Scouting the day before a hunt

[frogfish]

Is this a bad idea? if you accidentally bust some birds, will they freak and make them hard to find the next day?

Thanks

[open door]

Is this a bad idea? if you accidentally bust some birds, will they freak and make them hard to find the next day?

Thanks

I've only killed 6 gobblers, lol, so I'm not an expert, but I'll give my limited opinion. I think it's OK to scout the day before, "provided" you scout around noon or so. Birds run from predators everyday of the year - so, if you bust them, give them time in the p.m. to return to where they want to be. Find your sign, pick out a set-up tree for the next morning, and get ready for a restless nite drreaming about that gobbler you're sure to get, lol.

[HunterMan]

I do it very often, never a problem. I do not call, just slip around. Even if you spook one he will be close the next day

[mightyjoeyoung]

Agreed.  while I don't beleive in the dogma that you shouldn't call to turkeys in the pre-season...EVER, I would say that I agree with 2ounce6s in that the day before a hunt you want to be as low impact as possible move SLOW and infrequently, especially if you're in an area that you know usually has birds in it and don't call much...if at all, with locators or turkey calls and if you do, keep it short and get out the way you came if you get an answer!  DO NOT let them zero in on you and be mindfull of the time of day too.  If you hear/see birds mid day, that doesn't mean they're gonna be there tomorrow as they can/will go a loooong ways by the time they head to roost.  I like to scout the last 2 hours of the day.  You still get to see them feeding and moving but it's usually in the direction of the roost...

[TauntoHawk]

In PA and NY you can only hunt til noon so we "scout" every evening before the next mornings hunt 80% of the time its glassing from a half mile or so but if its a property we cant glass we slip in and just listen.

Nothing makes for a harder nights sleep than knowing exactly where a couple of Ol' longbeards are sleeping for the night.

[jellybusta]

I scout almost every day leading up to season and just try to find as many areas that are holding several birds as possible, by the time season comes in I start first morning by hunting the place i'm most excited about and kinda just hunt all the places I have heard birds good in a rotation, I will go somewhere the night before a hunt and blow the owl call a little bit or hide in the bushes and yelp softly but I dont loose any sleep over it if I dont hear any birds at dark because ive killed a lot of birds in places that they just wouldnt gobble in the evening.

[paboxcall]

In PA and NY you can only hunt til noon so we "scout" every evening before the next mornings hunt 80% of the time its glassing from a half mile or so but if its a property we cant glass we slip in and just listen.

Nothing makes for a harder nights sleep than knowing exactly where a couple of Ol' longbeards are sleeping for the night.

Isn't that the truth.   

[frogfish]

Awesome thanks guys! Great advice!!!!!