Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

I need tips on how to Turkey hunt on crowded public land.
Or do I just need to go someplace else?

Thank You

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

wait til the last couple of weeks of the season. You could also go during the week when most aren't there. If you can't do this, then put on your running shoes and get as far away from the public road as you can. and when you think you're far enough away from people,then keep walking. Also try hunting in the afternoon if your state allows this. Most hunters are morning hunters and leave after 10:00 am.

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

Go someplace else? Yes, you might as well just leave public land for all the illigal imigrants that are starting to hunt! HeHeHe don't laugh it's true;)!!!

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

i have to do this every year. so here are a few things that i do, and it helps me out a lot.be the first one there and the last to leave. first day and sat's when you are going to have more guys out there hunting. get a nice spot and sit tight and call soft. and wait. most of the birds i kill are after 10, when a lot of guys leave and hens nest. another thing is which might not be a big deal but i feel it works is, where i hunt everyone uses mouthcalls.. well so do i, i love them, but i dont hear anyone useing box calls so thats what ill use. a little different sound then every other hunter is using and the birds havent heard. another thing i do if at all possible i set up in an area where if a bird shows he is already in gun range or close to it. they have seen all the tricks and if they dont see that hen moving good luck. and last while moving put the orange on, too many nuts out there. good luck to ya

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

very good advice Pa.

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

I have the same problem, but dont plan on giving up. This last weekend was week 3 in GA, and I got out there before anyone else. It was raining too so that kept a lot of people away. Anyway, while walking out to the swamp in the dark I was surprised by a loud gobble nearby. Unfortunately, I didnt bag him, but maybe next time!

I read somewhere about 2 hunters both doing yelping/cutting together so it sounds like 2 hens bickering. I will try that next time I go out with my buddy. Hopefully that might steer a gobbler away from other callers.

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

PA provided some great advice. I hunt both private and public land. Take a backpack full of food and water and be prepared to stay all day. If you can't hunt but 6-8 hours, then hunt from 8-4 - I'm serious.Get a goodnight's sleep, forgetabout the early morning stuff andconcentrate on late morning and mid-day, when everybody leaves.

I don't have the patience to sit in one place, so I spend all my time "cutting and running", trying to find a bird that is alone and willing to play. Two advantages here that I see:

1. You cover more ground, expose your calling to more turkeys, and therefore increase you chances of success.

2. Great way to loose weight and get in shape.

Get some confortableboots and take off. I use a variety of calls when doing this, including high-pitched and raspy mouth calls and a MAD Super Aluminator that is so loud and high pitched it will hurt you ears.

Good luck

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

I always thought that was the first friction call a none hunting public land hunter used!!!!

I think the mouth calls you do hear you wont have to worry about reproducing those sounds;)

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

I'm the first in,and last to leave.I also have my best luck around mid-day.I would call softer than usual,almost like you saw a coyote looking at you,but had to call to that gobbler.Public land hens generally talk softly like this.Most hunters call too loud or too often.When a bird that has been gobbling at them shuts up ...they leave...This may be a terrible mistake.He may very well be coming.Most public land birds do not gobble all the way in.The ones that do generally get a free ride to the house the first week or two of the season.

The bird I shot last friday I had to work for 1 hour,and 50 minutes.He didn't gobble the last 45 minutes of the hunt.I had not heard him in 30 minutes,and I was standing up to leave when I saw the hen coming to me,gobbler in tow.Isat back downon my knees,kept soft talking the bird,and 15 minutes later when he got seperated from his hen he came right in.So when he gets quiet I would give him 45 minutes to an hour,before I gave up.Your patience may be well rewarded.A gobbler that answers you knows exactly where you are,and when he decides to come,usually he will come in drumming,and in half strut taking a step..looking around..go back in half strut...break strut look around.You get the idea.He will generally just pop up.Or he may get to the general area,and gobble a searching gobble,as if to say where are you I know you were here a little while a go.

First thing I would do would be to make a trip to your near by walmart.Make note of all the calls they have,and discard them from your arsenal.You don't want to sound like every other hunter out there.90% of the hunters are going to be using slates IMO.

If you know most people are using slates..use a box..If most use a mouth call,use a scratch box,orwingbone and so on.You get the point,just try to have a call that sounds different than everyone elses.Even if it means switching strikers for a different sound.

Most people now are using decoys.Leave yours at the house.Let that tom come all the way in searching for that hen.Basically all I'm telling you is what ever everyone else is doing..do the opposite.I ride my bike(I have a gun rack on it),and walk alot.I don't park my truck near where I am hunting.

Few more tips..
Don't yelp a whole lot,around here on public land most hens cluck,and purr.If they do yelp it is soft,short yelps.

Don't crow,or call from the road.Get off in the woods.

Don't hoot or make any calls at daylight,let the birds gobble on their own.Move in then start your calls.

Don't tell anyone you hear or see a bird.Sorry but there are time's you need to keep things to yourself.You can show them the bird once he's in the back of your truck.

Have a friend drop you off at your spot.Leave your truck somewhere else.

Don't use a flashlight in the mornings.

