Hey everyone,
Decided to try my first out of state hunt this year, planning on heading to Kentucky from Ohio. Went down to a couple WMA's this past Monday and did some scouting. Heard a few birds, saw a few, and found some sign. Was hoping to bounce a couple of questions off people if possible.
Any ideas on the pressure these WMA's get, particularly on opener? We have a decent drive, and will get there as early as needed, but if there are going to be 20 trucks in the lot behind us, we may re think our strategy. We targeted one area that seems to have limited spots for vehicles, and a gate at the entrance, but there are other access points that could make it get western.
Also, this is my first time hunting hill country of any kind. Terrain at these WMA's seems to be primarily ridges that are more open, with thicker bottoms. Bottoms seem to thick for turkeys to use, but not sure. Typically will the turkeys roost on the ridges and pitch down to the bottoms, or vice versa?
Finally, there is an unmaintained road/logging trail that cuts lengthwise alongside of one of the areas we looked at. We found some tracks alongside the road, will turkeys walk these roads? We were thinking about trying to get close to a roosted bird but setting up alongside the road since it is more open, and we found tracks on on the road.
Appreciate all the help, and I am sure I will have more questions as season comes closer. Feel free to pm me as well if that's easier, not trying to burn any spots up
I would rethink your strategy
Probably not the answer you're looking for but I'm in KY. Our WMA's have seen such an increase of OOS pressure the past 2 years that it pretty much isn't even worth fighting the crowd and going. WMA I grew up hunting, this was last year, after 9 am on a Thursday, 6 days in to our season. 1 of 4 gates on this place (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240328/f2bcf0029c1202119d1cea379bec5779.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is nasty, worse than Mississippi
Hunted KY since the 80s. Lived near LBL from 95 to 2004. Go east and try and find something in the Daniel Boone. My knees can no longer do the DB but if mid season and weekdays you can't find someplace to hunt you're not looking hard enough. Good luck.
Quote from: joey46 on March 28, 2024, 12:34:11 PM
Hunted KY since the 80s. Lived near LBL from 95 to 2004. Go east and try and find something in the Daniel Boone. My knees can no longer do the DB but if mid season and weekdays you can't find someplace to hunt you're not looking hard enough. Good luck.
As you can tell from the above photo, we don't have nearly enough hunters here and I believe in hunting local populations of turkeys in to extinction as much as the next guy until the local hunters have nothing to chase but 49 and the memories of turkey feathers. With that being said, from my understanding you're in Florida?. Would you mind to drop a couple spots around your house on a public forum that you'd like to see void of turkey in the next few years?. Me and 200 of my closest neighbors would love to take in your local WMA's scenery.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Put me down for a ky turkey pin even swap for a Florida pin... since we're all making deals here
Messed up part is YOU know that someone has ALREADY sent him a message!!! BET!
Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
What's the Boone 600,000 acres? Half of KY and TN already been here in FL since March 2nd. Get over it. Some of you guys are a hoot.
Btw - the local WMAs near me all in a quota system. Get used to that also. It's the coming thing most everywhere. The times they are a changing. ADAPT
Get there plenty early and be prepared for someone to come in on you!
If you can't find someplace in 708,000 acres stay home.
We're out of turkeys. Sorry.
Thanks to the best telecheck system in the country we know you aren't all out of turkeys,
Every time I have hunted on a WMA here it looks like it has more trucks than turkeys and I try to hunt midweek.
One thing I remember from years in the DB was that many abutting landowners did their best to restrict legal access. Very similar to the BLM shenanigans out west. Get yourself an OnX or similar app. It will pay dividends. In the good old days I spent time in the Rowan County courthouse looking at platt maps. No longer necessary. Good luck.
Appreciate the help! We are going to swing the bat at see what happens, may get lucky and stumble upon one
Good luck. If you're going where I think you're going.. half of Ohio is there so you should see plenty of familiar faces. :z-guntootsmiley:
Where in the 708,000 acres available in the DB would that be? Just curious. I'm a curious guy. :TrainWreck1:
Quote from: joey46 on April 02, 2024, 05:20:16 PM
Where in the 708,000 acres available in the DB would that be? Just curious. I'm a curious guy. :TrainWreck1:
There's a lot of the forest that isn't huntable. It's either landlocked on all sides by private property or just inaccessible because of terrain. It's also not a game rich area because of terrain and the lack of habitat diversity. There were only 1153 deer killed there last year and 627 male turkeys. That's less than were killed in several individual counties. But if you do go to the forest it's good to know Wolfe county search and rescue is the absolute best in the business.
Hey Joey, hilarious once again... but I will be willing to bet you that Daniel Boone is not what is being inquired about.... You've done enough help dropping county names.
Always glad to oblidge. When someone is willing to research these landlock areas they aren't really inaccessible. Unlike BLM land most NF land has easements. A gate and No Trespassing sign is often phoney. OnX really has changed the game.
Quote from: joey46 on April 02, 2024, 06:29:13 PM
Always glad to oblidge. When someone is willing to research these landlock areas they aren't really inaccessible. Unlike BLM land most NF land has easements. A gate and No Trespassing sign is often phoney. OnX really has changed the game.
That's simply not true. I don't know how it works where ever you're from but people would do well not to go poking around on posted property in Eastern Kentucky. In other words don't come up my holler.
Pfft . Someone's been watching Justified reruns. I remember going to a resident's door with a county sheriff to have an illegal gate unlocked. Being an active LEO at the time helped. This same crap happens all over Ohio's Wayne NF.
Don't go in Eastern Ky acting like a tough guy or you won't come home. If a sign says no trespassing best to just drive on.
In an effort to lower the temperature on the topic of National Forests and legal access, the best course of action is to get the "Motor Vehicle Travel Map" that I believe every national forest has nowadays. That way, you will have a legal document that clearly shows you where the public roads and trails are on the forest, as well as showing public/private land ownership. Although mapping apps will generally have this information on them, as well, they are not always accurate and could get you in trouble. Get the travel map!
I suspect there are private landowners across the country within National Forests that will do what they can to limit access to forest lands, including locking up legally-established, public roads (at least that is the case out here in the west). Conversely, there are also roads on NF's that cross private property and then go onto forest land that are NOT legally accessible. The travel maps will clarify any/all of this for you...and if you find a road that is locked up that is a designated public road, you have a government document to support any effort you might make to gain access.
However, it is advisable to not take matters into your own hands when faced with an illegally-locked gate. Report any such incident to the governing authorities and have them deal with it...if you have the time and patience to wait on a resolution.
Probably been all over eastern KY since before you were born (if your really 71 maybe not ). My knees no longer can do the Boone.
An On X app and if necessary a trip to the county courthouse can confirm any conflicts. I became a public land access advocate in the 1980s. The things landowners pull are amazing. If I lived out west I'd be a nightmare corner crosser.
Quote from: joey46 on April 02, 2024, 08:30:53 PM
Probably been all over eastern KY since before you were born (if your really 71 maybe not ). My knees no longer can do the Boone.
I wish that I could say you are correct. Unfortunately, I would have to subtract a year or two. ...And I know full well about the knees...as well as several other body parts... ;D :D
Turn this into a LONG story. Bow hunting a section of the Wayne National in Ohio ran into a situation where the local boys thought they had everyone locked out with phoney signs. Three of us would camp and hunt but one would always stay by the tents and sleep in. We rotated the camp guard so two were hunting one was hanging around. After a few drive bys everyone got along. The county sheriff removed the No Parking signs tacked to the trees. I have pictures but so far can't find them.