Hunting MI for the first time this year

[YEKRUT]

Got my tag last week and am making the 9 hour trip North May 7 - 10th this year. Someone post me up some pics of some MI birds, past kills, anything MI to give me an idea of what I am getting into.
 
Happy Hunting!

[Fan Club]

Yekrut-

Great that you will be hunting Michigan! What part of the state will you hunt?
I'm in SW Michigan, it is mostly small farms but there is some public land. We have about 250,000 birds now and gaining. Early May is primetime here, weather should be in the 50s or 60s and we'll have greenup by then. Both of the gobblers below were taken in Calhoun county-

The first pic is yours truly and a nice 3 yr old I tagged on my property last year, 2008

The second pic is my friend Ret. AF Col. Ron Wassom and his son Brady in May 2007. This was Brady's first gobbler on his first ever turkey hunt! (note the wetlands camo.)

[Fan Club]

Turns out photobucket was the way to go.
 
My PC software would let me reduce the photos but they uploaded actual size.

[icdedturkes]

Had an awesome year in Michigan last year. Last year was the most birds I had seen from my youth and went fifteen for fifteen on longbeards guiding friends and family. This year I have soso expectations with the wicked weather we have had in Northern Michigan this year.
 
I might actually spend a good deal of the season this year in s michigan hunting some of the properties down there with friends.

[YEKRUT]

Thanks for the pics and info. Going to be hunting with a friend on some private ground he has. Has lots of birds and does really well each year from what I have seen in the past. We will be in the southern part of the state. Keep the pics coming I love seeing them.

[shortyscalls]

I'm from Wisconsin and have hunted the UP for the last 3 years. It's always been great hunting.
shorty

[dmcianfa]

those are some great looking fans shorty.  Looks like everyone was smiling that year!

[YEKRUT]

Nice pics Shorty, looks like ya'll wore em out.

[Demoderby4]

As this will be my first year hunting turkey in any state [;)] what are some sound scouting tactics? Where to look? What to look for? I think I have a general idea of WHAT to look for, it's the where and how that I am more concerned with. I saw a scouting thread in the "Talkin' Turkey" forum but it seemed to get a bit off topic so I figured I would just ask here!
I plan on going out to where I will be hunting and scout a little bit after I go to the gunsmith this weekend, just trying to plan ahead so I'm not completely clueless when I'm out there. Should i approach it as I would when scouting for deer in anyway? I assume their are a few differences.... but they do say never assume anything lol! [;)]

[Fan Club]

Wow Shorty that's an impressive picture. I've often wondered how all of the cards have to fall in place for 7 guys to score on the same day when I see a lineup like that.

Demo-

Without knowing anything about the size or topography of the property you intend to hunt, your first order of business should be to determine where the turkeys roost. All daily turkey activity begins and ends at the roost site, and they usually have several. Obviously you want to look for this in the middle of the day while the turkeys are away. Avoid crossing open fields to keep your scouting low impact, you don't want to "bump" birds and alert them to impending human presence. Wear your camo. Move slowly and stop and observe every few feet looking for turkeys, feathers, footprints and droppings. What you are looking for are some of the tallest trees on the property with an assortment of horizontal limbs 30 feet off the ground or more. If the tall trees are near an embankment, that's even better. Turkeys will fly up and fly down to the hill side so the don't have so far to go. When you locate likely looking trees, circle their trunks and look for feathers and an excess amount of turkey scat, including...uh...diarrhea, a whitish spray on the leaves. Yes, turkeys too have irregular bowel movements. When you locate a roost site, you'll know it immediately, and probably feel a sense of self pride as your woodsmanship skills develop.

Actually locating turkeys, will put you on the fast track. If you see turkeys, sit down slowly and keep your movements to a minimum. You can observe them from a distance with binoculars, try to determine their direction of travel and identify their current food source. Areas in the woods where a wide path of leaves have been scratched and overtuned indicate a turkey flock has moved through the area. Note the location and direction of travel for future reference. It wouldn't be a bad idea to utilize a small spiral notebook. Avoid traipsing down old two tracks or deer trails, turkeys like semi-open areas for security from predators and you'll just maximize your chance of bumping birds by walking on them.

Turkeys usually leave the roost, mill around for while and then head for a food source. Mid day they will inhabit loafing areas and strut zones. In the evening they will return to the roost. Your job is to ascertain where the roost areas, feeding areas and strut zones are without educating the birds that they are being observed/followed/patterned a/o hunted. Once you put the pieces of the puzzle together you can begin to assemble a game plan to hunt them.

This is all an overview and oversimplification of course, there are many variables involved. Turkey behavior changes as the season progresses, likewise food sources and roost sites change. You have professed to being a raw beginner so if you don't know what you are looking for- find out. Google up "turkey poop photos", "turkey wing feather photos", "turkey footprint photos", "strut mark photos" and anything else you can think of to positively identify what you are looking for.

That should get you started. When you begin to pattern daily turkey movement, you'll have a better idea of where to position yourself to set up and try to call them in. The satisfaction you'll feel after all of your efforts pay off and you tag a gobbler will be tremendous. That being said, the turkeys are far better teachers than an old turkey hunter such as myself, just get out there and let it happen.