Some hunters are in the habit of making a few scouting trips two or three weeks before the turkey season starts, and I have to admit, I have been guilty of this bad behavior in the past, too.  Locating a flock or two of birds and then spending the rest of the offseason driving the whole house crazy while perfected our mouth calls while watching college basketball is no longer acceptable. Every turkey hunter needs to scout more.

Because we make one scouting trip, we sometimes think we have a good reckoning of where the hotspot will be come spring. Dovetail this with the momentum of a previous season when you made all the right moves and our drive to get after it may be a little dull.

And what happens?

Well, often I have shown up at the local diner after my first spring hunt with no feathers to show…Yes Ma’am, I will have cheese with my eggs and whine!

Many of the hunters who take this approach will only hear shotguns reporting success in the distance on the day of the opener as the sun creeps over the horizon while the woods around them are dead quiet.

I compare it to a baseball player who is watching the pitcher from the on-deck circle only to see him yanked right before his plate appearance. Uh-oh…should have studied the film on those relievers a little more. I had to change my ways to be ready for any curveball the turkeys were hurling.

It may be too early to start following individual birds, but you can still get a leg up on the competition by spending a few days in the woods during the coming weeks. Like a general coming up with an attack plan, try to learn the terrain features. Look for trees that are fitting for a bird to roost in and open areas where they will do their strutting.

Try an owl or crow calls and see if you get any response. If a gobbler hammers back, mark the location, but do not keep calling to him. I have ruined more dates with turkeys by preseason calling than I’d like to admit.

Another tip is to utilize your trail cameras to see when turkeys are coming to the fields and how they are utilizing the land. Keep track of this and see if the patterns holds true until opening day. If so, let the Remington bark!

We often dawdle when it comes to scouting. But, it can be fun and I am finding doing anything outside this time of year beats the stuffy indoors. Although you may not be toting a gun, you will still be getting some exercise and experiencing the outdoors, which revives the senses in preparation for opening day.