If you’re heading out for Idaho’s turkey season, or interested in doing it for the first time, there are lots of opportunity for hunters and a chance to do things a little differently than in other parts of the country.
Why is that? Because Idaho has millions of acres of public land where turkeys roam. Many of these areas are a little off the beaten path, so rather than asking a local landowner for access to his back 40, you can lace up your hiking boots and explore Idaho’s vast public lands and hunt turkeys in much the same way you hunt big game.
Where to look
Idaho offers general season hunts starting April 15 (April 8 for youth hunts) in the northern and western parts of the state and portions of southeast Idaho. To see a map go to Fish and Game’s Turkey, Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer Seasons and Rules booklet.
They are widespread in a variety of elevations, terrain and vegetation. But one thing they have in common is whether on public or private land, turkeys need a place to roost at night, and they typically return to the same trees.
Turkeys prefer cottonwoods or other large deciduous trees 15 feet or taller,
but will roost in conifers. If they have to roost in conifers, they like ponderosas because they are sparser and have more room on the upper branches.
Turkeys will strut, feed and loaf in meadows or other open areas, but don’t expect to find them there all the time. They also frequent areas with willows, junipers with sage, mahoganies, hawthorns or mountain maples for protection from predators.
Know their daily and seasonal patterns
A flock will roost in the same group of trees every night and then fly down at daylight, or shortly after, to begin feeding. In the spring, toms will move to strutting area and begin strutting to attract hens for breeding.
The flock will spend the majority of the day feeding and start moving back to the roosting trees in the late afternoon. Females will wander off to their nests to lay eggs during spring.
Turkeys also migrate according to weather conditions. In early spring, turkeys often follow the snow line as it recedes to feed on fresh plant growth. That means they can be nomadic until they settle into an area, such as a strut zone or other area where they can find food and feel safe.
This is an important point for hunters to remember because you may have to spend some time locating flocks, and if you scout preseason, realize those birds may move when the season arrives.
It works both ways in that areas that had turkeys preseason may not have them when the season arrives, and areas that were snowed in or close to it in early April may have turkeys after hunting season starts.
Hunting Techniques
Spring turkey hunting revolves around fooling an eager tom to venture near you. This is traditionally done by calling them into shotgun or bow range, but keep your options open and be ready to adapt to situations as they occur. If you rigidly stick to one plan, it can be frustrating when it doesn’t go as expected.
Three common tactics
Dawn patrol
This is a classic morning hunt where you find the turkey roost the night before and arrive before dawn and set up.
At sunrise, you’ll mimic the noise of a bird flying down by using a turkey wing, baseball cap, piece of cardboard, etc. and sweeping it on the ground. Then start calling to draw the tom out by mimicking a hen. Hunters often incorporate turkey decoys to give a visual reference to a Tom, or fool it into thinking another male is encroaching on his territory.
Pros: You know beforehand right where the birds are, and if you’re stealthy, you are guaranteed interactions with the birds. Calling can be very exciting, and you will know fairly quickly know if a Tom is interested.
Cons: This technique relies on confident calling skills. You need to invest scouting time, and you may have other hunters keying on the same flock.
Beware, this kind of hunting can be frustrating because you may see and hear Toms and engage in lots of back-and-forth calling, but can’t pull one within gun range because he’s busy with hens in his flock.
Run and gun
This technique is similar to spot-and-stalk big game hunting, and people often compare it to archery hunting for elk, or other elk hunts where there’s lots of bugling and vocal interaction. But this is different because you first have to hunt the flocks before you start calling to lure the Tom within range.
You hike through turkey terrain and listen. The goal and challenge is finding turkeys over broad swaths of terrain and getting them to give up their location by gobbling. Each time you get to a spot in the landscape where you think there may be turkeys nearby and the sound of your call will carry, use a locator (crow call, coyote call, etc.) to get a “shock” gobble response.
If you hear a gobble, try to get within 100 yards or so, set up so you’re concealed, and call the gobbler in to you.
Pros: No scouting for roost trees is required, you just have to know turkeys frequent the general area. You can cover lots of ground and potentially hunt different flocks, and hunt all day if you want.
Depending on where you locate the flock, these may be birds that haven’t experienced a lot of hunters and can be easier to fool. It’s a great time of year to be out hiking in the woods, and you’re likely to encounter wildlife other than turkeys.
Cons: Without scouting, you could spend a day hunting an area that has no birds, or you simply can’t find them. You run the risk of bumping birds as you hike, which are unlikely to return to your calling. It’s very difficult to locate flocks if the birds aren’t talking that day (this sometimes happens on hot days, days weather is changing).
This technique also isn’t great on windy days since calls are harder to hear, and if you don’t know the terrain, there is the potential locate a flock and then to set up with a creek, fence, brush patch, or other terrain feature that turkeys won’t cross.
Ambush
This technique relies more on scouting than calling. As the name implies, you learn the flock’s pattern through the day and set yourself up to cross paths with them.
Pros: If you’ve properly scouted a flock, it’s very likely you will see birds, and you don’t need any calling skills to kill a Tom if you set up in the right spot.
Cons: Requires scouting and patience sitting in a blind or brush, not to mention some luck that they will pass within shotgun range.
Scouting tips
You don’t need to scout earlier than two to three weeks before the season because they are moving during the spring to different foraging areas.
Priorities should be placed on finding birds and learning their patterns. Do they remain near their roost, or do they immediately wander off to another area?
If you are new to an area and are interested in covering a large chunk of ground to see if it has birds, go for a drive or hike and periodically stop and use a locator call. You can even do this after work. If scouting during the day, crow calls are the best to use to find birds during the day.
If scouting in the evening, use an owl or coyote call because that is what turkeys typically hear at night. If you get a response, but can’t locate the flock, you can move onto another spot a little further away and try again, which can help you triangulate from which direction the sound is coming.
When hiking, look for turkey sign as well as the birds, such scat under trees to find roosting trees. You can base a morning hunt off of this location, or look for the flock’s feeding/strutting area and set up an ambush hunt.
Scratching areas are where turkeys are feeding and look like an area that’s been raked over and has droppings. You can set up an ambush here, or try to locate nearby roosting tree and set up an ambush between the feeding and roosting areas.
Strutting areas are typically openings that can be as small as a front yard, or several acres. You can set up an ambush here, or try to locate roosting tree and set up an ambush between strutting and roosting areas.
Dusting bowls another give away that turkeys are using an area. All birds use dusting bowls daily, so if you locate a freshly used one, it might just be a waiting game until they return.
These techniques give you a good start to form a game plan, but remember that successful hunters are adaptable and resourceful. If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something else. Continue to hone your turkey hunting skills, such as calling or locating birds, so you can build on them in order to be more successful in the future.
Enjoy the experience of learning to hunt these wily birds, and don’t get discouraged or frustrated. Savor your time in the field and enjoy your interactions with turkeys, and any other wildlife you may encounter. When it all comes together, you will enjoy the thrill of the hunt and a tasty wild bird.