Public-land turkeys aren't pushovers, but they aren't masterminds of survival, either. Craft a game plan with the following advice in mind.
Hands shake as gobbling-fueled adrenaline courses through each vein. Sweat pools above your brows, before slowly draining down around the corners of each eye. Quickening breathing threatens an imminent fogging of the glasses.
Finally, after saying all manner of indecent things with your hen talk, that foul-mouthed longbeard rounds the corner. Sweat-filled eyes blink away the clouds. Those shaking hands find resolve and go steady. A final exhale precedes the trigger pull, and then, the king of spring falls. He’s sounded his last serenade.
Those who chase public-land turkeys have a lot of rules to follow. Some are written, and others aren’t. While some are law-based, others are ethic-, safety-, or tactic-minded things. Here are some public-land turkey hunting rules to follow.
Never fan or reap turkeys on public lands.
PUBLIC-LAND TURKEY HUNTING REGULATIONS
Some turkey hunting regulations apply specifically to public lands. These are rules that public-land hunters oftentimes must follow when chasing gobblers on public property.
1. Purchase Special Licenses, Tags, and Stamps: Some tracts of public land require specialty licenses, tags, and/or stamps for access. Limited-access hunts, such as draw or quota hunts, are especially restrictive, and thanks to strict management, tend to offer great turkey hunting opportunities.
2. Study Each Public Property’s Dedicated Website: Most public hunting lands have dedicated websites that offer general information about the land, such as terrain type, total acreage, etc. These also usually list some of the rules or regulations associated with the area, which are oftentimes different than the surrounding private land, or even other public tracts.
3. Stay on Your Side of the Property Line: Staying inside the property lines has and always will be of utmost importance. Each public property should have maps with the rough outline of the public property. However, HuntStand’s Public Lands and Hunting Lands layers, as well as the Property Info tool, can help highlight accurate boundaries.
4. Never Fan or Reap a Turkey: Fanning and reaping turkeys are two highly debated turkey hunting tactics. In some states (i.e. Pennsylvania), it’s banned statewide. In most other states, it’s at least prohibited on public lands. Even where it isn’t, this is too dangerous of a tactic to implement on public ground, or even shared private land, for that matter.
5. Hunt Afternoons if Allowed: Not all states allow afternoon turkey hunting. Some cut off around 12 or 1 p.m. Stop at the buzzer, whether that’s lunchtime, dusk, or whenever.
Always maintain ethical standards when hunting wild turkeys.
PUBLIC-LAND TURKEY HUNTING ETHICS
Other rules might not be required by law, but are important, nonetheless. These are ethical guidelines to follow, and not doing so is a bad idea.
6. Don’t Park Next to Another Vehicle: Unless it’s a large parking area with multiple directions to go in, don’t park next to another vehicle. The public land rule is — whoever gets there first, gets to hunt it. So, on small one-lane gravel roads, or parking areas that might fit two trucks at best, it’s best to move on to the next spot.
7. Talk to Hunters You Meet: If you see other turkey hunters, don’t be stuck up. Talk to the hunters you meet, especially if parking close to one another. Determine who is going where. Communicate and respect each other’s game plans. That said, remember that whoever got there first, chooses first. Take a peek at the map in HuntStand to make sure you’re on the same page.
8. Leave Other Hunters Uninterrupted: See a hunter set up in the distance? Hear turkey sounds that are almost certainly hunter-made? Turn around and walk in another direction, even if a bird is gobbling nearby. It’s unethical at best, and unsafe at worst, to move in on a turkey another hunter is already working.
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Never wear bright-colored objects, such as blue jeans, when turkey hunting on public lands.
PUBLIC-LAND TURKEY HUNTING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Written laws and ethics aside, other public-land turkey hunting rules are suggested safety precautions. That doesn’t make these any less important, though.
9. Maintain a Reasonable Shot Distance: Always honor ethical shot distances, whether on private or public ground. That said, it’s even more important on public, because another hunter might be just out of sight, but close enough to get hurt.
10. Wear Camo Only: It’s important to wear quality camouflage, but safety is as important as hiding from turkeys. Wearing non-camo items, such as white t-shirts, red flannel, blue jeans, even brown and black, and more, exhibit colors found on the wild turkey. Breaking that rule is unsafe. Even if it isn’t on your clothing, it’s important to leave bright-colored items at home. Colorful water bottles, snack packages, and other items can express turkey-centric colors, too.
