch down into fairly open areas in the hardwoods, so look for clear cuts with big trees nearby. Pines in high country and cottonwoods or big ,live or dead oaks with the large " open arm " type limbs in the low lying areas are a good bet in bird country. 
Food and water play an important role in locating roosting trees so keep that in mind while scouting.

Look for scratchings and loose feathers which will tell you the way the birds are heading to their feeding areas or dusting bowls. The leaves will be kicked back in the opposite direction that they're going. A Gobbler track is about 4" long from the heel to the tip of the middle toe. Also, the tips of the feathers from a Gobbler are black. The tip of the hen's feathers have a lighter, brownish color.

An owl call or rooster pheasant cackle at night is a good roost locator. 
Right at sun up, nothing beats a crow or pheasant cackle.
Midday calling I'll use all of the above. If all else fails, a loud sharp cluck every 20-25 seconds on your slate will usually entice a silent Tom into cutting loose.

Another good tactic to roost birds is to scan field edges an hour or so before dark. Birds are getting in one last snack and will be heading to bed soon. Watch where they go into the woods. The roost will more than likely be within 100 - 150 yards or so.

One tactic that works very well once you've located an active roosting site is to wait till the birds are roosted and take a loud noisy stroll right thru the middle of'em. 
Bust the flock in all directions. The birds will roost alone and in unfamiliar trees. 
Come morning they'll be ready to rejoin their friends after spending a long, lonely night.
Set up close to where you busted'em and at daylight start off with a few very soft tree yelps, followed by a fly down cackle.
No locators are needed in this situation, you already know that they are somewhere close.
Once down, a few soft cuts, clucks, and a purr or two for good measure will more often than not, put a bird in front of you.

Everybody likes to entice a Longbeard to cut loose with a thundering gobble, it's fun !
But, using a yelp before season is one of the worst mistakes a hunter can make. I hear this constantly at the various hunting shows and seminars I attend around the country each year. 

Guys will locate pre season birds by yelping with their box, slate or mouth call. 
NEVER use a yelp or hen sounds to locate a bird before season starts. A gobble call, owl hooter, crow, pheasant cackle will do the job without actually calling in a bird.
As a rule of thumb, a mature Tom will only be called in 2, maybe 3 times in it's life. If you locate with a hen sound , he will answer and eventually come in to find no hen. 
Strike one.
In my opinion, a Longbeard is the wariest of all critters, don't educate'em.

A few more rules I follow are that I never call from the road. This happens alot on state ground.
Alot of rookie hunters will call from the road. If this is happening in your hunting area, get out in the woods and call from different locations.
Location being the key word here and very important ,especially on hard hunted birds. While hunting, call from a location where a turkey hasn't been called to before. Cluck, cut and purr. Yelp sparingly and call softly.
Try something he isn't used to hearing alot.
Don't be afraid to try new things and be different than everyone else. 
Use locators and calling techniques that are new to you, chances are that they're new to the turkey too. 

A wise old Turkey hunter from Ma. once told me that the bird is the one true judge of your calling. He also added that " Every deer thinks a man is a stump, every turkey thinks a stump is a man. " Words I live by in the Turkey woods.
__________________


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## awfulpotent (Oct 14, 2003)

thunderhead gave you tons of great info .This is a list of things I have learned.
If hunting in steep hilly areas the birds always glide out of a tree that they can land on ground level with the top of the hill and proceed to there daytime area never had one fly down towards the bottom of a hill
Toms like to roost over water it can be a small flooded spot or a creek one of my best spots is on top of a hill with a small spring running down the side of it in a ravine every year during the first hunt toms fly down off trees over the spring
I have never seen a bird walk across a stream
If you dont get a bird right after the fly down be ready around 9:00am always see birds at this time
less calling seems to work better for me keep telling yourself your not hunting ducks
If its raining out dont stay home hunt open fields if you have turkeys in the area they will show up shot a tom last year opening day in a monsoon
These tips work for me but other hunters might tell you the opposite and be very successful also so good luck


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## Sam22 (Jan 22, 2003)

awfulpotent said:


> thunderhead gave you tons of great info .This is a list of things I have learned.
> If hunting in steep hilly areas the birds always glide out of a tree that they can land on ground level with the top of the hill and proceed to there daytime area never had one fly down towards the bottom of a hill
> Toms like to roost over water it can be a small flooded spot or a creek one of my best spots is on top of a hill with a small spring running down the side of it in a ravine every year during the first hunt toms fly down off trees over the spring
> I have never seen a bird walk across a stream
> ...


