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When do turkeys dust themselves

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Thegreatwhitehunter1776

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I scouted a new logging road Saturday in the rain and it had a bunch of Turkey tracks. I came back today to discover it was a turkey dusting area. I even had tracks in my footprints from Saturday so I know they've used it in the past 48 hours. My question is what time of the day are they using it and should I just set up on it all day or try and locate one in the morning and if that doesnt work I'd set up in this area. I'm new but I'm starting to learn these pressured birds
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Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

Set up a camera and you might pattern them. Usually they dust midday but could be anytime during the day.
 
Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

I wouldn't necessarily set over dust bowls, just helps let you know birds were there very recently. Kind of like tracks in the roads...way more productive (and fun) to go find a bird that wants to work than sitting and watching a dusty 2 track thru the timber.
 
Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

I'd try to find one gobbling early first, and may listen near that dusting area. If you can't find anything that may be a good spot to just be patient and listen to hear one gobble nearby. In my experience they dust in mid day to early afternoon.
Wouldn't be my cup of tea to sit around and wait these days, but several years ago if I was having a tough year I'd for sure give that spot a try of "deer hunting" them.


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Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

They dust in my barn all day long, morning, afternoon, and evening. I have Bunches of pics. Hens only tho. Year after year and I've yet to see a tom doing it.
 
Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

They wait in line sometimes for a bath!
 

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Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

I've seen many hens dusting but have yet to see a gobbler dusting. I would never set up and deer hunt a dust bowl, but that's just me. I've been told the gobblers dust as well. Just haven't seen it and don't care to sit all day waiting for a gobbler to kick up some dirt. Better odds going to find a gobbler that wants to come looking, or hunting near the roost.


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Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

Like Catman, I've never seen a gobbler dust in the spring (I have in mid to late summer). I've seen a bazillion hens dust, jakes dust, but not a tom during season.

Finding a dusting area let's you know turkeys are in the area. I wouldn't hunt the dustbowl, but it gives you confidence you are in an area with turkeys.

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Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

I've only seen one gobbler dust. It was probably 15 years ago, late season mid-afternoon. He was with several hens in a freshly sprouted corn field. He mostly strutted, but at one point for about 5 minutes he joined the hens in scratching out a bowl and laying down to dust. The entire time he was simultaneously stretching his neck all around plucking up every corn sprout he could reach and eating the kernel off of it. Plucked a perfect circle clean. When he ran out of corn sprouts in reach, he got up and went back to strutting. It was funny to watch. Like he only had 5 minutes to devote to non-strutting activities, so he was rushing to eat and dust and the same time.

Like others have said, I wouldn't spend much time focusing efforts on dust bowls. They're nice to see because they let you know that turkeys are in the area, but odds are it's hens doing the dusting and this time of year, good chance they're alone. Treat them like you would tracks or scratching - proof that turkeys have been there recently, but not necessarily a sign that they'll be back in that same spot tomorrow.
 
Re: When do turkeys dust themselves

I had an awesome encounter with one earlier. She came in mad then looked around and said screw it im taking a bath and created a dust bowel 15 yards from me. She dusted for 47 minutes
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