1.) Scout the Area you’re going to hunt at least 1 month early

I believe that the spring gobbler mates in generally the same area year after year. You can wait a whole year, and never visit the area that you hunted last year, walk in the first day and if the birds are wound up, chances are you’re going to hear at least one gobble. For some unknown reason, turkeys seem to mate in the same area year after year. So why do I need to scout? Good question, but the reason is because no one really knows what type of damage occurred during the winter. Some areas get hit a little harder than others, some are swamped by snow, and others are flooded. The point is you need to go and scout an area that you are going to hunt. If for some reason the food is gone, then there will be no reason for the hens to be there, they need to eat don’t they. If the hens aren’t there, then the gobblers won’t be either. Just get out and check it out, head out as if you are going to hunt, bring your owl, crow, and whatever other calls you have and take a map or drawing of the area you’re going to hunt and mark roost trees on the map, then mark the general direction of the gobbler. Where is he going, why is he going there, is it to mate or is it because there is water there. These are all very important questions that need to be answered prior to hunting season. Sure anyone can go out and kill a bird occasionally, but it’s the guy who routinely gets turkey after turkey after turkey, that can without a doubt call himself a true turkey hunter.

2.) How do I know where to find Roost Sites, if I can’t hear the birds gobble?

In the spring, boss gobblers will roost alone, surrounded by the hens they intend on mating the next morning. They will sleep as high in a tree as they possibly can, usually about 2/3 the way up. If the area that you hunt is hilly or mountainous, toms will roost on points, flats and knolls just below ridgetops, so they are protected from the harshest of winds ,but still be able to bellow their resounding gobble in the wee hours of the morning for all to hear. If the weather is cold and damp, I have found that gobblers along with hens will roost in pines, hemlocks, and any other type of conifer they can find. This will not only protect them from the wind, but also the rain. Once while hunting with my father in Pennsylvania near Elk County, we hunted in the pouring down rain all morning, but for some reason the gobblers wouldn’t come any closer, and it was close to 10:00 am. We hadn’t heard a gobbler for about 1 hour, so we decided to move a little closer to investigate further, only to spook 3 mature birds out of a group of tall pines. Some gobblers will roost over top of water, as well as roosting on the edge of fields, pitching out at first light to display for their ladies. The point is to evaluate the terrain you plan on hunting, chances are if the birds are there, they will be roosted in some of the places I have suggested.

3.) Strut Zones, Are they really that hard to find?

Strut Zones aren’t really all that hard to find, the key is to know your terrain. Different hunting spots, dictate different types of terrain. Not all gobblers are the norm. I have seen gobblers strutting in front yards of people’s houses. Unfortunately, we couldn’t hunt them, but it would’ve been nice to be served my shotgun in bed and just wait for the birds to arrive. The easiest way to find a strut zone, is to get a topo map of the area you intend to hunt, and before season, track a gobblers movement on that topo. Find where he roosts and where he flies down to. As mentioned above this can be done by the use of a various locator calls. Stay far enough away from the bird, so you will not be detected by the eyes of either a gobbler or a hen. On your map, track the route of the bird, and then before you know it, the gobbler will stop in one area and not move for quite some time. This will be you’re strut zone. A mature gobbler will have various strut zones he visits throughout the daily routine, and I do mean “Routine”. If you can figure out a birds daily patterns, chances are you will eventually kill that bird by following your map that you previously tracked him by, and if you can’t beat him to the first strut zone, head to the next one. I do suggest one thing, if you’re going to track a bird, take along with you a good set of binoculars, this will ensure that you are far enough away from the birds, but can still get close enough to track on your map his movements. Here are some examples of strut zones: pastures, food plots, crop fields, new clear cuts and burns, woodland areas with thin understory--oak flats, creek bottoms, logging roads, power line cuts. These are all examples of open areas that a gobbler will use to display at, but at the same time will give him the visibility and security cover that strutting toms seek.

4.) Early Season Hunting Tactics, Does it have to be that hard?

The answer is, No. Some of the best turkey hunters are the ones who are able to withstand the excitement of the hunt and concentrate on what exactly it is that you are trying to reproduce. Not very often can I hear a hen or hens yelping and cutting like there is no tomorrow, but you can bet your ass I can pick out a hunter 9 times out of 10 when I’m out there hunting. Last year while hunting a private farm, there were at least 8 gobblers calling, and on top the next ridge I could pick out the sounds of another hunter with an owl call. As the early morning progressed, he began to work closer and closer to those birds with that owl call, eventually scaring every bird into claming up for the morning. A lot of times, whether it be an owl call or a turkey call, getting too close and calling too much is unnatural for a gobbler, and it will scare him off his roost, and turn the morning into a quiet wasteland of hopes and dreams. Too many hunters are swept up in the excitement of the hunt, and tend to call too much. By calling too much, if the bird is with hens, the hens will more than likely decide to take that bird away from you. Their sole purpose in the spring is to feed and mate, not necessarily in that order. Another problem is that, you may not be the only person in there trying to call the ever living hell out of the bird, so a change of pace may be the medicine the bird is looking for. I suggest to preseason scout, locate the roost sites as well as the strut zones, and then slip into within 100-200 yds above or at least on the same plane a your bird. Begin with subtle tree calls. These are muffled yelps and clucks the hen makes when wakes up in the morning. Once the gobbler responds, you need to evaluate whether he is hot or not. If your tree calls are responded with a double or triple gobble, he’s hot, there is no doubt about it. I suggest waiting for the bird to leave the roost, then maybe a few subtle yelps and clucks, with some purrs in there every now and then, if the bird gobbles with a lot of enthusiasm, put your calls down and raise your gun. He might just be on his way, and your hunt might soon be over. If the gobble responds to your tree calls, but for some reason doesn’t gobble to anything else, he may be on his way or he may have hens. If he has hens, chances are if you crank up the volume and intensity of your calling, they will respond. If you decide he has hens and they won’t come in, this is where you’re preseason scouting will come in to play. You need to take out your topographical map, discussed earlier, and try to find out where your gobbler is going. Odds say that he is heading to a strut zone with his hens, and if possible and you can do it quick enough without scaring every bird in sight, you need to beat him to the punch. I mean, get to his strut zone before he does. If you’ve done you’re scouting the way we talked about, you should know exactly where his strut zone is and how long it usually takes him to get there. Some birds take the better part of the morning to arrive at their strut zones. If you use a few of these hints, I’m sure it will make you a much more successful hunter.

IN REVIEW.........................

1. Preseason scout, know you’re terrain.
2. Find the preferred roost sites of a lonely old gobbler.
3. Find his strut zones and mark them on a topographical map.
4. Plan your early season hunt by starting soft, evaluate the gobblers reaction,
.........if he gobbles aggressively, hold your ground.
.........if you think he has hens, call aggressively, in hopes of luring them in.
.........if the hens won’t come, head to the strut zones you previously scouted.
5. Make sure you packed a pen to fill out your tag with!!!!!!