Seeking answers to colville turkey hunting

[Bogie85]

Hey there everyone,

I have now spent the last 3 years hunting these merriam turkey and I know I am doing something wrong. I am hoping to pluck someone’s mind to help me fill out some gaps I have had an exceptionally hard time learning. Other then I think I am cursed for hunting lol, I am 5 years into hunting period and have yet to get a deer. And I haven’t even seen a turkey yet. I am not asking anyone to give up hunting locations, or to give me information they don’t want to share. I am just hoping to answer some questions that I can’t quite figure out.

I can’t wait to finally get one, good hunting everyone!

[NW SURVEYOR]

Bogie,
I don't know you and may never, but if I were you (And I'm not) I would consider hiring a guide for a couple of days of turkey hunting.  You will probably learn quite a bit by observation and selective questioning.
 Let them know that you are a novice and hope to take away a few skills to help you in the future when you are hinting by yourself.  A good guide will take the time to educate you as you are a source of future referrals.
Maybe contact BEARPAW or as an option consider joining a turkey hunting fraternity.

As for the deer, if your hunting blacktails, send me a PM.  Otherwise, just keep at it.

Good Luck,
Rob.

[Bogie85]

Hey Rob!

I appreciate the response for sure! Yeah it’s been on my mind to do for sure. Bearpaws prices aren’t bad at all either. But life decided to kill my dishwasher, furnace, and fridge all within 2 months of each other. My budget this year would be more like the guide that ties up a pet turkey gets em to gobble and then I can shoot em 

It’s definitely on my list, as far as blacktail goes. I thought for sure last year was gonna be the year, I spent 6 months baiting and scouting using cams I had multiple pictures of bears, cougars, bobcat, deer and coyotes. Hunting season started and rayonier bought Pope resources, they told us it was going to be open. We got there and they shut it down earlier then they were suppose to. So I had to scramble to come up with a new plan, found a spot with 12 rubs. Came back the next morning early, and a group of 12-13 people went into the young trees with what sounded like dogs then I heard 3-4 gun shots. We ran into the group on getting way out and they looked suspicious so we backed out and went to plan d for the final 2 days and never saw anything.

[highside74]

I am no expert (far from it) but hunting with and listening to Avidnwoutdoorsman a few weeks ago I learned a couple things. He scouts a lot. He tries to roost birds in the evening by calling and listening. He also is out early in the morning looking and listening for birds. This is all done before season so he can mark birds and has a few places to go if one or more gets pressure he has a backup to his backup.

I would definitely be out at dark for a couple hours owl or crow calling to locate birds.

[Bogie85]

Hmm, not a bad idea to do the calling at night to locate. It’s harder for j my e to scout out here just because of the 6 hour drive. But I totally agree scouting helps with most hunting.

[KFhunter]

I find the Turkey ok, still learning to call them in though so I can't help a lot there.  I can call in dumb ones, wary or skittish ones bust me.

One of my favorite ways to find Turkey are wing drags, when they're strutted out they lower their wings way down and drag the dirt with them.   
So you'll see Turkey tracks with lines on each side from their wings dragging. 

I usually get a gobble somewhere not too far from these wing drags. 

[Bogie85]

That’s super cool! Yeah 3 years now and I haven’t been able to get any to commit. They get fired up then disappear sometimes I wait 2 hours and birds are all around me chirping etc. But no turkey anywhere. Best shot I had was a single gobbler I bumped out of the roost.

[Russ McDonald]

I did a online seminar and recorded it.  I don't know if it will help. I can post a link to the Google drive it is on here if you would like.  Another suggestion is call up the local wdfw office and talk with the nusiance specialist.  Lots of property owners will call them about turkey problems and will allow huntington their property.

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[hunter399]

Locate gobbles is key.
Alot of people will say this with any species your hunting.
You have to find a spot where the turkeys are at.
Example.
If I pull up to a hunting spot. Shut the truck off for about 10 minutes,then do some Turkey calls. Then wait another 10 minutes and nothing gobbles back. I move on maybe another 1/2 mile to a mile down the road. Repeat again.
Sooner then later you will find a spot where you will locate some toms. Then lock your truck .walk in find a place to setup.All while your still working the bird and calling.
And it will come together.
Don't waste time hunting areas that don't have turkeys .
Find an area that has turkeys that are responding to your calls before you spend all day working that bird.
Everything has to come toghther ,sometimes toms will go silent,sometimes they will rush in before your setup.Somtimes they won't leave the herd of hens.
But the very first thing is Locate tom.
After that you can start to worry about other stuff.
That's all I got ,not a Turkey expert ,just how I do it sometimes.

