A bunch of turkey questions

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Haus86
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby Haus86 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:35 am

I think you can get closer to roosted birds than what was mentioned. I usually try to get within or around 75 yards of roosted turkeys. You just have to take your time and be quiet getting in and use the terrain to your advantage. The bigger the moon the tougher it is to get in tight.


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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby dan » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:54 pm

1. What kind of trees do turkeys roost in? Do they prefer a certain type /size/ configuration?
Early season they seem to prefer pines likely cause of cover. Otherwise as mentioned large trees such as oak with horizontal limbs.

2. Do turkeys keep roosting in the same tree? Do they rotate to different trees? I ask this question assuming they have not been pressured.

They use the same trees over and over but do shift around a bit... No guarentee's


3. If I see / hear turkeys in a spot at a certain time of day what are the chances they will be there at the same time on future days? Are they patternable that way?

Chances are pretty good. Undesturbed they seem to have a pretty good pattern unless they go off searching for hens.

4. How far do tom turkeys travel on a normal day? I know this is a loaded question because if they hook up with a hen that changes things. The reason I ask is because if I locate some birds and go back to hunt that area I'm wondering if they should still be close or if they might be a mile away. The areas I'm hunting are wooded with no crop fields.

Seems around here they have about 3/4 mile to a mile general range but later in the season the Toms seem to get on a mission and a lone bird might cover a couple miles searching. Might be different in different areas depending on population.

5. can turkeys see in real low light? This question applies to setting up near roosting birds. If they can see in low light then I need to set up as far away as I would if it were light out.

I have set up right under birds without them knowing I was there... But, generally not on purpose. I think 75 to 150 yards is best.

6. If I'm runnin and gunnin how long should I call in an area before moving on? How far should I advance before setting up again?


That is really dependant on the birds... Sometimes Toms will gobble all day every time you call... But sometimes they come in quiet. I have done real well cruising thru the woods calling every 100 / 150 yards and moving if I don't catch a gobble. But sometimes they are spooking cause I am moving while they come in silently. If the birds are gobbling pretty good I keep moving till I hit a worked up bird that answers, if they are quiet I wait 15-20 minutes to see if ones coming... But overall, I personally get on more birds by moving till one responds.
But I have a lot of ground to burn...
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby matt1336 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:08 pm

moving as quietly as possible while calling softly is effective and the most fun i've had while turkey hunting. it sharpens a hunter's stalking skills
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby BackWoodsHunter » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:05 pm

matt1336 wrote:moving as quietly as possible while calling softly is effective and the most fun i've had while turkey hunting. it sharpens a hunter's stalking skills



I've been told this is a good way to get shot or shot at on public land, I am not enough of a turkey hunter to know if that is true or not but just a heads up.

Magic not sure where you're hunting but a buddy says the thousands of acres of jack pines owned by Georgia Pacific down towards lake arrowhead area I guess south of Rapids that'd be are loaded with big turkeys and good hunting if you have no place to hunt yet. I know you are from Rapids so just an fyi.
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby magicman54494 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:24 pm

BackWoodsHunter wrote:
Magic not sure where you're hunting but a buddy says the thousands of acres of jack pines owned by Georgia Pacific down towards lake arrowhead area I guess south of Rapids that'd be are loaded with big turkeys and good hunting if you have no place to hunt yet. I know you are from Rapids so just an fyi.


I know that area quite well. I hunted it years ago without much success. When I was down there, there was a lot of traffic on the roads and the birds were more concentrated on the private pieces. I'd love to get on some of the private land down there! I think the birds have made a comeback from years back. I'll be hunting in zone 1 so my tag isn't good where you mentioned. Thanks for the safety heads up. I just can't believe anyone would mistake a man for a turkey but it happens every year.
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby BackWoodsHunter » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:51 pm

magicman54494 wrote:
BackWoodsHunter wrote:
Magic not sure where you're hunting but a buddy says the thousands of acres of jack pines owned by Georgia Pacific down towards lake arrowhead area I guess south of Rapids that'd be are loaded with big turkeys and good hunting if you have no place to hunt yet. I know you are from Rapids so just an fyi.


