Get ready, because another hunting season is fast approaching. Turkey hunting season opens in Minnesota on April 12. Scouting turkeys now will help you go into the season with a game plan and valuable information about this year’s flock of turkeys. Below are some turkey scouting tips to get you started.

Look for Scratches in the Ground

Turkeys will often scratch their talons on the ground as they dig through the leaves and debris to find nuts or bugs to eat. These scratches tend to coincide with their roosting sites, so once you find turkey scratch marks on the ground, it’s probably safe to assume that their roost site is nearby.

Survey Roosting Sites

Once you’ve identified a potential roosting site, come back to the area at dawn or dusk to see if you can hear the turkeys calling as they fly up to roost at night or come down from the roost in the morning. Turkeys roost in large trees, like oak, cypress, and cottonwoods, that can accommodate their whole flock. The trees will also likely have thick, sturdy branches that will support the turkeys’ weight as they rest. It’s not uncommon for the turkeys to roost in the same tree or same area multiple times. So, once you find the roost, it’s entirely possible that they’ll still be there on opening day.

Stay Quiet

To help ensure the flock stays in the trees you identified, make sure you don’t disturb them while you’re observing. If they become alerted to your presence, they might not be as inclined to stay, so keep a distance and remain quiet. You don’t want to use actual turkey calls before the season starts, because you don’t want to tip them off to your sounds or confuse them before you have to. It’s best to just stay silent, but if you feel like you need to use a call to zero in on a location, use a predator call like an owl or coyote.

Take Note of the Dynamic

Aggressive male turkeys will call more often than passive ones. If you hear a lot of tom and jake turkey gobbling, then you should go into the turkey hunting season using aggressive decoys, like a strutting male turkey decoy. If you’re not hearing a lot of gobbling, but you can see the birds and know they’re there, those are likely passive turkeys and will respond better to hen decoys.

Use Our Bucket Backpack

Our Bucket Backpack will be a helpful tool during your turkey scouting trips. The backpack includes a 5-gallon bucket and exterior pockets that will hold your water, emergency supplies, and extra calls comfortably. You can use the padded lid to turn the backpack into a seat while you’re waiting, listening, and watching for turkeys. The backpack is covered in an all-season camouflage so you can start using it now and continue to use it through turkey season and deer season.

Now is a great time to start scouting turkeys. The knowledge you gather this month could help you immensely during turkey season. When turkey season opens and you’re ready to put the knowledge to use, your Stump blind will be waiting to guide you through another successful season.

What are your turkey scouting tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

 

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