Preseason Scouting Brings Turkey Hunting Success

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Iowa's spring turkey hunting season begins next week. It's a good thing too. Most hunters have been pacing the floor for weeks now, anxiously wondering just what to expect when they finally venture into their favorite woodland in search of the ever elusive gobbler.

I'm plenty anxious myself. But regardless of what kind of success this year's hunt may bring, I must admit that I've already had a pretty good season. During the past several days I've been spending my free time exploring familiar timbers, testing calls, and generally matching wits with preseason gobblers. As always, the raucous crack-of-dawn turkey shows have been nothing short of spectacular. During my last four outings in northern Iowa, I've had opportunities to photograph 19 adult gobblers, 4 jakes, and numerous hens. As always, I've had the preseason woodlands all to myself --- just me, the birds and the deer.

Prowling his home timbers near Muscatine, my long time hunting partner Robert Kirkman has been doing the same. He called to compare notes, and we ended our conversation by noting how really unfortunate it is that so many spring turkey enthusiasts are entirely missing out on the preseason fun. I blame the pros. For years now, turkey hunting professionals have been using seminars, magazine articles, and other communication mediums to preach the evils of preseason calling. Engaging in such activities, they claim, will educate birds, produce call shy toms, and lead to reduced success when hunting seasons finally open for real. Often repeated and widely accepted, that theory has been around since Iowa turkey seasons first began more than 30 years ago.

At the surface, the theory does seem logical. In reality, it's mostly bunk. As long as hunters use common sense and avoid the bull in a china shop approach, preseason excursions with call and binoculars can result in some of your most productive hours afield.

The idea that a gobbler who hears your call, comes looking, and then doesn't find a real hen will not respond to the same sound another day is just plain ridiculous. Wild turkeys are highly social, highly vocal, and extremely mobile. In the real woods, games of hide and seek play out on a near continual basis. When such scenarios do occur and toms don't actually see every hen they hear, those birds do not automatically become hermits. Think about it.

In reality, hunters have plenty of incentive for getting into the timber well in advance of legal hunting seasons. Generally speaking, early April mornings are crisp and invigorating. Better yet, the predawn gobbling is as good as it gets. Once daylight arrives and birds hit the ground, they rarely fail to provide dramatic displays that include in-your-face gobbling, nonstop strutting, and if you're extremely fortunate, a good old fashioned Gobbler Smack Down. Those who have enjoyed a ring side seat know that few wildlife dramas are more breath taking than when two or more, needle-spurred heavyweights vie for dominance.

In addition to their entertainment value, preseason forays also have a practical side. They offer a chance to explore new territories or to become reacquainted with familiar timbers. They also provide spring turkey enthusiasts with unparalleled opportunities to look, listen and learn as wild turkeys communicate and interact within a completely undisturbed setting. If you really want to know what turkey calling is supposed to sound like, nothing tops the instruction of live hens. It's an education that can't be matched and is the sort of knowledge that can only serve to increase, not decrease, your probability of success.

My advice? Quit listening to the pros. Instead, get into the woodlands and enjoy some preseason fun for yourself. Better hurry though. The clock is ticking.

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