Lookin for a little spring TURKEY advice!

[willyqbc]

So, first off, let me say, obviously not a newbie here....been on here since the doors opened. In that time I have helped countless members with info on deer, bear, elk, moose in areas I know. have even personally taken many members to my best spots over the years in an effort to help them be successful. Heck, my buddy and I even packed a large bull moose 2 km out on our backs for a couple ladies from on here that I took out! I didn't do that so that someone would "owe me" something later, have really enjoyed meeting some fine folks from here and helping them out over the years.

However, That being said....I'm now asking the great folks here for a little help on a species i know very little about.

with my kids university schedule followed by his summer work schedule, we have a small window mid to late april to go "do something"....started thinking a week trying our hand at turkey hunting should be fun.
So first off, i'm looking for a general area to go, decent areas to camp nearby is a big plus. would prefer not to be camping in the middle of a "tent city" and stumbling over other hunters all day. We definately are not afraid of using the boots to get where other hunters arent, but would have to be hike in/out and back to camp in a day as we are not equipped for "pack in" camping.

Anyhow, would appreciate any and all info you good folks can provide, general or very specific is much appreciated. Feel free to PM if you're willing to help out but don't want it on the open forum!

Aside from location....specific brands/types of calls, decoys etc and any tactics would also be much appreciated. Will be researching all I can over the winter, but I find "ask a successful hunter" to generally be the best way to gather good info!

more than willing to reciprocate with knowledge of region 5, 7a, and some 7b

Thanks all!
Chris

[palmer]

Very happy to fill you in on 8-15. Not as many turkeys as years gone by but still plenty.
Lots of camping and other things to do, let me know if I can help

cheers
Palmer

[RyoTHC]

Very happy to fill you in on 8-15. Not as many turkeys as years gone by but still plenty.
Lots of camping and other things to do, let me know if I can help

cheers
Palmer

unless you’re offering up some private property access I’d recommend the op save his time rather than travel to 8-15. Myself and my hunting partner drove out there last Thursday morning. 500km one way, by Friday afternoon we packed up and went home, I have never been anywhere in the country that had more road hunting pressure, it was insanity. We watched dozens and dozens of vehicles race by as we sit atop a cut glassing..

there are many more peaceful productive areas to go, I can see the locals having plenty of success in 8-15 but if you’re travelling don’t waste your time !!

[Bubbacanuck]

I sent you a PM

[palmer]

unless you’re offering up some private property access I’d recommend the op save his time rather than travel to 8-15. Myself and my hunting partner drove out there last Thursday morning. 500km one way, by Friday afternoon we packed up and went home, I have never been anywhere in the country that had more road hunting pressure, it was insanity. We watched dozens and dozens of vehicles race by as we sit atop a cut glassing..

there are many more peaceful productive areas to go, I can see the locals having plenty of success in 8-15 but if you’re travelling don’t waste your time !!

Not sure where you were hunting but this has been one of the slowest seasons for hunters in years, but yes the long weekends are busy because of the Whitetail Doe season. I hunted the last five days and have not seen another hunter
Spring Turkey is not very busy anymore

[walks with deer]

ryo way closer places to bang a whitetail doe..

op pmed you like 6turkey pockets..your free to borrow my call and decoy to..its like a mini elk hunt.

i dont hunt them much these days i shot 15 last weekend in kamloops lol.

they where big and half of them white..theres still 6 left if you want to buy one lol

[willyqbc]

its like a mini elk hunt.


Yeah, I could be wrong as i know very little of turkey tactics, but does seem very similiar strategies apply.....hike, locate with one type of call, if you get a response, set up best ya can and try and call em in to close quarters with more refined calling.
if nothing else, planning/learning etc will help pass the winter and give a fellow something to look forward to!

Thanks to all who have replied so far!

[Darksith]

Turkey is way easier than you think it is, I didn't see many or any hunters last spring, granted I only hunted for 1 day, got 2 gobblers. West kootenays is a good place to go, find power lines, meadows whatever. Walk and listen, you can even road hunt them fairly easy. I went for opening weekend, was lots of snow as soon as you got any sort of elevation where I was still so the turkeys were in the areas that the snow wasn't.

Being a new turkey hunter, I find the box call is the easiest. Setup so the shooter is in between the caller and the turkeys and call them in. Was fairly simple. Walked for a couple km down a powerline, heard a gobble, closed the distance then setup and killed. Did it twice, easy. One thing I would suggest is going earlier than later as it worked for me and they were feeling sexy...

[Redthies]

unless you’re offering up some private property access I’d recommend the op save his time rather than travel to 8-15. Myself and my hunting partner drove out there last Thursday morning. 500km one way, by Friday afternoon we packed up and went home, I have never been anywhere in the country that had more road hunting pressure, it was insanity. We watched dozens and dozens of vehicles race by as we sit atop a cut glassing..

there are many more peaceful productive areas to go, I can see the locals having plenty of success in 8-15 but if you’re travelling don’t waste your time !!

You should have listened to me... ;)

Sorry your trip didn’t work out Ryo.

[Redthies]

Turkey is way easier than you think it is, I didn't see many or any hunters last spring, granted I only hunted for 1 day, got 2 gobblers. West kootenays is a good place to go, find power lines, meadows whatever. Walk and listen, you can even road hunt them fairly easy. I went for opening weekend, was lots of snow as soon as you got any sort of elevation where I was still so the turkeys were in the areas that the snow wasn't.

Being a new turkey hunter, I find the box call is the easiest. Setup so the shooter is in between the caller and the turkeys and call them in. Was fairly simple. Walked for a couple km down a powerline, heard a gobble, closed the distance then setup and killed. Did it twice, easy. One thing I would suggest is going earlier than later as it worked for me and they were feeling sexy...

It definetly is NOT always that easy. Glad you had success though!

[willyqbc]

any bears stirring down there by late april? worth packing a rifle for a combo turkey/bear hunt?

[bruteforce17]

Come to the Castlegar area, I see 30+ on the drive to work everyday.

[huntwriter]

Due to professional obligations (setting up a new business) I was unable to go turkey hunting the last three years. Things have settled down enough to go turkey hunting for two to three days in the coming spring.
I wonder how the wildfires affected the turkey populations around Christian Lake and Grand Forks. Is it worth it? Or should I look for other areas? Around Beaverdell used to be a small population of turkeys, don't know if they are still around in huntable numbers.
Maybe someone form these areas could fill me in on what is happening. Appreciated.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

any bears stirring down there by late april? worth packing a rifle for a combo turkey/bear hunt?

Stirring around yes, prevalent not so much.

PM Sent

[JSaw]

Like someone already said "it's like a mini elk hunt". Box calls are easy, decoys are relatively cheap. South facing slopes with big mature roosting trees is key. I like bands of thick brush intermixed with open slopes (they like steep stuff) and big fir trees. In the AM just before first light i walk slowly and just listen (they make a lot of noise in the morning) I've had luck with the "listen and stalk" method. I've also had luck just still hunting and bumping them out of thick stuff. If you're going to call ensure you have multiple sight lines and a decoy or two always helps. Mid-end of April is a great time to go.

As for spots.... I can PM you with some better details but basically from just west of the Okanagan all the way to Fernie, there are turkeys. Think US border and south slopes in that large tract of land. They're there.

[Krico]

PM sent.
And on the subject of bruins - in all the years turkey hunting I think I’ve seen maybe 2 bears...