LITTLE ROCK — With the youth turkey hunt one month away and regular turkey season beginning nine days later, many hunters are dusting off their shotguns and brushing up on their calling. Seasoned veterans of the turkey woods also have their eyes glued to aerial images right now, looking for the most likely location for their next encounter with a longbeard.
Studying maps is nothing new to hunting or fishing. Just about every hunter and angler has a stash of treasured topographic maps or aerial photographs they reference when it’s time to visit an area for the first time or refresh their knowledge of some old stomping grounds. Luckily for newcomers, advances in technology have replaced those old treasure troves of maps and printouts with online resources like Google Maps or online mapping tools for your smartphone. Not only can a person view topographic maps online, but current aerial images as well as historical photographs all can be found to give hunters the lay of the land while they’re still at home.
Web Research
“Try to find areas with diverse habitat types,” said Jeremy Wood, turkey program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “Turkeys like edges, and stay near areas where they can have a variety of habitat within easy reach.”
Wood recommends areas where pine forests and hardwoods meet, as well as areas near streams, lakes and other water sources, as the habitat will change quickly in these locations. Pastures, small farms, recently harvested or burned areas in the forest and other open habitat types also are good to have nearby.
“Large stands of dense forest don’t offer the year-round food and cover benefits of a diverse landscape, so you’re not going to find as many turkeys in those huge blocks of similar habitat.”
Wood says hunters also should pay attention to the elevation and try to find areas where they can get the best vantage points when they begin their on-the-ground scouting.
“Try to find ridges and saddles that make for faster travel and give you the ability to hear further out,” Wood said. “Good turkey hunters cover a lot of ground to find their birds, so be prepared to either drive or walk long distances when you get to the woods. Get a handful of locations you want to scout ready using the computer at home, then it’s time to get out and do some walking.”
Ground Truthing