Photo: Game of Inches

Now that you’ve decided to try bowhunting turkeys, you need to find the perfect land for your turkey hunts. Once you’ve hit the goldmine of gobblers, you’ll be putting turkey on your table all spring.

Water Sources

One of the most important aspects of turkey hunting is making sure you are hunting on land that will produce results. If you’re hunting in an area that is not conducive to turkey habits, you can’t expect to see any. It’s important to know what the turkey habits are in your particular area. Turkeys need food and water sources just like deer, so they will never stray too far from the source. If your area has multiple sources of water close to each other the potential hunting area will be wider in circumference, because the turkeys won’t be afraid to move further from the water source when they know the next one is nearby. In contrast, if you live in dry areas with little water, your area of turkey hunting may be smaller because the turkeys won’t venture too far from the one water source they can find.

Food Sources

They will stay close to their food sources as well, so if you find a food plot that is also close to water, you can bet there will be a gobbler or two passing through. They enjoy an array of foods including nuts, bugs, berries, and grasses. Any of these food sources that also attract bugs will likely attract turkeys. They’ll get two for the price of one in areas like that, so bowhunters should be looking for those types of food plots.

Big Trees

Turkeys tend to make their homes in the largest trees they can find. They want their roost to be roomy and comfortable, so be on the lookout for trees with large real estate. They change trees often and also choose the trees they roost in according to the weather. In good weather conditions, they may gravitate to hardwood trees. In bad weather, hemlocks may be their choice because they offer more protection from the elements.

Don’t Pressure

If you find yourself a smaller property, be weary of hunting too much, too quickly. It’s easy to pressure turkeys on a small hunting property and you don’t want to scare them off. Be patient and don’t call too aggressively. Use your calls every once in a while until you see or hear the birds, then you can pick up speed. If you’ve found a public hunting area that many hunters frequent, try to set up shop far away from the parking lot or entrance. The major foot traffic will scare the turkeys, so they’ll retreat further into the property. If you’re already there and waiting, that puts you ahead of the game. Turkeys are very paranoid birds with excellent eyesight. Make sure to hide yourself well among the trees and make sure you’re dressed in camo from head to toe so you can hunt on foot without being spotted. Once you’ve found your prime hunting ground, you can decide whether you want to set up shop with one of our Stump blinds. The blind will assure that you remain incognito to the turkeys.

Now that you know where to hunt the turkeys, you can start preparing for a successful season. What are your tips for finding the perfect turkey hunting location? Let us know!

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