Hunting turkeys on public land is, in general, harder than hunting turkeys on private land. Some reasons for this could be the sheer ratio of birds to land or overpressure. But fear not, hunting turkeys on public land is fun, achievable, and an exciting challenge. Here are some tips on how to hunt gobblers on public land.

Keep the Ratio in Mind

The ratio of turkeys, land, and hunters should be considered when hunting for the birds. On private land there is less acreage, which means there is less room for hunters to hunt. The only people hunting on private land are the landowners and their approved hunting guests. So, of course there are less hunters to compete against. Because there’s not as much hunting pressure, you might see a higher number of turkeys gravitate to private land, but don’t be discouraged. If a plot of public land is unpressured, you’re going to see a lot of birds on that property as well. You’re just going to have to cover more ground for the public land turkeys.

Avoid Congested Areas

When you get to your chosen public land area, check to see how many other hunters there are. Did you see a lot of cars in the parking lot? Did you pass a lot of blinds among the trees? If you see evidence of too many hunters, turn around and choose another location. If all of the hunters are concentrated at the entrance, take the time to scout out another way into the area. You might find a section of land that’s untapped and unpressured. Our Stump Scout blinds are easy to haul through the woods, so you can pull the blind behind your ATV for as long as you need to to find the perfect spot and you won’t have to worry about setting it up when you get there. You can just drop it down and walk on in.

Keep Calling

Keep up your turkey calls, even if there are other hunters in the area. They might be calling the turkeys as well, but if your calls are more convincing, they’re going to gravitate toward you and not them. Focus on the time around sunrise when the turkeys will be flying down from their nightly roost. They’re susceptible to calling during this time.

Try Again Later

Though dawn is a great time for turkey hunting, it’s not the only time. Try going back out to the same spot later in the day when there are less hunters. If your schedule allows you to go out during working hours when there aren’t as many hunters in the field, you can capitalize on this window of opportunity. Just remember to always wear blaze orange when hunting on foot. If you’re hunting from a Stump blind, place an orange covering over the top of it or along the side.

Hunting public land turkeys from one of our Stump Scout blinds will make the process more comfortable and more efficient. The heavy insulation allows you to talk amongst your hunting friends without disrupting the gobblers. You can open the silent windows and listen for activity, whether it’s identifying other hunters or listening for the birds themselves.

How do you hunt turkeys on public land? Let us know your tactics in the comments below!

 

 

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