Picking where to scout

[Big Sky Tom]

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This will be my first season chasing turkeys in Montana. I grew up hunting my grandparents farm in PA but this is totally different. The birds were always in the same areas and would even use the same roost trees year after year so it was pretty simple. Seems like I’ve been kind of swamped with work and a young family for a long time and my hunting just fell off. I’m excited I got a wild hair recently and am back at it. Long story short this will be my first season hunting turkeys but not new to the area.

I have seen a couple of flocks of birds between upland bird hunting this past fall and when I was floating the Yellowstone fly fishing. I’ve got them all plotted in OnX where they were at. I’m thinking since I know that there are birds in those places I just start knocking on doors and scouting places I’ve seen them. These are all areas that are private but no one really cares about turkeys here. Honestly most ranchers I’ve talked to view them as a nuisance, I guess they tear up the hay bales for some reason. I’m hoping they’ll give me access.

The other approach would be that I have read a couple of the national forests in E Montana have good numbers of birds. Do I just take a couple trips this winter to glass and ask around and go for the public land?

Any guidance on scouting in the winter? Do they still talk when they are roosting or do you just try to glass for them during the day?

Thanks


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[Happy]

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Food, water and trees to roost in. Those are the three basics. Turkeys are almost vocal on the roost but you may have to be fairly close to hear them as gobbling does not happen nearly as frequently as the spring. I have never hunted the west but I would assume that their core areas shift as different foods become available. Interpret that as meaning where you find them in the winter may not be exactly where you find them in the spring. Never hurts to get plenty of landowner permission as turkeys love farmland. Keep your eyes open this winter and you will at least have an idea on area to concentrate on and as spring approaches you have listening spots to nail down roosting areas when the Tom's start to gobble. That's typically my approach. Well that and I have guys that work in my hunting areas that keep me updated daily in the spring. It's amazing what buying lunch here and there will get you. Thank goodness they aren't Turkey hunters.

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[Sir-diealot]

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[Greg Massey]

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Scouting yes , buying lunch a great idea , don't forget the mailman or mailwomen and the Utility Co. meter reader.. these people are on the road everyday pretty much out in the community.  Regular route UPS driver also...

[Harty]

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Scouting yes , buying lunch a great idea , don't forget the mailman or mailwomen and the Utility Co. meter reader.. these people are on the road everyday pretty much out in the community.  Regular route UPS driver also...
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Yes very worthwhile...I once queried a mailman in the western part of the county. Quote: “turkeys? No, just some funny looking chickens that have this thing hanging out of their breast. They cross the road down the way by the Farmer about the same times everyday.”Turned out to be a group of sevenToms.  Needless to say we depleted some of those “chickens” come spring season.

[GobbleNut]

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Other than generally knowing where your turkey flocks are in the areas you can hunt, there is really no need to spend an inordinate amount of time scouting in the winter.  The key to hunting spring gobblers is knowing how to find them immediately prior to the spring season.

It's all about knowing how to use locator calls to find out exactly where they are roosting during the spring.  Learn how to properly use locator calls prior to, and during, the spring season, and you will never have a problem finding birds to hunt. (Note: we have discussed locator use in many past threads on OG)

This is especially true in the big, wide-open areas of the western states where turkey flocks might be miles apart.  You have to find those birds before you start hunting them.