Front Range Turkeys

[WestKyHunt]

Looking for some info on finding turkeys on the front range of the Rockies.

Things like terrain types, food sources and what not.
Also, how much gobbling could one expect?

 

[manitou1]

I don't know about CO, but here in WY we find them anywhere there are creeks and soft wood trees. They do not gobble as much as their Eastern cousins IMO.

 

[WYWINCHESTER]

2021 Spring turkey. In the Big Horn mountains.

 

[Saranac84]

Find stands of ponderosa and do some scouting. In my experience, finding the general area birds are using isn’t tough. Cover ground and look for scrapes in the pine needles.

Merriam’s don’t roost in a given tree with consistency. One day they’re on a ridge, the next you’ll find them a mile away. Picking the right spot each morning is always my biggest challenge.

 

[WestKyHunt]

Find stands of ponderosa and do some scouting. In my experience, finding the general area birds are using isn’t tough. Cover ground and look for scrapes in the pine needles.

Merriam’s don’t roost in a given tree with consistency. One day they’re on a ridge, the next you’ll find them a mile away. Picking the right spot each morning is always my biggest challenge.

Better to find sign before hand and be near it at first light?
Public land birds in KY would never be in the same spot so I would be in the vicinity 30min before LST and hoot for shock gobbles

 

[squirrel]

Front range of CO is a tough nut to crack, not many birds, tons of miles of land lots of city guys doing exactly the same thing in the same spots. Any place with decent hunting is a draw, probably for good reasons. The few times it worked out for me (before I learned to go to better spots) Ponderosa slopes with oak brush and some cottonwood creek habitat were where the few birds spent their time. Holy crap do they cover ground, tracked them for 8-10 miles in a day pretty much straight line travel. Very little gobbling is the rule, but Id guess this is mostly from the lack of bird densities, when it worked it was great, didn't work very often! DRIVE... best advice you'll ever get!

 

[Art Vandeley]

Merriam’s don’t roost in a given tree with consistency. One day they’re on a ridge, the next you’ll find them a mile away.

I find quite the opposite here in the MT. Year after year, they roost in the same trees every night. The ones near my house have roosted in the same tree everyday of 2022 so far..

 

[madtom]

In my experience, Merriams tend to gobble a lot more than easterns.

 

[WestKyHunt]

I find quite the opposite here in the MT. Year after year, they roost in the same trees every night. The ones near my house have roosted in the same tree everyday of 2022 so far..

Back in Kentucky I know of flocks that have been in the same 1/4 mile area for 10+ years, with yearly hunting pressure

 

[blueridge]

@WestKyHunt , you’re gonna have to change your moniker, moving to CO and all. Good luck on figuring it all
out!

 

[WestKyHunt]

@WestKyHunt , you’re gonna have to change your moniker, moving to CO and all. Good luck on figuring it all
out!

I've had the thought, but to avoid confusion to the 4 guys that know me here I figured I'd leave it be

 

[blueridge]

I've had the thought, but to avoid confusion to the 4 guys that know me here I figured I'd leave it be

I agree. We’ve had a few of those name changes after moves, and it is confusing.
Hope you all are enjoying the move. I’m sure it’s much different than Benton!

 

[WestKyHunt]

I agree. We’ve had a few of those name changes after moves, and it is confusing.
Hope you all are enjoying the move. I’m sure it’s much different than Benton!

Nothing like selling 5 acres and a house to move into a 1 bed apartment that cost twice as much!

The wife and I are enjoying it, thus far. Ready to get out and chase some critters in a new environment!
I've already ran into a group of mulies in the mountains and whitetails on the plains

 

[Mudranger1]

I agree with a couple things...the farther away you get. The better it will get. Now I've never been anywhere where there wasn't fresh sign of people but. Hunt during the week if at all possible. I find the birds to gobble quite a bit. Gobble and run is the most often scenario lol. And they do cover tons of ground. I have often found them in the same general areas year after year but can be way different day to day. And then there's that little wintery white stuff that can dampen your plans

 

[Bluffgruff]

I find roosting birds in the evening in Colorado is much more important than it was back east. Birds can be miles away, different ridges, different creeks entirely.

 

[PrairieHunter]

If I lived in Colorado and wanted to hunt turkeys I'd gather up my stuff and drive to Nebraska. They have a lot more birds, and a lot less people. Seasons are open much of the year. The fall season is fun since nobody is hunting Turkeys at that time typically so you won't have any pressure.

 

[WestKyHunt]

Heading south Saturday, mostly to scout for Sunday.
I have three different types of terrain marked on OnX thus far; creeks, open areas surrounded by trees (I think locals call them parks?) and foothills with habitat transitions. Well I guess they are all habitat transitions.

If anyone wants to add something else to look for, I'd appreciate it

 

[Deckerp]

I am no turkey pro but have managed 2 for 3 on front range turkey. I like it cause it’s the one time I can hunt fairly often without driving super far and so get lots of hunt days in.

From my limited experience I have found them in ponderosa forests with open understory but fairly dense trees. They seem fine moving a decent ways from roost to nearest water - a least a mile. If we get some snow getting out just after the storm clears up and covering lots of ground could be a good way to find sign and it’s easy to see and cut tracks or identify new roosting droppings right after some snow. I typically don’t (but have) find any sign on steeper more densely understoried north facing slopes. The problem is there’s so much good turkey terrain that I have also never seen birds or sign in.