Turkey Hunting, Then and Now

To avoid getting busted, try to setup with your back against trees wider than your shoulders. Disappear into the darker shadows and stay out of areas that are well lit by the sun. Overcalling is probably the number one crime committed by turkey hunters. The easiest and quickest way to tell a turkey where you are is by being a jabber mouth with your calls.

These mistakes are usually associated with volume and the intervals between calling sequences. It is easy for even experienced hunters to get caught up in the moment and overkill their calling. During both spring and fall hunting seasons, the woods are relatively open without much cover. The lack of foliage and greenery allows sound to carry greater distances. Under these circumstances, many hunters setup farther away from gobblers than they initially think. The trick is to learn how to accurately gauge the distance and setup accordingly.

Learn from the mistakes of other hunters and avoid the above common slip-ups when it comes to hunting down that delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Choosing weak setups How you setup for a turkey hunt can actually be more important than your calling skills. Turkeys will be feeding on green grasses and insects.

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Use locator calls before light or after dark to locate roosting trees; then set up in an area of their travel and begin calling as light approaches. Turkey flocks continue to be found in a wide variety of places in Jackson County. Turkey numbers in Josephine County remain very strong. Hunting is expected to be good to above average.

Turkeys can be tough to hunt in the county as most are found on private property. Try areas off of Galice road.

The Changing Face of Fall Turkey Hunting

Turkeys are actively strutting and gobbling. Finding a place to hunt is challenging in Northwest Oregon. Turkeys are primarily found on private lands and are not readily available to the public. Those hunters without local contacts should be out talking to landowners to acquire access to the few and widely scattered flocks. Forest Service maps and look for pockets of public land off the main roads, but adjacent to agricultural land and mixed hardwood forests since turkeys key in on acorns, but also feed in meadows on grubs and other insects. Pay special attention to river bottoms in these areas too.

At this time of year, turkeys are found at lower elevations in areas with mixed hardwoods such as oak savannah and pasture—the type of habitat found mostly on private lands, although some BLM and Forest Service lands feature this habitat. Turkey populations are extremely low and not widely distributed.

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Hunters will need to have scouted early to find turkey flocks and obtained permission to hunt on private property to be successful. Turkeys are found on the private agricultural lands with rolling oak woodlands adjacent to the larger private timber holdings. Most turkey populations are in the eastern third of these units, closer to the Willamette Unit.

Remember to get permission to hunt on private land. Turkey numbers and distribution in the district are gradually increasing, with groups scattered throughout the national forest. There is still significant snowpack at higher elevations and north-facing areas of the forest, so travel will be limited. Slight green-up is starting to occur at lower and mid-elevations, and turkeys will likely be found in these areas.

Hunters should contact both the Ochoco National Forest and Prineville BLM offices for road conditions and motorized access restrictions. With the heavy snowpack we got this year, turkeys should be a bit more concentrated in lower elevations during the early season than years past. Opportunity should open up in higher elevations as snow melts off. Harvest in the unit has continued to increase but hunter success is low. Please obey all wildlife area signs and be cautious of other hunters. Turkey populations in the Hood Unit are small but not many people hunt them. Turkey populations remain low and not widely distributed.

Due to harsh winter conditions we expect overwinter survival to be lower than in recent years. Access may also be difficult early in the season. Lower numbers will impact hunter success. Look for turkeys on USFS and private timber company lands. Make sure to secure permission before hunting on private lands. In Harney County, turkeys are restricted to the northern portion of the county on or near national forestland.

Wild turkeys are not expected to have had good over-winter survival due to the harsh winter.

Local turkey populations are expected to be fair to potentially poor. An above average over-winter snow pack will limit access to many areas and especially north-slope or shaded roads in the national forest. Hunting pressure usually drops off significantly after opening week. Lower elevation roads without snow may be soft and muddy, or blocked by downed trees. Contact the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest for road conditions and motorized access restrictions.

Hunting access is fair in the southern portions of the Keno Unit, though snow levels over winter have made many 2 track roads and trails too muddy to be driven without causing damage to the road.

The Perfect Turkey Hunting Plan | Mossy Oak

As a result, cooperators involved in the Pokegema Winter Range Road Closure have elected to delay opening those gates 1 week Gates will open April 6. This area is predominantly either open-to-hunt private timberland or BLM land. Turkeys can also be found north of Hwy 66 around Johnson Prairie. Hunters who take a banded turkey are asked to please contact the local ODFW district office in Klamath Falls The recent warm weather has triggered a spring green-up at lower elevations and hunters should concentrate their efforts near these areas.

Hunters can improve their early season success by walking into areas that are not accessible by vehicles due to snow. As the season progresses and snow lines retreat, turkeys will follow.

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The Pine Creek, Sumpter and Keating units all hold good numbers of birds on public land. Remember to ask for permission before hunting on private properties. Turkeys are widely distributed and continue to increase throughout the county.

Over-winter survival was fair this year with a slightly higher mortality rate than previous years. However, turkeys remain abundant throughout the county. Moderate spring conditions should start moving birds onto Forest Service lands as snow recedes and spring green-up occurs. During early season, some turkeys may persist on private property and permission is needed to hunt.

Turkey numbers on Forest Service land and surrounding forested have increased over the past couple of years but are still below the population levels seen five or six years ago.

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However, there are still good numbers of birds for hunters to pursue. Over-winter survival appears fair again this year; however the heavier snow pack will make access more difficult for hunters this year. Hunters will want to target the lower elevation portions of the forest at least until the snowpack recedes. As the snow recedes, the turkeys will continue to move upslope following the receding snow line.

Heavy snowfall concentrated turkeys at lower elevations this winter. However, with the recent warm temperatures turkeys are making their way to higher elevations where there is suitable habitat. These areas are dominated by private land and access is sometimes difficult. However, turkeys do inhabit some public land areas as follows: Turkeys will inhabit the low and mid-elevation areas while the snow is still present in high elevation habitats.

Low elevation areas are dominated by private ownership and permission is needed to hunt. Access to lower elevation hunting locations should be good this year, but expect higher elevations to be snowed-in, especially in April. Birds may use areas with residual snow cover, so these spots should be considered when scouting for new hunting locations. The highest concentrations of birds will be in the west Sled Springs, Wenaha and east slopes of the Mount Emily unit within Union County.