Do gobblers like thick areas like big bucks do? Or do they avoid them most of the time?
Turkeys live in fields.
They like to be where they can spot predators. They avoid thick areas.
They would do well to avoid any area you are in! ;)
I will be the odd ball and say they like thick. Killed a few in some nasty laurel. Not hardly any fields here tho unless farmland
I agree with turkey_slayer, I've seen them walk the edge inside the thick stuff gobbling but would not come into the open woods, but not many fields here except farms
Ronnie,
I hear they live inside those nasty briar thickets and a good way to kill one is to crawl in their with them.
I also hear the best way to kill one is to shoot it from a tree.
I have yet to kill one. I just take nature walks and find them dead. Then I dress up in cammy-flage and borrow Joe Biden's shotgun to pose with them to make these guys on here think Im some kind of turk-wizard!
I hope you have great luck this year trying to kill your first turkey.... Of the year!
IMO It depends on the situation. A lot of public land birds in Indiana at least don't want to come out of the woods. They gobble at you all day from the thick stuff but don't want to come out. I think its because of the pressure on them. On the flip side of this... Less pressured private land birds I think are more field birds.
Shot quite a few toms that have passed up open fields to come crunching through the thick woods like Godzilla, so I never ignore any possible approach route...
mudhen
Toms don't like thick stuff but iv killed a few in the thickets.
Hens love it for nesting .....
Ive seen gobblers come out of a maze of palmettos , but most times these very thick areas are a barrier and hindrance for any gobbler to approach you, and if and when they do make it through it its at a slower pace , verses open fields they will sprint 500 yards in 3 minutes to get to you
in your part of the world this may be different for you
We have a lot of thick pine plantations and the later it gets in our season the more you can find a long beard in the thick areas and we hunt the heck out of them in there. ;D
They use it here in the south to slip rite up on you. I can tell you that I have had turkeys come to me in some nasty stuff. Don't ever think they won't use a thicket to slip up there and get a peek at what they think is the love of there life yelping at them. I have seen this a lot in river bottom a 20 yr old+ stand of hard wood not big enough to climb a tree or big enough to roost in but at 4 feet off the ground you can see 60 to 70 yards under it and if you Stand up you can't see squat. They love to loaf in it during the day and scratch midday. It's usually the place no one likes to hunt cause it looks thick from the road!!
Ronnie
While you're in those nasty thickets looking for gobblers keep an eye out for buck sheds. They like thickets too ! :you_rock:
This is the last one I killed in laurel. It's about a mile and a half long patch by a mile wide. He was across the valley from me so I went down off thru the stuff and got him to come about 300 yards thru it. Shot him at like 18 yards and barely could find a hole then. Blew the laurel bush in front of him all to pieces lol
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/23/asy9age4.jpg)
Quote from: vaturkey on February 22, 2013, 10:54:17 PM
Ronnie
While you're in those nasty thickets looking for gobblers keep an eye out for buck sheds. They like thickets too ! :you_rock:
That's what I do! Can't help it when I cross a deer trail :))
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/23/gaqarydy.jpg)
Naw to many snakes in them thickets for them. Best just to hunt fields. ;D
I'm starting to think a thicket is nothing more than a field with some trees and thick stuff in it.
I have seen birds walk out of some very nasty thickets in my time
I'm quite sure they would rather be out where they can see real good but I can tell you, I've killed many a gobbler in the thickets of West PA. !
Quote from: guesswho on February 23, 2013, 03:32:33 PM
I'm starting to think a thicket is nothing more than a field with some trees and thick stuff in it.
Well I guess that would be correct lol
Quote from: guesswho on February 23, 2013, 03:32:33 PM
I'm starting to think a thicket is nothing more than a field with some trees and thick stuff in it.
Define "field."
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 24, 2013, 08:42:23 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 23, 2013, 03:32:33 PM
I'm starting to think a thicket is nothing more than a field with some trees and thick stuff in it.
Define "field."
A forest void of tree's and thick stuff.
I like it when the first time you see him, he's ten yards away.
Quote from: guesswho on February 24, 2013, 08:43:58 PM
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 24, 2013, 08:42:23 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 23, 2013, 03:32:33 PM
I'm starting to think a thicket is nothing more than a field with some trees and thick stuff in it.
Define "field."
A forest void of tree's and thick stuff.
Define "thick stuff."
Quote from: Flydown on February 22, 2013, 09:18:53 PM
We have a lot of thick pine plantations and the later it gets in our season the more you can find a long beard in the thick areas and we hunt the heck out of them in there. ;D
Yep...
About all I hunt are creek and river bottoms surrounded by pine plantations. Every once in a while I will hunt a hay pasture bird.
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 25, 2013, 02:13:08 PM
Define "thick stuff."
An area in a field or in timber, where if you were to run through, chances are good you would be bleeding before you got through it.
I'm a step ahead of you. Bleeding? Blood that is supposed to be on the inside but is actually on the outside due to running through thick stuff.
Quote from: guesswho on February 25, 2013, 06:04:45 PM
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 25, 2013, 02:13:08 PM
Define "thick stuff."
An area in a field or in timber, where if you were to run through, chances are good you would be bleeding before you got through it.
I'm a step ahead of you. Bleeding? Blood that is supposed to be on the inside but is actually on the outside due to running through thick stuff.
Define "run".
I'm just joking around. I'm slap happy my turkey season don't start until April 13th. :D :)
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 25, 2013, 06:07:41 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 25, 2013, 06:04:45 PM
Quote from: Spring_Woods on February 25, 2013, 02:13:08 PM
Define "thick stuff."
An area in a field or in timber, where if you were to run through, chances are good you would be bleeding before you got through it.
I'm a step ahead of you. Bleeding? Blood that is supposed to be on the inside but is actually on the outside due to running through thick stuff.
Define "run".
I'm just joking around. I'm slap happy my turkey season don't start until April 13th. :D :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's easily entertained. :D
Quote from: swamp_bird89 on February 25, 2013, 01:47:58 PM
I like it when the first time you see him, he's ten yards away.
Yep. If you think turkeys don't like thick woods/swamp, you haven't hunted too much. Killed this bird at 10 yards when he was in 6" deep water in a swamp
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/FishinsMyLife317/IMAG0237.jpg)
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/FishinsMyLife317/IMAG0238.jpg)
It has been my experience that pressure can send them in the thick without a doubt.
I remember about 20 years ago watching a guy work a bird HARD and hearing him gobble prob 75 times, but he wasn't coming out of the thicket he was in no matter how "Box call Willie" worked that boxcall. The next day I heard him gobble a few times and eased in listeing for "box call Willie" and sure enough, he wasn't there calling. So, I went into the thick about 50 yards and yelped twice and waited after he gobbled once. He came in snaking his way through the many vines and downed brush. 1 1/4" on this one.
Can't wait for April!
Wess
We got some nasty clear cuts That birds are in all the time ,,,Theirs food in their for them