Had My Very First Turkey Hunt Yesterday

[GhostGobbler]

This is my first post, but I've been learning a lot from the fine posters here for a couple of weeks now. I didn't want to hit the turkey woods with zero knowledge and some of you folks have helped open my eyes to the wonders of hunting this beautiful and illusive bird, as well as given me some good insight on what's required to increase the chances of having a successful hunt. So, in short, thank you! 

Okay, now that the sentimental mumbo jumbo is out of the way, let's move on to the important stuff! Yesterday was the opening day of our season here in GA and I was invited to go out with my father in-law and his brother. They are leasing about 60 acres of land and, from the reading/studying we've done so far, we think that we should have some decent turkey activity this season. The land backs up to a good sized creek, has a large amount of mature/old hardwoods, has 4 grass clearings which are cow pastures and are all surrounded by the mentioned hardwoods. The clearings/pastures are tiered, moving downhill until reaching the creek at the lowest point of the property and are separated by thin tree lines and gullies. One of these pastures is half wheat grass, which I hear the turkeys like. There's also a good amount of rotting logs and cow manure for them to pick through for insects and such.

As far as yesterday's hunt is concerned, it was pretty much a bust. We had zero turkey activity; no sightings or gobbles at all. We were set up about 300 yards uphill from the creek, overlooking the middle clearing which has the wheat grass. We chose this location because turkeys were sighted there about a month ago. After doing some reading, I think our first problem was the heavy fog we experienced as the sun came up, which lasted until nearly 9 am. Another thought was that it's still early in the season, so the turkeys may not have spread out yet. Could these two things have played a part in the lack of turkey activity?

The day wasn't a complete bust though. After sitting in our blinds for roughly 4-1/2 hours and not seeing/hearing any turkeys, we decided to move around a bit and do some scouting. We ended up finding some tracks in the mud at the creek, as well as scratch marks in the woods bordering the lower field and creek. With this intel, we've adjusted our plan and will be setting up in that lower field on our next outing.

I'd like to hear some thoughts, pointers or advice from you veteran gobbler slayers. Does the layout of this land sound good for turkey hunting? How would you setup/hunt this land? Any other thoughts or advice is much appreciated!

Thanks,
John

[g8rvet]

On that small of a piece, it is gonna be hero or zero.  I would not move around a whole lot.  Stinks to deer hunt them, but you don't want to bust them and run them off. Took me a while to realize that on a smallish piece I hunt.  Now I let them come to me as much as I can.  Just a thought. 

[GobbleNut]

Congratulations on catching the spring gobbler hunting bug. 
Sounds like you are off to a good start.  Although 60 acres isn't much land to hunt, from your description it sounds like you have a good patch of ground with key ingredients in place. 
Remember, finding gobblers to hunt is as much about "hearing" as it is "seeing".  You want to be in place on the property before first light in the morning, preferably at a high listening point (if there is one).  Listen for gobbling until after sunrise, and if you hear any, head towards it quickly, but carefully. 
If you hear a gobbler on your property, make a set-up on the bird and play it conservatively with the bird.  Note what happens on that first set-up,...where the birds roosted, where they (or he) flies down, what they do after they fly down.  Pattern the birds as much as possible that first time without spooking them.  They are likely to have the same routine each morning.
If you hear gobbling off of your property, get as close to it as you can and repeat the same process.  Try to get a "feel" for what any birds in the area are doing.  Try to be inconspicuous as possible and just observe what transpires during the day on those 60 acres.  If there are gobblers around, they are most likely going to give themselves away by gobbling at some point. 
Whatever you do, do not blow the birds off your place (assuming they are there) by being too aggressive and trying to get in a hurry to kill one.  Take your time.  Learn what the birds are doing first,...and then make the right decision on where and how to set up on them based on how they use that 60 acres. 
If you are lucky enough to have gobblers roosting on the property, or nearby, set up inconspicuously near the roost site late in the day, as well.  You may intercept them going back to the roost.  They may also gobble again right at dark so that you know where they are for the next mornings hunt.
Assuming you have taken heed of the good advice many here have given on calling tactics, success should come at some point.

[zelmo1]

  Stay put and don't spook him. Slip in and out. Try to keep the pressure down. Be patient.

