How would a person attempt to locate birds on a 25,000 ac national forest? Not familiar with area at all.
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Get you a map and study the terrain features. Mark you some access points. I would look for areas that just look like turkey areas (fields, long ridges, points, flats) and start there. Try and find areas that are going to be away from other hunters. Places where you can hike back into a mile or so and get away from people and be to yourself.
I like to start by just going out and walking some good looking areas and looking for turkey sign (scratching, strut marks in road, roosting trees, tracks) then going from there. Those turkeys wont be far from the sign. Find the sign, find the turkeys. I usually like to get on big ridges above where I think turkeys will be roosting and just listen in the morning or evening, they will tell you where they are.
You didn't mention if you have time to scout ahead or showing up sight unseen....obviously any time you invest in the tract of land scouting will pay dividends. First step is get a topo of that tract of forest.
Study the topo so you understand the ground. When you think you know it well and how to best access it, then study that tract on Google Earth so you understand the ground better.
Identify a handful of elevated locations that you can quietly reach in the dark. Be there a good 45-60 minutes before light to listen. If nothing happens, slip out and head to the next location you identified on your topo.
25K acres is a good chunk of ground, but depending on vehicle access and pressure you can cover a significant part of it with a good plan of attack, which starts with studying the topo map.
Assuming you have verified that there are indeed turkeys to be hunted in an area, the most effective way to find them is to first study maps (land status maps, if available) of the area to: 1) get an idea of the road system, land status, and topography in the area; 2) get an idea of where you are likely to find birds relative to roost habitat, agriculture, and water sources.
Secondly, the best way to confirm birds are around is to try to find them with locator calls at first light in the morning and at last light in the evening. In forests with good road systems, the best way to do this is to drive the roads. If there are few roads, then use your judgement based on your map study to choose areas to walk into to look for birds and sign.
Always start at first light when the gobblers will be vocal when doing any scouting of this type. Hearing them gobbling on the roost is invariably one of your best tools for locating birds to hunt.
Good locator tactics are essential in large acreages of unfamiliar territory!
(Wow,...I posted this right after the two posters above me without seeing either,...and it looks like all of us are on the same page! Smart guys around here!)
Quote from: paboxcall on March 04, 2014, 02:37:11 PM
You didn't mention if you have time to scout ahead or showing up sight unseen....obviously any time you invest in the tract of land scouting will pay dividends. First step is get a topo of that tract of forest.
Study the topo so you understand the ground. When you think you know it well and how to best access it, then study that tract on Google Earth so you understand the ground better.
Identify a handful of elevated locations that you can quietly reach in the dark. Be there a good 45-60 minutes before light to listen. If nothing happens, slip out and head to the next location you identified on your topo.
25K acres is a good chunk of ground, but depending on vehicle access and pressure you can cover a significant part of it with a good plan of attack, which starts with studying the topo map.
Yes planning to scout preseason. East Texas so I would'nt think much elevation change. Borders lake, plenty of water.
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totally different there compared to here, not anything like what I mentioned.
Still would get a map of the area and study how the land lays. Get out and walk it as much as you can to see what you are dealing with and where those turkeys like to hang out.
Most important, go out several times early morning and late evening and locate some birds away from where other hunters may be. The more birds you can find and the more you know about their daily habits the better you will be
Happen to know if the birds there are easterns or Rios? They will share similarities, but Rios will hang out in habitat that an eastern will avoid!
Easterns
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If there is lots of shoreline and the National Forest surrounds the lake, your best bet might to be to use a boat to scout. Cruise the shoreline at first and last light stopping every quarter mile or so to use a locator call and listen for gobbling. A boat may well be your best avenue of getting to gobblers that others might not be able to get to, as well.
Start with a top/satelite map and narrow in on some areas you want to check out/look like good places to start and then go scout.
Topo maps and aerial photography are great. They've revolutionized navigation and scouting, but nothing will ever replace getting out and burning boot leather.
Finding their roost is going to be key. They like to roost in large mature trees and often over water. Because of this, in areas without much topography, they often roost in and around river bottoms.
Feel free to shoot me a pm with a map (no worries on stealing spots as I have no plans of hunting in TX any time soon) and I'll try to point you to some likely looking areas.
Quote from: Garrett Trentham on March 04, 2014, 06:38:47 PM
Topo maps and aerial photography are great. They've revolutionized navigation and scouting, but nothing will ever replace getting out and burning boot leather.
Finding their roost is going to be key. They like to roost in large mature trees and often over water. Because of this, in areas without much topography, they often roost in and around river bottoms.
Feel free to shoot me a pm with a map (no worries on stealing spots as I have no plans of hunting in TX any time soon) and I'll try to point you to some likely looking areas.
Gotta find a map first. San Augustine national forest in east Texas if you have google earth.
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I hunt 500,000 thousand acre NF and I use old fashion walking and looking/listening. Do lot of scouting being there at daylight finding roost sites then finding daily patterns I try to narrow big property down to small chunks then find if its worth spending time out
Quote from: kenfa03 on March 04, 2014, 07:49:03 PM
Quote from: Garrett Trentham on March 04, 2014, 06:38:47 PM
Topo maps and aerial photography are great. They've revolutionized navigation and scouting, but nothing will ever replace getting out and burning boot leather.
Finding their roost is going to be key. They like to roost in large mature trees and often over water. Because of this, in areas without much topography, they often roost in and around river bottoms.
Feel free to shoot me a pm with a map (no worries on stealing spots as I have no plans of hunting in TX any time soon) and I'll try to point you to some likely looking areas.
Gotta find a map first. San Augustine national forest in east Texas if you have google earth.
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Check your PMs bud. Shot you a map with some notes.
- Garrett
Thanks. I meant Angelina NF.
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Find the highest points of land on a topo and listen from the high spots.
I hunt a lot of public land in my home state of Florida including large parcels like a national forest. One of the first things is like everyone has pointed out and get a topo map and study it and figure out areas that may hold turkeys. Studying the map mentally also helps you mentally process where you are once you are out scouting. I'll actually deer hunt areas during deer season (if legal) and be looking and noting places I observed turkeys or found substantial turkey sign. This is actually a very effective way to scout. Other than that, and your schedule allows, get out a few mornings and listen early and try to get far enough from easily accessible areas that you can get away from people and possibly call shy gobblers.
NF I hunt is pine forest with hard wood creek and river bottoms, cutovers. I find google earth helpful along with hunt zone maps from the state.
If I am able to physically scout, I'll do as others have mentioned and spend time listening from roads (high vantage points). If mountainous terrain, look for saddles and wide legs as a starter. Walk log roads if possible, just try not to bump turkeys if you know they are in the area. The biggest advantage to me is knowing the lay of the land....it can sometimes make or break a hunt.
If going to an area blind hunting with no time to physically scout, I'll study a map of the area and lean towards a larger chunk of ground preferably not cut up by roads or multiple access points. My thought is might be less turkeys, but you usually find less people which is a plus.
:icon_thumright:
Quote from: longbeard11 on March 04, 2014, 02:35:06 PM
Get you a map and study the terrain features. Mark you some access points. I would look for areas that just look like turkey areas (fields, long ridges, points, flats) and start there. Try and find areas that are going to be away from other hunters. Places where you can hike back into a mile or so and get away from people and be to yourself.
I like to start by just going out and walking some good looking areas and looking for turkey sign (scratching, strut marks in road, roosting trees, tracks) then going from there. Those turkeys wont be far from the sign. Find the sign, find the turkeys. I usually like to get on big ridges above where I think turkeys will be roosting and just listen in the morning or evening, they will tell you where they are.
Great advice!