N Florida turkey trouble
 

I am new to turkey hunting. I went with a freind last year, we herd some birds but Ive never got one to close the distance. So heres my question.

1. I hunt 6000 acres in north florida, very little pressure on turkeys, however i havent had one single shock gobble, and during last spring couldnt get anything to talk back. am i just that horrible at calling or is it issue due to bears/cyotes which are both plentiful in the area.

I have bought a few different varieties of calls, mouth, slates, boxes, non of which seem to have effects. There are turkeys in the area, we see plenty of hens when scouting, and even seen gobblers when deer hunting in the fall. theres a healthy mix of hardwood heads, tall pine short pines and a new clearcut about 300 acres. there are food plots which vary from 800 yard lanes to 1-2 arce openings. they are planted in rye in the winter and millet and peas in the late summer.

2. what do the birds like to be in when mating, ive herd they prefer to be in/around the hardwoods when roosting but do they like the tall pines which are relatively open underneath or the short thick stuff?

Sounds like you have some nice hunting land there. I've never hunted Florida but i'm guessing its generally the same everywhere. With very little pressure they should be out in the open fields/food plots strutting during mating season. Hardwoods & large Pines are good locations for roosting. Alot of times Turkeys will roost in the same area so if you can find them thats a big plus. Spotting Turkeys in the summer & fall is good but with 6000 acres they very well could be in other locations during the spring. I wouldn't be too concerned on the types of calls, just so you can get the basic yelps & clucks down is a great start. Honestly it kinda sounds like typical hunting; it takes time especially scouting/hunting your Turkey woods to get to know it well. Tv makes it look real easy, which isn't usually the case. Enjoy your time in the woods & good luck this spring.

I agree with MnOutdoors in that it sounds like everything is going as expected as it pertains to turkey hunting. I hunt in south Georgia occasionally, which isn't too dissimilar from the type of woods and birds that you're hunting, and I can confidently say that those are some of the harder birds I've hunted. Definitely less vocal as well. I'd say that the one thing that helped me be more productive down there was not overdoing it with the calling. Also, I love runnin and gunnin, and I found that it simply didn't work down there. Those birds are very wary. My best luck has been when I made myself sit down and shut up with maybe an occasional yelp or purr thrown in to break the monotony. Good luck!

Sounds like the hunting in Arkansas. As previously posted they should be strutting in those food plots. Hang in there and your hard work will eventually pay off. Good luck

All very good advice. Turkeys in some areas have vast travel patterns. Food and good nesting areas are the biggest influence for hens in the spring. Find or hear the hens the gobblers aren't far away. 6000 acres is a large area. If you can find clearcuts or good open areas where gobblers can strut. That's a good start, if you have a lot of predators. As far as calling sounds like you have all you need. Persistence kills birds. Eventually, if they are there, they will let you know. Goodluck and don't get discouraged.