My opening day.

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Nsghunter

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IT'S FINALLY HERE! Tommorow will be my first day EVER hunting turkey. Hoping to get out at first light and spend a few hours in the woods.I already feel like I've been a few times just from all the good advice and stories( thankful for that)

My 20g wouldn't put enough consistency on paper but the 10g did, so it'll be a single shootin,mule kickin kinda morning.
 
Good luck. I remember my first turkey. Was about 24 yrs ago, first year that the 3 1/2 inch shells were introduced. I was 12 and after 3 shots with that new gun, my shoulder was sore, LOL.
 
Are you hunting an area that has had birds in the past?

Were you out at first light?

Birds have been gobbling good for the most part within the first 30-45 minutes of light, then going silent when they hit the ground.

Keep at it!
 
I seen seven birds back in March. I don't know the area very well. They might not have been local birds though.

I didn't make it at first light. I found a spot, sat and called ever 10-15 minutes for what felt like an hour then relocated and tried again. I did this from 7 ish to 1.

I had a good time just would've been better with a turkey in my bag :0.

Thanks for the input.
 
For me they were quiet on the ground yesterday and gobbled better today. Both days I had gobbling on the roost. But your turkeys are not my turkeys and could act different. Getting to know the land and how the turkeys use it is very useful. Keep an eye in the woods for fresh scratch. Go out an hour before sunrise and listen for gobbles as it gets light out. Turkeys don't always use the same roost trees or travel patterns, but you will figure out over time how to find them quicker. Glad you had a good day in the woods and best of luck next time.
 
What does an area that had been scratched by turkey look like?

I seen a few areas that looked like someone had used a push broom on the hardwood floor. I thought it might have been where deers had bedded down. Could this have been scratch.
 
Nsghunter said:
What does an area that had been scratched by turkey look like?
Click to expand...
Don't know if ya'll have armadillos over that way, but they can sometimes leave sign that looks like turkey scratching too. Difference being, armadillos root/disturb leaves in in more of a meandering line...it's almost continuous. A turkey will scratch here, walk a step or 3, scratch there, little pockets of disturbed leaves about he size of a dinner plate. If it's a flock, they can rake up a whole hillside.
 
What boll weevil said. Armadillos "shovel" through the leaves in a random direction, but turkeys scratch a small patch of leaves in one direction and then move and scratch another spot. Usually you can see the leaves are scratched to one side of the bare spot. The fresher the dirt looks, the fresher the scratch. Often, but not always, you can tell the direction of travel because the leaves will be scratched backwards behind the turkey, so if the leaves are all on one side of the scratches, the turkeys may have moved the opposite way. That's not a rule, just an observation I've made. Sometimes turkeys will meander a bit more than all face in one direction. Also, fresh droppings can tell you how recent the scratch is. If it looks very fresh and is soft and not dried out, the birds were probably there the same day.
 

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