Never Fail Terrain Feature When Scouting?

[Dhamilton1]

What is the one "never fail" terrain feature you find consistent when scouting for or finding turkeys no matter where you hunt? If there is one?

Something like a water source maybe?

Scouring and finding turkeys before season is something I still struggle with. As much as I like going in blind and listening for gobbles to go after, it can weigh on a person when you aren't having any success and nothing to fall back on.


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[paboxcall]

I wouldn't use "never fail" and "turkey hunting" in the same sentence.

A place a couple gobblers are hanging everyday might be silent at daybreak for a day or two, or more, depending on the breeding season stage. Or all heck might break loose for several days straight and you think you hit the spring turkey gold mine of locations...until they clam up again.

Find where the hens want to be, where there is good nesting cover nearby, gobblers won't be far.

[Davyalabama]

Never fail and turkeys ----- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, those things don't go together.

[Dhamilton1]

I wouldn't use "never fail" and "turkey hunting" in the same sentence.

A place a couple gobblers are hanging everyday might be silent at daybreak for a day or two, or more, depending on the breeding season stage. Or all heck might break loose for several days straight and you think you hit the spring turkey gold mine of locations...until they clam up again.

Find where the hens want to be, where there is good nesting cover nearby, gobblers won't be far.

Thank you.


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[Dhamilton1]

Never fail and turkeys ----- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, those things don't go together.

I'm glad I was able to give you some comical relief.

Still learning even after 5 years but comments like this show why people don't ask for help or insight and don't want to be one these forums.


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[GobbleNut]

Never fail and turkeys ----- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, those things don't go together.

I'm glad I was able to give you some comical relief.

Still learning even after 5 years but comments like this show why people don't ask for help or insight and don't want to be one these forums.

Preface: I don't think the comment was in any way meant to be a dig at your question. I wouldn't read anything into it other than pointing out that it is often hard to figure out turkeys and what is going on in their little pea brains. 

Getting back to the point of your thread, regardless of where I have hunted, finding turkeys to hunt has always come down to doing one single thing. That is being out at the first hint of daylight in the morning, and the last hint of daylight in the evening...and listening for gobbling. You can do that passively by just being quiet and listening at places...or you can do it actively by using a "tool" to encourage that gobbling.

I have hunted quite a few places, and I have very rarely hunted anywhere that doing the above is not the best way to find gobblers to hunt. That includes doing it while scouting...or doing it when hunting and trying to find a gobbler.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is spend as many mornings...from that first hint of daylight until sun-up...as you can in as many areas as you can prior to the season. If you have gobblers around, you are very likely going to find them by hearing them tell you where they are. 

Once you hear them, you can evaluate all of the other factors relating to habitat and terrain...and make a plan to go after them. In addition, you will often find that the habitat/terrain features that you find one gobbler in are also the features that you will find gobblers in other similar locations.

[Dhamilton1]

Never fail and turkeys ----- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, those things don't go together.

I'm glad I was able to give you some comical relief.

Still learning even after 5 years but comments like this show why people don't ask for help or insight and don't want to be one these forums.

Preface: I don't think the comment was in any way meant to be a dig at your question. I wouldn't read anything into it other than pointing out that it is often hard to figure out turkeys and what is going on in their little pea brains. 

Getting back to the point of your thread, regardless of where I have hunted, finding turkeys to hunt has always come down to doing one single thing. That is being out at the first hint of daylight in the morning, and the last hint of daylight in the evening...and listening for gobbling. You can do that passively by just being quiet and listening at places...or you can do it actively by using a "tool" to encourage that gobbling.

I have hunted quite a few places, and I have very rarely hunted anywhere that doing the above is not the best way to find gobblers to hunt. That includes doing it while scouting...or doing it when hunting and trying to find a gobbler.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is spend as many mornings...from that first hint of daylight until sun-up...as you can in as many areas as you can prior to the season. If you have gobblers around, you are very likely going to find them by hearing them tell you where they are. 

Once you hear them, you can evaluate all of the other factors relating to habitat and terrain...and make a plan to go after them. In addition, you will often find that the habitat/terrain features that you find one gobbler in are also the features that you will find gobblers in other similar locations.

You're probably right but it could have been worded in a better manner.

I'm generally not bothered by comments but I've had this type of thing happen to me on several forums when asking questions and seen it happen to others so I had a knee jerk reaction this time.

Thank you.


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[bigwoodstom]

No such thing as "never fail"

[bwhana]

Agree there is no spot that won't fail, but I will take my chances on controlled burns done before the season any day.

