TurkeyStalker

Alright let me see if I can help you out. Now this might not apply to the birds you hunt, but it should. If you know the general direction the gobble came from then the best thing to do is walk through the woods towards it. OK, now understand that when you use a crow,owl,pilliated woodpecker or a coyote howler the birds that respond are shock gobbling. It is almost like you are startling them. I have heard them shock gobble at my truck doors, a boat horn, my truck horn and a donkey sounding off in the morning. Honestly the best thing to do is walk while scouting and look for tall pine trees.The pines protect them from the rain and snow and wind while they roost. I am not saying they will always roost in a pine tree because I have seen them roost in many differenttypes of trees.But I think the tree of choice is a pine with big branches to support their weight. While your walking in the woods it should be easy to find sections that are all scratched up from the birds scratching for food. Also look for droppings. Turkeys are like deer and a mojority of the time will take the path of least resistence. You should also look for dusting bowls, where they throw dirt on themselves to hinder bugs. If you have fields near by where your property is then check the fields often, especially when it is raining. Turkeys do not like the rain dripping on them from the trees, I know it doesn't make sense that they will take direct rainfall in a field but they do like rain dripping on them from a tree. I think it hinders thier ability to hear in the woods and their vision is limited in the woods when it rains,in case a predator comes along the movement from the rain dripping through brush might have something to do with it.In a field they can use the best attribute by visually seeing an intruder far away. As far as the drumming issue , it could of been a woodpecker, do a search on the net for a sound file of a turkey drumming and train yourself to this vocalization, so you will know whether to walk to this sound or to ignore it. I think you are doing the right thing by being out in the woods scouting, just don't get discouraged about what you might not know. Because being in the woods is the best teacher you can have.If you do find a pine thicket look for feathers and droppings, If you find a good pine thicket there should be feathers all around if there are turkeys in that woodlot. Good luck, don't be afraid to ask anything , there are alot of imformative people on here, Hey we all started not knowing much. Great idea using maps also they are a great help.