DIY Hunts?

[StruttinGobbler3]

Just curious, from those of who have done it, how realistic are the odds of success on a DIY hunt for a Rio, Merriam, or Osceola? As in camping out for a few days on a WMA with no prior intel on the ground you will hunt. I've never tried this before, and have only experience hunting Easterns on my farm in Georgia. However, I've always wanted to try my hand out of state. Just find it hard to pay outfitter prices. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.

[Yoder409]

I'll let ya know about the middle of May.

Gonna do Wyoming Merriam's DIY this spring.  As for "no previous intel"..............the computer you're reading this on will go far on intel.  Google Earth or even Google Maps satellite view..........  Pull up the target state's game dept. website and call a biologist in your intended region.  You may even be able to get a warden's number and call him. There's lots of other little tricks to gather "previous intel" sitting right on your couch.

[LaLongbeard]

I hunt a few states every year, I plan to hit at least 5 this season. 3 I have never set foot in. I started at the end of last season and narrowed down several WMA or othe public areas, bought the topo maps and have studied the maps for hours. I got 3 places picked for each state and have marked several areas on each of the different places as likely spots to hunt. Called or emailed for info on campsites etc. in each state.I have enough places picked out and enough time set aside for each state to work around hunting pressure,weather lack of Birds etc. There are no guarantees even with paid hunts but you have to plan for sucesss or you are already planning to fail. I'd say you better get busy if you plan to diy this season or you might make a long drive for nothing.

[Bowhunter123224]

I've done a few DIY hunts and I was successful. There are several good articles available on the topic a quick google search will show them to you. These days no one should feel totally lost with the resources available. To name a few google maps, bing maps, onXmaps, the game commissions website, regional wildlife biologists, and WCOs if you can actually find one to talk to. Mapping software has advanced by leaps and bounds and for the most part it's free!! Using google maps I can practically find the actual tree I climb for deer or sit in front of for turkey. Since you're from GA I'd recommend Florida as your first. I killed 2 long beards and my buddy killed 2 on the same DIY hunt. My dad missed 2 on that hunt. We hunted for 10 days on no quota public land . We flew in 1 day before the season opened drove to and around the WMA and scouted while we hunted when the season opened. If you know how to hunt, can adapt, and don't mind walking I don't see why you couldn't harvest a Florida turkey. If you want some specifics on our hunt PM me. I wouldn't even say it too late to plan a hunt in FL for this year.

[Gamblinman]

If you have the time to do the scouting and research necessary to be reasonably successful, then yes.

If you're trying to do it on a long 3 day weekend, get an outfitter. Nothing more frustrating than to finally find some birds and run out of time.

[GobbleNut]

Personally, I prefer DIY hunts.  For me, the entire turkey hunting process includes using my knowledge of turkey habits and behavior to go to an unfamiliar place and find turkeys to hunt, and hopefully put my tag on a gobbler.  However, there are places and circumstances where that is just not feasible.  This is especially true, as Gamblinman said, when you are on a tight time schedule.  If you are flexible on where you go to hunt, and have the time needed, there are lots of places you can travel to and pull off a successful DIY adventure.

Looking at the flip-side of this coin, some folks will pay good money for hunting with an outfitter and on a property where the turkeys are so lightly hunted and plentiful that they are doing nothing more than shooting turkeys rather than hunting them.  Again, personally, I would rather hunt for a week and perhaps kill a single gobbler somewhere that, at the end of it all, I actually felt like I had earned that bird than hunt on an exclusive property where I paid a bunch of dollars to pile up a limit of dead gobblers that might as well have been wrapped in plastic in the local supermarket.

Moral of the story is that I will take a challenging DIY hunt over those high-dollar supermarket hunts any, and every, day of the week.

[Cove]

Just curious, from those of who have done it, how realistic are the odds of success on a DIY hunt for a Rio, Merriam, or Osceola? As in camping out for a few days on a WMA with no prior intel on the ground you will hunt. I've never tried this before, and have only experience hunting Easterns on my farm in Georgia. However, I've always wanted to try my hand out of state. Just find it hard to pay outfitter prices. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.

The odds of success can/ will correspond with how much effort you put toward your goal and also, what you deem to be "successful". I wouldn't have it any other way than DIY.

[joey46]

The old rule of thumb for me is to scout two days for every day you hunt.  We hope to try a WY public land hunt in mid May during the last days of their season.  Have the latest NF Forest map in hand and am already doing a little cyber scouting.  This whole visit will be considered a "scouting trip".  Hope to make this the first of a few trips out west.

[Gooserbat]

I do it every year.  Killed birds in a lot of places simply because I showed up.  The key is have a game plan.  With a smart phone you have basically every tool except actual boot leather in your hand.  Call biologist, and game wardens. Study maps.  Read between the lines on puplic forums, Facebook and such. 

[buzzardroost]

I do it every year myself. Usually southern states but I'm wanting to branch out. I've struck out twice and I've had trips where I limited with 3 gobblers in 5 days on public land. I really enjoy the trips, trying to plan one now!


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[idgobble]

 There are many public land places in the west where your chances of success are very good.  I'd expect at least a 50% chance if I went just about anywhere in the Black Hills for Merriams (SD or WY) for 3-4 days.   I think you'll do very well on DIY hunts in WY, SD, CO, ID, OR, WA if you contact the F&G Depts. first for advice on where to go and then talk to every local you can when you get there.  Most don't give a hoot about turkeys and will tell you where they've seen them. Just try to make sure they're talking about recently, not two years ago in the summer. I get lots of info from waitresses in the coffee shops.  If you get a chance, talk to a rural mailman.  They're the best.  The NWTF magazine sometimes has good state turkey forecasts. Just tell the F&G employee turkey biologist or upland bird biologist you talk to you just want to be directed to a general area where there's a decent chance of finding turkeys on public land and then talk to the locals when you get there.

[NorfolkHunter]

Last year a group of us went to NW Nebraska for the first time. This was a full DIY hunt.

NW Nebraska is a 20 hour drive from where we live. So scouting was done on arrival and using Google maps. We were  there during the early archery season. On day 4 I shot a public land Merriams. Locate birds, check maps, make a plan and go try and get your bird.

For me it's more about the adventure. Killing a bird is just a bonus.



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[Uncle Nicky]

Like someone else mentioned, if you are just going in cold, it is not going to be easy, especially if you only have a couple days to get it done. If you have some reliable intel on where the birds have been, that raises your chance of success. If you are truly concerned about not coming home empty handed, I would look for an outfitter that offers DIY hunts, they should be able to put you where the birds are, and you still get to do all your own hunting, without the scouting.

[joey46]

Not a bad idea.  Seen a few of these offered in WA but none, so far, in WY.  An outfitter in WA offers a marked public land map but it is pricey IMO. 

[Cove]

For me it's more about the adventure. Killing a bird is just a bonus.


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It's all how you define success. Unfortunately, that means blood and feathers for many but this is how outfitters make their money. So it works itself out. . . .