How to hunt big woods

[10point]

I have pretty much only hunted field areas on farm with fields. A friend showed me some area in the forest here that look like it could be good. There are a few small openings and the rest is all forest. What's the approach for hunting an area like this? I figure I might have to just try to find a bird that wants some love and not sit and wait it out as they could be any where.

[WildSpur]

It's tough.  Especially the taller the timber.  Around my parts birds can,get hung up at 60-80 yards.  My best tactic is having a shooter 30-40 ahead of the caller. 

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[atoler]

hard to tell you what to do differently because I hunt big woods 95% of the time. When I do hunt fields, I take mostly the same approach as I typically do. With that being said, if you're one of those field hunters who likes to sit out a decoy spread, pop up a blind, sit in one spot all day, spot and stalk, etc. that stuff doesn't fly, atleast not around here. Generally my approach would be know the general area the birds hang out in, wait for one to gobble off the roost, go to him, try to get 100-150yds, depending on terrain, and try to kill the bird off the roost. If that doesn't work, then I start walking and calling every few hundred yards. If that doesn't work you can always go sit in an area that birds hang out in and call sparingly, although I very seldom do that. the main thing you need to watch out for is stuff that birds will hang up on, theres a lot more obstacles in big timber than there are in fields.

[BrowningGuy88]

Get out and scout! Roost a bird if you can and try to kill him at flydown. If you don't get him at flydown that is when the scouting pays off. Circle the birds and get between them and where they are headed. Call softly and wait.

Big Timber is where to me, knowing your gun and pattern pays off. Birds will hang up on you in the timber and while many times you can get them to commit, others you have to pull the trigger at 40 yards - give or take.

[guesswho]

Don't be afraid to move on a timber turkey.  Just be slow and pay attention with your ears as well as your eye's.  A lot of times you will hear drumming or walking before you actually get a visual.  The key is go slow and pay attention to everything going on around you, at least twice before you make the next move.  Squirrels, woodpeckers, bluejays, and crow's will tell on a turkey in a heartbeat.

[strut2]

The area I hunt in Pennsylvania is mostly woods. I do a lot of homework before season and try to figure out birds patterns and areas where they roost. I do a lot of walking on ridges calling into bottoms to strike birds or like guesswho said listen to the crows. Sometimes it's a hawk or owl but most of the time I've found it turkey. If you don't hear much go to te areas where you have saw birds and sit and call for awhile. You will adjust. Best of luck this year!!

[atoler]

Get out and scout! Roost a bird if you can and try to kill him at flydown. If you don't get him at flydown that is when the scouting pays off. Circle the birds and get between them and where they are headed. Call softly and wait.

Big Timber is where to me, knowing your gun and pattern pays off. Birds will hang up on you in the timber and while many times you can get them to commit, others you have to pull the trigger at 40 yards - give or take.

Why would you think you typically have birds hang up in timber? just curious, my experience has been that field birds hang up worse than a bird in the woods. Birds in the woods can't see a couple hundred yards, but a field bird can.

[atoler]

Don't be afraid to move on a timber turkey.  Just be slow and pay attention with your ears as well as your eye's.  A lot of times you will hear drumming or walking before you actually get a visual.  The key is go slow and pay attention to everything going on around you, at least twice before you make the next move.  Squirrels, woodpeckers, bluejays, and crow's will tell on a turkey in a heartbeat.

I agree with most of what you said, I'll add, don't be afraid to take a bit more time and get the setup right the first time either.

there are a lot of turkey killers who move slowly and wait patiently, and there are a lot who move quickly and often. Its personal preference, and accross the board, its equally affective. I will say that a lot depends on how much ground you have to cover, and your experience level. For a newer hunter, slow and subtle is probably more successful than run and gun. There is probably a happy median that I don't have the patience for.

[WildSpur]

Though not directed to me I will chime in.

Some of our forests (pa) are so old with tall oaks that without moutain laurel visibility is easily 100+ yards.  I know because I carry my range finder with me throughout deer season.  Also, these taller timbered areas do not have much ground cover to green up throughout the season. 

