What is a strut zone?

[deerbasshunter3]

What is a strut zone, and what signs should I be looking for?

I realize it is a place where the gobblers will strut to show off, but what type of area is it, generally?

[Gamblinman]

An area that is usually more open than its surroundings so the tom can display for his hens. Look for wing drag marks it the dirt, wing feathers, and tom turds.

[TeamCF]

Gamblinman hit it on the head. Usually a tom begins and ends his day in a strut zone. A boss tom will fly down before the hens, gobble and strut to them and let them know where he is. You may or may not have an established strut zone when he season opens but after the toms sort out a pecking order the boss bird will have his areas that he keeps his hens for the most part.

[tomstopper]

An area that is usually more open than its surroundings so the tom can display for his hens. Look for wing drag marks it the dirt, wing feathers, and tom turds.

Look for old logging raods in the woods, gas pipelines, fields, strips of open spots, etc.

[Marc]

The strutt zone is what I refer to as the "X."

It can be a large clearing, a meadow, a relatively small clearing, or a small grassy knoll in a densely forested area...  Depends on where you are hunting I suppose. 

All I know, is that when I come across an area with dirt mounds that look like they are from squirrel holes (but no holes are present), and it looks like someone rode their bicycle around in a circle a lot...  I will find a tree and sit right there.

[cornfedkiller]

All I know, is that when I come across an area with dirt mounds that look like they are from squirrel holes (but no holes are present)....

Not sure I've ever seen that before.. Anyone got any pictures of that?

[Bigspurs68]

All I know, is that when I come across an area with dirt mounds that look like they are from squirrel holes (but no holes are present), and it looks like someone rode their bicycle around in a circle a lot...  I will find a tree and sit right there.

What??

[Marc]

All I know, is that when I come across an area with dirt mounds that look like they are from squirrel holes (but no holes are present), and it looks like someone rode their bicycle around in a circle a lot...  I will find a tree and sit right there.

What??

I tried to google it, but could not find anything...

I am hunting oak-lined foothills...  Usually lots of tall grass and wildflowers in the spring...

Any area turkeys are present, we see what look like a squirrel hole dirt mound with no hole...  They will often be grouped in a line, correlating with a turkey path.  Easy to tell the fresh ones because the dirt is still moist on top.  Apparently these are made while scratching for food.

If I do not see these little dirt piles in an area, I will pretty much assume there are no turkeys in the area.

The strutt marks from turkeys often look like bicycle tracks going in a circle to me...  Parallel lines, generally going in a circle where the birds are strutting...  Well-used strutt areas look like a BMX convention to me...

Of course footprints and turkey poop are obvious sign, I guess I assumed that turkeys in different areas would leave similar sign...

[Marc]

As far as the dirt mounds, here is a picture of the mounds I frequently see hunting birds in the foothills of California:

[Bigspurs68]

Of course footprints and turkey poop are obvious sign, I guess I assumed that turkeys in different areas would leave similar sign...
[/quote]

I'd say you have found something specific to your area for sure!

"Strut zones" in the areas iv hunted are usually not found by visible sign. Sure, I'll see the strut marks occasionally If the soil allows it but that just means that one was there strutting recently, not that it's necessarily a strut zone. Sure, there are places that are preferred by certain gobblers to display but it's hardly ever obvious to the eyes unless you see or hear him there a couple times. Iv had birds lock up in a spot of sunshine no bigger than a car hood. That was his strut zone for that moment. Some birds are predictable and use a area like a saddle, logging road, gas line, gravel road or many other features, on a regular basis. These birds usually get killed in those places on a regular basis.
  I would define a old long spurred gobblers strut zone as a place that he likes to display that is always unapproachable and out of gun range. Usually on another property that you can't hunt or beside your truck while you are 2 ridges away. You will also find yourself waiting for him at these places after the fact and he will be anywhere but there.
  Seriously tho, anyone who hunts turkeys on the same land long enough will find spots that birds like to go year after year. There may be no visable sign but it has what they like. Call it a strut zone or a leck if you want but I'll just call it a good place to kill one.

[Bigspurs68]

As far as the dirt mounds, here is a picture of the mounds I frequently see hunting birds in the foothills of California:

Not sure exactly what critters you have under the ground in your part of the country but around here those are molehills. Maybe the birds there like to look for worms and grubs in those pushed up mounds?

[Marc]

Not sure exactly what critters you have under the ground in your part of the country but around here those are molehills. Maybe the birds there like to look for worms and grubs in those pushed up mounds?

The mounds in that picture could very well be mole hills, as I do not believe that picture is from California...  I did a search on google and this picture came up, and looks like what I see.  Small dirt mounds with no hole.  Sometimes you can see the scrape marks next to them. 

These little mounds are everywhere that turkeys are.  They will follow a deer trail, and be right under a roost tree...  I learned about them as turkey sign from a book about turkey hunting California.  Maybe I should not believe everything I read, but when I see these mounds, usually there is other solid evidence of turkeys (such as prints, feathers, or poop)...  So, I always took that book for its word...

[Bigspurs68]

California is completely alien to me but I doubt the mounds of dirt have much to do with your success in that area. Likely the birds favor the place and those mounds just happen to be there too.
That's just my guess for what it's worth. Book or no book, if you kill birds near molehills, I'd look for more of em!

[DirtNap647]

kind of  like his mancave   

[Ruger M77]

As far as the dirt mounds, here is a picture of the mounds I frequently see hunting birds in the foothills of California:

you my friend have a mole problem