PLS REMOVE - How to effectively hunt turkey in thick forest?

[DTM5]

PLS REMOVE Hi All;

My third year of turkey hunting is coming up and I have yet to bag a tom. I hunt up near Haliburton on the Canadian shield - Turkeys are plentiful BUT the property I hunt is mostly forest covered - Some highland with hardwoods, some lowland cedar. Lots of ponds and lakes. I've called some birds in, hens, and had a couple toms gobble to me in the distance.

Question - Anyone have any tips for hunting turkeys in thicker forest?

 

[Superbrad]

Its a pretty simple concept.... I am totally in your boat.. put a gobbler to bed the night before by using a crow call at last light. .. get them gobbling at your call from thee roost... then get yourself between them and the hens at first light... make raspy hen calls when they deroost... keep your back to a tree facing the gobblers and enjoy

 

[scruffee]

A good trick I learnt from a fellow gunnut, get a good pair of small gardening shears! After following him for a day I was a lot more comfortable hunting turkey in thicker bush...

 

[brybenn]

Locate the roost and their landing pad. Sneak in early. I find in thick cover mid afternoon works best for sitting and waiting. Early morning for calling

 

[hunter148]

Find the deer trails or any other trail. Birds are like any other critter they will walk the easiest routes and use them daily.

If it is thick and you are sneaking in make sure you are sitting at a minimum of an hour before the songbirds start to sing IMO. Any racket at first light will not be good and I have had roosted birds stay there for an hour or two and then fly down in the opposite direction when trying to get in close and being late.

One bird I had hunted in thick swamp for 3 weeks would turn himself inside out to get away from a call or decoy. I found out later other guys had been calling and decoying before the season to see how they worked - wizards they are. I had to be in the bush and sitting by 3am in order to get between him and the hens he had been with all season. Any later and he either heard or saw me from the roost and would not cooperate any way at all. I can sleep in the bush and a gobble is about the best alarm there is. Two gobbbles, no calls from me, fly down at 25 yds and a 24lber down at daylight. Missed first shot and luckily he ran towards me or that bird was a candidate for dying of old age cause I would have not have got near him again.

 

[canadian hunter312]

The exact same way as any other terrain. Locate where they roost, feed, strut, and dust. Find the optimal location between the roosting area and the other 3 area's and you'll put a bird in the deep fryer.


You're likely doing something wrong if you're on your third season without tagging a bird. Care to share how a typical turkey hunting day goes for you so we can get an idea of what you're doing? What calls are you using? Do you always/ever use decoys? What time of day do you usually hit the bush and leave?

 

[Jvezina]

Best tip is to spend some time when the snow is still on the ground to locate their roost, look for tracks, poop, feathers etc and then when hunting season opens up get yourself in there while it's still dark. Otherwise you could think you have an area where they are plentiful but will never see a turkey. They have keen eyesight and excellent hearing and they aren't as easy as it may seem.

 

[hoytcanon]

Obviously scouting is important... you should know where the birds are... knowing the exact roost location is not necessary if you know where they are feeding... get between the general roost area and the known feeding location... in big timber this is tough, because the birds tend to forage randomly... this is where I switch to a "run & gun" approach... I bagged a huge Tom last spring playing "cat n' mouse" in big timber... for three hours the bird and I called back and forth... I changed location a dozen times... this is risky, because you will get busted more often then not... the key is not to move (or even blink) until the bird sounds off and you know his exact location... if he is alone your chances are decent... if the tom is with a bunch of hens it will be tough to beat all of those eyes... but contrary to popular opinion it can be done and this technique has accounted for many nice toms for me. Keep at it, the stars will eventually align.