1st hunting trip - Colville turkeys

[simpleperson]

My brother and I went on our first hunting trip ever together this weekend. We knew turkeys are supposed to be elusive, but we were shocked by just how elusive they are.

Based on what we read online, it seemed like our best bet was up by Colville and Chewelah. We went up and down the Colville National Forest. We tried making yelps with slate and mouth calls, and, in the evening, crow calls to try to figure out where they're roosting. Nothing. We didn't hear one gobble the entire trip.

Is it because it's too late in the season? Or was it more likely that we weren't in the right areas? We tried being at high elevation, low elevation, close to the road, far from the road, the Pend Oreille wildlife refuge, the iron mountains, and the Colville national forest. We tried going right off well-maintained paved roads, and also roads that look like they get one vehicle a month. We both knew that turkeys are notorious for being difficult to hunt, but we both thought we'd at least hear something.

We did see two moose, an elk, and some deer though! Coming from western washington, seeing moose was a big highlight.

[ELKBURGER]

  Welcome to the site! I am not the guy to tell you what you may have been doing wrong to not see any turkey since I've never bagged one myself. If it's anything like elk hunting then you need to go where they're at.
I've yet to see a Washington moose. I think I need to get out of the wheat country if I want to see any.
Getting out into Gods country is what it's all about. Seeing critters is just a bonus!

[simpleperson]

Thank you! This is a very helpful community here. I've definitely spent a few hours reading here before heading out into the wilderness.

Despite not seeing any turkeys, the change in landscape and wildlife from the west side was amazing.

[270Shooter]

This late in the season is tough, they don't gobble as much as they would in april, and usually the grass is taller and they are harder to see. All of the areas you hunted have turkeys. The key to late season is to cover a ton of ground until you can find a gobbling bird. Once you find a hot one you can usually call him in. Early in the season I'm certain you would hear more gobbling without even using locator calls.

[Stickerbush]

I went out on a first turkey hunt last weekend, the area was private and the birds hadn't been pressured so they were somewhat responsive. But after working the area for a bit they seemed to slow down. We did manage to call one in though and I shot at another, just didn't make a kill

[Firedogg]

 Over here now west of Addy. Not hunting on this trip, but sitting on the porch of the cabin one tom was gobblin every now and then but would not answer back. Went for a walk up the hill into the clearing, turned back and the flock with three nice toms was coming up the trail I had just walked. Of course, had I been hunting I never would have seen them.

[simpleperson]

Ah, that's right. My brother did see one turkey on the side of the road by addy. We headed up into the iron mountains national forest since that was the nearest public land.

Do gobblers still gobble from a crow/owl call when they're roosting, but aren't looking for mates? We probably drove for 2 hours down by Sherry Creek making crow calls from dusk till late at night, with 0 response.

Good to know that it might just be the season that made it so hard to track them down. As a completely novice hunter, I was surprised by how much time we spent driving vs. in the field. We went from spot to spot, looking for droppings, making calls, hearing nothing. What do you guys typically do in that respect? Do you find a spot, and commit to it and hike miles in, regardless of a turkey response? Or do you hop from spot to spot, listening for responses/signs of activity, then commit? Also, I was surprised to see not a single other hunter out there, so that's why I thought we might have been in the wrong spot.

[ejwright]

I bet you guys were so close so many times!!! You guys did good and I wouldn't have done anything different except leave the locators at home. I'm convinced my hang up is trying to rely on a birds gobble,  some people on this forum have expressed that washington turkeys don't gobble as much as they once did, opening season this year I was calling at birds in the NE and didn't have any response except an angry hen, I shut up for 20 mins, two Ravens came through low flying and calling and a gobble sounded off 70 yard in front of me. I hit a few different mouth calls trying to get that gobble again and nothing so I got impatient and threw the kitchen sink at him. Three different mouth calls, a box call,two different slate calls and like a little kid tried to turn my crow call into a raven call since he liked(or disliked) them so much. I spooked him I'm pretty sure because I never heard him again and I never saw him. Also if using locator calls I personally think your gonna get more from walking a road rather than the car. Cars are loud and I'm sure make turkeys tightlipped on those roads. I'd go and find gravel on the those soft dirt roads then look for tracks and spoor. If you see them go back into the woods a couple miles and sit for half hour or so then softly call once or twice then just put the calls away and see what happens sitting there for the day. I want to mention that I have never smoked a turkey and been at it four years, so really I'm not the person to give you advice, I'm just learning now that my calls may have been the thorn in my foot all these years. Glad you got at em!!!! I'm on the westside too it sucks!!

