Hardwoods or Fields?

[grizzly]

the area where i hunt is 100 acres of feilds and 150 acres of hardwood and pines it depends on the time of day early i'm hunting the woods . mid morning i'm hunting along the feilds [:D] wayne

[Everyday Hunter]

ORIGINAL: grizzly

the area where i hunt is 100 acres of feilds and 150 acres of hardwood and pines it depends on the time of day early i'm hunting the woods . mid morning i'm hunting along the feilds [:D] wayne

The more fields in an area, the more likely you'll find turkeys in them. Also, if the fields are cultivated regularly, the more likely you'll find turkeys. Old fields that are grown up into a lot of goldenrod aren't very attractive to turkeys. Hayfields with lots of clover are favored. The turkeys eat the clover, and so do grasshoppers, etc. So in fields with good hay the turkeys get both plant and animal matter. Plowed fields with freshly overturned soil offer more than fields with dead vegetation.

I think the reason I seldom find turkeys in the fields in my primary hunting area is that the fields are very old and haven't been cultivated in many years.

Steve

[JeffCrez]

I think the ideal hunting area for me would have a mix of Hardwood Ridges and fields with areas of second growth mixed in. Early season (when the woods are open) I prefer the woods. As the trees leaf out and visability decreases, I move to field edges and semi open areas. I love second growth (brushy) areas that have had trails and openings brushhogged throughout. I also keep in mind where the water sources are. Turkeys can get their fill of moisture from the morning dew but they seem to love spring seeps and will visit them right off the roost. Biologists claim that the best turkey habitat offers a mix of varying succession. I think the best hunting areas are the same way. Probably the best way to size up prospective spring hunting areas is from a nesting hen's prospective.Does the area offer good prospects for nesting? Brushy areas for nesting along with open ground with an overhead canopy. Poults can scurry around the ground with the overhead canopy providing protection from hawks. A good example of this would be rough pasture. Second growth fields that have cattle grazing under the overhead canopy keeping the floor open. At any rate, wherever the hens are in spring, that's where the gobblers will be for obvious reasons. Food sources are not a factor in spring as the diet changes to insects and mating gobblers eat very little anyway.

[grizzly]

steve the feilds i hunt are 60 acres of clover hay and 40 acres of black beans in the middle is a small one acre pond it is truely a turkey and deer honey hole. haven on earth my friend [;)] wayne