I harvested my first turkey this spring and would like to do it again in 2020. There are a couple problems I have though. The private land I took the turkey from does not have a whole lot of birds. I know this because its my parents land and I am out there a lot and have several cameras. I don't want to take from the small population, I want it to grow. That leaves me public land to find a bird. Not a lot of choices in far northTexas for public hunting. I spoke to a game warden in Oklahoma, and he recommended me to a place. Not super far away, but not close either. I have been looking at topographical maps and google earth to get an idea of where to go, but can I really find them without actually traveling up there? What should I be looking for? Is boots on the ground the only real way of finding turkey? I know we're months away, but i want to make sure I'm prepared. Thanks yall.

Depending on your county, you might have a fall season....I will be turkey hunting this weekend in the hill country. Map scouting can be fairly effective, but the only way to know if the birds are there is to scout for sign. If you have onxmaps, they have a NWTF filter that is basically a heat map that shows how many bird harvests have been recorded in each county. That can be a good way to at least know if there are healthy numbers in an area. If you know the turkey are there, you can locate potential roosting locations on a map. If a property doesnt have many large trees then the few that are there is where the birds are likely to roost, if they are roosting on the property at all. In the spring time, the birds need open spaces like fields or big, open timber with a grass floor. They nest in these locations so their poults will have plenty of bugs and grass seeds to eat once they hatch. For fall time map scouting, locate hardwoods. They will be feeding on mast just like anything else. The further north you go, the closer they will stick to food sources and the more reliable those sources will be.

Depending on where you are located, there are a few options for public land in north texas. Both of the national grasslands hold birds, and there is some COE land up there as well. There are also some public options in central Tx

Where I hunt in OK, we have a large creek that runs through the property. The birds seem to roost in trees along the creek more often than not. If there is a creek on property, that is where I would begin my search.

The place I'm looking at has lots of timber close to open crop fields. There is a creek close by as well, but it's the opposite direction of the open fields. I do believe there is a fall season in the county I'm looking at, but I'm wanting to get better with this diaphragm call before I go scare/educate a bunch of birds. When do y'all recommend scouting?

Find the highest ground on the property and be there at daylight a week before the season. You will know quickly.

We have a lot of turkey during the spring and summer. Come deer season they disappear until the next spring. Not sure why this happens.

Rio Grande species of turkeys have a wide range. Food, water, roost area's and nesting cover are the main reasons. On the property I hunt, we tend to have a lot of toms that stay year round. Its not uncommon to see flocks of 25 to 50 toms running together in the winter.

Well let me know if you need help thinning the flock!

Absolutly ... I've taken my fair share of public land birds...both rio and easterns. Hunted the grasslands, COE lands near Hillsboro, and national forest in deep east Texas. I even had a friend have success up north near the panhandle area, though I've not hunted there yet. Just have to get up there and put in the legwork a couple of weeks before the opener..

Same thing here.
We have been seeing a bird here and there and a small group of 4 toms.
Deer season is almost over and I have 20-25 birds at feeder 3 of the last 4 days.

We usually have a few lighter variations and they didn't disappoint this year: