LPOWA, CNF or Huckleberry Mtn or surrounding areas

[AKBowman]

I'm looking to spend 3 days out looking for a dumb Tom the last week of April and am in need of some basic tips for hunting the general areas listed above. I've only hunted turkeys a couple of times in Grass Valley CA.

I enjoy hunting public property much more than private, I find it really gratifying even if I am not successful.
I was planning on getting up into either the LPOWA or the Colville National Forest areas. Or possibly looking at going into the Huckleberry Mtns, looks like there are some good roadless areas in there. I was planning on looking for areas that were at least 1/4 mile to a 1/2 mile off the road.

A couple questions I had are:

Am I on the right track or totally wasting my time?

If you get off the river or valley bottoms can you find a good amount of public property that holds birds that time of year?

If anyone has any additional info they would like to share I would gladly accept PM's.

I plan on posting pics of the hunt. Thanks again.

[prophet]

there are healthy amounts of birds in the NE area. even in those areas. the area has a good mix of pub & private and with the weather like it is. i hope it turns for the best

[oldleclercrd]

Thats why Colville has its "turkey daze" because there are plenty around.

[AKBowman]

Are the GMU maps at Sportsmans Wharehouse accurate enough for that area that a guy could trust them for finding access spots into public areas?

Also if the snow is completely gone by then will the birds work their way up to the tops of the hills?

[quadrafire]

You can actually get pretty good detail on Google maps of the FS and LPO boundries, + some state land up that direction. There are turkey in all the areas you mentioned.

[10Key]

AKBowman, I am no expert, far from it. I have never even shot a turkey, just "hunted" them for a while But I will ad my two cents on your questions about specifics of where turkeys will be. It is super tough to say with any certainty, we are still a solid week away from the opener and weather is going to be a factor, not to mention all of the areas you referenced have varying topography which will affect birds differently. The old adage is that "turkeys are where they are" is very true. Get out there and mix it up with the birds, you will learn a ton. Good luck

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I will be hunting here on the west side myself, so I am just one of those "crazy Eastern Turkey Hunters"
And no real expert,
but my advice for hunting turkeys "over the hill" in the second week of season and later,
The turkeys have been listening to at least a week solid of every "locator" call, been bumped, pushed prodded etc, by a lot of hunters.
The dumb ones and Jakes have been shot.
Probably your best bet  would be to treat it like Elk hunting, just at dark, drive or hike to ridgelines, and cover as much ground in the next hour as you can, try to get a "shock Gobble" from a roost, if you get one, remember (or mark) spot and move on, find as many as you can so you have a place (or places) to hunt in the morning.
Use something different, everybody and their uncle has been crow calling, owl hooting, etc.
Try an Elk "Bark", coyote "yip" or predator call.
Hopefully the hens will be laying, so hunt all day, when they leave the toms to go to their nests, the toms get pretty lonely, and might come looking for a "new girl"
If you see hens, stick around, there will be a tom somewhere close.
Good Luck !

[turkeydancer]

Some turkeys will stay low, but spread out with the breeding seaond and nesting ... and will follow the snow line up even to the point of being in several inches.

[AKBowman]

Thanks TD, thats the kind of info I was looking for. The places I have hunted them in CA back in college the snow was long gone by the time Turkey season opened so never had that factor to think about.

Appreciate the help.

I've got an old (1932) Ithaca "featherweight" side-by-side choked in Full and Improved Mod I killed a Jake with at about 40 yds back in college. Patterns out good with #6 shot out to about 40yds max. My dad's killed everything with that gun from Foxes to Greater Canada's. Dont know what happened to the pics I had when I killed the Turkey in college (no digital camera back then) so I really want to get one down with the Ithaca and get some nice pics to send to him and my uncle back in Wisconsin (my uncle has an identical gun my grandfather bought two from a door to door salesman in the 1950's for $35!)

Anyhow, thanks for the help and I will be sure to post some pics up regardless. Best of luck to you guys/gals!!

[AKBowman]

Thanks for the advice STIK! Sounds like that is a good game plan. I'm going to be restricted to "internet scouting". I am in the process of marking ridgelines, benches and bowles on my GPS for a starter.

Goos luck at getting one on the Wet side with your stick, Ive been kind of keeping track of your saga/quest for a west side turkey for quite a while. I hope you accomplish your goal!

[Seatown5]

ak bowman, im right there with you marking up the maps.  Im worried that a big chunk of the hunting grounds i know over there will be snowed in.  Im also worried one of our honey holes that is fairly unknown might get found if people do enough searching of the lowlands to get out of the snow.  Oh well its just a thunder chicken, We'll find them, right?

[AKBowman]

I here ya Seatown. I have only one opportunity to get out there for three days this yr and I decided to wait 10 days into the season in the hopes that more of the public land up higher will be melted and huntable. My hopes are the birds will get pushed out of the low stuff by then and the snow will melt enough for them to move up out of the pressure.

Good luck!