Spring 2004 Issue

Hunters take twice as many wild turkeys on opening day than during any other day of the spring season. So being in the right place at the right time on opening morning is important to a good hunt.

Scouting is the key. You’ve got to find where the birds are roosting or strutting and be ready at dawn when they fly down.

Good turkey scouting is much like patterning a trophy buck: You want to learn the animal’s habits without spending so much time in the woods that you chase your quarry elsewhere.

"If you have permission to hunt a 150-acre farm – this is a fairly common size farm in Kentucky – don’t scout three or four days before the start of the season or you could scare the birds to another farm," said Joe Bland, Kentucky chapter president of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Instead, Bland suggests, start your scouting with your ears instead of your feet.

Drive along ridges before dawn and listen for gobbling to pinpoint the location of roosts. Tom turkeys gobble more from the roost than when they’re on the ground. Turkeys do this because the sound of their gobble travels farther when they’re in an elevated place.

Try an owl or crow call while it’s still dark outside if you suspect turkeys are in the area but you can’t hear them. This sound usually provokes a gobble.

Jim Lane, wild turkey biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said toms may gobble at any sudden noise, even the sound of a car door slamming. "I think something startles them and they respond by gobbling," he said. "It’s like if something startles you, you may jump back and yell."

Turkeys may roost within the branches of a mature hardwood tree or tuck into the thick cover of a cedar tree. Turkeys roost to give themselves protection from predators.

Where is the best place to set up opening morning? Most hunters prefer getting within 100 yards or closer to the roost.

Strut zones are another good place for a morning set-up. Strut zones typically are found in the nearest undisturbed open field or logging road to the roost. Tom turkeys strut to attract hens; they do this by puffing out their chest and fanning their broad tails. However, this display is a waste of time if no hen can see them. That’s why toms need open areas, or strut zones, which in turn makes them vulnerable to hunters.

Sometimes a strut zone is too open for hunters to remain undetected. Ground blinds are handy in these situations.

Bland suggests setting up a ground blind a week or more before the season starts. "Don’t go early in the morning or late in the afternoon," he said. "That could alter the birds’ route. Instead, go in the middle of the day."

Spring turkey season begins April 15. Last year, 4,361 hunters brought home a bird on opening day. With some careful preseason scouting, you can put yourself in the right place at the right time this year.

Copyright 2004 Kentucky Afield Magazine.  All rights reserved.