My husband and I were selected for a special draw hunt in April. We last hunted turkeys about 5 years ago in a place that was loaded with birds - nearly every tree.

This draw hunt area is unfamilar to us and I am trying to remember how to scout. The area is about 6 hours from home so we were planning to go up a few days before the hunt to do some scouting. The park ranger has told us whic are the most popular areas, but says all areas are full of turkeys. So we would like to stay away from the popular areas and find our own little spot. We will have 2 days to hunt.

hmmm..once you locate the turkeys go in the general area in the early morn and locate them off the roost...then see where they go from there...set up somewhere in the path they are going when u hunt so its not much to call them because they are going that way anyway....to locate them...look for feeding areas and scratching and droppings and such...good luck!

Since you're limited for time but goin to be there a few days early I would suggest find yourself a high vantage point where you'll be able to hear over the most area.Be there before sunup and listen for gobbles.Once you've located the roostin area,sit tight and try to determin which way the birds are movin.around midday ease into the roostin area and try to get a lay of the land.Concentrate in the direction the gobbler went.Try to find a setup sight as close to the roost as you can but not so close that you'll bump the bird off the roost.If you can go to you're listenin point the next mornin and listen to see if the bird is reactin the same as the day before.If he is you're all set.Come openin mornin be at your setup site before sunup and let the game begin.Good Luck

What about contacting the wildlife biologist for the area? There is only one for the county. What kind of wuestions should I ask of him?

Don't know if this will help you, but one trick I've learned is to check your map for parcels of land that are isolated in one way or another. One of the sweetest spots I ever found was a tiny piece of public land across a highway and on the back side of a small swamp and down a railroad track. Took about 30 minutes to walk in to it but that 20 acres was loaded with turkeys! Also, I have found spots where the National Forest is sort of "speckled" on the map. You know- a quarter of this section, 20 acres in that section, 100 acres at the end of that little road, a section off by itself, ect. These types of places seem to get less pressure- especially if they are relatively small areas on the "other" side of the road. I'll check them all out, but especially key in on the areas with a creek showing on the map, whether it has water in it or not. They just seem drawn to bottoms- wet or dry.