lil advice please...

Still kind of a rookie at Turkey hunting.
I don't normally have the opportunity to "roost" birds the night before a hunt, but I have a pretty good idea of where they like to be and their travel "patterns".
My strategy last season was to head into an area before first light, listen for gobbles or yelps(never tried to shock gobble a bird)if I hear them, I'd move to that area, if I heard nothing, then I'd go to an area where I thought they'd go.
Is this a good strategy?
How can I improve upon it?
How do you guys hunt an area if you haven't been able to roost the birds before hand?...search for terrain features? gobbler tracks? dust bowls/scratches?

I like to find a fresh strut zone & sit there from daylight till he gets there. This has payed off for me better then anything else when all else fails. He usually dont show up till mid morn'n but when he breeds all his hens early that morn'n & they go there on way thats where he's headed. Especailly if he heard you talk'n sweet noth'ns over there at day break.

If you can't roost a bird and you know where they transit you can try the ambush tactic.
If I can't locate gobbles in the morning I do what Jamey said. Locate strut marks in the sand or dust on logging roads, food plots etc...this is where they will generally come back too if undisturbed.
The dusting bowls are great too, as hens will use them often and where the hens are the gobblers will be close by...

Sounds about right.

Thanks guys!

Sounds like you got a good strategy already. Hunt where the hens like to hang out and the gobblers will be around.

You could get you a owl hooter and go in before daylight and try and get one to gobble. If you don't hear one move on to the next area and try again

your strategy will work great if you can sit still enough long enough.

Payton Everett said:

You could get you a owl hooter and go in before daylight and try and get one to gobble. If you don't hear one move on to the next area and try again

Click to expand...

The thing I don't like about shock gobbling is that unless it is a lightly hunted area you might have 3-5 folks doing the same thing in one morning in the same area over a few hour period and it can educate a bird quick.

Shock gobbling has it's place and at the right times I have used a crow call mid morning but I think hunter pressure dictates whether to do it or not.

Swamprat said:

The thing I don't like about shock gobbling is that unless it is a lightly hunted area you might have 3-5 folks doing the same thing in one morning in the same area over a few hour period and it can educate a bird quick.

Shock gobbling has it's place and at the right times I have used a crow call mid morning but I think hunter pressure dictates whether to do it or not.

Click to expand...

Yea I've had pretty good luck with it though. I pretty much have a 500 acre club to myself and we got a pretty good number of birds.

Payton Everett said:

Yea I've had pretty good luck with it though. I pretty much have a 500 acre club to myself and we got a pretty good number of birds.

Click to expand...

That is what you want....I have been in situations both public and private lands where to many hunters educate the birds quick. It was really bad when I grew up in Osceola bird country. Folks would over call and Osceolas are not the most vocal of birds. They might gobble a few times on the roost and then nothing for a hour and maybe one gobble.

They are curious birds though and will come to your call you just have to have patience. Have actually heard them wading thru 4-6" of water before I ever saw them.

Swamprat said:

That is what you want....I have been in situations both public and private lands where to many hunters educate the birds quick. It was really bad when I grew up in Osceola bird country. Folks would over call and Osceolas are not the most vocal of birds. They might gobble a few times on the roost and then nothing for a hour and maybe one gobble.

They are curious birds though and will come to your call you just have to have patience. Have actually heard them wading thru 4-6" of water before I ever saw them.

Click to expand...

Yea in our club we have the whole opening day bunch that hunt til 10 on opening day and then after that there done

thats what i love about turkey hunting you can kill the elusive bird any time during the day hunting sign is good sometimes but dont eat as well being a rookie hmmmm dont know if you ever go pro theres always birds that will let you know you aint seen it all haha stay hard at it and good luck this season

The greatest thing about turkey hunting is there is no best way, just the way that works that day, most of the time I dont think of it until Im getting back to the truck lol. I usually roost birds because Im to anxious or impatient to wait until morning, roosting birds a couple of days in advance can be a gamble as they may move to another spot but its still fun to do. As has already been said, the amount of hunters on your property can have a pretty good say in your strategy that day. We are blessed to have some family land that has spoiled us pretty good. If you can get a bird to shock gobble in the mornings it can help you a lot even if others are owl hooting, like you said you can just listen in, they may get one to gobble somewhere you may can set up on, just try to respect them and the birds they are hunting. If you got the woods to yourself you can start walking and calling every now and then, I do that a lot to but my patience pocket has a hole in it. Again though, as has already been said when all else fails setting up where you know the birds will be can pay off big time, thats how I killed my second bird. Turkey hunting strategies, next to medium rare or rare steak, are the oldest American debate. A lot comes from experience and listening to old timers tell their war stories. So pretty much I agree with everybodys opinions ha. Thats just my 2 cents. Good Luck! Hope you get some braggin pics this year, either way its hard to hunt and not have fun!