Identifying Trees Can Help You Be a Better Hunter
Many hunters don’t give trees a second glance, but they could be missing out on key information that will assist them in their hunting pursuits and can even prevent themselves from getting lost.
The Mighty Oaks
If there is one tree species identified with wild turkey habitat, it’s oaks. Acorns provide a vital food source for turkeys, and the branches of oaks are favored roosting spots.
The white oak is the most common, with a range covering most of eastern North America, from Canada to northern Florida and from the east coast to the Midwest states. It is signified by its classic large, oblong leaves with many lobes. The red oak has a similar range, and the leaves are multi-lobed. Since hunters are in the woods in the fall and winter, identifying trees by the bark is an excellent skill to have. Online resources can be used to learn these skills.
There are also more than a dozen other oak species that can be found in various areas.
Going Nuts
Besides oaks, there are other nut species that are important food for turkeys. These include beech, hickory, walnuts and pecans. Learn which of these are common in your hunting area.
Don’t Forget the Pines
While evergreens aren’t usually associated as turkey-specific trees, both longleaf and shortleaf pine ecosystems are crucial for wild turkeys and the many species that inhabit them. Turkeys will roost in mature pine trees and can be seen feeding on insects under them during the day.
Helping with the Hunt
Retired Michigan upland bird biologist Alan Stewart, who was integral in turkey reintroductions and is currently the director of the Nimrod Center, uses his knowledge of trees to aid with hunting. In the fall, he looks for acorns and beech nuts near roosting areas.
“Then I look for turkey scratching on the ground and in the leaves of the forest floor,” he said. “As the turkeys scratch in the leaves, they leave a ‘V’ mark on the ground. The point of the ‘V’ indicates the direction of travel of the flock. When I find fresh scratching in the soil, I listen for the birds rustling the leaves, and I very cautiously work to get ahead of them in the woods. Once ahead of them, I call to the flock to encourage them to come in my direction.”
He also looks for hawthorn fruit in the fall.
Although Stewart says finding mast production is more important in the fall than the spring, he still finds oaks important in the spring. He looks for acorns on the forest floor adjacent to an escarpment or other prime roosting site. In Texas, he looks for live oak and bur oak as roost sites.
Safety Considerations
Many turkey hunters are also deer hunters. Outside of the value of tree species as a food source, tree stand hunters should know which tree species on which they are handing their stand. For instance, it isn’t a good idea to put a stand on an ash tree, as the emerald ash borer killed a large percentage of these. A weakened tree could compromise hunter safety. Other tree diseases have varying impacts on the integrity of the tree. Learning about these diseases for the hunting area could be valuable information.
Knowing tree species can also assist if a hunter is lost. Canadian explorer Adam Shoalts explained in a previous Turkey Call article that being able to identify tree species can assist in the realization a lost person is going circles by, for instance, identifying a large oak or a clump of young maples.
Learn more about how to indentify trees here.