New to this...

[brandon]

we have about 18-20 turkeys that keep coming into our corn piles this year. ive never turkey hunted, but have read a lot and think im gonna give it a shot. is this a good place since they are already there? should i try and locate there roosting place the night before? thanks.

[THE DEER HUNTER]

Could be, but from what I understand they are in different places in spring vs. fall. Also, be sure your not hunting near that corn! ;D

[brandon]

corn will be long gone by spring im sure.... its for the deer.

[osprey]

Many will move from spring to fall, but you should still have enough to hunt. Bait must be gone 10 days before hunting, so you can feed 'em for a long time yet.

[bucksathome]

Start to scout 3rd week of March. You need to purchase an owl hoot, and a crow call,. Go out eary when the sun is starting to rise and try to get on a hill where you can here well. listen for toms to gobble, if nothing after some time, try using your owl hoot,or crow call to shock gobble them. This will give you an idea where to start . Do some scouting in the woods too.Look for scratchings ( they look triangler shaped). Look on ridge sides , especially on oak flats or even where you see new shoots starting to grow. Look for droppings as well , they look a lot like goose droppings. The gobbler,s poop looks like the letter J, 2 - 3 inches long. You need to know which way they like to travel when they fly down from there roost. Also where is there water on the property??? A lot of times they will roost near water in big tall trees (oaks, beech). I f you need some help to call one in , i would be glad to help you out!!! Get yah some turkey calls, box call, slate call to start out with, quick and easy to learn how to use. Where do you live in so, m.d. ?? In New Market you can purchase some turkey stuff at Cartwrights Texaco . I don,t know if he has brought out his 2008 sring turkey selection as of yet , might be a little early. But there is a start. If you ever want to talk some turkey give me a shout, because i love to hunt these critters. I think you will like it , too!

[bucksathome]

brandon said:

we have about 18-20 turkeys that keep coming into our corn piles this year. ive never turkey hunted, but have read a lot and think im gonna give it a shot. is this a good place since they are already there? should i try and locate there roosting place the night before? thanks.

Hey have you checked into Cartwrights to see if there turkey stock is in , if not i,ll stop in there tommorrow and let you know. I might even purchase a new mouth call. I,ll keep you posted.

[bucksathome]

Ducksnbucks,

I stopped in cartwrights today to check on the turkey supply, and they said would not be in stock till end of Feb. Maybe order some calls through Cabelas or Basspro shops.

[bucksathome]

brandon said:

thanks, that is a lot of helpful info. im in charles county. im gonna order some stuff here in a week of to.

Hey, if you ever want to talk turkey or have a question i,m here . I am no master but if i can help someone with my turkey hunting expierances and by my mistakes , then so be it. I wish i had a website like this to refer to when i first started turkey hunting!! I learned by trial and error.

Oh yah , yesterday my brother went into the woods to get his deer stand and said he saw at least 30 turkeys on the ground and in the roost!! I,m getting fired up!!!!!! GET-R-DUN!

[brandon]

yea, since I dont hunt deer much after the rut (cold, not as much activity, pressured, pregnant does, bucks with droped horn(s), etc.), and duck goes out this weekend I need something else to keep my hunting itch in check, so I figured turkey could be it. Especially since there are so many now-a-days. I usually do a lot of fishing that time of year, but hunting has got me by the balls recentley.

[bucksathome]

Yah i know what youu mean . Deer hunting is basically over, football is over(redskin fan) and i start to think turkey hunting. I was on Hunterspecialties .com today, and they got some cool new locater and turkey calls . You might want to check it out!!

[brettgerhart]

Turkey is the perfect cure for deer season being over! I got hooked last year! It was such a rush hearing the turkey get closer but not being able to see him. Then he blows up when he sees the decoys....... the rest is history! You need to go!!!! I'll even take you if you want to go!

[nybuckstalker]

Bucksathome gives sound advice but I am an advocate for passive pre-season scouting. By that I mean, be in the woods, look around and listen hard, but make NO noise prior to season. When the time comes, the crow and owl could help locate a quite bird. I am used to hunting in pressured areas where Toms have gobbled hundreds of times to hunters walking the same routes blowing similar toned crow and owl calls from Wal-Mart. You could drop a bomb after the first week and it would fall on deaf ears. I know I'm repeating myself from another post but I have a brother-in-law that likes to call in Toms prior to season to "Take a look at them". He has a hard time killing them in season because he has educated them so much. I would recommend being a casual observer in March and early April and pull out all the tricks come opening day. Good luck Ducksnbucks!

[Huntin'Fever]

I second what NYbuckstalker said....

[brandon]

just got me a leafy bug suit and turkey vest!! getn ready...

[The Old HairyHead]

I agree with nybuckstalker. Start scouting now. I use my crow call and owl call, but I have better luck roosting them with my owl call. I'd try roosting them the evening before, that way you know where to go and can take your time gettting in the there quietly.