Spring Turkey scouting, when to start?
Colorado
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Doing my first turkey hunt this year, Merriams. Probably units 51,511,501,461. Somewhere around there.
Question is, when to start scouting? I've seen turkey's a few times in the foothills on general hikes but never really came across them while hunting or not on heavy use trails.
Probably no reason to scout until the week before the season. The mountain turkeys are moving a ton based on weather at that time of year unless you have good private access with a resident flock that won't leave.
I have experience in Unit 51. My only advice is to wear an orange vest so you don't get shot. Hunters everywhere! Never again.
My advice is to drive 3 hours east and hunt any of the public land in western NE or the walk-ins in Western KS. You will see birds and maybe kill one. Don't even bother with front range CO turkeys unless you have a lot of good private ground to hunt. The turkeys are more nomadic than elk.
Head to another state. The front range has very few birds and tons of hunters. It’s crazy
I would agree with the posts above. It's really not worth scouting mountain or foothill turkeys early because they tend to move a lot. I would also agree that there are gobs of hunters in the field with low bird numbers in most OTC units. Last year I climbed cliffs and hiked 2 miles back in to a remote spot and still ran into a turkey hunter!
Last year just before opener i founf two flocks. Opener? NADA.
Lol good luck In those units.. bring orange like said above
I can't believe how bad spring turkey season is anymore. We have forest service roads closed till late May, and guys pound the birds that can be accessed fairly easy. We get guys from the San Loius Valley here now and from the Denver area. Some gates will have five to seven trucks parkered around it. Makes for some very call shy birds and gobblers that don't even gobble from the roost anymore.
Coming home at dusk last night there were about 30 birds roosted just off the highway in downtown Lyons. Even the turkeys have figured out that in town is safer than in the wild. lol
35,000 turkeys Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates the state is home to around 35,000 turkeys, The birds can be found in 53 of the state's 64 counties.
Colorado B Est current turkey pop 30,500 Merriam's and Rio Grandes How many turkey license sold 281,201
Up here in northern CO so many people are feeding turkeys on private land that the birds have figured out they don't need to go on public land for anything. I'm at 8500 feet and until a few years ago, the birds wintered way below us, following the snow line down and back up. Now we have turkeys living here in the snow all winter.
Same here Lou. People feed em like crazy now. One place has six feeders in front of their house. Tractor supply sells out of cracker corn fast because of these people.
I've noticed the same thing about quiet turkeys. Most of the toms I've hunted in recent years either get shot or eaten by predators if the make much noise. Trying to find turkeys in pine tree country without any peeps or gobbles is like finding a needle in a haystack. There's a heck of a lot of country without turkeys so it's a challenge...especially on heavily hunted public land!
I hunted turkeys for 10 years or more and never stumbled across one. Then I found a spot and found some birds and had some action. A few years later I stumbled across a "honey hole". For years I never saw another hunter. There has been in some hunters in recent years, but it seems like by May 1, all turkey hunters have moved onto other pursuits. My point is, great places do exist and later in the year, in my experience, turkey hunting really heats up.
I saw an episode of Everything Eichler where they called turkeys from horseback, then tied off and worked birds when they got an answer. I'm feeling motivated to try that, a day in the mountains with my good horses is still a great day, getting on birds would be the cherry on top.
Saw a flock walkking down Ford Street in Golden. :)
OH, you mean one of these. Killed after May 1st in the mountains
OH, you mean one of these. Killed after May 1st in the mountains
Lots of willing toms, late in the season. And in my experience, not near as many hunters.
Here today, gone tomorrow
Here today, gone tomorrow
In my opinion it's never to early to scout, what's the worst that can happen? You get a little exercise. That said mountain birds are very nomadic and may be long gone by the time season opens in some areas. They are also creatures of habit and might make a return trip or two.
These threads crack me up. Yep there are no turkeys and they don't gobble. Get away from the front range and you can have a great hunt.
I live near the public land in 51, if you're going hunt opening day you're better be parked at your spot by about 4am and expect uninvited guests regardless, it's a circus...
This morning near our house.
This morning near our house.
We see turkeys year around in our area. This was not always the case. 15 or more years ago, there were none. Shortly after we bought 160 acres in 1993 & 94, I asked a biologist if there was something I could do to change that. I was told, if they had food year around, we would already have them. As more people moved into the area (an old 1,800 acre cattle ranch subdivided into 40 acre parcels) they moved in, scavenging initially on livestock feed (mostly llamas, goats, and horses). Once they showed up, some started supplemental feeding to get them through the winter. We now have a large local flock.
In early spring they seem to head down in the valley for breeding. Our neighbor has a roost area in large cottonwoods that typically holds 50+ birds. We are fortunate that they let my wife and I, and only us, bowhunt down there. When nesting starts, they disperse widely throughout the area, gradually abandoning the early roost.
In the winter, they seem to prefer staying higher on the ridges in small groups. Likely because it's often warmer up high than in the valleys, and they get some thermal cover from large ponderosas. They also get food by scratching for pine nuts. We've been seeing this group of 10 gobblers and 1 hen regularly this year. Usually they're just wandering without fanfare. This morning however, they were'nt getting along. Lots of strutting, drumming, and gobbling. It's the earliest I've seen this behavior.
They were running around yesterday on the Rampart Range.
CC was hit for my limited tag this morning...
Me too. Showing online as well.
I saw a large group on private land ( boardering BLM) today, and a small group on BLM.
About had it with the 60 birds pooping all over the driveway each day...
This is not really the right place to ask this but figure you guys prob know. I have a question about turkeys and cold weather/ ice/snow. As you know, we have had some over the top ice and snow down in Texas last week. Just wondering how turkeys do in weather like that? There was no “low country” for them to head too here.
Do turkeys do ok in ice and snow where liquid water is not available anywhere for days. My ranch is 15 miles from the nearest running water and anything here was frozen solid. Thx
txhunter58, i am at 5,000+ feet and these birds in my yard deal with freezing cold and snow all winter every winter just fine. Could be you have fair-weather birds but I kinda doubt it?