Patterning turkey travel

Not unlike deer, turkeys are also a creature of habit. They may wander fields but it seems that they like to stick with particular trails.

Three of us set up an ambush at daybreak this morning on a wood lot. We knew from previous scouting that a couple of Toms and a few hens were frequenting the area. We got there at 6:00 and they were off the roost and bumped them. Into the dirty brush they went and sure enough at 8:00 a shot rang off from my buddy who was covering a trail that they use to cross a drainage ditch.

Nice mature Tom. Sorry, no pictures as I stayed back hoping to get the second one and by the time I got out of the bush the bird had already been processed. It was a great day to be out as the rain held off in our area.

Way to go guys! That sounds like a great hunt! Yes, while highly unpredictable much of the time, they do have their "funnels" like big game and can be patterned at times. Especially in the first and last hours of the day. I like hunting until 7 pm just because they tend to be hanging around closer to the roost by then, which is patterning in a sense.

They follow the same pattern on one property we hunt (at least until opening morning) every year. The roost is on a wooded ridge above a 20 acre field that slopes down into a swamp. Nearly without fail at first light on opening morning, they'll fly down to the high point in the field where it crests before falling away to the swamp. Anything can happen at that point but at some time in the early morning they'll exit the field at one of the corners, usually the upper ones. We set up blinds in the upper corners at least a week before, and someone usually gets a shot on opening morning.

This morning Dad got a nice Tom at around 6:45 when they headed over to the Southeast corner. He made a pretty long shot and he dropped on the spot.

Weighted 23 lbs, 6 oz.

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Nice one. Congrats to your dad!