How far from road, wooded public land?

[GobbleNut]

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I pretty much judge the gobblers I am going to hunt by how difficult they are to get to.  However, sometimes the obvious birds get passed up because everybody is having that same thought process.  On a number of occasions, I have killed gobblers right off a main highway that had been passed up day after day by hunters headed to the more remote areas.  Sometimes it doesn't hurt to try that easy-to-get-to gobbler. 

[AppalachianHollers]

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Anyone ever waited on a dirt NF road to hear calls? Or do you normally move up the first ridge (assuming you don’t already have a known spot that’s further in).


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[GobbleNut]

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Anyone ever waited on a dirt NF road to hear calls? Or do you normally move up the first ridge (assuming you don’t already have a known spot that’s further in).

Yes, that's the standard policy around here.  The road system on our NF is such that a lot of gobblers can be heard from the roads (or be enticed to letting you know where they are from the road).  Unless I am hunting a more remote area that I KNOW holds gobblers, I will always use the road system to locate birds to hunt.  Much more efficient way to find them than just randomly walking in somewhere.

[WorkingBirds]

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Besides maybe being the path of least resistance and offering a clear field of view, I have wondered if they pick up gravel for their gizzards off remote roads.


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Yes, I think they do pick up gravel to help with grinding food.

[Plush]

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I think ideally you would love to be able to go 1.5 miles into the woods and know you are alone on unpressured birds. There are many problems with such a tactic though. I don’t know about anyone else, but as we get into May you gotta get up crazy earlier as is. A 1.5 mile walk means I gotta get up even earlier. I like to get as much sleep as I can sometimes to not get burnt out too fast. The number one reason I hate doing it is the fact it puts you incredibly far from your car. If whatever you thought you had 1.5 miles in doesn’t work out and you hear a very distant gobbler you ain’t getting to it cause getting back to your car will take forever.

I suppose it depends on where you hunt. I hunt the Central Forest in WI. The access is usually pulling off onto an old logging road/trail head that isn’t meant to be driven down. Thus it isn’t like a parking lot and 5 cars won’t pile up all at one spot. The people by me don’t walk far and leave after the morning quiets down 9/10. People either are respectful or maybe they don’t want to fight for a bird someone already might be on. If they see your car they will keep driving along even if they don’t know if you are 15 feet into the woods or 2 miles

Reality is being close to the road is very beneficial as is road cruising listening for gobbles. Everyone seems to do it by me, but there are a ton of birds close to the road and it makes sense.

[mtns2hunt]

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I think ideally you would love to be able to go 1.5 miles into the woods and know you are alone on unpressured birds. There are many problems with such a tactic though. I don’t know about anyone else, but as we get into May you gotta get up crazy earlier as is. A 1.5 mile walk means I gotta get up even earlier. I like to get as much sleep as I can sometimes to not get burnt out too fast. The number one reason I hate doing it is the fact it puts you incredibly far from your car. If whatever you thought you had 1.5 miles in doesn’t work out and you hear a very distant gobbler you ain’t getting to it cause getting back to your car will take forever.

I suppose it depends on where you hunt. I hunt the Central Forest in WI. The access is usually pulling off onto an old logging road/trail head that isn’t meant to be driven down. Thus it isn’t like a parking lot and 5 cars won’t pile up all at one spot. The people by me don’t walk far and leave after the morning quiets down 9/10. People either are respectful or maybe they don’t want to fight for a bird someone already might be on. If they see your car they will keep driving along even if they don’t know if you are 15 feet into the woods or 2 miles

Reality is being close to the road is very beneficial as is road cruising listening for gobbles. Everyone seems to do it by me, but there are a ton of birds close to the road and it makes sense.

There is no set standard as to how one hunts. I prefer to be 1.5 miles or more back in the woods/mtns. I don't worrry about not finding birds as I have usually prescouted. However nothing is ever gauranteed. A lot of people hunt off roads and if it works for you that is great. Personally I seldom do so. I carry a GPS at all times because if I am scouting or all day hunting has started I may not get back to the truck until well after dark. When deer hunting I seldom get back to the truck before 9 or ten pm.

Things do tend to look different after dark. Using a compass one time I held it too close to my belt buckle and it took me in a completly different direction. Fortunatly I recognized a camping area I came across and was able to return to my truck. Have not used a compass since. Public land can be very difficult to hunt but the more effort you put into it the better the rewards. Which does not mean you have to be miserable to have fun although I have been tired, hungery, wet and cold more times than I can remember. It is, in my opinion, important to live up to your own standards not what others want and have fun.

[AppalachianHollers]

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Sometimes I see tracks on the road that aren’t just crossing, but actually walking on it.

Feels tempting to set up on such places, but I wonder if there’s a time of day turkeys are probabilistically more likely to walk a section of road.

It’s on my mind at this point in the season especially, with them being quiet.

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[silvestris]

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Sometimes I see tracks on the road that aren’t just crossing, but actually walking on it.

Feels tempting to set up on such places, but I wonder if there’s a time of day turkeys are probabilistically more likely to walk a section of road.

Sometime between daylight and dark, but deer hunting them is no fun, and there is no sense of accomplishment.