For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

As I start to scout in the Fall for Spring Turkey , I like to cover the food source first. Any fields near a good stand of woods that farmers leave till sping to til or plow has a good chance to have a Gobbler in the area come spring. This is where I like to keep a keen eye thoughout the winter months into the spring for feeding turkey's. Where do you like to start?...BT

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

It is hard for me to scout the area I hunt. It is 6 hours away. Normally before the spring season I make one trip out there and poke around, but I relay heavily upon the farmers that allow us to hunt their land. They are happy to let us know where they have been hearing and seeing them. They even give us names to other farmers that might be open to allowing us to hunt their land. We make sure to keep in touch with them through out the year - cards and such, and a call just to see how they are doing.

http://www.wanwtf.org

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

BT,before I even take to the woods to start looking for sign I find out as much about the land I intend to scout.Topo's,word of mouth by landowners or friends,driving roads,all can tell you where your best bet is on finding birds before you even begin to look for turkey sign!I know the country around here well enough to know what turkey country looks like and often times have a good idea if there is birds there or not just by looking at the area I intend to hunt!Food sources and if you come out west water sources are great places to start,but the key is knowing where there at! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Monarch isn't a butterfly it's the King of the Spring!

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

I've been blessed with a spot that is crawling with turkeys. I scouted this place from head to toe and hunted all over it. Called in and shot turkeys at each location so I've finally sat back and said &quot;just go in and hear then off the roost and go from there&quot; the last two years.

Where I often started was looking for tracks on roads, signs of them scratching through the woods, feathers, poop, calling to each other, and just spotting them.

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

As far as spring gobbler hunting goes, I don't get into the woods until the season starts....I drive out to vantage spots and do alot of listening in evenings and mornings......during fall turkey season, I'm scouting for spring....I find areas that hold turkeys, and inside that find places that look like strutting areas...then head back to do some listening as the spring season approaches.......BUT, I've always got 2 or 3 &quot;Honey Holes&quot; that I consistantly hear and take birds....

In our line of work, we must be able to play Dixie and the Battle Hym of the Republic, With Equal Enthusiasm.

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RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

Like Fullback mentioned in his post, we all have some honey-holes tucked away. These are the places that produce each year. Since we are all familiar with the lay of the land, the roost sites, and the strut zones in these areas from past hunts, I'm always on the lookout for new spots to hunt all the time. During the months of late March and into April, I drive the back country looking for turkeys out in the fields to pinpoint areas where they &quot;are&quot;. At this time I will start asking for permission to hunt these areas, once obtained, I'll get into the woods to see the lay of the land. Fences, creeks, logging operations, etc. all come into play here. Then when the season starts getting closer, I'll get into the woods before light and just listen for that wake up gobble. I'll try to do this several times to pinpoint his roosting site and then form a game plan for opening day. As most of you know, spring season just trips my trigger, I love it 10X more than fall hunting!!<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

&quot;Spring Season....the Best&quot;!!!

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

i usually hunt the same general areas...so i just go in and know turkeys are around there somewhere and listen to them off the roost and later in the afternoon when they are gone i go and find their bedroom and find the quietest way in there and set up inbetween their roost site and where they went when i hunt them....thats about all the scouting i do unless im in a new area..then i go in at dawn and go where i find scrathes and wait for a gooble off the roost then locate the roost site like before...

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

I was thinking about this scouting thing....sometimes you can scout and not even drive out to the country....listen for the loose lips...&quot;I heard one gobble while trout fishing&quot;.....&quot;I seen one struttin out in field here&quot;.....and so on....another thing....I've had some great luck hunting places the first time....I attribute that to not hunting the area like other hunters....do something different, maybe just sounding different....I don't know.....one thing is certain, you can't get em by laying in the bed.

In our line of work, we must be able to play Dixie and the Battle Hym of the Republic, With Equal Enthusiasm.

RE: For Scouting ,,Where do you start ?
 

Like I said in my &quot;first time&quot; post I am a newcomer to Turkey Hunting this year I know nothing about it. You may laugh at this but when you say listen for Turkeys do they gobble when they roost and when they come down? and what does an owl call do?