Turkey Scouting

Kansas Turkey

Missouri Turkey

Iowa Turkey

Eastern Turkey

Rio Grande Turkey

Spring Season

Fall Season

 

 

Rules

Recommendations

Lodging

Reservations

Turkey scouting may be conducted year round.

The most common scouting method follows along with the hunter having a deer and turkey primary and secondary hunting interest. As such both overlap in terms of locality and dovetailed scout and hunts.

Chance encounter with a flock during a January quail hunt.

One aspect of our agriculture land can be seen in this picture of a former soybean field with fall germinated weeds providing the light green seen in the field. It is as much these sprouts as is the waste grain that attracts the turkey flocks.

The prime scouting period is February and March when it is warm enough to be pleasant yet cool enough to allow easy walking. The green is down as are sheds, there are not any bugs and deer sign of old scrapes (due to our lack of rain during the winter) and rubs are easily seen as are the turkey.

Good binoculars are the key to turkey scouting as many flock will be readily observed at long distance as our agricultural region in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa lease land allows for. Even for those that fly in for a weekend of scouting arriving on Friday, securing a rental car, and scouting Saturday, Sunday morning and flying out Sunday afternoon gaining the locality of a roost or two may be accomplished. having at least two turkey roosts identify will always allow for flexibility if something changes from the time of scouting until the hunt.

Scouting, deer and turkey hunting the same locality of 2,000 to 4,000 acres of leases will quickly allow the hunter to identify game patterns and be familiar with enough hunting spots to enhance tag success. To gain that amount of lease land knowledge will take the self guided hunter about three years of time. that is the nature of do it yourself hunts as the hunter must conduct all the preliminary activities rather than pay a guide service to locate wildlife.

In some cases some leases are seasonal, some leases are upland or deer hunting only, another restriction are our wetlands as they are for duck hunting only. Turkey hunters will have more places to turkey hunt and scout than time. In the cases of lease access restrictions they are limited.

Long Time Turkey Hunter

 

Hey John here is my turkey story of the 07 spring season.

 

Started in [location deleted] along with the nasty cold and snowy weather, and I was tent camping the whole season at [location deleted] State Park. Opening day was very windy and cold however I managed to fill the first of five possible tags a member could get. My first bird was an average gobbler, 3/4" spurs, 8" beard and 21 lb. Took him at first light after another member was hunting across a large field and he shot a gobbler right after fly down and the flock worked across the field to me for my shot, and then they went back across the field for him to take his second bird.

 

 

Pickin's were a little slimmer for my second bird, as the only bird I could get a shot at was a jake. (no pic included) So I opted to fill my tag as another bad weather system was approaching for the last day I was scheduled to be in [location deleted]. I brushed the snow off the tent and headed to [location deleted].

 

 

My first bird in [location deleted] was a jake, (no pic included) but I was very satisfied non the less. I met another camper/turkey hunter in [location deleted] St. park who had leased a 1000 acre farm along with 9 others. The lease cost him and his friends $15,000. That's 1500 per man and they have to share a 1000 acres 10 ways. I included this info, as a comparison to our club which offers each hunter much more room at a more affordable price. He and I did take nice gobblers the same day, my second [location deleted] bird had a 10" beard, 1" spurs, and 24lbs on Monday the 23rd.

 

 

My son, Austin did harvest his first [location deleted] gobbler, a very nice 26lb, 10"beard with 1 1/4" spurs. He was very excited, as he pulled off a run and gun sequence of locating an active bird, setting up on him and calling him in for the 20 yd shot.

 

 

At the end of the day we had home cooked meals by my wife who enjoys camping with us on our trips. I had to include a pic of the best looking camp cook in the park! I also had to include a pic of our turkeys in front of the Cabela's Alaknak tent, this 12 x 20 model is everything they bill it to be. It stood up to 45 mph winds, and torrential rains and came out shining in the end.

 

 

After our [location deleted] stay, we went on to [location deleted] to try to fill the last of my five of my tags. My season I drew for was for the muzzleloading shotgun season, (season 3) which comes in on the 25th. We again set up the Alaknak tent, and again even more rain and wind greeted us for the hunt. But as I always say, you can't catch a fish if your line isn't in the water, so I headed out in the rain opening morning with my muzzleloader.

 

The double bull blind proved to be very valuable as it kept the rain off of me and my equipment. As luck would have it I set up right next to three gobblers and a hen that flew down not 60 yds from my pretty boy decoy. After a few clucks, they worked towards my decoy and the smoke flew, and the hunt was over. This gobbler was a very nice 23 lb, 1" spurs, and a 11" beard. This completed my season filling all five tags with 3 gobblers and 2 jakes in 12 days of hunting.

 

 

Thanks again for a great season goes out to Jon, John, and Shaunw who as always is very polite and a pleasure to talk to when making reservations.

 

Best regards and God Bless, Rex

 

It is always good to see in pictures and read about how a hunt goes for others. You came at the toughest time of the season this year and still had a great time. Congratulations to Austin for his own tom. And of course, a lucky man to have a wife that will go to hunting camp!!!

 

More about this family of deer hunters 2 3 4 5 6 or on  turkey page 2 3 4 5 6

 

Turkey Hunter Expectations

Self Guided Turkey Hunts

Eastern Turkey Gallery

Rio Grande Turkey Gallery

Turkey Hunter Testimonials

Turkey Habitat and Hunting

Turkey and Turkey Hunter Statistics