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tnhunter, look for scratchins on ridges that have oak trees and or pine trees.
they eat acorns, and pine seed. also, look for scratchins and droppins in creek bottoms, around beech and oak trees. they also love them beechnuts. yes, they
have to have water, and they'll get it form creeks, ponds, and anything else
where it's available. don't forget to look for tracks anywhere the ground is
bear.

Mostly tracks and droppings. I tend to mark them out and see if they keep appearing in the same area. That helps me to figure out where the frequent.

Ryan Tucker

If you are hunting around pines and cedars, look for a big oak snag for a roosting spot. And look for tracks and droppings like the others said. J or L-shaped dump means it's a gobblers. If you find it, hang around, maybe you'll get a good tom.

I look for areas with natural wind breaks to hunt when the treetops are whipping. For example, I found an creek surrounded by steep hills sporting dense cedar thickets. The bottoms flattened out a short stretch before reaching the creek, and cedars gave way to fairly open hardwoods. Never much wind there, even during really bad weather. The animals (turkey, deer, etc.) consider it the place to be during harsh weather. I found the area by accident, taking a shortcut to retrieve a treestand the day after a short but intense winter storm. The bottoms were absolutely littered with sign... turkey tracks, deer tracks, 'coon tracks, well you get the idea. It has been an excellent spot to hunt during high winds ever since, but I would never have known it if I hadn't happened by at the right time. I had scouted the area several times before, when weather had been calm, and dismissed it as a hunting spot due to lack of animal sign. Apparently turkeys hate windy days as much as I do.

Tracks and droppings seem to be the most reliable sign of a good spot. Dusting bowls are nice too, though I haven't had much luck hunting right over them. I love searching for feathers in late winter/early spring; an area littered with tail feathers might be the boxing ring for toms working out the pecking order before hens are ready to breed. Some hunters search for shed antlers, I search for shed feathers.

Turkeys need water, but in many habitats they can get about all they need from dew or rain-laden vegetation they eat. I suppose in habitats with less succulent vegetation or arid climates, water sources would be more heavily used.

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TH16,good info by everyone here.I use two tactics in scoutin turks that work for me.Roads,creeks,ponds,mud puddles,and anywhere where the ground is soft leaves the opportunity to look for tracks.I always make it a point to look for these areas and check them out thourghly.The other thing I do is use my ears.Listen at daybreak for turkey talk coming off the roost.And then when your scouting I always have my ears tuned in for picking up turkey sounds.I have located alot of birds with my ears instead of my eyes!Good luck!Hope it helps. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Get out before the season as the birds start gobbling and listen at first light. You'll be able to follow the sounds of the birds as they move along.

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