Can you pattern turkeys??
04-07-2008, 10:09 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 153
Can you pattern turkeys??
I am pretty new to turkey hunting and this spring will be my first real attempt at chasing gobblers. I was just curious if you can pattern turkeys similar to the way you can deer? I just acquired a new piece of property to hunt and went out to watch it from a distance this weekend. I saw a large group of turkeys in the same general area around 1.5 hours before sunset two days in a row. Im just curious if this is a coincidence or is this a spot that they have been visiting regularly? Any help would be great. Thanks
04-07-2008, 10:56 AM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Indiana (southern)
Posts: 873
RE: Can you pattern turkeys??
Yes you can, but be prepared for it to change at any moment for no particular reason. I start doing my scouting now and try to get out before daybreak and find where the birds are roosting. I will do this several times before my season starts on April 23rd. But if the birds are busted by a coyote or a person late in the evening they will roost somewhere else. I would get out early to the spot you are seeing these birds late in the day and listen and find them on the roost, then slip out with out them seeing you. If you find them in the same general spot a few days, that would be where I set up in the morning.
04-07-2008, 11:10 AM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 759
RE: Can you pattern turkeys??
They are not like deer in that; some bucks use the same scrape line year after year. Turkeys seem to hang out more so in a general area. They may use the same roosting tree a few days in a row, but then swap it up for no reason. The best you can do is get a general idea of where they are and try to roost one, or call em up after the fly down. The only thing I will say is consistant is if you are near a big feild or a feeding area, they will probally hit that pretty regular.
04-07-2008, 12:04 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 153
RE: Can you pattern turkeys??
thanks for all the info, its greatly appreciated. the area i keep seeing them in is a small cornfield located next to a large area of timber bordering the missouri river, its one of 3 fields in that area.
04-07-2008, 01:04 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Indiana (southern)
Posts: 873
RE: Can you pattern turkeys??
Sounds to me like an ideal spot, timber for roosting and they love th fields for feeding and breeding. I would try to get around a 100 yards from them roosting, set up just inside the tree line, put out my B-mobile and She-mobile and get ready.
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04-07-2008, 09:41 PM
#9
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 7,437
RE: Can you pattern turkeys??
I pattern turkeys every year and in two states. Michigan always opens on a Monday - we scout till we drop both Saturday and Sunday and by Sunday night me and my fellow hunter each have 1 primary spot and secondary fall back if we screw that one up.
What we do is cover as much area as we can usually by car to mark on a map of the birds we hear gobble at first light. then we keep making the circuit trying to get a peak at the bird that gobbled. They use fields, wood edges, woods and cedar swamps. We always see and can find birds. Sometimes not the first day but the second surely. The birds we hear gobble don't move all that far. We shock gobble. I use a owl, crow and a gobble tube. We do no hen calling at iall n the morning but will do hen calling later in the day. By doing this we develop a pattern. We even try to roost but at best all we hear is fly-ups as they are rather tight lipped for some reason. The next day any ole gobble from the fly-up we are gone trying to find the next bird. We do try to triangualte so we do try to really pinpoint. I look for strut zones and try to be there rather than sneak up to the roost.
I have gotten slow so don't run and gun but my partner still does. We work very hard at this scoutign and so far my parter is 97% and I am at 93% or so of taking a fine bird the first day. We have never stayed longer than two days through rain. sleet, snow, cloudy or nice weather.
Seeing them in the turkey in he same general area yo can bet roost is not that far away. You need to know if they come back tot he field at first light. If they do make good mental notewhere they use this field - sneak in there from a good distance and just glass watching how they use this field - where they feed and when feeding is done where they enter the woods, and before long you will find commonly used travel routes. Use that to your advantage. Yes you can call a turkey to you but being where the turkey has come to feel comfortable and calling lightly even out the oddsa bit more in yhour favor.
I do the same thing in Wisc and hunt in a party of 4 - I place all my partners based on what I have learned. Last year we had last season - late May and 3 out of 4 connected on a mature Tom the first day! According to my journal at least one of us ges a nice tom the first day. In Michigan I have been doing this method 21 yrs - in Wisc it will be 11.
Good luck hope this helps
JW
What we do is cover as much area as we can usually by car to mark on a map of the birds we hear gobble at first light. then we keep making the circuit trying to get a peak at the bird that gobbled. They use fields, wood edges, woods and cedar swamps. We always see and can find birds. Sometimes not the first day but the second surely. The birds we hear gobble don't move all that far. We shock gobble. I use a owl, crow and a gobble tube. We do no hen calling at iall n the morning but will do hen calling later in the day. By doing this we develop a pattern. We even try to roost but at best all we hear is fly-ups as they are rather tight lipped for some reason. The next day any ole gobble from the fly-up we are gone trying to find the next bird. We do try to triangualte so we do try to really pinpoint. I look for strut zones and try to be there rather than sneak up to the roost.
I have gotten slow so don't run and gun but my partner still does. We work very hard at this scoutign and so far my parter is 97% and I am at 93% or so of taking a fine bird the first day. We have never stayed longer than two days through rain. sleet, snow, cloudy or nice weather.
Seeing them in the turkey in he same general area yo can bet roost is not that far away. You need to know if they come back tot he field at first light. If they do make good mental notewhere they use this field - sneak in there from a good distance and just glass watching how they use this field - where they feed and when feeding is done where they enter the woods, and before long you will find commonly used travel routes. Use that to your advantage. Yes you can call a turkey to you but being where the turkey has come to feel comfortable and calling lightly even out the oddsa bit more in yhour favor.
I do the same thing in Wisc and hunt in a party of 4 - I place all my partners based on what I have learned. Last year we had last season - late May and 3 out of 4 connected on a mature Tom the first day! According to my journal at least one of us ges a nice tom the first day. In Michigan I have been doing this method 21 yrs - in Wisc it will be 11.
Good luck hope this helps
JW
