I have a question regarding something I discovered this afternoon. I drove down this logging road where they had cut in it last year. I was going down to try it for a brook trout. As I started coming out I saw where a few turkeys were dusting?? This is at least a mile and 1/2 away from the nearest field. I always thought that the turkeys hang around grassy openings in the spring. So what is up with this? Also do you think it may be just jakes or a big tom is back there with a couple of hens?? I am puzzled by this. It just goes against the grain of things I guess. I am down in the dirt road around 3 miles as well. I know some may feel this is sort of a stupid question. I do not see any stupid questions except for the ones not asked.. Anyways thanks guys.

Turkeys are like deer, they can find something to eat anywhere...As you found out they don't just hang around fields...There could easy be a gobbler nearby, especially if you happened upon several hens...Slip back there one morning about 30 minutes before sunup and listen for gobbles...

Some turkeys never see fields. I hunt in the mountains of pa and i hunt mostly heavily forested ground. There are some areas that i hunt that have fields near them, but the majority of where i hunt is mountainous ground and i have harvested most of my turkeys in the big woods. i would bet that those turkey hang in that area somewhere eating acorns or some type of plant. those tops laying around would make good nesting areas.

this year birds havent been in open fields ive found theyve been staying in the woods

Thanks everyone.. I never realized that they would stay back during the breeding season. Normally I find the birds out along the fields. I also find them back maybe 50 to 75 yards. However this is a first for me at least.. So it had taken me by surprise. This area is all small softwood trees right now with a pile of tops laying around. Perhaps they are eating the bugs from the decaying wood. I will be keeping an eye on this spot a little later on. I have a blind up where some turkeys come out of the woods onto a dirt road and field. Our season had just opened up so it will give me time to check it out better later in the week..

A lot of what I hunt is in or near cut over. Birds tend to love open areas....regardless of grass or lack of. They also love prescribed burn woods. I've set up on birds next to logs that were still smoking. I've chased birds that I've called into thickets.

You never know where you will find a bird.

one thing for sure, they were not there by accident, they knew what they were doing, surely you didn't or don't, they are also likely to be there again if you didn't bother them. check out the area, the answer is there or not more than a mile or so away.

cheers

you may be in good nesting habitat

We are currently not seeing as many as we normally do either. But our grass is just coming up now. In some places it still has not started yet. Normally once the clover starts coming the birds will all be there. What I am seeing is that they are staying back around 100 to 150 yards from the fields for some reason..

Any ways I knew that birds will go back deep in the woods with there young. But, I had always thought of them as liking the edges for the spring ritual.
Thanks guys for your input..