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Eastern Tactic Advice

SFN2821

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Aug 16, 2017
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Heading out for second season of spring turkey and I find myself constantly questioning my tactics in the days leading up to the season opener. Spent a couple days scouting and located a single bird but have not been able to find any roosts. The amount of rain in the area has washed away any scat that might be present so I'm going off of gut feelings and food sources here and taking a chance opening morning... Hoping those that have had some experience in years past can help me make up my mind for opening morning. This is public land and there's definitely going to be some competition in the morning. If any thoughts on the weather it'll be around the mid to upper 50's and no wind or rain expected.

1. Sit an open field where I observed the single turkey I found. This is a popular open field for other hunters to check out as I witnessed last spring season. If I did this route I'd get there crazy early but fear another hunter coming in at daylight and scaring off birds. It's right near a popular hiking/biking spot.

2. Sit about .2miles away from the field where there is some heavy timber, undergrowth nearby, grassy patches and a running stream. No sign that I witnessed but just had a gut feeling. It's also about .5miles away from east/northeast facing slopes that I never got a chance to check out in my scouting.

3. Sit at the highest point on this piece of public land in an area where there appeared to be turkeys rustling a whole bunch of leaves up. I'm just not sure if this was from fall/winter turkey activity or if it's from spring activity. This would put me above the east and northeast facing slopes about .25miles away.

Any and all advice greatly appreciated. I know I need to make a decision but I get limited days in the field so I'm trying to make the most of all my sits. Trying to bag my first bird this spring and the indecisiveness is killing me!

Thanks All.
 
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All three options sound pretty good to me. In the area I hunt the birds tend to roost over a creek or pond in some tall pine trees and at some point in the day they end up in an open field. Would it be possible to sit between the open field and creek? Maybe that will you away from other hunters and also possibly put you closer to where they are roosting.
 
My suggestion would be to go to the known areas of turkey activity, or option 3. Chances are the bird that you patterned has also been observed by other people as well if he's out in the open fields, which as you said, likely means competition even if you do beat others to the spot.

I like to get in on top of them in the timber, and it sounds like this would be a good opportunity to let the others duke it out in the open areas. I would think that the highest spot there, in good timber, and nearest those east facing slopes would be a surefire bet for a roosting location. Smash them in the face when they hit the ground well before they make it to the fields.
 
I like to get up high early to listen for any gobbling. I don't call much anymore because the turkey around here don't gobble, or do so very little, after they hit the ground. If I can figure out where they are roosting, I'll sacrifice a day of hunting to check the area out and try to figure out where they are going after fly down. I'll be in that area the next morning, waiting. My rule of thumb for wither or not to call is simple. If one hits the ground and he's still gobbling, I'll try to call to him. If he shuts up, he's probably with hens and your aren't pulling him off of them. Figure out where the hens are going to feed, sit up an ambush, and wait them out. If you can hunt all day, he'll probably separate from the hens at some point when they go to sit on the nests. This is prime time to catch them strutting and feeding in those openings or fields you are talking about. I usually avoid the thicker stuff, and I think turkeys will also...at least most of the time. It seems like as the woods get thicker as the spring progresses, the turkeys move toward the more open areas to feed. My guess is fear of predation by coyotes, bobcats etc. That is one thing I am facing here this spring. The woods are a lot more open than they have been for the last several seasons, because of the late winter, and I can't see them in the fields to sit up ambush points like previous years. I think the season will get better around here as the woods thicken up and the turkeys move to the fields/open woods.
 
I have found my hard hunted public land birds in Kansas rarely vocalize after the second week of the regular season once off the roost. And any noise that sounds
turkey-ish better be dead on as they can tell a Primos call from a real bird in a heartbeat.

And sometimes public land hunting success comes from letting other less cautionary hunters drive the birds towards you. Getting into an ambush position that is beyond where the birds are, and where the hunters will be coming from might be a good option for you in your situation.
 
This is the simple version..........Listen for gobbles, move if necessary, put your butt on the ground and back against a tree, yelp said gobbler into range, shoot him, pack him to truck, deep fry breast nuggets, repeat.
 
I think I'm eliminating the open field like others have said due to competition. #2: sits facing the creek about 40-50yds away. It sits right in the middle between the east facing slopes and the open fields. #3: is more southern about a mile but closer to the slopes near there. Both spots are on the same elevation so it's more a matter of proximity to the slopes and the open fields and getting away from competition.
 
That's part of my issue that I'm working on. I might be able to squeeze in a morning sit here and there but I'm lucky if I can find one. Fingers crossed.
 
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