Some interesting insight, and it all sounds like you really learned it yourself. That's refreshing, a lot of us here on MS are guilty or regurgitating what we have heard or read, I like to hear first hand knowledge.


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

awfulpotent said:


> thunderhead gave you tons of great info .This is a list of things I have learned.
> If hunting in steep hilly areas the birds always glide out of a tree that they can land on ground level with the top of the hill and proceed to there daytime area never had one fly down towards the bottom of a hill
> Toms like to roost over water it can be a small flooded spot or a creek one of my best spots is on top of a hill with a small spring running down the side of it in a ravine every year during the first hunt toms fly down off trees over the spring
> I have never seen a bird walk across a stream
> ...


This is not necessarily true. I have seen birds pitch off onto the flats on top of ridges, onto the side of steep ridges, and even into valleys. Hill country birds are very tough to predict and are much more of a challenge to hunt than flatland birds.


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Ack said:


> This is not necessarily true. I have seen birds pitch off onto the flats on top of ridges, onto the side of steep ridges, and even into valleys. Hill country birds are very tough to predict and are much more of a challenge to hunt than flatland birds.


And I would agree hunting hill birds in WY, TN and SD... 

TH has provided good info however, scout and trust your scouting. Turkeys are not that hard to kill if you know what they want to do.


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## cantonrat (Oct 9, 2009)

rwt2008 said:


> Oh and when should I start looking? Are they in different areas or stick to certain spots all yr long?


I have only limited experience with turkeys, but I think they change their ways depending on the season. The spot I was deer hunting this past Fall held plenty of turkeys, scratched up leaves everywhere, I saw a flock fly down one day and heard them other days. Then suddenly, come late November or so, they vamoosed... no sign... no nothin'. I saw a couple very large flocks in the area in some wide open fields (50++ birds), so maybe they joined up with a larger flock. If they spread back out next Spring, I may pay them a visit nearby.  

But your question is a good one... when do the experts start looking?


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## awfulpotent (Oct 14, 2003)

Ack said:


> This is not necessarily true. I have seen birds pitch off onto the flats on top of ridges, onto the side of steep ridges, and even into valleys. Hill country birds are very tough to predict and are much more of a challenge to hunt than flatland birds.


very good point made like I said somebody will post the exact opposite of what I said and will be 100% correct Thats what makes turkey hunting such a great sport .


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## DEDGOOSE (Jan 19, 2007)

Turkeys can change their habits and location anytime. But two of the largest factors in turkeys you found on a property early disappearing late is foilage and crops.. A semi open woods in early april can suddenly become a jungle in mid to late may, turkeys prefer the ability to see and will move if a woods becomes too thick.. Crops, not so much in the sense of food but more in the sense of height. A nice little alfalfa field you see them strutting in early april suddently is knee deep in late may.. Dew in the mornings on the alfalfa will act as a roadblock. 

When to start scouting? Last spring, take note of new areas that you see birds and try to get permission. If nothing huge happens in the way of forestry most likely you will find birds in that place the following year at the same time.


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## michgundog (Feb 22, 2008)

A lot of great information has been given. I would only add that you may not want to start seriously scouting until the flocks start breaking up in early spring. Although, seeing large flocks this time of year is a good indication there are birds in a certain area, it doesn't mean you'll be seeing those numbers in that area lets say in April or May. One of my best spots you would be real hard press to find a turkey track this time of year, but I know in April and May they'll be back there and I'll have action.


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## double lung (Sep 7, 2007)

Ack said:


> This is not necessarily true. I have seen birds pitch off onto the flats on top of ridges, onto the side of steep ridges, and even into valleys. Hill country birds are very tough to predict and are much more of a challenge to hunt than flatland birds.


I have found that they like to fly up from a hillside, where they don't have to fly straight up into the trees but can glide off the hill. It's far from a hard and fast rule, but they definitely do it a lot.

I have chased them in TN A LOT, and also Merriams in several western states. You're right; those hills sure complicate things! The one advantage is that you can often use a hill to conceal your movement as you work closer, but you had better be a good distance runner.


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