Am I hurting or helping myself (public land strategy)?

[deerbasshunter3]

If I drive to the furthest I can get in the back of a WMA, and walk the roads calling, am I hurting my odds by it just being strictly woods, or do I want to be somewhere near an open area? The particular road I am talking about parallels a creek, so I know that is a good sign.

[Rzrbac]

I'm not a fan of walking roads and calling. Where I hunt, our birds have been called to a lot before season and always from the roads or trails that are easy to walk.  I know turkeys will walk roads and call, Gobble and strut but they catch on very quick.  If you get off the roads and just walk a ridge that's not so accessible, you will be surprised in how a gobbler responds.

[deerbasshunter3]

I'm not a fan of walking roads and calling. Where I hunt, our birds have been called to a lot before season and always from the roads or trails that are easy to walk.  I know turkeys will walk roads and call, Gobble and strut but they catch on very quick.  If you get off the roads and just walk a ridge that's not so accessible, you will be surprised in how a gobbler responds.

So, stick with plan to drive as far back as I can, but just walk through the woods and not down the road? Does it matter if there are no fields or open areas around, just woods?

[eggshell]

Don't bank on driving the farthest away to have better hunting  or less company. Many hunters think the same thing. Scout out the best areas of the WMA and then pick the hardest to get to place closest to the best. I have hunted a lot of public land and learned a longtime ago to hunt where you find birds. seldom have I been able to out drive or out walk other hunters; although, you will have fewer people in the back woods. One surprising thing I have found is the the easiest and first place you come to in an area is often a great place to hunt. I have killed many of my public land birds from a spot where I watched hunters drive right by all morning long. Many years ago an old sage taught me it was way better to hunt a single gobbling bird all by myself than to hunt 10 with 5-10 people after them. So your not necessarily looking for the most birds in an area, your looking for the best spot with at least a bird. Later in the day you can move to the higher density areas after many hunters have went home. I can't even count the birds I have killed in the afternoon right in the spot that sounded like a calling competition that morning. All those woods busting chatter box hunters do is shut the birds up and move them around. Oh they'll kill some, but they leave more behind and those old Gobblers are still horny after getting busted from their harem.

[deerbasshunter3]

The problem with the best spots is that they are usually taken by the time I get there. I guess I could just get out there at 5am, but should that really be necessary just to hunt (it does not get light enough to even walk until about 6:30am)? Often times, my time in the woods is limited, due to home life, work, etc..., so sticking around all day is really just not an option.

The bad thing is, on opening day, my truck was parked at the entrance to a field, but I still had a truck drive right on in and right by the field that I was focusing my attention on/around. Needless to say, the fact that my truck was already parked there did not seem to sway somebody from coming on in. I realize it is PUBLIC land, which is why I am trying to get as far back in as I can.

[BABS9]

Heres a bit of advice and I don't mean any disrespect by it. I pretty much taught myself how to turkey hunt.  You can sit here and ask all the questions in the world and read all the info in the world and its all great and can teach you some. But there is no better way to learn than just getting out there and hunting. Make mistakes and learn from them.  A turkey will teach you more than any person ever could.  Seen you post the other day that you got beat to a spot and were on the couch very early. You aint gonna kill any turkeys from that couch. If you want a spot get up real early and beat them to it. I sit in the pitch dark for long periods of time all the time so I can beat people there and slip in undetected on roosted birds. Spend time learning the property so you can get to where your going in the dark.
What separates the great hunters who are successful alot from the ones who aren't is they keep at it. They don't quit, they spend the time in the woods learning all they can. You get beat to a spot on to the next. Have a backup plan and keep at it even if you think it isn't worth it. I can't tell you how many times at 9am,10am,11am (can only hunt till noon) turkeys who have been quiet all of a sudden start lighting up... When most people head in im still out hunting.

Last point I'll make is if you have to ask yourself if waking up maybe an hour or half an hour earlier to beat someone to a spot is worth it or not. Maybe turkey hunting just isn't your thing.
Again no disrespect but whenever you have the time just get out and hunt. Pay attention to everything. Good luck to you.

