Busy scouting day

**turkeygirl** · 04-14-2007, 08:32 PM

Well I went over to my boss' place. He and his wife, and his 2 dogs showed me around the property. He and his nephews have quite the deer stand set-up! His land looks promising for turkeys. He has 20 acres across the road bordered by state land mostly composed of spruce plantations. He showed me where he has seen turkeys cross in the morning on a road on the other side of the spruces....I'm guessing they follow a cut-through to his field which looks great for a rainy day. Up from his house at the corner where 2 dirt roads meet ata T is his nephew's house (who lives in Illinois) and he said I could park there, or at his house, wherever. Anyway the nephew has a large field behind his house that butts up to the land composed of nice hard woods of maple, beech, hickory, ash, and hemlock. The land runs down a slope a little bit where it butts up to someone else's property. I walked down the slope a little bit tonight, could see someone's little hunting cabin where the ravine levels off but didn't find a posted sign line so either it's not posted or I didn't find the end of my boss' land. There were some old scratching on top of the slope, and tonight I found a bunch down the slop more, and these were alot fresher, maybe a day old. So that's a good sign. I didn't hear any fly up and couldn't get any to gobble to an owl call....don't know if it;s too early for that or they were farther away or what? Behind the house my boss has a small field/lawn that he has seen turkeys cross and he has deer feed in alot, then the other side of his property is more of overgrown/brushy field...too thick for turkeys. The nephew's field I think will be great for a rainy day and even the field across the road. I hope and pray I can roost some in the next two weeks, and will try to get up there in the mornings. Oh yeah, and I drove up the dirt road a little and got out and walked through the spruce across from his property, on the state land, which then opens into hardwoods with a ravine. Fond a few older scratchings in there. I really have no clue if the turkeys are roosting in the spruces or hardwoods? I'm guessing they are making a loop. My boss heard them gobbling behind his house in the morning the other day(like Weds or Thurs.)

Any tips for locating these turkeys? Do turkeys prefer to roost in certain areas/terrain/trees? There is so much land when calculating in the state land, but the better woods seems to be around my boss' house/land....

**toddyboman** · 04-14-2007, 11:16 PM

On my hunting ground turkeys generally roost in the same area. Usually they also get up on ridges if they can.
As for gobbling they dont always gobble every night. As I am sure you know. IF you can make it out some morning to hear them I am sure that would give a great idea on where they roost most of the time.

**turkeygirl** · 04-15-2007, 11:14 AM

Thanks Todd, glad for the input. We've got snow on the ground today, going to spend the afternoon looking for the small flock on the farmland around home, and some nuisance fox that need to be shot. I'm definitely hoping this week to get back up to my boss' land a morning ro two in hopes of hearing some gobbling, so that in case people are out during youth weekend, I'll know where they are. Though if they stay on the private land, shouldn't have to worry about "my' gobbler getting shot,lol.

Anyone else with thoughts?

**Strut10** · 04-15-2007, 12:17 PM

Concentrate on the area where the landowner heard them roosted already. Best bet is to be out there on the property before daybreak the last 3 mornings before season opens. Also concentrate on south and east-facing slopes with big mature timber. If you get a real rainy night you may find them roosted up in mature spruce or hemlocks.

**turkeygirl** · 04-15-2007, 12:51 PM

Thanks Strut. The slope that he heard them gobbling the one morning and where I found the old and fresh scratchings yesterday is a mostly south facing slope, and has excellent mature trees, oak, hickory, beech, etc... Some of the nicests woods I've seen in awhile. The slope becomes some what south east and then east facing across the dirt road on the state land. I'll definitely keep that in mind to be out there a few mornings before the opener.