When should a turkey hunter hunt an open field vs in the woods?

[MidCoast]

Is it better to hunt an open field or inside the woods for turkey?  Sometimes I  am unsure if I should set up on the edge of a field or in the woods for turkey hunting. 

[brittman]

The simple answer is hunt where they want to be.   

 

I would say that hunting in the woods is often more difficult because the birds can move about relatively randomly.   If you can find a trail, forest road, and or open area that is being used as a strutting ground - odds of success improve.  That said, most of the MN/WI woods I hunt or have hunted do not have traditional roost trees or even roost areas ... the birds seem to move about with no loyalty to a specific spot from day to day.   General area yes, specific spots not very often.

 

The birds that I have hunted near a roost are often unpredictable ...  from what I have seen most often.  The hen or hens fly down first ... the gobbler quickly follows down, but may or may not fly down to the hen.   He goes down his preferred direction ... lands and the hens quickly run up to him.

 

I typically hunt woods and deep woods without a blind.  Nestled up to a tree you some times get caught out of position with birds rarely approaching you straight on.  Almost every Tom that I have brought in - in the woods has circled me at some level.

 

Open fields birds are easier to pattern, but they can hang up out of range if they have been pressured.

 

I typically hunt fields inside a blind.  Blinds are certainly easier for kids and older adults to hunt out of.  

 

Edges can be good, but I have often seen birds skirt the edges of woods (out a safe distance) until they see the spot where they want to head in.   The birds then turn 90 degrees and head right into the woods.  Again, maybe this was because those birds have had a negative experience (hunter, predator) when they previously walked the edge line.

[ANYFISH2]

Good take above.

 

I would like to note that turkeys are a forest bird.  They spend the majority of thier day inside the woods.  They are more difficult to pattern from a far compared to birds in the open for obvious reasons.

With time in the woods you will find the "path" they prefer to take.  You may not see them but the gobbles and hen take will lend many clues to where and what direction they tend to go.

I have found, minor edges within the woods are travel areas.  These are often a line of thicker understory next to more open woods, flats between a rise and a wetland or change in tree type.

I have only a couple of seasons of hunting primarily in the woods.  It has been a learning experience, but has been fruitful every year so far.  

[leech~~]

When we hunted SE Minnesota we would hunt pretty much all day because we were so far from home and wanted to make the most of it.

We always started the mornings in blinds on low valley field edges, then moved to trails or old roads on the hill tops in the woods during the day. I took two birds on a road around mid day different years.  They would strut up and down the roads but never gobble in the middle of the day.

My last bird may have been my most exciting hunt ever as I saw him fan out down the road and I crawled about 50 yards to a small rise in the road and sniped him strutting as he reached the top of the rise. He never knew what hit him. FUUUN hunt!

[Wanderer]

All good info above!  

 

My beginning years of turkey hunting in bluff country had me hunting field edges too.  Nice views and you do get to see stuff - but so do the critters.  Finally I turned around, got on the other side of the tree and starting filling tags consistently.

 

As I’m learning central MN turkey hunting more, I’m finding a similar theme.

 

There are guys that do well in fields though!  I see the pics and videos!  Seems like they stay out from the edges like the birds often do.  That just lends to ‘hunt em where they like to be’.  Traveling and making tracks can happen a lot of places but it’s where they stop walking and hang out for a while that make better spots.

[paceman]

I actually hunt turkeys sort of like deer. I look for pinch points, field corners, ridges in between swamps... Find places where they want to be. One of my favorite spots where I have killed a bunch of birds is a little clearing beside a field. swamp on one side, woods on 2 sides and the other is a plowed field. The turkeys will walk along the swamp and cross the clearing to get into the woods or walk along the woods edge. It is only 35 yards wide and about 60 yards long. usually out of the wind unless it is Easterly. The birds and deer feel safe in there...

[brittman]

Years ago, I entered the woods real early ... Near what I thought would be isomewhat close their roost.   I ended up 45 yards or so from a gobbler.  Two hens one almost above me and the other out 70 yards or so.    I watched and listened to it all unfold.   Hens tree yelping the gobbler would actually fan out and even strut on the tree and face both directions to gobble.    I chose not to call, move or make a sound.   Nearing fly down time the hens dropped down first.  They ran off about 70 yards from me.   The gobbler facing them gobbled repeatedly and knew exactly where they were as they yelped back.    Then as I started to feel dejected cause it would not play in my favor  ... The gobbler spun 180 and pitched down right at me ...  I actually stood up as he was landing and he short stopped 10 feet in front of me.   I took him 10 yards out.     Learned a lot that morning watching what you typically just hear and imagine.

Edited May 5, 2018 by brittman