So basically visibility can be as much as some fields.

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[ridgerunner]

Not much difference birds are birds..I've hunted them in fields and timber..sit down and call they either come in or they don't ...it's not rocket science..just hunt you'll learn what works and what doesn't

[ridgerunner]

Don't be afraid to move on a timber turkey.  Just be slow and pay attention with your ears as well as your eye's.  A lot of times you will hear drumming or walking before you actually get a visual.  The key is go slow and pay attention to everything going on around you, at least twice before you make the next move.  Squirrels, woodpeckers, bluejays, and crow's will tell on a turkey in a heartbeat.

I agree with most of what you said, I'll add, don't be afraid to take a bit more time and get the setup right the first time either.

there are a lot of turkey killers who move slowly and wait patiently, and there are a lot who move quickly and often. Its personal preference, and accross the board, its equally affective. I will say that a lot depends on how much ground you have to cover, and your experience level. For a newer hunter, slow and subtle is probably more successful than run and gun. There is probably a happy median that I don't have the patience for.

How many yrs have you been hunting son? You seem to have a whole bunch of experience

[guesswho]

Why would you think you typically have birds hang up in timber? just curious, my experience has been that field birds hang up worse than a bird in the woods. Birds in the woods can't see a couple hundred yards, but a field bird can.

Blow downs, creeks, old fence, dominant boundry ect. can cause a timber bird to hang up.  I have have even heard of a shadow causing one to hang up, though I haven't personally run into that yet that I know of.

there are a lot of turkey killers who move slowly and wait patiently, and there are a lot who move quickly and often. Its personal preference, and accross the board, its equally affective.

On a bird you have already located and are messing with I'd take that equally effective challenge any day.  Being stuck on one piece of property for an entire season is another example where I'd take that challenge.  About the only scenario where I think it might be equally effective would be if you had multiple large property's that you could pound day in day out.  I'm not saying running and gunning isn't effective, just that the situation needs to favor that style. 

[Jay]

One thing I'll add about big woods is larger clearings. I like to google map large woods, and look for such a place. I've caught Turkeys roosting around clearings, and using as strut zones. Also deeper ravines with large trees is another hot spot for Roosting. If you know where they are Roosting it gives you a place to get close to on a set up.

[BrowningGuy88]

Get out and scout! Roost a bird if you can and try to kill him at flydown. If you don't get him at flydown that is when the scouting pays off. Circle the birds and get between them and where they are headed. Call softly and wait.

Big Timber is where to me, knowing your gun and pattern pays off. Birds will hang up on you in the timber and while many times you can get them to commit, others you have to pull the trigger at 40 yards - give or take.

Why would you think you typically have birds hang up in timber? just curious, my experience has been that field birds hang up worse than a bird in the woods. Birds in the woods can't see a couple hundred yards, but a field bird can.

If you are talking pine plantation that hasn't had a good underbrush clearing and thinning then I agree with you, but if you are talking about true BIG Timber where you have 80' tall Pines and 100 year old Oaks with little underbrush I disagree.

In Big Timber, it is easy to see sometimes as much as 1/4 to 1/2 a mile if it is flat and that gobbler is looking for a hen the same as a big field.

In pine plantations, obstacles are more of a problem. Thickets, branches, unseen donwfalls, a creek you may not now is there, etc. will all attribute to a bird not coming in. However, I have found in a pine plantation that once he commits I generally get a 15 yard chip shot.

[J Hook Max]

 I very much prefer hunting the timber. You may not see as many birds as field hunting, but you tend to kill a lot more. You can get in much closer to the birds before calling.
Is the land hilly ? If so, make sure you and the turkey are on the same ridge. Take care that you are not silhoutted while moving and also when setting up.
Remember, in the woods, turkeys will generally follow the easiest route, just as you would. They also use any openings and even old logging roads to strut. If there is an old road, make sure you set up within gun range of the opening.
Often , in the woods you need to move your set up slightly. This is where decoys can be a problem. The time and movement retrieving your decoy may get you busted.