# Locating Toms



## outdooralex (Jan 7, 2002)

I'm a first year hunter and I am curious when is the best time to try and locate birds before the season. I have an owl call and never located turkeys before. Is the best time AM or PM? Do you do it when its dark or right before dark in the PM or right before sun up in the AM? Any tips would be apreciated, thanks!


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## tedshunter (Dec 27, 2004)

I like to get out in the morning and try to find out where they are roosting at night.If you can find out where they are coming down in the morning you will have found you a good spot to sit in the morning.In the afternoon or middle of the day they could be anywhere.


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## fathom this (Feb 10, 2008)

In the past I have seen hunters use locators of all discriptions.
I prefer to use none at all if I don't need to. 
Just get into the woods away from the road and vehicles before it starts to get light. Set down and listen. The less you bother with birds you want to hunt the better. My locator of choice when I need one is the owl which I immitate by mouth or the cayote.


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## Jigin-N-Grinin (Jan 22, 2008)

On a quiet morning at sunrise...pull your truck up to a woodlot you plan to hunt. Shut the truck off and open up the windows. Stay in truck during this time of the year as it will keep you warm on the chilly mornings. Take your crow call and rip off a few loud calls. That should fire up those Toms if they are within earshot. After getting a response, start truck up and roll up windows and proceed to work knowing your in business come April 18th.
Good luck this year.


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## Jigin-N-Grinin (Jan 22, 2008)

fathom this said:


> In the past I have seen hunters use locators of all discriptions.
> I prefer to use none at all if I don't need to.
> Just get into the woods away from the road and vehicles before it starts to get light. Set down and listen. The less you bother with birds you want to hunt the better. My locator of choice when I need one is the owl which I immitate by mouth or the cayote.




This also works if you dont have your locator call in the truck.


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## Bambicidal Maniac (Feb 4, 2011)

outdooralex said:


> I'm a first year hunter and I am curious when is the best time to try and locate birds before the season. I have an owl call and never located turkeys before. Is the best time AM or PM? Do you do it when its dark or right before dark in the PM or right before sun up in the AM? Any tips would be apreciated, thanks!


My brother is much more of a turkey hunter than me. He has a number of properties that he hunts. This early, he's driving around daily finding where the birds are. When he finds them he shows up earlier the next day. Then earlier and earlier until he finds out where they come from. Eventually he picks his opening morning site and he'll try locators there in the early morning a few days before the opener.

The closer it gets to opening day, the more time he'll spend "putting them to bed". That means following them and listening as they fly up to roost. He'll do that every night during the season until him and whoever he's hunting with have their birds.


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## BMoney (Feb 8, 2006)

Weather you find them on the roost in the morning of in the evening they are going to be roughly in the same spot so that part souldnt matter much. You can get them goobling in the dark but the twilight hours are much better for getting a repsonce. Want a locator that works and doesnt tip them off at all? Pull up and listen from the vehicle and if your not hearing anything, simply honk the horn. They just gooble at about any loud noise from the roost anyways why get out of the car and take a chance at bumping birds that may not be vocal? One tip i will offer that I didnt see yet is, scout them at the time and place you intend to hunt them. So if your not going to be able to go in the morning, scout in the afternoon and vice versa...It gives you a much better idea of where they "could" be when it comes game time.


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## outdooralex (Jan 7, 2002)

Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to try this weekend. I like the driving around part. Ok, being a newbie to turkey hunting I have an edequate question and I don't want to get ripped on if this isn't ok to do.There is one big patch of woods down the road from me that I was consistently seeing birds for about a month (actually in a field next to it). I haven't seen any birds in this field for about 3 or 4 weeks. Would it be ok to drive down in front of the woods and try to locate birds just to see if they are there enventhough I can't hunt it. I hope this isn't a dumb question.


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## Bambicidal Maniac (Feb 4, 2011)

outdooralex said:


> Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to try this weekend. I like the driving around part. Ok, being a newbie to turkey hunting I have an edequate question and I don't want to get ripped on if this isn't ok to do.There is one big patch of woods down the road from me that I was consistently seeing birds for about a month (actually in a field next to it). I haven't seen any birds in this field for about 3 or 4 weeks. Would it be ok to drive down in front of the woods and try to locate birds just to see if they are there enventhough I can't hunt it. I hope this isn't a dumb question.