[deerbasshunter3]

Heres a bit of advice and I don't mean any disrespect by it. I pretty much taught myself how to turkey hunt.  You can sit here and ask all the questions in the world and read all the info in the world and its all great and can teach you some. But there is no better way to learn than just getting out there and hunting. Make mistakes and learn from them.  A turkey will teach you more than any person ever could.  Seen you post the other day that you got beat to a spot and were on the couch very early. You aint gonna kill any turkeys from that couch. If you want a spot get up real early and beat them to it. I sit in the pitch dark for long periods of time all the time so I can beat people there and slip in undetected on roosted birds. Spend time learning the property so you can get to where your going in the dark.
What separates the great hunters who are successful alot from the ones who aren't is they keep at it. They don't quit, they spend the time in the woods learning all they can. You get beat to a spot on to the next. Have a backup plan and keep at it even if you think it isn't worth it. I can't tell you how many times at 9am,10am,11am (can only hunt till noon) turkeys who have been quiet all of a sudden start lighting up... When most people head in im still out hunting.

Last point I'll make is if you have to ask yourself if waking up maybe an hour or half an hour earlier to beat someone to a spot is worth it or not. Maybe turkey hunting just isn't your thing.
Again no disrespect but whenever you have the time just get out and hunt. Pay attention to everything. Good luck to you.

I get what you are saying, I really do. I will be the first to admit that I ask too many questions, but don't seem to learn from them. I second guess myself all the time; always have, probably always will. However, with the state forest that I hunt in being so large, and only having a few hours each Friday until May 5th to hunt, I have to try to narrow it down to the most likely "turkey areas." I ask the questions here because people here have a vast amount of knowledge. Everybody hunts different areas, but there has to be some correlation in where everybody is having success.

I am probably spoiled in having private land to hunt (one bird/person/season, and I killed my bird there on opening day) because you can go to a central spot and hear birds anywhere on the property. Public land is a different animal based on how big it is alone. Throw in the large amounts of people who are in and out, calling, spooking birds, etc..., and it does not make for an easy task for a beginner. If I could go any morning, I would be out there exploring on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I am not afforded that "luxury." This is why I ask so many questions, to try to narrow down the areas to hunt so I can go out there and hunt them.

[BABS9]

Heres a bit of advice and I don't mean any disrespect by it. I pretty much taught myself how to turkey hunt.  You can sit here and ask all the questions in the world and read all the info in the world and its all great and can teach you some. But there is no better way to learn than just getting out there and hunting. Make mistakes and learn from them.  A turkey will teach you more than any person ever could.  Seen you post the other day that you got beat to a spot and were on the couch very early. You aint gonna kill any turkeys from that couch. If you want a spot get up real early and beat them to it. I sit in the pitch dark for long periods of time all the time so I can beat people there and slip in undetected on roosted birds. Spend time learning the property so you can get to where your going in the dark.
What separates the great hunters who are successful alot from the ones who aren't is they keep at it. They don't quit, they spend the time in the woods learning all they can. You get beat to a spot on to the next. Have a backup plan and keep at it even if you think it isn't worth it. I can't tell you how many times at 9am,10am,11am (can only hunt till noon) turkeys who have been quiet all of a sudden start lighting up... When most people head in im still out hunting.

Last point I'll make is if you have to ask yourself if waking up maybe an hour or half an hour earlier to beat someone to a spot is worth it or not. Maybe turkey hunting just isn't your thing.
Again no disrespect but whenever you have the time just get out and hunt. Pay attention to everything. Good luck to you.

I get what you are saying, I really do. I will be the first to admit that I ask too many questions, but don't seem to learn from them. I second guess myself all the time; always have, probably always will. However, with the state forest that I hunt in being so large, and only having a few hours each Friday until May 5th to hunt, I have to try to narrow it down to the most likely "turkey areas." I ask the questions here because people here have a vast amount of knowledge. Everybody hunts different areas, but there has to be some correlation in where everybody is having success.

I am probably spoiled in having private land to hunt (one bird/person/season, and I killed my bird there on opening day) because you can go to a central spot and hear birds anywhere on the property. Public land is a different animal based on how big it is alone. Throw in the large amounts of people who are in and out, calling, spooking birds, etc..., and it does not make for an easy task for a beginner. If I could go any morning, I would be out there exploring on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I am not afforded that "luxury." This is why I ask so many questions, to try to narrow down the areas to hunt so I can go out there and hunt them.