[Davyalabama]

Never fail and turkeys ----- hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, those things don't go together.

I'm glad I was able to give you some comical relief.

Still learning even after 5 years but comments like this show why people don't ask for help or insight and don't want to be one these forums.

Preface: I don't think the comment was in any way meant to be a dig at your question. I wouldn't read anything into it other than pointing out that it is often hard to figure out turkeys and what is going on in their little pea brains. 

Getting back to the point of your thread, regardless of where I have hunted, finding turkeys to hunt has always come down to doing one single thing. That is being out at the first hint of daylight in the morning, and the last hint of daylight in the evening...and listening for gobbling. You can do that passively by just being quiet and listening at places...or you can do it actively by using a "tool" to encourage that gobbling.

I have hunted quite a few places, and I have very rarely hunted anywhere that doing the above is not the best way to find gobblers to hunt. That includes doing it while scouting...or doing it when hunting and trying to find a gobbler.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is spend as many mornings...from that first hint of daylight until sun-up...as you can in as many areas as you can prior to the season. If you have gobblers around, you are very likely going to find them by hearing them tell you where they are. 

Once you hear them, you can evaluate all of the other factors relating to habitat and terrain...and make a plan to go after them. In addition, you will often find that the habitat/terrain features that you find one gobbler in are also the features that you will find gobblers in other similar locations.

I'm so sorry, it wasn't meant to be light hearted, I never meant to insult you in any way, please accept my sincerest apologies.

Turkeys and never fail do not go together, I will stand by that statement.  I'll give you some context, turkeys have an innate ability to survive, they just can oftentimes sense something isn't right.  Hunting these birds, wow, there are just so many variables, it takes books, on them, and you'll still find some that do something totally different.

Sit facing the bird; yeah, then the joker shows up behind you.  Try to get on the same ridge he is on; you spend 30-45 minutes circling around to get on same said ridge, cluck real low, whine, the blasted joker gobbles where you just left.    Terrain feature;  what works in even one part of Alabama, won't work up north, out west, etc.  The scouting you do in the early season, they may move to an entirely different area by the middle of the season or end.  They like ridges with big tress; nope next thing you know he's in tree in a bottom gobbling his fool head off, what's he do pitches out, goes with the hens in the bottom and........ 

I know this sounds confusing, but that's what makes turkey hunting so great.  Do your scouting, hear where they like to be, maybe, maybe at the start of the season, they won't be too pressured......find which way they want to go when they leave the roost ---- set up that way, even if it seems counterintuitive to you, the turkeys know where they want to go, be in that direction ----- if you are able to hunt in the afternoon, get in that area early, I mean early in the afternoon and just sit, wait --- as it get closer to later afternoon, periodically gobble, make soft hen sounds like they are just talking to each other (soft clucks, whines, purrs, whistles --- every now and then a quick fight sequence--hens squawking) --- wait on him to come back to that area ------  Then what happens, a whole drove starts coming, heart rate is up, he's coming, nope, that drove are hens, be careful, gobblers do not like roosting with hens.  He's going to flying up two hollows over from you..........and that's turkey hunting.    Wait, everyone says turkeys roost in the same tree or close to it, yeah......until the afternoon you sit down.....

It isn't funny, but it is ------ you've gotta laugh, you've gotta tip your hat to him and say, "I'll see you in the morning, tomorrow it's my day to win."      Turkey hunting isn't deer hunting over a greenfield, you just pick which one you want to shoot ---- it's what keeps me coming back ------- 

Now, here is where it hurts:      The wife, did you get one?  "No."  I'm sorry, maybe tomorrow --- some wives, is it fun just being out there all day and not seeing anything ---- some days not even hearing anything but tweety birds ----- Yep, loved it.  Wife, I wouldn't do it, you're just waisting time, I've got a lot for you to do here.    You haven't killed one in days, take tomorrow off, I have things for you to do.  I wouldn't waist my time doing that, that's boring, why do you do it?    I heard, so and so killed one, you haven't killed one yet.  So and so's kid has already killed two, you haven't even seen one to shoot.  You've spent all that money and nothing, we could have used that money for more investments, so and so is up 100% over the last three months -- all the gas, the new call, etc.    Some wives are supportive, they are S personalities, supportive, some are D personalities, demanding, I want to see results!!!!!!!! I'm married to a D, no not double D, a D personality, she's demanding, results driven, money and time, etc.  Boy you better kill your five turkeys every year for her, then, it still isn't good enough --- time, money spent, 5 birds, the math doesn't add up -----

Never fail........