If there is alot of people hunting in your area,and you were there first.Scatter some feathers around a spot they will likely be seen.Hopefully they will find them,and think the bird has been taken.

Maybe these aren't all popular tips,but the truth is bro.If you want a public land bird you are going to have to outsmart the other hunters,not the bird.That's only the second part of the battle.Hope I helped.

There are a few other tricks,but I can't give everything away.;)

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

There's a push button friction call made for just this reason. It has 2 buttons/strikers and can be operated to produce fighting purrs.

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

This is what I have heard from the Toms.
Except no gobbles.
You have described how they were last year.
This year I haven't heard any drumming.
On opening day I found out from people that a lot of turkeys
Were seen crossing the road going from the
Public land heading to privite land.
I don't know if it was I or the other 4 hunters or the
Game warden checking lic's or all the above that drove them away.

I think I will rest up a few days and let them get settled down.
And return a lot quieter and slower.
And use softer and less calling.

Thanks for all the tips.


Whats it called ?
And where can you get one ?

Not sure if I would get one.
But it would sure be nice to know where and what it is called.

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

I'm a thanking you too.Great post.
Chuck7

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

Public Land Hunting


This is place that most hunters try to avoid, the pure pressure of these areas seem to distract the hunter from working them right. There are different ways to hunt these areas, to become successful over the pressure that they receive. Most of the pressure on these areas is at the Start of the season and the first weekends after the opening. This is the time where your going to have a number of hunters, hunting the same bird that you intend to hunt. Here are some valid tips to follow to becoming a successful public land hunter.

Scouting the area
Of the public land works as an asset, to give you the jump a head of a smart gobbler, and other hunters. Having a map of the areas work well, your local DNR will sometimes have these or will be able to tell you where you can find one. Aerial photomaps can work great in these areas, so you can find the highs and lows of the property your hunting. Turkeys like to run ridgelines.

As you scout walk the area, and find the spots that the turkeys feed is a good start, Turkeys like to eat, so finding foods such as Acorns, Beechnuts, Farmed fields on the outside of the area like Corn, Soybeans and Grains help to find the sign you need to get started. After these areas are found, you have most often than not, have found the Strutting areas as well. Gobblers like to strut in the fields as the hen’s feed, to display for mating purposes. You can scout the woods for scratching, and dusting areas and this will help you in finding the roosting areas, this is another important area to find. This is where the birds like to spend the night. The use of locating calls in the evening before the season can help you find roosted birds. This gives you the start to another place for your locating the night before your hunt, hearing that Thundering Gobble gives you the place for a setup in the next morning. This puts you on top of the areas that make good setups for hunting situations.

Now that you have found some of the important info in your public hunting area, you need to find the areas that slow the birds up that are coming to a Call. Finding these areas help you with your setups and you have the knowledge of why bird has stop and won't come any closer to your call. These are called Hang-up areas and these are important as well to know, these areas may be fences, creeks, rivers, or just a very thick area that the bird will not want to come through. Knowing these areas and where to setup around them will put one more mark in your book for being successful. As we continue to Scout we look for Tracks, turkey scat, and feathers. This will tell us what sex the birds are in that area, Hen tracks have an average front toe of 2.5 inches and a gobbler well over 3, Gobblers feather appear Black in color, and buff brown for Hen, Scat the hen leaves a little pile looking like popcorn size and a Gobbler is in a J shape. When scouting these areas, use Locators instead of your turkey calls, this is what makes public birds silent birds.

Hunting these Public areas during the week will avoid most hunters, hunting later in the morning as pressure dies off works well. Limiting your calling as most birds in these areas have been called to often. The later part of the seasons also works because of pressure slowing.
Decoys, work in this type of hunting, as most gobblers are silent in these areas.
Calling sparingly can work better in these areas, as most birds have been called to, due to pressure, sticking to Plain yelps, Soft Clucks, and purrs work the best, as most birds have heard the aggression calling as well. On these grounds hunters tend to turn a morning of hunting into a call competition, when they try to out call another hunter. This is not normal to the birds and they shy away from this activity. Hunting the areas away from the pressure is a good note, as birds tend to head for these areas away from the pressure. Moving Quietly and using your terrain also masks against the Keen eyesight and hearing of this wonderful bird. Knowing your gun and how it shoots and the Range of your shots is a must before entering the woods. Patience, Persistence, preparation is a must in these areas and one last note, please by all means Identify your target before you squeeze that trigger.

Adrian Hare
QuakerBoy Game Calls

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

Not sure of the brand name but you can probably find one online at one pf the supply stores e Bass pro or Cabela's

RE: Tips Needed For Hunting Crowded Public Land
 

jrbsr

Knight and Hale made them and they were hot stuff a few years ago.It came in a package of two push button calls. I don't remember the call's name and don't have them, but I'll bet it's on the K&N website if they are still making it.

I haveused the fightingpurr callon several occasions, butwith no luck. It's easy to do on a slate call but you really need two people calling at the same time to simulate a fight.The times I've used it were in desperation, when a gobbler had come so far, smelled a rat, and was walking away. I have some friends that used the calls with some success in a similar situation.