I must not understand Turkey terrain and habits very well. Need some schooling.
Currently hunting some national forest land in WV and haven't heard one gobble and I was in the woods at 5:30.
This is a mixture of hardwoods and coniferous, timber cuts, steep terrain but also nice open fields in some areas below ridges.
Currently 3 miles back in here, calling every so often or so far, and still nothing.
Had 1 hen feed in on me quietly and then she must have saw me cause she scurried off.
It is windy so I'm trying to call out towards the leeward side of the terrain where I think they'd be trying to stay out of the wind, it's also chilly so that side is the sunny side as well.
What am I missing or should be targeting terrain wise to try to strike one up?
I know hunting turkeys can be a crap shoot and maybe today's just isn't the day.
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Did you do any scouting of this area before the season started?
Some areas just don't hold turkeys. But if you had a hen, it took turkeys to make that hen at one point so the weather could be some of your problems..
Quote from: Greg Massey on May 10, 2025, 09:57:13 AMDid you do any scouting of this area before the season started?
Some areas just don't hold turkeys. But if you had a hen, it took turkeys to make that hen at one point so the weather could be some of your problems..
No scouting.
This is near my in-laws, 2.5 hours away from where I live.
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In the old old days if we went on a five day non-resident hunt we would consider the first two days as scouting trips. Sometimes they can a pain to locate. That lone hen should be an encouraging sign. Good luck.
Add - bet the in-laws know someone that may point you in the right direction.
When it's windy in that area in that terrain they're very tough to hear. Especially on the ground with foliage out now.
Seeing that hen is a good sign, there's probably a gobbler in the area certainly within hearing distance under better hearing conditions.
First off, it's public land, which to my experience is generally pressured. So seeing and hearing nothing isn't out of the norm.
Second, if it's windy, to my experience, that will shut down the bird activity. Except for out in the SW where the birds are used to wind.
Third, use the wind to your advantage when it comes to moving. Limbs, branches and leaves blowing in the wind helps cover your movement. If you got busted on a windy day, you may have been moving too fast.
Personally on windy days, I start off as I do normally. If I don't score on the roost hunt. I like to move to open areas and use a decoy. They can see the deke, but more importantly I can see them. I call louder than normal on windy days. Don't know if it's the right strategy or not. Sometimes it works, bother times it doesn't. Who knows. ???