1st Timer

[gdahl2]

Been following the site for awhile and recently joined to start participating. Headed down near Winona yesterday for my first scouting trip and am excited to try for my first Turkey this year. I will be hunting the 3rd season and have access to private land with an open field on the top of a ridge with some wooded draws on each side of it. There were some Turkey's on the land we tried calling that never came in.

Will the turkey's still be in flocks come that season?

Any other general advice on what to expect to increase my chances of getting my first bird?

Any thoughts appreciated.

[Hotspotter]

Gdahl2:

Welcome! Glad to have you onboard. We thrive on the experiences of our membership, and love to hear from as many viewpoints and voices as possible. Can't wait to hear about your first turkey hunt!

First off, congratulations on securing what sounds like some pretty decent private property. Birds are present (currently), and from what you describe, you've got some good cover to hunt during different periods of the day.

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Will the turkey's still be in flocks come that season?

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Yes and no. I'd predict you'll be on the brink of some more broken up flocks. This is not to be confused with the huge winter flocks that have already broken up some into smaller breeding groups.

I have little experience actually hunting that season, but from what I've seen, much depends on the weather. If the weather keeps up like this, I think some hens will be bred and moving to nest mid-morning. This leaves those gobblers with a harem lonely and looking. Also, by then, you'd hope to see some of those subordinate birds that are tired of getting beat-down, start to move off and find other roosting locations of their own. These 2-3 year old birds are quite vulnerable to calling and early morning setups when without hens of their own. These are the hard-gobbling trotters that will come to your calling from long distances!

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Any other general advice on what to expect to increase my chances of getting my first bird?

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1. Patience - This one is tough, because patience is only a true virtue to turkey hunters if they know WHEN to use it. I've found that most of my screw-ups are from making moves on birds that were already heading towards me, or birds that I would have otherwise not spooked if I stayed tight.

2. Depending on the size of the property, I'd look for some more land if possible. You can burn up a spot pretty easily, especially if there's only one major group of birds, or only a few that roost there. Having some other spots in your back pocket allows you the luxury of leaving the henned-up group of 3 toms for some greener pastures.

3. Call enough to get them fired up, then play hard to get. Give away your location and they'll hang-up on you. If a bird is coming your way, don't bother calling. It only increases your chances of screwing up. These aren't hard/fast rules, but they hold true the majority of the time I've found.

Don't be afraid to try something different, or strike off in new directions. Never give up hope!!! It only takes one.

Joel

[gdahl2]

Joel,

Thanks for the feedback. The land I am hunting is approximately 250-300 acres give or take and luckily the landowner has a few other smaller spots as backup for me.

I normally hunt pheasants and grouse with my G.S.P. and know 300 acres would keep me busy all day to effectively hunt it.

As for turkey's, is the general rule of thumb that you need to either see or hear birds nearby to know to stay put on the 300 acres and if no sign or sound of bird, move to another spot?

[Borch]

As far as guessing on whether to stay or move it's a tough call. Personally if I'm seeing lots of sign and birds on a place scoutiong then I'll stick it out longer even if I'm not hearing or seeing turkeys. But it always pays to have backup spots. It's funny how birds on one place can be inactive or gone on one piece and they are going nuts just a couple of miles away. It's great to have options.

[huntingmaxima]

one thing that i noticed no one mentioning is that you have to pattern the birds. notice where the birds are at and at what time of the day they are there. if you have time pattern them, see where they come off their roost and try to set up there. you do not always have to have a decoy either, sometime it can be better if you do not have a decoy out.

[gdahl2]

Unfortunately do to family committment's, I will only be able to get the one scouting trip under my belt, prior to my season.

What was difficult for me to comprehend is how far their sounds travel. To make a long story, long:-), we got down there at 6:00am. We drove up the road on one side of the draw, as my land contact was still sleeping:-) We got out of the car and heard some Turkeys on what we come to find out is the land we can hunt. We then walked up the draw to the top on the edge of the field at around 7:00am after talking to my contact and getting the lay of the land. There was a slight raise in the center of the field and we heard them, but could not see them. It sure sounded like they were right on the other side of it no more than a couple hundred yards away. So we held tight and called for a little bit, but nothing came in. After awhile we decided to move and see where they might be. It turns out they moved away from us down the draw on the other side and up into the open field on the opposite side of us.

So with that said, the good news is I know there were some Turkey's there, I just unfortunately don't know where they might have actually been roosting.

[Hotspotter]

Gdahl:

At 6AM, many birds in our area are still in the trees. I'd try and best figure where you heard them then, as they were probably gobbling on the roost.

What you describe is a classic SE MN situation. Slightly rounded hilltop in some form of Ag, with steeper slopes/ravines that are wooded trailing down to the floodplains. Many of the birds like to roost just off the shoulder of the slope in big trees. Look for horizontal limbs. Burr/white/red oak, as well as maple can be good candidates. I look for the gnariliest burr oaks, or a group of them to hold roosting birds.

In the morning, they somehow all pow-wow on the limb and decide to:

-take the long flight down the hill

-drop straight out of the tree and walk to the field

-fly down into the field

Any of which can happen with some consistency, or completely change from one day to the next. This time of year, and for the first couple seasons, the hens and their feeding patterns will probably determine which happens.

It's tough to call in these flocks. While it's true these birds haven't heard calling and you're the first ones the strike out after them, the hens view you as competition, and something to be avoided.

Be where they want to be, which is never easy to figure out.

Good luck!

Joel

[gdahl2]

Joel,

I couldn't figure out how to send you a PM yet, as I am still new to figuring the HSOforum out.

In any event, I had to drop you a note that I am a close neighbor to your cousin T.H. In fact we were both just out in the yard talking about my first upcoming hunting season and I had mentioned I posted and received some good feedback from you. He said, yeah that's my cousin.

Small world!!

[Hotspotter]

Gdahl:

Small world is right!

Just send me an email. Addy is in my signature at bottom.

Pick Todd's brain. He's learned a lot in the years we've been hunting together as I have.

Joel