Some turkey help.

S

sherlockbonez

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My first turkey season is drawing to a close. Had a few close calls on my buddies property a few weeks ago out Ottawa way. But now I'm stuck back in the GTA with a tag that's burning a hole in my pocket, and am looking for some advice on late season birds.

The area I'm planning on hunting this Sat is a mixed forest with lots of swampy areas. There were lots of turkey signs when i was last there in the winter kicking up grouse. When I went back last weekend tho, I didn't hear any gobbling nor did i see any tracks in the mud.

Should I even bother to get up this Sat? What are more likely area for me to look? Opening in the forest? Edge of swamp?

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.
 
This time of year, the birds are not calling like they do at the beginning. They have probably finished their mating season or are close to it.
You may get a reply in the early am before they leave the roost, but that will likely be it.

You're best bet, put one to bed and set up really close in the morning. Or, get yourself on an instinctive travel route and wait out the wanderers. All they do is walk around all day anyway, you just need them to walk in your path.

If you see some, don't call with yelps, it doesn't do much this time of year, and it may make them weary. Use very soft putts and purrs from a distance if you see them. And once you get their attention, stop calling. They will think there's a bird/birds in your location relaxed, not moving much, possibly eating.... and they may come to join in the turkey festivities.

Or....you can always try stalking...which can mean many hours of sneaking up on a bird...tough, but doable.

Lastly "Runnin & Gunnin"

Get your truck fired up and go looking for them, the name of this tactic is self-explanitory.

Good luck
 
44fordy said:
This time of year, the birds are not calling like they do at the beginning. They have probably finished their mating season or are close to it.
You may get a reply in the early am before they leave the roost, but that will likely be it.

You're best bet, put one to bed and set up really close in the morning. Or, get yourself on an instinctive travel route and wait out the wanderers. All they do is walk around all day anyway, you just need them to walk in your path.

If you see some, don't call with yelps, it doesn't do much this time of year, and it may make them weary. Use very soft putts and purrs from a distance if you see them. And once you get their attention, stop calling. They will think there's a bird/birds in your location relaxed, not moving much, possibly eating.... and they may come to join in the turkey festivities.

Or....you can always try stalking...which can mean many hours of sneaking up on a bird...tough, but doable.

Lastly "Runnin & Gunnin"

Get your truck fired up and go looking for them, the name of this tactic is self-explanitory.

Good luck
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I've had good luck in the beginning to the middle of the season in the morning. I got them late in the season using a bit of stealth. I filled both tags this season in the first two weeks but I am still watching them and late in the afternoon as regular as clock work I see them meandering about in the same spots just waiting for someone to sneak up on them and ruffle their neck feathers with some no.6.
 
Find a feeding area with a dust bath or two if possible. Its true they don't gobble nearly as much after fly down but i have seen strutting behavior well into July. Find the hens and the boys won't be far behind.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll be hunting public land this time around, so Jake dekes are out for me (even tho I've never seen another person hunting there all spring).

I only seen dust marks in the snow in the winter there, haven't been able to find one all spring. There is a sandy/ gravelly part that I staked out for about 2 hrs last Friday, all I saw was my decoy. I guess it didn't help that I passed out for about half an hour in the warm breeze.

One problem I have is that I haven't been able to see any birds the last 2 days I went. Are they still following the general pattern from earlier in the spring? We've found that turkeys at my buddies place are roosting over beaver ponds over night, spending the morning in the woods (by his duck blind of all places), and make their way out into field edges in mid-late afternoon. I guess I'll try to extrapolate that pattern for this area.

Do turkey spend anytime in swampy area with lots of green grass, or are water out totally for them?
 
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