Locating PM turkeys in BIG woods?

[Amos Keeto]

Macintosh - I’ve been hunting turkeys for over 20 years, but consider myself a relative novice.

Sorry, but I just gotta laugh at that! LMBO!

I finally got "into" turkey hunting in the spring of 2003!

The fallacy!
THE VERY "FIRST" time I went turkey hunting on my own, I called (?) in 2 toms...AND KILLED THEM BOTH!
I thought, to myself, "turkey hunting is a breeze"!
The FACT!
My first turkey hunt was blind, dumb luck! I have spent the last 23 years learning just how little I DO know about turkey hunting!
If there is ANYTHING I enjoy, it's learning something new about turkey hunting! Which is everytime I go hunting them!
1) There is nothing more rewarding than calling a big, mature tom into range!
2) There is nothing more frustrating, AND fun at the same time, as trying everything you know, and he STILL won't come into range!

My best "advice" would be to spend some late afternoons, scouting for roosts, if that's possible.
Knowing where they like to bed down gives you a double advantage.
You can set up an ambush to catch them on the way to roost.
You can also catch them coming off the roost. As a general rule, turkeys have a goal in mind when they fly down.
Food, water or mating. Just gotta figure out which way they go for what.

P.S. - Best of luck! Good hunting!

 

[eidsvolling]

Turkeys in Northern New England like to roost in white pines that are tall enough and have enough cover near the trunk for weather protection. Spend some time this winter looking for favored roosting trees and you’ll learn what to look for when the season opens.

Signed,
Former NH resident whose favorite turkey story involves being stalked by a bobcat on opening day at sunrise. Stone walls are not the protection you might imagine them to be. ;-)

 

[throwdarts]

If I were in your shoes & not able to hunt these humbling birds in the afternoon I'd recommend changing your residency. If that wasn't possible for you (like scouting preseason), I'd cruise ridgetops in the afternoon trying to elicit a gobble trying to make it as efficient as possible to cover as much ground as possible. Big woods are hard because they got everything they need seemingly everywhere, but turkeys are history buffs & you should be too, so don't give up & remember where you find them by fresh sign or sound. Camera's are great for sign so you can get an idea of when they like to coming through said area. As far as making them sound off, they don't have to gobble & we can't make them cause they already know where they're going to meetup with the ladies or settle the dominance of the day, so if you can figure out where they're daily routine takes them, then you're 90% there to a fresh turkey tenderloin sandwich. As far as trying to make them sound off, I find it's better to have a partner to listen 20-30 yds away cause most of the calls that gives them no choice but to shock gobble, atleast in my mind, are loud & high pitched often ringing the callers ears deaf at the exact moment they shock. I carry more locators than some, but not all, & they're a owl, coyote, hawk, crow, dog whistle & the old trusty box. While going out I'd spend a minute or two every 100-200 yds on each sequence with the box call cutting & listen for toms & hens, then move on till dark. Then on your way back to the truck (if you don't drive a truck disregard all this info cause it won't work for you) use your annoying call of choice at the same intervals. If you get one to sound off mark it & move on now knowing he's in the area in the morning. Now that the first light is a hour away & you haven't slept because you got one to sound off the afternoon before, be where you heard him & try to locate him again with the same call he was shocked to hear the day prior (unless it was a box call cause we don't call to toms on the limb & then use the old trusty owl) Then proceed whether he shocks or not with that every 7-8 minutes until either you close in at 75-100 yds of his new revealed location or estimate from the afternoon before. Now I'm assuming because they don't seem to be vocal like they are in my part of the country because you've killed them in there before..I'd stay patient & soft talk him, but if he wants it a little rough, then by all means give it to him & let him know who the boss is. Best of luck to you, hope this helps & drop a picture for us if you drop the hammer