11. Camouflage the Gun: Likewise, cover any flashy parts of bows, crossbows, and shotguns with camouflage tape. This should help prevent other hunters from mistaking these for something turkey specific.
12. Bag Your Bagged Bird (Literally): Never walk with a harvested turkey over your shoulders. Instead, bag it up to where no parts of it are showing, and stow it in the rear of your turkey vest. Visible parts of the turkey — especially the head — can provoke an accident.
Sit against a tree trunk that is at least the width of your back.
13. Use Turkey Decoys Safely: Modern turkey decoys, such as those by Avian-X, are ultra-realistic. In some instances, it’s OK to use decoys on public lands. It isn’t completely shunned or unsafe. However, hunters debate it, and some prefer to leave the decoys at home for safety reasons. Generally, this is a personal choice. But if you pack decoys on public land, always keep them concealed in a decoy bag (not your open-sided turkey vest) while carrying them, or on the move.
14. Stop Creeping and Crawling: Most hunters innately slink through the woods and try to be as stealthy as possible. However, due to the possibility of other turkey hunters on the landscape mistaking such movements for wild game, it’s best to dial that back a bit. A slight bit of movement has triggered numerous unsafe turkey hunters to yank triggers before they ever identified the target as a real turkey.
15. Never Stalk a Turkey: Pennsylvania outright outlaws “stalking” turkeys. But it’s a good idea to stop creeping and crawling toward turkeys on any public land (in any state).
16. Sit Against Larger Tree Trunks: A good back rest is important for staying safe. This covers your profile, and decreases the odds of getting shot by another turkey hunter mistaking you for a turkey.
17. Speak Loudly to Passing Hunters: If another turkey hunter walks by within 100 yards, always speak out loudly before moving. A sudden flash of movement can trigger a negative response, especially for inexperienced turkey hunters. But alerting them to your presence with a loud voice (before moving) will help them to register you as human, ultimately minimizing the risk of an accident.
Finding & Hunting Terrain Features Turkeys Love
Successfully harvesting a public-land gobbler requires deploying certain tips and tactics centric to the landscape.
PUBLIC-LAND TURKEY HUNTING TIPS AND TACTICS
Finally, some public-land turkey hunting rules aren’t for regulating laws, ethics, or safety. No, these are good practices to follow that just might prove to be public-land turkey hunting tips and tactics you take to the bank.
18. Study Public Lands Reports: Most state wildlife agencies produce public hunting lands reports for big game species. Study the turkey reports, which usually detail harvest numbers, management goals, etc. These can help home in on public tracts of interest.
19. Contact Biologists and Land Managers: Many public lands are under the purview of a specific biologist or land manager employed by the overseeing entity, such as the state agency. If contact information is published, consider contacting these overseers and asking them questions regarding the public lands that interest you.
20. Start Scouting Sooner: Don’t wait until the week before turkey season to begin scouting. Instead, start scouting sooner. Getting a jump on that effort two or even three weeks before the season can help pinpoint birds you otherwise wouldn’t have time to find. While in the field, drop scouting pins, and type up specialized notes, with your findings in HuntStand. Of course, their habits and movements might change by opening day, but these turkeys are still in the general area.
21. Get There Extra Early: The first hunter parked gets to choose their hunting spot first. Oftentimes, dedicated public-land turkey hunters will arrive several hours before daylight to beat the competition. You must get there even earlier.
Turkeys oftentimes hang out close to property lines. Use HuntStand to find these potential hotspots.
22. Tackle That Hard-to-Hunt Terrain: Many turkey hunters won’t navigate challenging terrain. While it’s unwise to traverse dangerous topography, choosing to push through a hike that merely makes you sweat a little more can help separate you from other public-land turkey hunters. Obviously, the HuntStand app can reveal good ways to bypass challenging terrain, such as a cut in a bluff, saddle through a ridgeline, etc.
23. Focus on Public-Private Boundaries: Turkeys might be miles deep into a tract of public land. More often, though, flocks hang out near public and private boundaries. Oftentimes, turkeys can get needs on private land they don’t satisfy on adjacent public, and vice versa. Of course, keep an eye on HuntStand’s property line feature when hunting close to borders.
24. Find the Tiny Tracts: Most public-land turkey hunters target the largest, best-looking pieces of public they can find. Sometimes, this results in small public parcels going all but ignored. Don’t forget to give these spots a try. Use HuntStand to pinpoint smaller parcels that are oftentimes overlooked.