[Russ McDonald]

I forgot to mention it took me 7 years before I got my first tom here in WA but I helped a lot of people get their first.  I started hunting turkeys 13 years ago ago in CA and yes yes first time out with an hour I had a bird.  3 years in a row I had a bird.  I am on a lot of turkey hunting Facebook pages and here.  I tend to gleen some good info when wasing through all the crap sometimes.  Out in the woods is the best place to look.  Shock calling is also good.  I found that birds out in the NE don't respond to crow calls.  Friday morning I had 2 hunters setup and did a hoot owl just me no call and the trees lit up.  Crows squaking around nothing.  Geese they like to.  If you do strike a tom with a box call and he isn't to far of I would say a mile get setup don't walk towards him.  Most of the time if he is interested he will be coming towards you by the second yelp.  Find a place setup and don't over call if you here him closing the distance be patient.  Less calling gets them more interested.  Yesterday once them hit the ground I would call every 10 to 15 minutes if I wasn't getting anything.  Also a good thing out in the woods a tom does not come to the hen.  The hen comes to the tom.  That is why they strut.  Your calling is just peaking their interest and they are curious.  They want to know what that dumb hen is doing and why she isn't over here with me getting some of this.

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[baldopepper]

I think the best info on turkey hunting is a series on you tube called Dale Outdoors. No videos of turkeys being shot, just a very experienced turkey hunter giving what I've found to be some very good info.  This is the 26th straight year I've shot at least one bird, 2 this year, and his advice is very "right on"

[Bogie85]

I did a online seminar and recorded it.  I don't know if it will help. I can post a link to the Google drive it is on here if you would like.  Another suggestion is call up the local wdfw office and talk with the nusiance specialist.  Lots of property owners will call them about turkey problems and will allow huntington their property.

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Heck yeah I am down to consume any information I can, so I would happily listen to
The video if you don’t mind sharing. And that tip about wdfw is super flipping awesome idea, I may try to get out one more time before spring season ends.

[Bogie85]

Locate gobbles is key.
Alot of people will say this with any species your hunting.
You have to find a spot where the turkeys are at.
Example.
If I pull up to a hunting spot. Shut the truck off for about 10 minutes,then do some Turkey calls. Then wait another 10 minutes and nothing gobbles back. I move on maybe another 1/2 mile to a mile down the road. Repeat again.
Sooner then later you will find a spot where you will locate some toms. Then lock your truck .walk in find a place to setup.All while your still working the bird and calling.
And it will come together.
Don't waste time hunting areas that don't have turkeys .
Find an area that has turkeys that are responding to your calls before you spend all day working that bird.
Everything has to come toghther ,sometimes toms will go silent,sometimes they will rush in before your setup.Somtimes they won't leave the herd of hens.
But the very first thing is Locate tom.
After that you can start to worry about other stuff.
That's all I got ,not a Turkey expert ,just how I do it sometimes.

This helps a lot, thanks a ton for the info. If you hear gobbles but they are only responding to shock calls would you move on? We find gobblers, but we can’t ever get them to commit. We don’t know if they are seeing us or we are failing in something else. We are hunting public land, are they more cautious?

[Bogie85]

I forgot to mention it took me 7 years before I got my first tom here in WA but I helped a lot of people get their first.  I started hunting turkeys 13 years ago ago in CA and yes yes first time out with an hour I had a bird.  3 years in a row I had a bird.  I am on a lot of turkey hunting Facebook pages and here.  I tend to gleen some good info when wasing through all the crap sometimes.  Out in the woods is the best place to look.  Shock calling is also good.  I found that birds out in the NE don't respond to crow calls.  Friday morning I had 2 hunters setup and did a hoot owl just me no call and the trees lit up.  Crows squaking around nothing.  Geese they like to.  If you do strike a tom with a box call and he isn't to far of I would say a mile get setup don't walk towards him.  Most of the time if he is interested he will be coming towards you by the second yelp.  Find a place setup and don't over call if you here him closing the distance be patient.  Less calling gets them more interested.  Yesterday once them hit the ground I would call every 10 to 15 minutes if I wasn't getting anything.  Also a good thing out in the woods a tom does not come to the hen.  The hen comes to the tom.  That is why they strut.  Your calling is just peaking their interest and they are curious.  They want to know what that dumb hen is doing and why she isn't over here with me getting some of this.

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God I hope it doesn’t take 7 years lol, I do wait on the calls sometimes 20 minutes. Now when you say turkeys in the woods. Do you mean if they are held up in the woods? Or where you are hunting?

[Bogie85]

I think the best info on turkey hunting is a series on you tube called Dale Outdoors. No videos of turkeys being shot, just a very experienced turkey hunter giving what I've found to be some very good info.  This is the 26th straight year I've shot at least one bird, 2 this year, and his advice is very "right on"

That’s awesome! I would be super excited to even just get one to come strutting and or  drumming. Closest I got was this year they were across a creek I saw the two males come out near the opening on the field and they thought about coming out then bailed. I was in a ton of brush I don’t think they could see me and I was using a diaphragm. I just don’t know what I am doing wrong. Driving 6 hours isn’t too bad, but
A little defeating leaving with literally nothing to show for it.