Thank you for the VERY practical and helpful tips that many of you gave me. I think the most important were tips about scouting and about not calling excessively once the gobbler is headed in. Things like that are appreciated very much. Hey, I' ve got tons of genuine ambition and desire and am willing to put forth whatever effort is necessary to bring in Mr. Gobbles. Just need that experience and first-hand knowledge. But, the info many of you are giving me is saving me some time for sure. So, let me ask some more questions.

I will likely be hunting on WMA land some as well as on private land. Concerning the WMA hunts, how do the folks determine who hunts at what location? Again, I' ve never been hunting on WMA land. I' ve learned all about the licenses and tags, etc etc etc. But, I' m thinking to myself, if 500 people show up on the opening day of turkey season and have 10,000 acres to hunt on, how does everyone manage to stay out of each others way? How do you know that you' re not 200 yards away from another hunter and calling to each other at times? ha ha ha. I mean I see all kinds of complications here on this WMA deal. What if I take down a gobbler right when a gobbler is moving in 300 yards away on another hunters call? Is the hunter going to break into a sprint and beat me like a yard dog? ha ha ha. I mean, this may sound goofy, but not ever having been on a WMA hunt, I can' t help but think this could get complicated. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again. And, thank you for all the warm welcomes!

all i have ever hunted are wma' s.....it' s first come first to hunt that spot, you' ll see other hunters during season , almost garanteed ,just let them know youre there, remember to use your voice and not your call or wave at them, some jerk might be out there shooting at sound or movement.....remember your safety rules.....
i was once told it was a dog eat dog world when it comes to hunting public land....i learned how to do it and be sucessful , you can too.....alot of folks over call, even if that gobbler isnt coming in to you, dont over call..clucking and purring every 20 minutes or so will get you a bird alot quicker than sitting there yelping the whole time.....good luck to you! now go get that big bird
oh and you' ll learn the difference between a call and the real thing, just identify your target and beyound before shooting anything......we had a hunter come in to our blind(me and my sister), he saw our decoys and started to call, we whistled, yelled, finally we stood up and yelled and waved at him...his gun was aimed right at us.....and even when you dont need orange , it' s good to wrap your harvest in it on the walk out.....

This applies more for spring,
Public Land Hunting
This is place that most hunters try to avoid, the pure pressure of these areas seem to distract the hunter from working them right. There are different ways to hunt these areas, to become successful over the pressure that they receive. Most of the pressure on these areas is at the Start of the season and the first weekends after the opening. This is the time where your going to have a number of hunters, hunting the same bird that you intend to hunt. Here are some valid tips to follow to becoming a successful public land hunter.

Scouting the area of the public land works as an asset, to give you the jump a head of a smart gobbler, and other hunters. Having a map of the areas work well, your local DNR will sometimes have these or will be able to tell you where you can find one.

As you scout walk the area, and find the spots that the turkeys feed is a good start, Turkeys like to eat, so finding foods such as Acorns, Beechnuts, Farmed fields on the outside of the area like Corn, Soybeans and Grains help to find the sign you need to get started. After these areas are found, you have most often than not, have found the Stutting areas as well. Gobblers like to strut in the fields as the hen’s feed, to display for mating purposes. You can scout the woods for scratching, and dusting areas and this will help you in finding the roosting areas, this is another important area to find. This is where the birds like to spend the night. This gives you another place to start your locating the night before your hunt, hearing that Thundering Gobble gives you the place for a setup in the next morning. This puts you on top of the areas that make good setups for hunting situations.
Now that you have found some of the important info in your public hunting area, you need to find the areas that slow the birds up that are coming to a Call. Finding these areas help you with your setups and you have the knowledge of why bird has stop and won' t come any closer to your call. These are called Hang-up areas and these are important as well to know, these areas may be fences, creeks, rivers, or just a very thick area that the bird will not want to come through. Knowing these areas and where to setup around them will put one more mark in your book for being successful. As we continue to Scout we look for Tracks, turkey scat, and feathers. This will tell us what sex the birds are in that area, Hen tracks have an average front toe of 2.5 inches and a gobbler well over 3, Gobblers feather appear Black in colour, and buff brown for Hen, Scat the hen leaves a little pile looking like popcorn size and a Gobbler is in a J shape. When scouting these areas, use Locators instead of your turkey calls, this is what makes public birds silent birds.

Hunting these Public areas during the week will advoid most hunters, hunting later in the morning as pressure dies off works well. Limiting your calling as most birds in these areas have been called to often. The later part of the seasons also works because of pressure slowing.
Decoys, work in this type of hunting, as most gobblers are silent in these areas.
Calling sparingly can work better in these areas, as most birds have been called to, due to pressure, sticking to Plain yelps, Soft Clucks, and purrs work the best, as most birds have heard the aggression calling as well. On these grounds hunters tend to turn a morning of hunting into a call competition, when they try to out call another hunter. This is not normal to the birds and they shy away from this activity. Hunting the areas away from the pressure is a good note, as birds tend to head for these areas away from the pressure. Moving Quietly and using your terrain also masks against the Keen eyesight and hearing of this wonderful bird. Knowing your gun and how it shoots and the Range of your shots is a must before entering the woods. Patience, Persistence,peperation is a must in these areas and one last note, please by all means Identify your target before you squeeze that trigger.
Adrian Hare QuakerBoy ProStaff

Thank you. Outstanding tips from both of you. I have made a phone call and will be picking up a map next week of the WMA. Course, can' t scout for awhile as the woods are full of deer hunters. Good gun safety tips as well. While I have hunted small game as a youngster and teenager (often without a plan or forethought), I have much to learn about the wild turkey. But, as far as gun safety I am alright in that department. I have shot and trained with various weapons for near twenty years and am very well aware of the dangers of a poorly planned shot.

Thats exactly what I want to avoid on WMA land, a calling competition. In fact, I am planning to scout EXCLUDING the areas that I feel will be " overrun." I want to find the birds third choices for refuge. ha ha ha. Then, maybe I can do some hunting. I know what can happen in the woods and in my book SAFEty is more important than anything else. Judging by some of the folks I see wearing camo, it only reinforces that awareness. ha ha ha. Thanks for the tips. Hey, keep em coming. I' m burning these things off and making me a little booklet by subject matter. ha ha Really. Thanks again.