25. Use Different Access Types: Some public lands are very difficult to access, especially if land-locked by private land and/or bodies of water. Therefore, consider knocking on doors and asking if you can pass through private land to reach the public ground. Or deploy a boat to approach through the back door. HuntStand is excellent for locating these unorthodox access points.
Consult your HuntStand turkey scouting pin drops and notes throughout the hunt.
26. Start Right Out of the Gate: Some public hunters are good at their craft, and birds will likely start falling on opening weekend. Start right out of the gate to increase your chances of getting the drop on a gobbler before longbeard numbers start decreasing.
27. Hunt When Others Won’t: Some turkey hunters won’t hunt in the rain, high winds, etc. Never hunt during dangerous conditions, such as thunderstorms, tornadic encounters, or even rainy days with cold temperatures (enter hypothermia). That said, hunting when others won’t can significantly reduce competition for the day.
28. Hunt the Midday Window: Most turkey hunters are back home or at the local diner by mid-morning. I don’t blame them. I love post-hunt biscuits and gravy. But if you can stomach foregoing the vittles, the competition fades, and turkeys fire back up, around 9-10 a.m.
29. Avoid Obvious Fields and Food Plots: Food plots and fields garner a lot of attention on public lands, especially those with easier access. They look good on that HuntStand aerial layer. While it’s unwise to completely disregard these, it’s folly to plan the entire hunt around such locations.
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Modern turkey decoys are ultra-realistic. Exercise utmost caution and safety when decoying turkeys on public lands.
30. Don’t Spend Too Much Time on the Logging Roads: Public-land longbeards that receive much hunting pressure, or see many predators, tend to avoid logging roads. They’ll cross these, but won’t strut up and down them, like their private-land brethren.
31. Spend More Time on the Move: Turkey populations tend to be lower on public properties. If hunting in an un-scouted area, or if the birds just aren’t there now, consider spending more time on the move. Use the “run-and-gun” tactic to find some birds. Consult your HuntStand scouting pins and notes to help chart a course.
32. Or Don’t Move at All: If you’ve conducted plenty of scouting, and are convinced that turkeys are still nearby, don’t move at all. Camp out where your intel told you to and stick to your guns.
33. Get Close Before You Call: Other turkey hunters will likely hear that gobbler when he fires up and starts answering you. When possible, it’s best to get as close to turkeys as possible before calling. Hearing that turkey gobble is fun, but minimizing the number of gobbles before tagging it is almost always best. Use HuntStand to gauge where that gobbling turkey might be standing.
Play your cards right, and a set of hooks like these might be waiting at the end of the hunt.
34. Lose the Machine-Gun Cutting: Real turkeys don’t machine-gun cutt like professional turkey callers. It’s incredibly rare for hens to make that sound. Listen to the turkeys you hear and make those same sounds.
35. Call a Little Softer: It’s best practice to call a few octaves quieter on public ground than on private land, especially if calling while easing through a piece of public. That way, you run less risk of spooking a bird with loud calling, are closer to that turkey when it fires off, and you might not draw the attention of other hunters.
36. Run Multiple Calls: Public turkeys hear a lot of turkey calls. They might not like one but appreciate the sound of another. Keep multiple turkey calls in your pockets or vest. If one doesn’t work, move on to the next.
37. Don’t Keep That Bird Gobbling: As mentioned, it’s fun to hear turkeys gobble. That’s part of the hunt. But keeping it gobbling more than is necessary only hinders chances of tagging that bird. Other hunters will hear it and move in.
No matter the outcome of your public land turkey hunt, always leave the land and resource better than you found it.
38. Have Multiple Backup Plans: Rarely does plan A work, even on private land. Therefore, have multiple public-land turkey hunting plans ready, as you’ll likely need more than the first one.
39. Have More Patience: Don’t give up. Be patient. Give your game plan time to work. Even when it doesn’t, remain steadfast and keep pushing forward (or sitting still, if needed). You might not fill that turkey tag, but even if you don’t, you’ll have invested the proper time and energy, and you can walk away knowing you gave it your best.
40. Keep Success to Yourself: If you’re blessed with a public-land longbeard, don’t share too much information. Naming the public land you hunted will only increase the hunting pressure, and over time, it’ll degrade the area.
Lastly, if you haven’t already downloaded HuntStand Pro, consider its benefits. Because every turkey hunter worth their salt knows we need every advantage available over these pea-brained birds. Somehow, they almost always whip our butts. Thankfully, HuntStand Pro has our backs in the public-land turkey woods.
