Scouting Difficulties

[retranger]

I don't do much scouting early. I have areas that I hunt regularly and know the birds will be around. I will check these areas a couple weeks before the season to see what has come in. At times if you go before they break up you won't see any sign and when season comes along there are plenty of birds. If I find new property to hunt I will go early just to learn the lay of the land. I do ride around and watch the flocks of birds early but don't really do any planning on what I see. They probably won't be there when they break up and move on.

PS By the way Jim how is the hernia doing?

[Cut N Run]

Doug,
That hernia is feeling a whole lot better than before surgery, thanks. I'm healing up nicely & feeling pretty sporty. I felt good enough to work on cutting on a new trail at the horse farm last weekend. It is close to done & I'll finish up with it this coming weekend. I would have finished it last weekend, but I'm a bit out of shape from lying around taking it easy for more than a month.

I found some turkey scratchings along the ridge the new trail follows too. I also found another stone lined pit that was used for a still back in the day. There were a number of metal barrel bands on the ground from casks that rotted over time. There's a good reason there are so many old Mason jars in the woods around here. Just Sayin'

Jim

[retranger]

Jim,,,know what you mean being out of shape. I have been laying around since the first of August. Just got a load of logs for fire wood so I work on that a little at a time. Still limited to the 20 lb thing for another week. Every thing should come together so I can get out do some scouting the middle of next month.

[Tom21inNM]

On Scouting, have I got a story for you all. I hunt with my Brother in law, we have 3 spots where we have definate Turkey action, We have seen sign there at all times of the year. So we decide to set up a couple game Cameras in the area to just see what we can, No preconcieved hopes just fishing for more solid eveidence. We headed back up there last weekend, and wouldnt you know it, the Forest Service has the gate closed and locked, (Fire Danger) god only knows when we can get back in to get the cameras, we did get a little rain, so we'll call Friday and see if the road is opened, I am hoping for more rain before April or we may have no areas open at that point. Ok a little extreme theres still 2 feet of snow in the other 2 areas so theyve got some moisture. It just goes to show what most of you all said, scouting too early may not help too much as things change a lot over a short period of time.

[Gopherlongbeards]

I like to scout early (a month or two before season), but its mainly just an excuse for me to get out walking in the woods; get back into shape a little bit; and knock off some of the rust. For me its tough to walk quietly and be "in tune" with whats going on out there at teh drop of a hat once season starts. I've found a 1-2 hour walk in the woods every week or so starting a few months before season helps get me in the right state of mind, for lack of a better term. Any birds or sign I see are just gravy. I also like to call when I'm out scouting. I don't feel it bothers the turkeys any, plus calling in the "real world" is a bit different than practicing at home. Try running a mouth call after you've just climbed up a 500 ft ridge for instance, a little different than sitting in the truck practicing. I think this helps knock off a couple days of warm up time once its for real. Plus it lets me scratch the itch. I'm a tad bit obsessed though, just ask my wife

[swpatrkyhunter]

Scout as many areas as you can. Look for food sources and good roosting areas. Turkeys will generaly roost in areas where they have a good veiw of the area around them with close food and water sources. Alot of times they will roost the same areas year after year because they were born there. But sometimes that will change because of predators. When you scout look for not only turkey signs but also keep aware of signs of coyotes or anything else that might keep birds from being in that area. The birds in my area where I hunt return to the same roosts every year, or at least in very close proximity. When looking for what trees they are useing I look for droppings, large scratched up areas, feathers, poo on trees, and sometomes I will look with my binoculars at branches to see if they are scratched up from the turkeys nails. Keep a hunting jurnal to help you keep track of your scouting trips and what you find or don't find in a particular area. Good luck!