Scouting

[ctwiggs1]

Hey guys,  this is my first post here... I frequent piscatorial pursuits and washingtonflyfishing.com, and never even heard of this site!

I'm coming home from Iraq here in a couple weeks ( ), so I won't have much time to scout this year.  The only time I've ever really pursued turkey in WA has been over by Colville, and I was hoping to go after Easterns this year. 

I hate for my first post to be mooching, but is there anybody that hunts the west side that wouldn't mind pointing me in the right direction?  I'm not looking for "honey holes", just a general area to scout... I figure I'll only be able to get out a few times before season starts.

Looking forward to Killfest 09!

Curtis

[Wacenturion]

One area is the Capitol Forest just west of Olympia.  There are 90,000 public acres up there and there are birds but like any Eastern area in western Washington, densities per square mile are low.  Eastern success requres lots of scouting...walking behind gates looking primarily for droppings and other sign such as scratchings, strut marks etc.  Droppings are your real friend though.  Don't expect to hear many as the habitat in western Washington realy eats up the sound unless you are close.
Other areas.....east of Tenino, Lincoln Creek, Bunker Creek, Garrard creek areas of Lewis county.  Same approach applies.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Johnson and Thompson Creeks up near Skookumchuck Reservoir is where most of them are

[Wacenturion]

Johnson and Thompson Creeks up near Skookumchuck Reservoir is where most of them are

................those are the areas east of Tenino.  Not sure I would agree that is where most of the easterns are.  It is however where people actually see birds from the road in some of the private fields.  It also has the most pressure from hunters because of that. 
I have taken several easterns in that area over the years and I have been at least 4-6 miles away from those visible birds.  Those Easterns have spread out since they were first released in the 80's and even those birds that are now visible from the road disperse to a large extent when they are ready to do their thing.  Those visible birds that everyone sees are actually only about a half mile north of where one of the original releases were made.
Sometimes the obvious is not the place to be.  Too much pressure, spooky birds, etc.  Locate some away from the crowds and you're odds of taking one increases.  They are hard enough to kill without someone messing you up.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Johnson and Thompson Creeks up near Skookumchuck Reservoir is where most of them are

       :chuckle:I meant hunters......

[Wacenturion]

Johnson and Thompson Creeks up near Skookumchuck Reservoir is where most of them are

       :chuckle:I meant hunters......

..........good one....I like your sense of humor.

[ctwiggs1]

Johnson and Thompson Creeks up near Skookumchuck Reservoir is where most of them are

       :chuckle:I meant hunters......

..........good one....I like your sense of humor.

LOL Well I appreciate it guys, I'll start heading down there probably just a couple days after I get back.  I am set on killing an eastern this year, so I really appreciate the tips.

Curtis

[turkeydancer]

Curtis - Thanks for your service and good luck hunting !!! if you do hunt the areas east of Tenino, do so during the week or after the first two to three weekends.  If you get the chance, NE Wa. you can get 2, they are more vocal, easier to hunt, etc ... please do not rule it out. 

Wacent & SSB - You guys cracked me up again !!!  Keep the good info and jokes flowing ... it definitely makes my day.  Be sure to introduce yourself someday ... nice to put faces of forum friends with forum names.

[ctwiggs1]

Hey Turkeydancer,

I fully intend to hit up eastern washington for Rio's and Merriams... I'm taking 30 straight days off before I go back to work, so I am kind of itching to go after the slam.  It seems from my reading that the easterns are the hardest species to target, so that's what I'm going to have to really scout early April when I get home.

Thanks again guys, you've been a great help and I plan to do a lot of scouting in just 2-3 weeks from now!!

Curtis

[turkeydancer]

Good luck ... WaCent hit the nail on the head for the most part about Capitol Forest, Kennedy Creek, Bunker, Lincoln, etc too ....

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

went out scouting again this afternoon on my way home, nothing out in this crap but DNR and WH had some gates new gates open (?) gonna check it out again this weekend.