[Dtrkyman]

Hunt the sign,  many times over the years being patient and calling sparingly while sitting on sign birds just simply show up, it may not be the typical hero hunt where you have a bird hammering back at your calling, but is actually more effective most times!

3 guys, set up on separate spots that have sign!

[howl]

Stop now while there's still hope! Go fishin'. Plant some greens. Nobody ever listens to that.

On sixty newly leased acres, and with the low number of gobblers we have this year, I'd ditch the blind, etc. and do my best to ninja around unnoticed by everything down to the sq. The last bunch that leased that place could have been a bunch of ground crows that stuck blinds and dekes in the middle of fields and cawed and yelped up a storm. The result would be older birds conditioned to avoid them. I would not try anything until I had a game plan drawn up from scouting to find a pattern. If you can provide a link off qpublic someone here can tell you where they likely roost. Y'all may already have found it, though.

Don't be in a hurry just yet. The few gobblers are extra henned up right now. If you have nesting habitat on the place, like a grown up field or clear cut on that creek, you can wait until mid-April when they come off the hens.

[Marc]

As a side note, on such a small piece of property, it is very likely that you could have spooked roosting birds while you walked in...

If you heard and saw nothing, I might try finding somewhere inconspicuous and listening for bird activity...  Or going out in the evening and trying to roost a bird somewhere on or near your property...

[GhostGobbler]

Thanks for the advice everyone! The general consensus seems to be that no/minimal movement is going to be the key when hunting smaller tracts of land such as the land we're working with. We've got a few different blinds, so waiting them out shouldn't be an issue. As suggested, I think I may go out there the night before and try to roost 'em (if they're in fact on/near the property).

I'm also looking at getting my own call (father in law and his bro were doing the calling previously) and I'm currently leaning towards Primo's Wet Box Call. Is this an acceptable call for a rookie? I've watched/read a few tutorials on different calls, and the box call seems to have a less steep learning curve. Any opinions on this?

I'd like to get my call within the next couple of days, because a friend and I are headed to the mountains this weekend and I'd like to have something to bring with me so I can try my luck with a mountain gobbler.

Thanks again for all of the advice so far. I know I've only just gotten started, but I'm already obsessed with the hunt. I'm trying not to let it consume me, but much to my wife's dismay, it isn't working and I'm hooked, big time!

[Marc]

The wet box is not the greatest sounding call...

Primos Heartbreaker is a far better sounding call...  Of course you cannot use it while it is raining.

[GhostGobbler]

The wet box is not the greatest sounding call...

Primos Heartbreaker is a far better sounding call...  Of course you cannot use it while it is raining.

Nice, thanks! Do you have any recommendations for calls to use in the rain? Should I get the wet box for rainy days, or should I look into getting another type of call aside from a box?

[mgm1955]

Stay put and don't spook him. Slip in and out. Try to keep the pressure down. Be patient
Agreed. Good luck!!

[catman529]

Sounds like a good spot to me. You're probably right about birds not being spread out much yet. The middle field does sound good, but that creek almost sounds better. You found fresh sign there, and from my experience, turkeys love to roost along creeks. Hope you get on some birds next time, best of luck. Warning, you might be addicted


Sent from the talk of tap

[catman529]

The wet box is not the greatest sounding call...

Primos Heartbreaker is a far better sounding call...  Of course you cannot use it while it is raining.

Nice, thanks! Do you have any recommendations for calls to use in the rain? Should I get the wet box for rainy days, or should I look into getting another type of call aside from a box?

Mystic wet box calls from Woods Wise sounds decent and work in the rain.


Sent from the talk of tap

[catman529]

Box call is great to start out with and great for high volume calling as well. I don't carry one in the woods because they are bulky and squeaky, but that's preference. I only own one at this time and I use it to mess with the birds that pass thru the backyard.


Sent from the talk of tap

[Timmer]

You should work under the assumption that turkeys will hear and see you before you see or hear them.  Sine you have limited acreage, I would keep my moving around to a minimum.   Get to the middle of the property early, well before sun-up and listen for gobbles, only when I had a good idea of where they were would I try to move closer.  Otherwise, I would try to call them into me.