When do you start scouting?

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cozy23

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The season will be here before we know it. When do you guys start scouting? Looks like I will only be hunting public land and am wondering how far in advance should I get out there and start listening/looking for birds. I want to have a headstart on all of the Elmer Fudds out there so hopefully I can get on them on day 1.
 
Opening morning at daylight. I think more hunters do damage to themselves by scouting, listening, and generally harassing the birds pre season. I honestly believe that many times you can negatively impact your season by being in the woods before the season begins.

Now if you have a place you can listen from that allows you to not get in the middle of the birds or really anywhere in an area they might be close to, then no harm may be done. But people seem to feel the need to use locators and or turkey calls rather than just listen.

I also don't roost birds, same principles apply. From year to year turkeys roost in the same areas and generally can be found in the same places each year.
 
If by scouting you mean listening from a distance, i usually start early march. If you mean walking around your hunting area looking for turkey tracks and poop, see Setterman's post above. If you go listen, leave your calls at home and dont wear camo.
 
birds should still be flocked up, if hunting public ground, you might want to scout from 9am to noon....because that is when most guys will be leaving the woods...scout/listen from a distance...I would be doubling up by yote hunting and listening for birds, I have a spot that is a mile from my house that has birds, so cheap on gas and quick to get to, keep your calls at home, it is tempting....but you don't need to help them get wary any sooner than they already will, by mid march they should be gobbling, depends up on the weather
 
I only hunt public land, but my scouting ends at pulling into an area and listening from the parking area....I never even will step foot into the woods until opening morning and never ever use a call of any type. I have an idea from experience where birds will likely be and I very well may have, and probably will have, some competition come opening morning, but so be it....that's public land. I just need to know that birds are there and the general vicinity they are in...I'll worry about the rest before sunrise opening morning.
 
I scout new hunting areas via online maps then try to make it out there before early March to get an idea if any sign exist.

Areas I already hunt I usually do not do any scouting, I really dont see the purpose of it. Just because a turkey is there in mid March doesnt mean they will be there while you are hunting. I think the key is knowing the land and how to get around it without spooking the birds your hunting.

If you have mulitple places to hunt, then a quick pre-season scouting trip will help to narrow down which place to hunt first. The best way to do that would be to park well before sun-up, sit on your tailgate and listen as the woods start to wake up. Enjoy a cup of coffee and have a map handy so you can get an idea where they are. I would do this a few days before season opened, but I wouldnt use any type of call and would not leave the truck...no sense in spooking those jittery birds more than you have to.
 
I never scout. I just go back to the same exact place as I have for the past 15 yrs on opening day. Birds have always roosted in nearly the same trees as they did the first time I found this area. Same goes for every farm I hunt. Birds use nearly the exact same roosting areas
 
The only time I ever scout is when I am hunting new property or wma. Then I am only trying to make sure there are birds on the property I am hunting. Sometimes I will scout during season if the birds leave my general hunt area but then I am hunting and scouting at the same time.
 
I never step around I listen from a very long ways away and you can get a good idea on how to set up opening day. as setterman said just like with deer you can do major damage scouting wrong. stay a long way away and leave the calls at the house til opening day.
 
I want to find a good roosting area about a week or two (at most) before the season, so they don't have much time to change their patterns before opening day. Other than that, I don't scout much. Just want a confident place to go on the opening weekend where I know they will be roosted. After that I go with the flow
 
The only problem I am going to have with listening from a distance is that the spots I hunt are next to the highway. Which is LOUD no matter how far you go. I may try to go sooner than later so I don't booger them up.
 
I don't scout.I hunt two small leases and the turkey are either there or not.they don't roost on our prop much so I have to call them down a ridge and back up another most times.It makes for tough hunting but it's fun .
 

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