Phil from Maine

Ok guys!! I have a dumb question for you all. I was scouting another area out and when I rounded the last corner on the old logging road I was on. 2 large toms were up ahead and saw me driving around the corner. It was to late for me to do anything and they were around 140 yards away. They just took to the air instantly and flew maybe 200m more yards or so. There is a lot of hen sign there as well. So do you think I scared them away for any length of time? Or do you think they will soon be back. I know no one has hunted this area as I had to cut some small trees that had broken down from this winters storm. I am also guessing this is an area where the hens are nesting at. What are your thoughts on this???

HatchieLuvr

They likely came back within an hour or two, later in the day at most! Turkey's brains are MUCH smaller than a deer and it's been my experience that deer are much more likely to "remember" trouble spots and avoid repeated confrontations in certain areas. Turkeys DONT seem to have that ability! If turkeys did have that ability then the old time practice of fall hunting where you bump into a flock, scatter them and then call them back into that area simply wouldn't work.

If that happened today at a certain time then try easing into that same area on foot about 1-2 hours earlier tomorrow and see if those 2 toms come back. Turkeys, ESPECIALLY Toms, are VERY much creatures of habit and usually do nearly the same thing several days in a row.

RPD63

I always make notes of the time and location of birds I encounter. They seem to come back to the same areas.

SniperPSS

They'll be back

swampbuster

I think you are ok Phil I doubt they would leave the area

Phil from Maine

Thanks everyone!!

I hope they will be back. I went back in this afternoon and tried calling but no luck this time. We have had a rain storm move in that is supposed to last for around 3 days they say. I hope it clears up by Monday morning as I want to get to my blind again. I want to sneak in early and spend a big part of the day there..

Mojotex

I agree with those that have commented ... I have found gobblers to be very territorial.

jmedenf

I have found that you would have to bump the turkeys pretty consistently in order to scare them out of the area for good. The turkeys I hunt seem to move between several different roost areas, but they usually come back to an area after getting bumped eventually. That area definitely sounds like an area I would hunt again.