[turkeydancer]

It usually takes a lot of shoe leather during preseason scouting to locate several flocks or at least turkey sign.  Prior to season I don't worry to much about seeing or hearing them as long as I'm finding droppings, feathers, dusting sites, strut marks, and even roost trees.

If you're not preseason scouting especially in a new area ... you'll spend a lot of time scouting during your hunt.  I always get to my "spot" at least half an hour before legal shoot and listen.  I'll spend the whole day in the woods, and probably have got half my gobblers between 9 and 4 after their hens have left for their nests and he gets lonely. The toms may come in silently and just look after they've been bumped and/or shot at many times earlier in the season .... if you see sign they are in the area ... set up, call sparingly and limit your movement. Later in the season I may even do some gobbling (using a tube call or shaker-gobbler) to get a gobbler to sound off, then move to within 100 yards if terrain and cover allow.  Do not overcall especially later in the season.  Do not call from the middle of a field (or anywhere where they can readily see you).  Try a different call or two later in the season as they have heard every box call, pot and peg, and mouth diaphragm ---- I love a wing bone, tube call, scratch boxes, etc.   

Once you figure out that they have different moods at different times, and go through different stages during the season (see Knight and Hales Gobbler guide), and get some experience ... well a big light is going to come on and you'll be hooked. The more you read about what to do, the more video tapes you watch to see what makes those hunt successful, the more seminars you go to, etc., it'll speed up your learning curve.  Get together with some of the members of the NWTF ....

Good luck,  the Turkey Dancer

[bearpaw]

Because spring came early the birds are ahead of schedule. They normally get tough about May 25th, this year it was dropping off at least a week earlier. I listened to a bird gobble multiple times yesterday while we were bear hunting, but most birds are not very responsive now. Also chicks are hatching, 14 chicks sighted yesterday, I'm worried about all the rain we are getting right now that might impact them.

[MerriamMagician]

Like bearpaw said, the birds were ahead of schedule this year which is probably why you were not seeing or hearing bird activity. I was also up there last weekend hoping to get a friend on a bird and we experienced quiet birds and minimal activity. When birds are on the tail end of breeding season they become very difficult to hunt. My advice would be to give it a shot a bit earlier in the season next year, especially if it is another early or warm spring

[simpleperson]

Thanks a ton for the info folks! I will indeed do just that.

This community has a huge depth of knowledge, thanks a ton for sharing.

[Polo]

I have just started turkey hunting last year. I did spring & fall hunt with no success. First day out last year (spring) got a chance to get one but I missed (Colville Public Land) The rest of spring & fall nothing (last year) fall was way different then spring . This year went out on opening youth hunt heard some saw some (Public Land Colville). Went back out with my brother 3 weeks ago go. Went to same spots I took my boy heard gobblers in all the areas but (1) they seemed to keep moving deeper into the woods when we would use box and mouth call.

 They are up in Colville for sure but learning is the first key. I learned a lot about Colville in the seasons I hunted there. I will say they are a lot different then last year. My boy & I are going up there this weekend might hit up a different area on our way up, will keep you posted going for 3 days. But what I noticed this year was they are their. Getting one to come in is a different thing. Side note they come in silent so be ready. I told my Brother are we hunting turkeys or.hunting gobbles. They came in silent on youth hunt & my boy & I weren't set up & got busted by (2) big Toms. So like I said they are there & you got to learn. For my self wish me luck 3rd trip this year.

[EWUeagles]

Like most people said you did pretty much everything you could, except you were waiting for the rolling thunder of a gobble. When I first hunted turkeys 10+ years ago, I felt the turkeys gobbled all the time and it was easy to find but now I don't rely on the gobbles anymore. Any more I try to find turkeys in fields and then go get permission. There are a lot of people in prime turkey areas that don't mind a couple being taken off their land.

I will also say that if you do find sign and don't feel like hiking any more nothing wrong with sitting down and calling a little and waiting and calling a little more. I have had a quite a few turkeys come in on me while taking the mid day rest with just casual calling.

I went for a drive Wednesday night just north of Spokane and saw 3 monster toms strutting like crazy and then a mile later saw a hen with 15 or so chicks.