Newbie scouting in my hunting area

[yemtig]

Ok guys, not looking for all the answers, but am a completely new gobbler hunter and going to hit the woods for this years spring hunt...   I have my pot calls and locator calls and have been working on them for a few months but having a hard time figuring out where to start on scouting in my unit....

Area is in the mountains with elevation of 5000-12000 feet and the unit is huge....   I was planning on starting out scouting around 7000 or so and see what I can find...  I was going to focus on logging roads, small meadows that border timber, dry creek beds/small streams, power line clearcuts, and some 4 wheel drive roads... 

While scouting these types of places, am I just going to be going in there with my locator calls to see if I can get a shock gobble at first light?  I don't plan on doing any turkey calls, only locator calls.  I guess what I'm asking is how do you guys go out to find where the birds are roosted in a completely new area? I realize that I might get skunked this year but really want to set out to do it right and not waste any of my time out there scouting doing it the wrong way...   

[Rio Fan]

I'd make sure to get to the woods early enough to hear birds gobbling on the roost.  Personally, I wouldn't blow any locater calls first thing in the morning, I would just be patient and wait for the birds to gobble on their own.  But if you end up not hearing any gobbling on the roost then you could slowly work your way through the woods and hit a locator call from time to time.  And I'd definitely take a pair of binoculars - hopefully you can spot some birds before they spot you.  It sounds like you'll be hunting terrain very similar to what I'm used to hunting. What state are you in? Good luck and have fun!

And I'm by no means an expert turkey hunter, I'm sure some other guys will give you some great advice, but hopefully I can help you out a little.

[GobbleNut]

Your plan to be out at first light in the morning with your locator calls is a good one.  Depending on where you are hunting, using the same strategy at last light in the evening can be very productive in locating gobblers, as well.  When hunting a large tract, you have to find the birds before you start hunting them, especially if there are few and widely scattered turkeys in it.   By using an effective locator call at first and last light, you will soon know what kind of turkey population you are dealing with in the area you are hunting, and you will find out exactly where they are,...and where they are not.

Your strategy for finding birds also depends a lot on where you are hunting.  Turkeys need roosting habitat, water, and of course, food sources.  In different parts of the country, each of these factors can play a key role in where the turkeys are.  During the day, looking for turkey sign in areas that have these components is always a good bet, as is using binoculars to glass for birds in open areas and in agricultural fields.

In order of importance, though, for me is always trying to locate gobblers on the roost by using a good, loud, locator call,...first in the mornings, and also in the evenings under those hazy, low-light conditions when the birds are likely to gobble the most.  My strategy is always to map out a course that I can cover the most country on whatever road system exists, and then hit as much of that country as I can during prime roost-gobbling time. 

I have never hunted anywhere that this stategy won't find gobblers in the early morning hours,...and in a lot of places, it works at last light in the evening, too.  It is definitely more effective in the morning, though.  I have had people tell me that gobblers will get "conditioned" not to respond to locators in areas where they are used a lot, but I have yet to see that myself.  I have always found that there are almost always a few gobblers that will respond to a locator call in the morning, even where they hear them all season long. 

Never assume, however, that just because you do not get a response when using a locator call in a likely looking area that there are not turkeys there.  It is always best to look for other evidence such as tracks and droppings in areas during the day when locator use is not generally going to be effective.  I often use the mid-day period to walk into areas away from roads that look promising, looking for tracks and droppings, and using good binos to look for distant birds.

[yemtig]

I'll be hunting up in unit 6a in NM....   I normally only find time to hunt mulies and elk but love messing with my pot calls and really want to get out to hunt these magnificent birds... 

So it sounds like I should just get out and cover lots of ground between now and the opener in the am to try to locate possible roosting areas...  What about in the pm before it gets dark??  Should I just do the same and hit as many areas to find possible roosting areas?? 

Another question, I have a couple of decoys and don't plan on using a ground blind but what time do you guys setup your decoys if you use them??  In the dark before the birds fly down from their roosts?  At the very least, I want to scout for possible deer and elk tags out there for the fall, maybe I can learn a little this season....  I hear there are lots of turkeys in the Jemez Mtns from others, just don't have any hunting buddies that actually put in the time to hunt turkey...

[T-town]

Everything they said, plus acme mapper 2.0 and google earth, etc

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

yemtig,  I know that area pretty well.  I think 7000 ft elevation is too low.  I would suggest you start at 8000 feet and go up from there.   GobbleNut's advice is perfect for that area.  I'll send you a PM with some Forest Rd numbers to cruise.

[GobbleNut]

"So it sounds like I should just get out and cover lots of ground between now and the opener in the am to try to locate possible roosting areas...  What about in the pm before it gets dark??  Should I just do the same and hit as many areas to find possible roosting areas??"---Yemtig

The period from about 15 minutes after sunset until it is pitch dark is primetime in the evenings here in NM.  Get a really loud crow call and cover as much country as you can during that time period.  Move quickly, stop and turn off your vehicle, get out, be quiet, and blow the call loudly just a couple of blasts.  Listen for about fifteen seconds for responses.  If you don't hear a response, blow it again, listen again for fifteen seconds,...and then get on down the road to the next spot.  Most gobblers,...if they are going to gobble,...will do so on the first series.  If you are spending more than a minute at each location, you are wasting precious roosting time.  You need to move quickly so you can cover as much country as possible.  In good country that has good numbers of birds, it is not unusual to roost eight or ten gobblers or more using this method.  In really good country, you might hear twenty or more gobblers in a single evening roost session.  It works like a charm! ...And the mornings are even better!