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When do you guys starting doing some scouting for.

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93civEJ1

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Turkey season?

I am new to this one too this year and not sure really where to start. Earlier this year I scared a couple birds off in an area I am sort of familiar with from hunting deer this past year. I guess I need to start scouting...what do I look for? I know tracks might be one thing, but im not even sure where to start otherwise.??
 
you can "scout" any time you want but what you find right now may or may not be usable come spring time due to pattern shifting. Actually chances are what you find right now mostly wont be accurate come spring. However you can still locate roosting areas as those may stay the same for some birds as well as travel routes.

looking for food sources now will be fine but when things start to green up they will drastically alter their food patterns. my personal rule of thumb is to really start paying attention around early to mid march then into april. The main thing to do between now and then is to really and i mean really learn the terrain like the back of your hand. Know where everything is so you know where and why to set up in certain places. Nothing more frustrating to find out after the fact you set up between a bird and a ditch or fence because you didnt know it was there.
 
Always looking but things will change alot between now and then. I see 2 big moves in my area, one will be from winter flocks to mostly woods or a good mix of the two. Then the next will be 3/4 of the way through the season when nearly all birds come down off the mountains and stay around the larger fields.
 
I will echo what the others have said because everything will shift as we progress into March. The big hen flocks will start to break up soon and the bachelor packs of gobblers will start to compete for dominance. It's alot like deer hunting the way the bucks split up in the prerut the gobblers do the same in March. I would really learn the areas you plan to hunt. If you got alot of fields to hunt then try to learn thier travel routes and roosting areas. If your hunting big woods then find high places on ridges were you can listen for gobbling at daybreak. And find old logging roads (gobblers like to strut in these old roads). Look for scratching and droppings, the gobbler droppings are a J shape and the hens are a curly type dropping The big woods thing can be a little tougher to pattern the birds. It can fool you easily. Don't call the birds before the season opens they'll get call shy. Good luck!
 
If you are talking about the birds at point 19, prepare to be frustrated. I don't care what calls you have in your bag of tricks, they only answer the jackass in the pasture next to the entrance. Your best bet up there is to set up in a feeding area and be quiet.

They edited my livestock out. Let's say donkey then...heehaw.
 
Nope...wasnt talking about the point this time cause I havent seen the first sign of any birds in that area...haha.

I am hoping to make It next weekend to the meetup. Hopefully I can meet you then.
 
I don't, not one time in my life have I scouted for turkeys. If I get some new land, I will walk it all way before the season starts to learn how it lays, and if I don't get it until late I just wait for the season to open. No reason to spook birds I am going to try and kill in a few weeks.
 

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