Turkey Strategy

[Nantahala Nut]

I have only hunted turkey once and did not see a single bird.  This year I have the opportunity to hunt some property where I work.  I have the pleasure of working on a 4400 acre nature preserve in the NC Smokies.  I found where they are roosting near the edge of a finger on the mountain.  I was thinking of setting up a jake and a hen 50 yards down mountain. Is this too far / too close?  I planned on waiting til good shooting light and then making some hen calls to get them headed down to the decoy.  Any advice or better strategy for this situation would be much appreciated.

[Dirtybird]

That's all good, but if you hear turkey around pink light I would do some very lite yelps to let the gobbler know there is a hen nearby.  Turkeys do a lot of chattering while still in the roost so listen carefully.

[JCS]

50 yards from the roost? Way too close.  Get there when it's still dark. Set up in an area where you've seen a lot of tracks/scat. Put you a hen out.  Get hidden and when you think you're hidden well, hide some more! Use the KISS approach. You don't need a bunch of calls and don't call a lot! Some people like to get to the woods around daylight, listen for birds, and then head towards one when they hear it.  It works for some people, but you need to be set up before light and be ready.  If your in the woods and ready you will better your chances.  Also, and most importantly, be patient.  A turkey isn't in a hurry to get anywhere...although he might come full sprint! Always have your gun ready.  Good luck.

[Whitetail Addict]

I'm no expert, and the only experience I have is with eastern birds, but depending on the cover, 50 yards may be a little too close. I like to get close, but I'm always worried about being seen by the birds. I've found too, that most of the time you're better off getting on the same level, or higher than the birds. If you can, be there a couple days before you hunt. That way you can see/hear what they do in the morning when they fly down. That way you can set up in their path, and you're not trying to call them away from where they naturally want to go. It can be tough to call them away from the hens, if there are any present and by being in a place that they travel most mornings, can give you an edge. That's not to say they'll keep the same routine every morning either, though. Be careful, you're well on your way to a life long addiction.          Good luck with the birds, and please post pictures. 23 days to go here.

Bob  `

[mangonboat]

Barry,
   I agree that trying to get to within 50 yards to set up is way too close and likely to send birds the other way once they get off the roost. Also, your set up should not be a random spot, but one where the birds are headed to, anyway. I live on a saddle of a ridgeline at 2750 feet in Buncombe County and have been surrounded by turkey's this past week ( they'll disappear when season opens Saturday). By paying attention I've found that the dominant tom has picked the biggest open area in a half mile in any direction as his strutting ground..its the asphalted intersection of my driveway and the road. But it really is the biggest open area on the saddle and you can see him strutting from 100 yards in any direction, and the terrain drops off the saddle on both sides into hardwoods. The hens feed along the edges of the asphalt, picking up dead worms, bits of gravel, etc. In the afternoons they have been favoring the sunlit areas on SW facing side of the saddle. The dominant tom seems to do more breeding and less strutting in the afternoons, but separate groups of hens, jakes and subordinate toms also favor the sunlit SW side of the saddle in the afternoons to feed. So I will probably focus my early season efforts on afternoon hunting , as the big toms are clearly still henned up.

[Dirtybird]

Always have your gun ready.  Good luck. [/QB][/QUOTE]
I thought we were bowhunting. I'm only kidding

[Dirtybird]

All good advice, turkeys will make you humble time and time again.

[Nantahala Nut]

Thanks for the info guys.  I won't be able to get above them.  Their roost is in a tiny patch of open woods surrounded by rhododendron thickets.  No way to get in quiet or have a shot.I am gonna set up 100 yards or so down the mountain in an area of open woods.  There is a bench between my spot and the roost so it should shield me from view when I walk in.  The group I am after does not have any hens in their roost right now.  There are 3 jakes and a big old tom that I have seen together almost every morning.
I have another spot I see nice toms around in the afternoon. How long should I hunt that roost before heading out if none come my way?

[Looper]

100 yards is still too close. A gobbler can hear loud yelps from a very long way away. Several hundred yards, in fact. If there are no hens with him, it should be a cinch to call him in. I'd say 200 yards is about as close as I'd want to get to a roost, but 500 wouldn't be too far. You'll make some noise getting your setup just right. In fact, I think I'd find the right spot and make my blind the evening before.

Set a hen decoy up in a hardwood flat with good visibility. Better yet would be some sort of opening. If you have access to one, a jake decoy in addition to the hen would be great. Positioning them around 12 yards from your spot should provide you with a good shot.

You'll want to hide yourself very well, with a big tree to break up your silhouette. You also want to put something in front of you, to hide your movements as you draw. A piece of burlap works well.

Some loud yelps will let the birds know a hen is in the area, and should start them moving to you. You'll know one hears you when he immediately gobbles a response to your yelps. It'll take some time for him to work his way to you, so be patient.

Once he sees your decoy, go very easy on the calling. A quiet cluck or two will be all that's needed. When he gets within 75 yards don't make a peep, unless he hangs up and won't come to you.

