Scouting Question

[Fickly]

I was wondering what time a person should get out in the woods to scout turkeys. Our youth season is in 2 days and I have a spot I want to hunt. I know I should stay till they go in to roost, but at what time should you show up to watch them. Also, how close should I get without scaring them away? 100-200 yards?? Thanks

[mouthcaller]

Get out there in the dark before first light - you want to hear the early morning gobbling to identify roost sights, number of gobblers, where they fly down and direction they go in.

Distance - that varies by the terrain, cover, wind, etc. I have spooked turkeys from 800 yards in an open field, but last weekend I snuck to 25 yards on a bird that I killed.

The main thing is not to spook any birds. You don't want to be spooking birds you wish to hunt 2 days before the season. Take a good set of binos, dress like you are going hunting with gloves and face mask, and don't call any. Sneak around and observe any turkeys you see from a distance.

Good luck

Mouthcaller

[buckmaster_27]

thats it.great advice mouth.

[r33h]

Well...depends on when you plan on hunting. If you are going to do most of your hunting in the afternoon / evening hours, then it doesn't make much sense to go early in the morning to scout. Scout around the same time you are going to be hunting. If you can do several scouting trips, the better. You may find that they frequent a certain area more in the morning than in the evening. If that's the case then you will want to try to plan a morning trip out. The longer you can scout...the better. I would try to stay as far as you can and watch where they are coming from and going to in the particular area you want to hunt. Take a pair of binoculars with you so you can see really good and get some really good looks at the birds. The main thing is to not spook them! If you spook them, they may not feel as comfortable and not return...that's why I like to stay as far as possible. Remember...you are observing their actions.