I have hunted big game and most species of birds but have never turkey hunted. I will be in eastern Montana this spring and was hoping I could learn something from anyone with some experience. I am not looking for any spots to go, most of the fun for me is learning that myself. What I am not sure about is how to go about scouting an area to hunt? I have seen some turkeys while deer hunting in a couple different areas, would starting where I have seen them in early to mid-November be a good starting point? If I don't see or hear turkeys what are some land features to look for? The ones I have seen have not been near any agriculture or river bottom areas, either way it will be fun to give it a try and I would love to hear any tips you experienced gobbler hunters may have for me. I guess if I can't find any after a couple weeks I can always head back home and take my turkey aggression out on a big spring bear.
Eastern MT turkey hunting
- Thread starter Jonesy125
- Start date
Randy has an episode where he hunts turkeys on public land in eastern MT. Basically cover lotsa ground glassing and listening. They gobble the most at sunup. They usually will roost high unless its very windy. Go for it. Turkey hunting is addictive !
Poke 'Em
Well-known member
The biggest thing to look for out where I live is trees. If you can find trees, you have a decent chance of finding turkeys.
Feathers, tracks, poop and of course, gobbling.
Starting where you saw them in November is not a bad idea, just don't get discouraged if there's no birds or fresh sign now. I've hunted birds that live in a core area all year, and I've hunted areas that only have turkeys a small portion of the year.
Starting where you saw them in November is not a bad idea, just don't get discouraged if there's no birds or fresh sign now. I've hunted birds that live in a core area all year, and I've hunted areas that only have turkeys a small portion of the year.
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hobbes
Guest
It somewhat depends where you plan to hunt. Eastern MT has birds in the cottonwood riverbottoms and ponderosa pine country. Cottonwood riverbottoms will be easier to glass to find birds.
Ponderosa pine country will be tough to glass birds in, but you may some success glassing the openings. Tracks can typically be found in wet areas along the trails and roads. The birds are spread thin over big country, so you could walk all day and never see a feather or droppings, but they are good indications of birds in the vicinity.
One of the best ways to find birds is to cover lots of ground just before and after daybreak and try to hear birds gobbling on the roost. It's not completely necessary, but locator calls used just as you start to see some orange in the eastern sky can get a response. I like to use a coyote howler and a good owl call.
Same as trying to locate elk, listen from high points. Start with short blasts from the call and quickly listen for birds that respond immediately or have a partner stand 20' away so he or she can hear birds that respond immediately.
Not hearing birds doesn't necessarily mean there aren't birds around, but Merriam's like to talk. They won't stay quiet for too long.
Ponderosa pine country will be tough to glass birds in, but you may some success glassing the openings. Tracks can typically be found in wet areas along the trails and roads. The birds are spread thin over big country, so you could walk all day and never see a feather or droppings, but they are good indications of birds in the vicinity.
One of the best ways to find birds is to cover lots of ground just before and after daybreak and try to hear birds gobbling on the roost. It's not completely necessary, but locator calls used just as you start to see some orange in the eastern sky can get a response. I like to use a coyote howler and a good owl call.
Same as trying to locate elk, listen from high points. Start with short blasts from the call and quickly listen for birds that respond immediately or have a partner stand 20' away so he or she can hear birds that respond immediately.
Not hearing birds doesn't necessarily mean there aren't birds around, but Merriam's like to talk. They won't stay quiet for too long.
Thanks Hobbes, this is probably a stupid question but I don't know much about turkey behavior, when do turkeys gobble the most, is it like an elk or deer rut where you have a "magic" week or two? Is it too early now to start heading out around daybreak in hopes of hearing them? I think I'm going to focus on some poderosa pine type country, I'll cover ground and look for sign, glass and hope to hear something.
I just found Randy's show that was mentioned, not really what I expected of turkey hunting, fortunately for me that's a good thing as I'm not very good at sitting around. The cover ground and call from ridges approach seems to suit me a lot better, the country I'm planning on checking out first looks pretty similar to the terrain Randy was hunting in so maybe I'm on the right track.
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hobbes
Guest
They are gobbling right now. I listened to several toms last week in the mountains where I'll call for a buddy with a limited special license and I heard toms gobbling this morning in a cottonwood riverbottom in Eastern MT. This morning was a little windy and rainy, so they didn't want to talk much.
You can be sure of one thing.......there is no absolute with turkeys.
They typically like to gobble the most in the mornings. They'll start gobbling from the tree well before they fly down on days that they are gobbling good. They'll gobble throughout the morning (the day sometimes). They'll gobble more if they don't have hens with them because they are lonely. If they have hens, they'll hit the ground gobble a few times then spend most of their time strutting with the occasional gobble. It may be a gobble at a hen yelping or a shock gobble at a crow that flies over and makes a lot of racket.
They will also gobble in the evenings. Primarily just before and after they fly up into the tree. Merriam's for the most part are blabber mouths and will readily gobble on the roost in the evenings more readily than a typical Eastern will.
