How to Find Unpressured Public Turkeys

The hour strikes 9 a.m., and it’s been nothing but songbirds and squirrels since that distant lone gobble at daybreak. Suddenly, a stick breaks. Then, an unmistakable spit-and-drum. Seconds pass, and flash of a tail fan appears through the undergrowth. A few minutes later, that turkey covers the last 50 yards, nestles up against the hen decoy and does the dance.

When hunters experience public land turkey hunting success, it’s usually in the form of minimal gobbling, days of hunting without sightings and other patience-testing challenges. As public land turkey hunting becomes more popular, these same destinations become more difficult to hunt.

Without question, some turkeys are incredibly pressured. Here is the how, when and where of finding public land turkeys that aren’t pursued quite as heavily.

Step 1: Pinpoint Places Where Turkey Hunting Isn’t Vogue

One of the first tasks in finding unpressured public turkeys is pinpointing places where turkey hunting isn’t as popular. Some states have rich turkey hunting traditions, and in those states, hunting pressure is almost always greater than in states where the heritage isn’t as strong.

“The easiest way is to go to areas with both lower concentrations of human populations and diehard turkey hunter populations,” said Calling All Turkey’s Shane Simpson. “Examples would be states in the Northeast, upper Midwest, and Western states.”

Step 2: Talk to Biologists and Land Managers

The dedicated men and women who manage and maintain our public lands know more about these tracts than most others. Talking to these people can help devise a stronger game plan. Ask specific questions, and oftentimes, you’ll receive quality answers.

“Do your homework,” said Ken Perrotte, outdoor writer and NWTF staffer. “Find out how, if at all, land managers control the pressure and harvests on public land. Research the quality of the habitat. Hunting a place with limited or no pressure doesn't mean much if turkeys don't want to live there.”

Step 3: Hunt Smaller Tracts of Public Land

Hunters oftentimes focus on moderately sized public hunting lands. Massive acreages are often seen as daunting. Very small tracts are viewed as a waste of time. The latter isn’t nearly true, though. Find these overlooked tracts and scout them.

“Look for smaller, less-publicized tracts,” said championship turkey caller Scott Ellis. “Hunting apps are great tools for this. Look for areas that are off the beaten path.”

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Step 4: Hunt Massive Tracts of Public Properties

If you’d rather not hunt very small tracts of public ground, go in the other direction. Hunt larger tracts of public land that others see as intimidating. Of course, even large tracts get hunted around the perimeter.

The key is finding pieces of ground that allow you to get more than a mile or two away from easy access points. Spots that require hiking up steeper terrain tend to deter many hunters, too. If it’s safe enough to traverse, and you’re willing to tackle it, such barriers can produce pockets of turkeys that aren’t as pressured.

Step 5: Focus on Difficult-to-Access Tracts

Many hunters won’t take extra steps to access public land. If they can’t pull up to a parking spot, walk in, and hunt, they aren’t hunting there. Those who work harder and overcome more difficult access tend to experience better hunting. This might be boat access, trespass permission through private ground, multi-mile treks in and out, etc.

“Most turkeys living on public and heavily pressured private receive some sort of hunting pressure,” said The Hunting Public’s Aaron Warbritton. “Properties that are easily accessible receive the most pressure. While the opposite is often true for areas that are hard to access.”

Step 6: Find Limited-Access Hunts

Some of the best public land hunts available are those that aren’t open to everyone. Draw and quota public land hunts help maintain the quality of the public lands that implement these systems. These do so by limiting hunting pressure and preventing overharvest.

“Some places, like many state WMAs or military installations, allocate areas by quotas or draws, limiting the amount of hunters that might be on the property or a section of the property at any one time,” Perrotte said. “If you're lucky enough to get a place/slot to hunt on a quota, you still need to try to find a couple precise locations where you want to strike out in the morning. Invariably, you'll have to get up a couple hours earlier than if you were hunting private land because it can be a race to the prime spots.”

Other areas permit bowhunting only, which can prove to present much lower volumes of hunting pressure than properties that allow all legal hunting methods.

Step 7: Hunting During Less Popular Times of the Day

Most turkey hunters hunt the first few hours of the day. They hear those turkeys gobbling on the roost and try to steal those gobblers away from their hens. By mid-morning, it hasn’t worked, and they head in for biscuits and gravy.

Consider operating in reverse. Sleep in. Grab a biscuit. And then go turkey hunting. You’ll experience less competition, fewer henned-up birds, and just might catch a turkey that wants to work.

“Focus on smaller, overlooked parcels or hunt at odd times of the day — like early afternoons,” said HuntStand’s Josh Dahlke. “The birds are often there, but they become professionals at patterning human activity.”

Step 8: Wear Good Boots and Put Miles on Them

Unless accessing by boat, or gaining permission to reach public through private ground, most public land turkey hunting requires a lot of walking. Those willing to tackle this challenge can find turkeys others can’t reach.

“Make sure you don your most comfortable boots and cover some ground,” said turkey calling competitor Anthony Virga. “Up in the mountains, where I hunt public, predation and pressure leave these gobblers not as talkative. Scout-hunting has been a great tactic for me over the years.”