I think turkey...

[FunForFree33]

...Are just peoples pets they let fly out in the road every now and then. I have accumulated 50+ hours this week trying to get my first ever turkey. But havent seen as much as a feather on the ground. I have been trying alot of diffrent state lands but have had no luck. Anyone know of any places to get one. I am in Ulster County NY. Or anyone wanna take a newbie out and help them along  I would be very happy.. I am in the kingston Location.

[blackradio]

I got about 20 yards from a group of 20+ turkeys about 3 weeks ago. Couldn't get a shot though as I was on my knees. I spooked them and they were gone. I haven't seen them since but see signs of them every day.

[ADKSasquatch]

Try going out at night and listening and try to find where they're roosting.  Put the birds to bed and you'll know where they are in the morning...

[Jennifer]

I'm no where near you so I regret that I can't help put you on birds, but here are a few things you can try if you aren't already.

By the way, don't feel bad, I've been out after them for a good 30 or 35 hours myself since the season opened and have been skunked too. This is despite scouting all of Sept. and Oct. trying to pattern some birds (no luck there!!). Sometimes a few years pass before I get the opportunity to take one, so don't loose heart. I still love it.

Turkeys tend to prefer mixed woods. This is not always the case but it is a trend. They will go where the food is, and for a turkey that can be a lot of different things! When it's warmer, they love to pick bugs in fields (especially pastures, around here). They like most any woodland nut or seed, and insects they find in the leaf litter. If the beech trees where you live are producing nuts with meat inside (they are all hollow over here this year) then that is a good place to check. If there is food on them, they often work ridges and if the food is abundant will even happily walk and feed in logging roads, where their main form of defense (their eyesight!) is best. This year 90% of the scratchings I've found have been from birds working right down the logging/atv/whatever roads.

As you hunt, look for turkey scratchings. These are areas where they feed where they scratch away the leaf litter and other woodland debris to feed. Depending on the weather, it can possible to 'age' the scratchings and judge if they were made that day or not. Look for turkey droppings in the area of scratchings and you can sort of get an idea of age this way as well (how fresh is the poo?). Hens tend to make round droppings whereas jakes and gobblers make "J" shaped droppings. Checking out the number of scratching in an area as well as the gender of the droppings can give you an idea as to what type of birds were working the area. Hunting a flock with hens and yearling birds is often more successful in the fall because they are more apt to respond to kee-kee runs. Everyone likes a big gobbler, sure, but there is nothing like breaking a big flock of birds and calling one back in!

You can tell which direction a turkey was pointed when they dug, too. The leaves are raked backward toward their tails. If you find a lot of scratchings that all go the same way, the chances are good that the turkeys were all traveling in the same direction and feeding as they went. A group of scratchings that point every which way is usually a flock that is milling around and feeding in an area.

If you find scratchings, pay attention to see if you can tell if there are old scratchings along with the new. This is a sign that the birds are returning to that area to feed again and again and may be part of their daily pattern. Another thing this could mean is that they may have a roost area nearby. Birds tend to feed rather heavily as soon as they fly down/just before they fly up if there is good food in the area. They sort of mill around and wait for the others to group up before heading out on their daily travels. If you find an area that has old, new, and many scratchings that don't seem to go in a certain area, this is a good place to check out and listen pre-dawn or just at sunset when they go to roost.

A still, quiet afternoon/evening is a good time to stop and just listen and see if you can hear them fly up. Their wings make a loud and distinct  'whoom' noise like a giant grouse in slow motion! Sometimes they will talk quietly to each other when they roost too.

When hunting an area where I don't know where the turkeys are (this sadly has been the case this year!) I will get to the woods before sunrise, I try and plan it so that I can get into the woods and in a good area to listen as the sky starts to get that blue color that tells you that daylight is coming. Keep an eye on the treeline for big black blobs! Then I'll listen (if this darn wind ever stops, it's been terrible lately) and see if anyone is gonna chat it up while on the roost. In the fall it's more common that flocks will talk once they fly down, to gather up and be on their way, but sometimes you can hear them chat quietly as the dawn comes. As flydown time approaches I will often try a few calls and some kee-kees (this is 'I'm lost where are you?' call, momma hens often respond the strongest to this) to see if I can get a bird to answer.

Other than that, I will 'still hunt'... that is, walk a few steps, stop and listen. If it's a dry day out and the leaves are crunchy you will often hear them moving before you see them. This is good because turkeys have remarkably good eyesight and if you see them there is a good chance they will see you too!

Remember to be safe; assume that every turkey call you hear is 'another guy'. Call the birds to you, don't stalk them, and always be aware a guy could try and stalk your call so keep safe. If you are on public land (or anywhere really) and you are working some birds in to a call, it's worth the expense to buy one of those blaze orange tree bands and put it on or near the tree you are sitting at, to help let other hunters know you are there. Stationary blaze orange on a tree usually won't bother turkeys a bit.

Best wishes! There's nothing like fall turkey hunting. I far prefer it over spring. I hope something here helps.

[apertureguy]

For me, the only time I seem to see Turkey is in the guy's front long on my way to work. Every day I see several there.

So tempting too!

[TH41]

They haven't been as vocal the past week and a half. But they are spending more time in the woods for this time of the year. A lot of mast. Cornfields will start to appeal to them eventually?? LOL! Pattern them is the best fall tactic I can tell ya. If your not seeing scratchings,droppings,or hearin them. They may not be there,sorry to say. Keep at them they go in fall feeding patterns. And they can travel a long ways in a day.

[Jennifer]

And they can travel a long ways in a day.

Isn't that the truth! On opening day we cut some fresh scratchings just after flydown and followed them trying to catch up with the flock. They were scratching right in the road the whole way so we knew that we weren't just spooking them. 2 miles later and they crossed onto posted land where we couldn't follow and we hadn't caught up with them.

We went back to the flydown area in the afternoon and hung around, hoping they'd come back to roost but never saw a feather or heard a peep!

[FunForFree33]

Thanks for all the info. I keep trying who knows maybe I will get one there is still some time. I am going out now in the dark to see if I can here anything. Thanks a buch if I am out trying I have a chance. I wount get one sitting on the couch..

[whitetailfreak]

If you want to get on them just go deer hunting and they will fglock to you,and thell leave as soon as you go out turkey hunting

[jr.deerslayer]

If you want to get on them just go deer hunting and they will fglock to you,and thell leave as soon as you go out turkey hunting

Same with anything you plan to hunt. Deer, rabbit, squirrel.

[gundeck]

If you want to get on them just go deer hunting and they will fglock to you,and thell leave as soon as you go out turkey hunting

I am pretty sure that they ship squirrels in to my stands during deer season! 

(Oh, and I got my first every turkey this weekend!  Who says you can't find anything on public land?)

[FunForFree33]

Been out everyday for weeks havent gotten anything Havent even seen a feather

[Jennifer]

I've been skunked this year too. I can't go out every day due to work but I've been out chasin' turkeys 7 days this season, sun up till set. For whatever reason I've never been able to really pattern the birds here as they seem to follow a different routine daily and change roosting spots often. I found a heavily used roosting area and even that hasn't helped me this year.

None of the birds want to talk, either... and I think I know why. Nearly every time we've called this year we've had fox or coyotes come running to the turkey calls! I bet the birds learned quickly not to talk too much if it brought a predator running each time. This is the first year that's happened to us.