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Old 03-29-2004, 08:49 AM
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Strut&Rut
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
Default RE: Scouting Report - What do I do next?

It sounds as if you're quite "green" to turkey hunting, so I'll add some quick pointers...

1) After listening to them gobble on the roost, try to stay out of that area in the morning and late evening. Just as with scouting deer, try to do most of your terrain scouting between 11am and 3pm. Look for feathers, tracks, droppings, wing-drag marks, dusting bowls, feeding cups, and the obvious---food/brush/water.

2) If possible, try to use binoculars to determine where the birds are at varying parts of the morning. If this is not possible, you will have to rely on your terrain reading skills...

3) From those roost sites, find any small clearings that can be used by the hens for feeding and the toms for strutting.

4) Next, find all available sources of remaining mast, the hens will be hitting this hard to store energy for their incubation periods.

5) Water is always a good bet, many birds will fly down to their hens, go to a primary feeding/strut zone and then head to water.

6) Find a good dirty area (sand or nice dry silt) where the birds can dust. As the weather gets warmer, the bugs will be out and the birds will need to dust a) to help control the bugs, and b) to help them keep cool.

7) Identify any thick brushy/briar areas---look for areas that can be approached by something 1 foot tall, and definitely an area you would never wander through. These will most likely be used by the hens for nesting, and later in the season will be ideal mid-morning areas to call in a tom because he will be searching for his "lost hens".

8) Ask the turkey gods for good weather, good luck, and to keep your hunting area free from trespassers...
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