Maine’s statutory spring season for wild turkeys begins on May 1, but the real hunting season starts long before. That’s because hunting involves more than just calling and shooting. It also includes preseason scouting, which can be an important component for subsequent success.

The first step involves finding birds, which you’d think shouldn’t be all that difficult given how abundant and widespread the species has become over the last several decades. Don’t bet on it. With the late snow melt, birds were still concentrated in big winter flocks and a lot less visible through the first two weeks of April.

Start scouting extensively, riding the roads searching for visible birds. You’ll be more successful by targeting peak activity periods, early and late in the day. Bear in mind, if you can see birds from the road, so can anyone else who happens by, and visible birds often draw a crowd come opening day.

Scouting by ear can be just as effective while also reducing the competition. Instead of simply driving and looking, pull over every quarter mile or so, get out and listen. The best time to do this is just before dawn when birds are still gobbling from the roost – their most vocal period.

Once you’ve got a good list started, you can switch from extensive to intensive. Get away from the roads and into the woods and look for signs. The most obvious evidence will be from feeding. Turkeys move along, scratching leaves and duff on the forest floor, and so leave a great deal of disturbance in their wake. By noting which way the leaves are scratched, you can sometimes tell which general direction the birds travel in their daily routine – if they have one.

Droppings also show where turkeys have been, and you can even tell a turkey’s sex by its droppings. A hen’s will be round and bulbous, like a popped kernel of corn. A male dropping will be “J” shaped. Random droppings on the forest floor will show you a feeding area, but an accumulation under the trees might be a roost site. The same is true of feathers.

If you find patches of bare soil, look for tracks. You should also look for thin, parallel scratch marks in the soil where a strutting gobbler dragged its wings. Small, round depressions in dry soil might indicate a dusting bowl, a site turkeys may visit on a somewhat regular basis where they take a dust bath to rid themselves of parasites.

Those are some of the Dos of turkey scouting. Now for some Don’ts.

Don’t put all your turkey eggs in one basket. You may find what seems like a sure thing, but lots can happen to “fowl” up your plans. Other hunters may beat you to the spot, or the birds may have changed their location since your last visit. That’s why it’s always good to have several back-up plans.

Don’t forget about off-hours, too. Most hunters concentrate their efforts during the first few hours of the day, then give up and head home or off to work. The turkeys are still out there, and with fewer hunters to compete against, you might have a better chance of calling in a gobbler.

Don’t stop scouting once the season opens, either. Turkeys tend to be relatively routine in the spring, until the season opens. Hunting pressure quickly changes things. Gobblers also travel farther and wider from home as hens gradually drop out of the flocks to tend their nests.

There’s an inverse relationship between scouting and hunting time. The more you spend on the former, the less you’ll need to devote to the latter. Fill that first tag early, and you can enjoy the rest of the season with a more relaxed attitude.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at: bhunt@maine.rr.com

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