Add your one tip not calling related to kill more birds this year…

[Gooserbat]

Invest in a good butt cushion.

[ferocious calls]

Create a network of non hunting property owners. They can help us pattern, know numbers of birds on a piece of ground. They may even know roost areas. Hunting pressure and often by whom. Having several of these can help keep us on birds the entire season. Sending a Christmas card won't hurt either. Trapping their place will help you both.

Another that is calling related. We can often prime Toms on the roost the evening prior to the next morning with great success. Hard clucks often start a fire.

[dzsmith]

I consider scratching a call, and i know its already been mentioned. very effective tool no doubt. patience is key...chances are if you killed in excess of 30 eastern gobblers in the woods you have patience so thats nothing new. scouting.....well, thats a tough one. I try to actually stay out of the woods as much as possible in the weeks leading up to turkey season...i know many do not do that. Here is my take on that. If you know where a winter flock is pretty consistently during deer season, especially in the southern eastern timber...theres only so many draines and places they can really spread out to. I do listen before season and try to locate birds, but i save most of my scouting for in season....i dont go walking around in the woods i plan on hunting , and on many years some of the winter birds havent quiet busted up yet anyway by the opener so any scouting you would have done would be short lived anyway. I do listen like i said, my form of scouting is during deer season. I learn the woods during deer season or at least by scouting before or after deer season. I take notes of turkeys i see in deer season, and look at areas from an aerial view to determine spots they could potentially be in when its time to listen. I may go in the woods to listen...but i try to keep my distance from the turkeys i plan on hunting. There may be better methods of scouting, but its pretty difficult in many of the places i hunt to find good sign even in places where i know there is turkeys. Not per say muddy roads and such all the time. This may not be good advice for all areas, but in the places i hunt this has payed off verses walking  entire blocks of timber the week before the opener.....this is by no means out of laziness, trust me id love to burn some boots up, its more so out of caution

[owlhoot]

Make friends with farmers who have free ranging broad breasted bronze turkeys


This subspecies seems to require the least realistic calling I have ever hunted

This is funny stuff right!  And good advice.

[owlhoot]

Invest in a good butt cushion.

Gooser knows his stuff 

[owlhoot]

Always have a spare


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Hey what you all laughing about 

[Paulmyr]

I consider scratching a call, and i know its already been mentioned. very effective tool no doubt. patience is key...chances are if you killed in excess of 30 eastern gobblers in the woods you have patience so thats nothing new. scouting.....well, thats a tough one. I try to actually stay out of the woods as much as possible in the weeks leading up to turkey season...i know many do not do that. Here is my take on that. If you know where a winter flock is pretty consistently during deer season, especially in the southern eastern timber...theres only so many draines and places they can really spread out to. I do listen before season and try to locate birds, but i save most of my scouting for in season....i dont go walking around in the woods i plan on hunting , and on many years some of the winter birds havent quiet busted up yet anyway by the opener so any scouting you would have done would be short lived anyway. I do listen like i said, my form of scouting is during deer season. I learn the woods during deer season or at least by scouting before or after deer season. I take notes of turkeys i see in deer season, and look at areas from an aerial view to determine spots they could potentially be in when its time to listen. I may go in the woods to listen...but i try to keep my distance from the turkeys i plan on hunting. There may be better methods of scouting, but its pretty difficult in many of the places i hunt to find good sign even in places where i know there is turkeys. Not per say muddy roads and such all the time. This may not be good advice for all areas, but in the places i hunt this has payed off verses walking  entire blocks of timber the week before the opener.....this is by no means out of laziness, trust me id love to burn some boots up, its more so out of caution

An older gentleman on this forum posted something along the lines of this last year. Silvestris, I think he was quoting from a book when he said' "The number one sin in Turkey hunting is letting them know you exist".

That statement fits well into my style of hunting. Public land during the mid to late season pressured birds tend find areas that are hard to access. I'm constantly on the search for these areas. When I find them in spot like this there is a good chance nobody is hunting them. I will do everything in my power to make sure make sure they have no idea there is a hunter after them. If it don't happen that day I wont force the issue because I will be back! I'll live to fight another day with hopes that other hunters don't find the birds I'm hunting and the birds will still think they area is somewhat safe and will continue to use it.

I would imagine a strategy like this would greatly benefit an exclusive private land hunter even more.

[Paulmyr]

 I'd like to add my preseason scouting is done from the road,with my ears, if I can help it. I'll study the area on topo and satellite imagery. Boots on the ground usually don't come into play until hunting season.

Scouting during the season usually consists of going into an area blind and hunting.

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Invest in a good butt cushion.

Amen to that!


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[TauntoHawk]

When it's slow, cover ground, ive had several completely dead mornings that went from zero right into finding a screaming hot bird after double digit miles.

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[WV Flopper]

Fluids and snacks.

I pack two Gatorades with me, jerky and the large rice crispy treats. You can't hurt jerky and you can mash the rice crispy's without hurting them.

About 10 o'clock I am looking for something to eat. If I don't have, it is on my mind. So derail the hungry belly and carry some snacks.

I have been regulated by 12:00 cut off laws most of my life. When I get out of state and don't get back to the truck until the afternoon I set and have a sandwich and drink before I ever start my ride.

[paboxcall]

Don't go this year where youtubers went last year.

[topnotch]

Dead on target, scratching leaves to birds that answer but won't come to your calling has gave me several happy endings.
Also watching behind you has added more filled kill tags.
I've had numerous toms go quiet and circle behind my hide.

[MK M GOBL]

Woodsmanship: Defined as the essential skillset of the outdoorsmen/hunter.

The best woodsmen have extensive knowledge about their targeted quarry. They learn their hunting areas intimately and interpret animal sign almost unconsciously. Learn turkey biology, understand their habits, and the social structure of turkeys. Patience and persistence fall into this as well.


MK M GOBL

[Mike13]

Appreciate all the tips! Lots of good info!