It's certainly no worse than driving around and shining spotlights into fields just before deer season. As long as you're not making a really loud noise, it wouldn't bother me as a landowner. Well, not nearly as much as that little yapper dog across the road that yaps continuously when I'm in my treestand.:lol:


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## outdooralex (Jan 7, 2002)

Actually there is no houses around, I kinda wish there was so I could get permission to hunt it.


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## srconnell22 (Aug 27, 2007)

Your binoculars are about the best thing you could have for locating gobblers. They are a creature of habit...they'll do the same thing every day as long as they aren't bothered. Watch them doing that from afar and it will be very easy to see where you should set up.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

Definitely morning for me. If your out in the AM make sure it is early enough that you will hear them gobble off the roost(daybreak). You will hear more birds if you are positioned right and be able to pin point their position quicker. Birds may or may not answer locating calls in the evening but you will usually hear the toms gobbling at hens or other toms in the morning.


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## double lung (Sep 7, 2007)

They should be gobbling well in the mornings right now but rain, snow, high wind, or extremely cold temps will shut them up. 

As others have said, just get close to a woodlot and listen. In order to check more woodlots you can use a locator call to elicit gobbles more quickly. A car horn works fine, and with a little practice most guys can owl with their voices well enough to get gobbles. I end up calling in 5 or 6 owls every spring while locating turkeys. I actually have about 5 different loops I drive to check for birds in the morning, stopping to listen and owl call with my voice into about 5 different woodlots on each loop. Some of them I can't even hunt, but it's still fun to hear 'em gobble

It's easier to hear from up high, and even a couple of feet can make a difference. I stand on the tool box in my truck bed a lot while listening for birds from the roadside.

Usually they will remain vocal for a while after fly-down. If you can do it undetected, get where you can hear what direction they go after fly-down. Listen to the same group of birds several different days, and you should see a pattern. Even if they don't go exactly the same direction every day they will usually end up strutting in the same location within an hour after fly-down. Most of the time this occurs in an open to semi-open woods, secluded corner of a field, or some other location that allows the hens to see the toms for some distance. Once in a while they will strut right out in the open first thing off the roost. That usually results in several locals knowing the location of that flock. 

For a real education in calling put on head to to camo, just like you're going hunting, but leave the calls at the house. At least an hour before they start to gobble, sneak in close to where you've heard birds gobbling in the mornings and pick a spot where you can sit comfortably and well-hidden. Then just sit there and listen to the birds wake up. Eventually you will be able to position yourself within hearing distance of a group of hens roosted close to the gobblers. Listen to every sound those hens make, and pay attention to what they are doing when they make each sound. Every sound means something. Pay attention to the sounds that get a reaction out of the toms, but also pay attention to the sounds that get a reaction out of other hens. Burn those sounds into your mind and go home and practice making those sounds on your calls. It doesn't matter if you know the names for the sounds or not, or if there even is a name for the sounds you are mimicking, a couple of sits where you hear a lot of hen talk will make you a better turkey caller than 100 seminars given by any human 

Pay attention to all the non-vocal sounds they make as well; scratching in the leaves while looking for food, walking cadence, etc. and learn to mimic those sounds as well. Most hunters don't, and this adds a lot of realism to your calling. 

Make CERTAIN not to get busted and to let them leave the area before you get up and leave. Plan your access routes in and out so that you can get away without being seen. Even though it will be VERY tempting to call to them, don't do it until the day you are going to kill one. Educated birds are a million times tougher to hunt.

Have fun, and welcome to the addiction


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## outdooralex (Jan 7, 2002)

double lung said:


> They should be gobbling well in the mornings right now but rain, snow, high wind, or extremely cold temps will shut them up.
> 
> As others have said, just get close to a woodlot and listen. In order to check more woodlots you can use a locator call to elicit gobbles more quickly. A car horn works fine, and with a little practice most guys can owl with their voices well enough to get gobbles. I end up calling in 5 or 6 owls every spring while locating turkeys. I actually have about 5 different loops I drive to check for birds in the morning, stopping to listen and owl call with my voice into about 5 different woodlots on each loop. Some of them I can't even hunt, but it's still fun to hear 'em gobble
> 
> ...


Wow! Lots of good info, thanks. I'm going to try to get out this weekend.


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