When you are hunting, try to get within a reasonable distance to roosted birds before they fly down. Base this on terrain and cover. "Close" may be as far as 300 yards if it's getting light and it's flat open country, but I like to make it to 150 or closer if conditions allow (I really like less than 100, but that can be pushing it). If you don't have them roosted, you can allow them to gobble on their own then take off in their direction. I like to try and get a response with an owl or coyote early enogh that I can get to distant birds before or soon after they fly down. Merriam's typically have a destination in mind and will sometimes start moving quickly, so I want to try and persuade them my directions ASAP.
If I can't find birds early or the birds I do find leave and shut up, I'll start covering ground on the ridgetops. At that point, I prefer to locate with loud excited yelping, but again.......allow the conditions to dictate that. I'll try to use a crow call also so I have plenty of time to set up if I hear a response, but if that isn't getting it done, I'll go right to loud yelping.
Just because you don't hear birds doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there, but instead it could just be one of those days that they keep their mouth shut. I'm not much on hanging out and waiting on silent birds, I go looking for one that wants to play. You run the risk of bumping birds that way, but it's still my preference. You just have to pay attention on public ground that you aren't running over someone else. I never call to a bird that someone else is already set up on and working, public ground or not. Everyone won't offer that same courtesy.
That may be more than you were looking for.
You can be sure of one thing.......there is no absolute with turkeys.
They typically like to gobble the most in the mornings. They'll start gobbling from the tree well before they fly down on days that they are gobbling good. They'll gobble throughout the morning (the day sometimes). They'll gobble more if they don't have hens with them because they are lonely. If they have hens, they'll hit the ground gobble a few times then spend most of their time strutting with the occasional gobble. It may be a gobble at a hen yelping or a shock gobble at a crow that flies over and makes a lot of racket.
They will also gobble in the evenings. Primarily just before and after they fly up into the tree. Merriam's for the most part are blabber mouths and will readily gobble on the roost in the evenings more readily than a typical Eastern will.
When you are hunting, try to get within a reasonable distance to roosted birds before they fly down. Base this on terrain and cover. "Close" may be as far as 300 yards if it's getting light and it's flat open country, but I like to make it to 150 or closer if conditions allow (I really like less than 100, but that can be pushing it). If you don't have them roosted, you can allow them to gobble on their own then take off in their direction. I like to try and get a response with an owl or coyote early enogh that I can get to distant birds before or soon after they fly down. Merriam's typically have a destination in mind and will sometimes start moving quickly, so I want to try and persuade them my directions ASAP.
If I can't find birds early or the birds I do find leave and shut up, I'll start covering ground on the ridgetops. At that point, I prefer to locate with loud excited yelping, but again.......allow the conditions to dictate that. I'll try to use a crow call also so I have plenty of time to set up if I hear a response, but if that isn't getting it done, I'll go right to loud yelping.
Just because you don't hear birds doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there, but instead it could just be one of those days that they keep their mouth shut. I'm not much on hanging out and waiting on silent birds, I go looking for one that wants to play. You run the risk of bumping birds that way, but it's still my preference. You just have to pay attention on public ground that you aren't running over someone else. I never call to a bird that someone else is already set up on and working, public ground or not. Everyone won't offer that same courtesy.
That may be more than you were looking for.
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hobbes
Guest
If I was hunting Easterns in "smaller" country, I'll still cover ground if I'm not hearing birds, but not to the same extent. Some guys that are hunting smaller blocks of private land do not have that option. They sit, call, and wait. I was always up and on to the next property.
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hobbes
Guest
I should also add..........when you are just trying to locate birds (especially before season), the roads are your friend. Drive the roads and cover lots of ground at daybreak trying to find gobbling birds. If you get some located and want to try to narrow down what they are doing on another day, have at it, but I like to find as many as possible before season. Also, some of these birds are more nomadic than others and will range far and wide.
Poke 'Em
Well-known member
I walked 4 miles through country I know holds turkeys before I found a flock this morning. In the open country out here, they can have a substantial range.
I know where I'll be in 6 days, but I'm prepared to hike a few miles if Plan A doesn't work out.
I know where I'll be in 6 days, but I'm prepared to hike a few miles if Plan A doesn't work out.
I had some luck this morning as well, got to the area I wanted to check out well after daylight and took a few short walks, up until the last hike I had seen zero sign and was wondering if there were even turkeys in this area. I finally saw a lot of turkey tracks in some soft dirt walked about 30 yards and stumbled right upon 3 hens. I only covered a small portion of some pretty big country so I think I have a good starting point!!!!
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hobbes
Guest
That's good. There should be some toms somewhere around.
I'm hoping to spend some time in the ponderosas in Eastern MT myself. If my son can get the days off, we'll be out there this weekend. I'll hunt a little closer to home if he can't.
Good Luck!
I'm hoping to spend some time in the ponderosas in Eastern MT myself. If my son can get the days off, we'll be out there this weekend. I'll hunt a little closer to home if he can't.
Good Luck!