Nothing wrong with asking questions. Alot of great people here that can really help speed up the learning curve. I guess my point is when you do have the time to get out keep at it. Wake up a bit earlier and beat that guy to your spot. Take everything people are telling you and put it to good use but the only way your really going to find birds especially on public ground is to put your time in. (not saying you aren't) Congrats on your bird and good luck.

[Ihuntoldschool]

Go where the turkeys are.

[TauntoHawk]

If the birds are taking pressure "up front" by the fields they will move deeper into the timber, turkeys like fields but don't need them daily to survive lots of birds are killed miles into mature timber habitat. It's always worth a hunt to try something different

[EZ]

The problem with the best spots is that they are usually taken by the time I get there. I guess I could just get out there at 5am, but should that really be necessary just to hunt

Better to be an hour early than 5 minutes late, lol.

Find an old trail that takes you back into some good turkey country and be there when it cracks first light.
Stay away from fields on Public ground....that's where all the hunters who watch the outdoor channel will be, lol.

[TauntoHawk]

My best public land spot is 1.81 miles according to my mapping app from the Truck the entire walk is through the Timber to a destination that is where a long oak covered point and several hog back ridges and gullies meets in an open creek bottom with a small knob off to one side I've had as many as 15 gobbling birds in that immediate area on public land in a single morning although usually only 4 or 5. The walk and has me cross several good looking hollows (where most hunters end up ambling about) and a massive steep tangled boulder covered ridge. That ridge is nasty enough that it keeps 99.98% of hunters at Bay I have cut a small path that snakes its way down over and around the rocks and vine cover undergrowth and keep the path hidden with several bushes and downed trees so you can't find it without knowing its there or stumbling on it even then its no bigger than an average deer trail. I cut the path because trail blazing did work when I fractured my wrist carrying a fat Tom out over those dang rocks tripping.

The point is I am willing to bust through barriers and go further than other guys to kill public land birds because that usually is what success requires, and I try not to attract attention so I never hunt the spot on weekends or Friday. That means I hunt weekdays before work which means I get up at 4am and hike in before you can see a hand infront of your face so I am set up tight to the birds at first gobble because only  have about 1hr of light to hunt before I make that 1.81mi mad dash back out. I am willing to make that roughly 4mi loop for 1hour of hunting 4-5 times a season and it pays off it also requires very little sleep and large amounts of coffee.

[eggshell]

Being able to walk 1.8 miles in through rough country to get away is great if you have a spot like that, but most of the public land I have hunted east of the Mississippi River does not have areas that you can get 2 miles away from everything. Two miles of separation is a bunch of area if your saying in any direction 360 degrees is 2 miles to the nearest access. Most people who hunt public land have to develop plans in much more restricted areas. So I look for overlooked spots and just rough to access. Sometimes the most obvious spot is the most overlooked. Another thing I have noticed is if you find an area that gets ridiculously over hunted for a year or two, check it out the next year and you may find you have it almost to yourself the first few days. Everyone get's it in their head that there is no use even going there as it will be a zoo and bingo it get's passed by. Now you better have a plan B because you may go and find it is still loaded with hunters. I often check these spots after my first daylight hunt of the day or on a foul weather day. Keep in mind also many of these spots get hammered the first week and then by late season see much lighter pressure and probably only weekends. Those birds are often quite killable in late season. It is an art hunting public ground, be creative.   

[Happy]

I think everyone should get a taste of public land turkey hunting before their head swells to much. It's not necessarily that the birds are impossible to kill although most won't go as easy as an unpressured bird. It's the other people factor. In my opinion to succeed regularly on public ground you have to be able to do one of two things well. Either work hard or be very patient. I prefer to work hard cause nothing drives me crazier than sitting there with my teeth in my mouth on a quiet day. I prefere to get up earlier, walk further and climb mountains and distance myself from the competition. If it's easy access then I won't hunt it till later in the year and all the lazy's have quit.

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[catman529]

Getting stuck on any one tactic can hurt your chances. Including always going to the back of the WMA. There could be a tom on the front end too. Could be in the woods, in a field or in a thicket. Gotta be willing to move around and listen and look and find the birds.


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