NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/654753
46 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2016 N ebraska has the best turkey hunting in the nation – with a long season, plentiful public land and three permits per hunter – as well as diverse terrain and habitat. From farms to forest, turkeys can be found in all 93 counties with the state featuring three subspecies – Merriam's, Easterns and Rios. Regardless of where you plan to hunt and the type of birds you're chasing, scouting must be done to find roosting areas, strutting grounds and travel routes. Here is what you're looking for. Scouting To pinpoint roosting locations, glass areas during the late afternoons for turkeys or use locator calls, such as crow calls, to see if a tom will respond. On follow-up scouting trips, slip quietly into an area in the afternoon and look for tracks, droppings and feathers, and always listen for gobblers in an area. Stay until after dark, then slip back out to not disturb birds. To find strutting grounds, listen for turkeys in the mornings. Once you're close to these spots, look for drag marks from a tom's feathers on the ground. You can also analyze scat. Droppings shaped like a "j" will be a tom, while straight scat will be a jake. Hen droppings will be in a clump and, during the spring, where there are hens there will be toms. Finding travel routes are important for times when the birds fly a different direction off the roost, roost in a different area or you miss a shot. Scout hard to pattern birds and their travel routes to and from the roost, strutting grounds, loafing and feeding areas. Hunt travel routes during the mid- afternoon; get comfortable and use a blind to hide movement when possible or move slowly through an area looking and listening all the time. Farms Many farms where people hunt turkeys consist of grain fields and shelterbelts. Because moving is at a minimum in areas like these, hunters should place themselves near a roosting or feeding location. Scout birds on afternoons before the hunt and also talk to the landowner, who may be able to pinpoint roosting locations as well. When hunting birds from the roost, keep your distance to at least 75 yards away and, if hunting with more than one person, place each hunter on opposite sides of the roosting location to increase the likelihood that one of you gets a shot. For if the tom is with hens, then there's a good chance he's going to follow them wherever they go. However, if you can get the tom to respond to you early, even if he doesn't come your way, hold your ground because he won't forget you're there. This is when a hen decoy comes into play. He'll swing back your way, probably in the midday when his hens leave him to lay eggs, and you'll have a chance at calling him in. Conversely, if the tom is with a breeding flock and won't budge, try interrupting the boss hen with challenge calls. She may just get mad e Nation's Best Turkey Hunting in Nebraska By NEBRASKAland Magazine Staff Jennifer Sorensen peers out the window of a tent-blind while hunting turkeys northwest of Naper in Boyd County. There has never been a better time to turkey hunt in Nebraska. With a long season, plentiful public land and three permits allowed per hunter, the glory days are here. PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER PHOTO BY JEFF KURRUS