Once you see him, you'll want to have your bow up in front of you. If you have a jake decoy, he'll go to that first and put on a show for you. He'll be moving all around and should provide you with a good shot opportunity.

Honestly, you should have some action pretty quickly, but it could take all morning. I shot a bird opening morning at 8am, and had another hunter blow it for me yesterday at 9am (the gobbler had already seen my decoys and was coming in).

An afternoon hunt will be a little different. You likely won't hear gobblers coming in, as they tend to clam up in later in the day. They'll still come in, especially if they haven't found any hens. If they are with the hens, the trick is to get the hens to come to you. It takes a different calling technique, though.

At any rate, good luck. Make sure your up to snuff in the accuracy department and study up on where to hit them. You should be able to nail a tennis ball at 10 yards. If you can't do that regularly, don't feel bad if you need to use your shotgun.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out. Just by being out there is going to give you a great education. They are a blast to hunt.

[Nantahala Nut]

Awesome info!  I was gonna set up my spot the afternoon before and throw some cat eyes on the trees so I can find my way easy in the dark. Really just excited to carry my bow into the woods. I have been incredibly busy (bought a house 2 weeks ago, got a promotion last week, baby due tomorrow) and did not think I would have the time to hit the woods this spring.

[Whitetail Addict]

Wow, you've got a lot going on. Congrats on your baby, and the other good news as well. You're on a roll, get out there and top it all off with one of those birds.    Good luck.

Bob

[R. W. Mackey]

Well knowing where they roost is all well and good, but they are only gonna be there for a short time. Odds are real good
The Gobbler will get with his hens early and go off in whatever direction the hens decide to go. Leaving your heart pounding
And and all excited on how he answered your calls and you got to hear some great hen yelping and maybe cutting as well.
A very good learning experience.
Now if you actually want to kill one, don't try to get where they are at daylight, try to find out where those hens are going and
Be set up there waiting on them. This is the place they spend most of the day, they breed, feed, dust, nest and just hang out in these places probably 80% of the time.
Just Saying!!!

RW

[jonsimoneau]

Go back for a couple more mornings and figure out where they go when they hit the ground. I learned the hard way years ago that it's much easier to call them if you are setup where they already want to be rather than trying to call them to where YOU want to be!

[Jake Scott]

Best of luck Barry.  I live in Sylva, and you can bet I'll be after them Saturday morning.  Everyone has given great advice.  I agree with Roy 100%, there is nothing more heartbreaking than a chatty longbeard on the roost, gobbling at every sound in the woods.  Only to fly down, shut up, and follow his hens out of your life forever..  Like has been said,  figure out where they go after fly down.  There is a pile of birds up there where you'll be hunting.  There is a good chance some pre-dawn owl hoots will reveal a lot more gobblers in the area than just what you have seen.  Have you been able to identify strutting areas? The field you mention may be one of them.  I have been seeing a lot of jakes around all by themselves, which leads me to believe the mature toms have chased them all off.  A mature Tom this time of year cannot even stand the sight of a jake, and won't hardly tolerate them being around their hens, or any hens for that matter.  A jake and hen deke set could be real dynamite, planning on using one myself.  If a Tom gets within sight he may well be inclined to come run off the juvenile intruder.  If your going to get serious about turkey hunting it's addictive!!!  Also, shameless plug for Roy's pot calls here.  They're the best out there in my humble opinion.

Go get em!!

Jake

[Msbow]

If your seeing them in the same place every morning and you don't have any luck with figuring out what their routine is. Just sleep in and hunt late afternoon you will be able to get a lot closer to where they are roosting and be set up before they get back to roost for the night. You wont know exactly when they are going to show up or what direction they will come from. You might get one to gobble, but most likely he will come in silent, so you will have to be ready and still. Also, depending on how bad you want to get a turkey you can hunt all day.

[The Night Stalker]

I would find the highest flat spot within calling distance and set up there. I would take into consideration which way they would come and make sure they did not have to cross no obstacles like steep ditches. Important that the gobbler cannot get above your location. It is easy to call them up hill.

[Pete McMiller]

No expert by any means but I have found that if a Tom responds to your call in the morning and then goes off with his hens - he'll be back.  Sometimes hours later but he knows exactly where that sexy hen was calling from and won't forget it.

[Nantahala Nut]

Thanks again for all the great info guys.  There is years worth of wisdom in this thread.

There is a horse pasture about 400 yards down the mountain from the roosting area.  I have seen them in these pastures before and I generally see the most turkeys on this side of the mountain. There is a thick group of small trees and underbrush right in the middle of the pasture.  I will set up there with a camo net in front of me.  I think this will be a good spot to sit for the first day. I have a second spot below a road they like to hang out on in the afternoon.

[Jake Scott]

Good luck Barry!!  It's game time.

Jake

[Looper]

That sounds perfect. Good luck!