Help! Not sure where to hunt in the morning

[Turkeygirl]

This happens every year, I can't decide where to hunt. I went for a walk this afternoon on the farmland near my house to see if I could find that gobbler and/or the bearded hen. Well the dumb neighbors decided to saw wood below the gravel pit so that loused up that area. I walked onto this ridge and found some scratchings, maybe a day or two old, so I'm wondering if this is where the gobbler is with his hen. It seems like the turkeys are really scattered here. This evening I went over to the state land and sat on the ridge overlooking the hardwoods. The blackflies were nasty, but at about 7:45pm I hear leaves crunching and to my left a hen is walking right at me. She kind of putt putts and walks over to another hen out in front of me and the two scratch around on an old logging trail before going over the ridge and presumably to roost. I think I heard them roost but not sure. There is so much sign in there, there has to be more than 2 hens but seeing them and no gobbler was dissappointing. So I head out to the car and walking out I find a bunch of gobbler poop, youk now the straight looking ones, so that makes me think there has to be a gobbler around here somewhere but he wasn't with the hens. Do you think maybe he was out of view over the ridge when I saw the hens or somewhere else completely? I saw when I got out to the car two cars parked in the middle of the road above me with a couple guys standing out there, not sure what they are up to. Anyway I can onlt hunt until 8/8:30am tomorrow, where should I go? I don't know whether to get near those hens on the state land and hope there is a gobbler, or just hunt the land by my house and pray I hear a gobble. Heelp!

[Rhino]

Re: Help! Not sure where to hunt in the morning

Sounds like you're going to have some hunting competition on the state land to me. That would be my guess with the other 2 cars there today.

The people cutting wood shouldn't move the birds too far at all. A couple of years ago they were cutting timber on our property during turkey season and a buddy and I were working 2 gobblers in trying to get a double with the chain saws running about 250 yards away. If we hadn't gotten greedy trying for a double, the close bird would have gotten killed. I actually told my buddy to take the close bird but he didn't. I literally kicked him in the rear afterwards for not shooting.

If it were me, I'd go to the place where you saw the bearded hen. There's more sign and there's surely some gobblers around if there are hens around. No competition from other hunters to deal with there too. After all, it is opening day of your season.

[borch]

Re: Help! Not sure where to hunt in the morning

I agree with Rhino. Opening day the state land will likely be a bit of a zoo and since you saw two cars there I'd be surprised if they won't be there in the morning. I'd hit the state land during the week or later in the morning on days that you can. If you do hunt the state land I'd go deeper into the woods getting further away from the roads. Most guys will hunt within a 1/2 mile of the raod. Get in a mile or more back and you'll likely be by yourself with the turkeys.

[Turkeygirl]

Re: Help! Not sure where to hunt in the morning

Thanks guys! I guess, since I have a limited time to hunt tomorrow, I'll try my "home ground". Not sure where I'll go since I've seen sign all over, but maybe I'll set up on the ridge where I saw the scratching and from there, I can probably here that tom gobble if he does. Then, depending on how the morning, I'll either hit the state land to try to roost birds or try to roost them on the home ground. I guess I'm just worried that if a bunch of people are on the state land, they are either going to get the turkeys all messed up or shoot the gobblers, then I'll be out of luck. Oh well, wait and see. Good luck everyone!