I know that area quite well. I hunted it years ago without much success. When I was down there, there was a lot of traffic on the roads and the birds were more concentrated on the private pieces. I'd love to get on some of the private land down there! I think the birds have made a comeback from years back. I'll be hunting in zone 1 so my tag isn't good where you mentioned. Thanks for the safety heads up. I just can't believe anyone would mistake a man for a turkey but it happens every year.



No problem I attended one of those free DNR turkey clinics as I am new to this and he said a guy set up close to another hunter once without the hunter knowing. He cracked a can of pepsi and lifted it to his mouth to drink and got a face full of pellets because the other hunter thought it was a turkeys head. Some details may have been stretched by the story teller but its still eye opening. Good Luck in zone 1! There are tons of over the counter permits left for weeks 4, 5 and 6 in zone 3 I may buy one for week 3 and try that area out. Good luck sir!
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magicman54494
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby magicman54494 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:05 pm

Backwoods,
I most likely will hunt 5th and 6th time periods for zone 1 . If you are interested in hunting let me know. (If there are tags left)
I have a video camera and it would be fun to put down some video.
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby Fuzzy » Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:57 am

If your not an big fan of getting up early my brother and I have been very successful with this technique. Starting around mid morning we sit out on the deck with cup of coffee and wait till one starts gobbling. This is usually about the time the toms find himself alone and most hens are tending to the nest. When he stands in one spot and gobbles a few times we know he is in his strutt zone. This is usually where this bird will go to call for more hens. If you can get within seeing distance of the tom while he is gobbling and strutting you can kill him. Much like a deer in his bed. When that tom picks up a hen and walks away move into the spot were he was standing. When he loses that hen he will come right back to spot to strutt and gobble for his next girlfriend. If you there waiting it doesn't get any easier than that. :D
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby Uncle Lou » Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:18 pm

Magic,

Great questions. Wish I had the answers. Been scouting my off around here, havent seen the turkeys do the same thing yet 2 days in a row. Be careful with advice from low pressure areas unless you are hunting low pressure areas

Question for you. How far do I have to walk to track a deer down? ;)
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magicman54494
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby magicman54494 » Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:29 pm

Uncle Lou wrote:Magic,

Question for you. How far do I have to walk to track a deer down? ;)


Depends on how far your gun shoots. ;)
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby dan » Sun Mar 31, 2013 1:30 pm

bump
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Re: A bunch of turkey questions

Unread postby BigHunt » Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:02 pm

muddy wrote:
magicman54494 wrote:1. What kind of trees do turkeys roost in? Do they prefer a certain type /size/ configuration?

Around here, big ones with limbs that are parallel to the ground, oaks and cottonwoods.

magicman54494 wrote:2. Do turkeys keep roosting in the same tree? Do they rotate to different trees? I ask this question assuming they have not been pressured.

Sometimes they do until they get pressured. In my area they roost in the same location most all the time until some dillhole bumps them a day or two then they move to other areas.

magicman54494 wrote:3. If I see / hear turkeys in a spot at a certain time of day what are the chances they will be there at the same time on future days? Are they patternable that way?

I would say yes, especially this time of year. If not the exact area, the general locale.

magicman54494 wrote:4. How far do tom turkeys travel on a normal day? I know this is a loaded question because if they hook up with a hen that changes things. The reason I ask is because if I locate some birds and go back to hunt that area I'm wondering if they should still be close or if they might be a mile away. The areas I'm hunting are wooded with no crop fields.

Completely dependent on the bird and location. Birds in my area may only move around a mile or so whereas the Rios I hunted last year were moving MILES in the morning and MILES back at night, it was crazy.
magicman54494 wrote:5. can turkeys see in real low light? This question applies to setting up near roosting birds. If they can see in low light then I need to set up as far away as I would if it were light out.

Unless you go in during pitch black and a couple hours early I try to stay 150 yards away unless it's a PERFECT situation.
magicman54494 wrote:6. If I'm runnin and gunnin how long should I call in an area before moving on? How far should I advance before setting up again?

When I would run and gun I'd call and sit for 15 minutes. Call again and wait another 15 minutes. No response, move a 100 yards calling quietly every 30 yards or so, try to be a hen moving thru the timber.

agreed 100 % spot on matt!
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