I will be turkey hunting on a small piece of property this spring and I've seen a group of turkeys in a large field. Do I need to go before the spring season opens and scout with a call or would that hurt my chances of harvesting one during season. Should I just go sit were I saw them and put my decoy out and start calling on opening day and hope for the best. Please help

Go and scout but I wouldn't call. Turkey are smart. If you call and don't shoot...they see you...all you did was educate that bird.

Thanks txcornhusker!! I'm sure i'll have more ?'s later and hopefully have pictures to post this spring...

TCH info pretty much summed it up. I would also like to add that it would not be very effective to go out and start calling with a decoy because the turkey mate in the spring season so they would not respond to the call as well as they would in the spring.

HICOHUNTER Wait till a week or so before season before scouting and get to the spot about 1hr before sunrise and sit. It wont take long to hear um if they are there! Also turkeys like to roost in the same place if they can. One more thing dont hunt to close to the roost, stay back a couple a hundred yards.

Thanks for all your help! I thought of one more ?. On a small piece of land like I'm hunting, will the birds be in the same area that I saw them and if not will they hear my call and come to it. I just wanted to say that I'm new to the forum and everybody seems to be very friendly and want to help.. thanks

HICOHUNTER if it was me i would put up a feeder a couple of months before season but dont hunt to close to the feeder. The feeder will keep the birds on the property and make a good hunt for you! P.S. Dont worry about asking questions thats the only way to get answers.

Hoytman-How close is to close to hunt from the feeder. Should I put the feeder on one side of the field from were i will be hunting and should the feeder be in sight from were I'll be hunting...

HICOHUNTER I would stay a couple a hundred yards at least so they dont associate the feeder with danger. Any way it would take the fun out of the hunt if you kill em by the feeder! The fun part is calling em in. Warning'" THE FIRST TIME YOU GET THAT GOBBLER IN TO ABOUT 30YDS AND THAT FRONT BEAD IS ON HIS HEAD YOU WILL BE HOOKED!!!!!!! Any more questions feel free to ask cause im already hooked as you can tell.

Hoytman has hit the nail on the head! I love my bow hunting deer but give me my Benelli and turn me loose on ranch with a bunch of vocal gobblers and I’m in heaven baby!!! Hicohunter, I don’t know if you are a “newbie” gobbler chaser or not but if you are, don’t get discouraged if you don’t call one up right off the bat. Turkeys are strange fellows in that they won’t respond to the sweetest most seductive hen yelps, purrs, and cutts one day but the next day you can call one up by taking the lug nuts off of your four wheeler. Don’t worry if you don’t call one up right off the roost either. I’ve killed a lot of birds and the majority of them have been killed between 9 and 11 in the morning after the hens the gobblers were roosting with have wandered away from them. Like Hoytman said, the first time you call one up close and have the bead on his neck you’ll become an addict. Nothing beats having a big old puffed up gobbler at 15 yards and then have them slick down and stick their head up with that “Oh Sheeeeet!” look on their face right before you put a load of #6’s in their beak.

Hico,
I say just don't even go. Turk hunting is as addictive as it gets. Unless you got money and ain't got a woman to tie you down, you're in for something that quickly becomes all-consuming for a lot of people.
I killed one the first hunt I ever went on, and then spent another year and a half trying to kill one on my own. Once I got that bird I was hooked bad and have been ever since.
With all that said, if you do decide to give it a try and want someone to call you up a bird and show a few tips in the field ie. how and how often to call, what the signs look like, how to roost a bird, my services are available free of charge. Just PM me.

DITTO on my services as well i wont even bring a gun! All ill need is my calls and im happy!

thanks guys-
I might have to take ya'll up on that sometime.