Scouting Before Bowhunting Wild Turkeys

Whitetail season is over and you're still itching for some wicked bowhunting action that offers a wild challenge. You're in luck, no longer do you have to wait until next fall to bring that bow down and shoot at something. Spring wild turkey season is just around the corner and right now is the time to start getting ready.

Scouting for turkeys is just as important as scouting for deer. You need to know where the gobblers are before you can even think about hunting them. To get started you're going to have to get up pre-dawn, early bird gets the worm and all. Actually, this is when turkeys are the most vocal. You'll hear the best and most active gobbling right at dawn or shortly thereafter. On a side note, when out scouting do not bring any calling gear or decoys. Your sole purpose is to locate the birds.

Now that you've located a few birds it's time to hop in your truck and simply drive around. Use your binoculars to look out over open fields and down into gullies where you've seen wild turkeys in the past. By finding out where they go after waking in the morning you'll be able to begin figuring out some sort of pattern to their activity.

In the evening, try and locate where these turkeys are roosting. By doing so, you give yourself a distinct advantage in knowing where to locate yourself in the mornings. If your hunting is going to be limited to evening hunts, this will also show you where you should setup to wait for the birds as they work their way to roost.

An advantage of spring bowhunting for wild turkeys is that this is their mating season. The toms are primarily interested in one thing, finding a hen and reproducing. The advantage? They're not paying attention to you, the hungry bowhunter. In addition, throughout the day toms will visit their favorite locations to strut their stuff. These locations are call 'strut zones'. Locating and bowhunting a turkey's strut zones can sometimes be the difference between success and failure.