An old saying holds that turkeys are where you find them. And in the Northeast, a popular late-season destination, that’s often in the deep contiguous forests that cover much of the landscape.
Consider that Pennsylvania and New York are 58% and 61% forested, respectively. Things get thicker farther north, as Vermont (78%), New Hampshire (82%) and Maine (90%) are largely covered with forestland.
Roaming all that big timber promises great adventure for traveling hunters, but it also prompts a dilemma: If you’ve never hunted that type of woodland habitat, what do you need to know? How do turkeys use the timber structure, and how does their behavior differ from birds in other landscapes?
Local hunters like Brett Ladeau and Morgan Gouveia know. These contest callers and avid hunters from Vermont chase gobblers in several New England states every spring and have formed distinct opinions about big-timber hunting. Their expert advice can help.
Locating birds is one of the biggest challenges of big-woods hunting. With so much cover, hunters often can’t spot turkeys in relatively open areas and must instead rely on their ears and scouting.
“In my opinion, big-timber hunting requires you to go deeper into the woods and away from roads,” Ladeau said. “In more mixed farmland and woods, or more open country, I typically bounce around in my truck checking spots, but if I’m hunting big woods, I get out of the vehicle and hike deeper into the timber.”
Gouveia said thick cover isn’t the only challenge. Deep-woods hunts can also be physically taxing.
“In the vast majority of the Northeast, the term big timber usually comes with steep terrain as well,” he said. “So being in decent to good physical shape can separate you from others.”
When trying to locate turkeys, Ladeau focuses on finding fresh sign.
“Dust bowls, feeding areas, high points (roost areas) and areas where I might have found turkeys before would be my focus,” he said. “If I am new to the area, I cover as much ground as possible, typically hiking roads to cover ground quickly and quietly. I call frequently — maybe every 50 to 100 yards — to see if I can get a response and then move accordingly.”
Timber turkeys still congregate in areas similar to spots used by birds in ag or mixed-woods country. The key is recognizing them.
“Rather than fields, they tend to gravitate toward larger, more open hardwood timber stands,” Gouveia said. “In some cases, I have worked them in large stands of open pines.
[I seek] preferred roosting spots in that scenario. When scouting, I like to focus on ridges with good shelving and point features. Mast crop or seeding trees are a good focal point as well.”
When hunting unfamiliar spots, Ladeau uses mapping apps to find areas where turkeys might roost.
“High ridge points seem to be a favorite roost location in my area,” he said. “In big timber, turkeys still have favorite spots, but they are more nomadic and end their day where the day ends, so it might take more time to figure out patterns. The more you hunt a section of big woods, the more knowledge you will have. If you find turkeys in a location one year, it’s likely turkeys will be in that area the following year.”
Ideally, Ladeau likes to be as close as possible to roosted birds before flydown.
“In a lot of Eastern states, we can only hunt until noon, so I spend my evening trying to roost turkeys,” he said. “In big timber, knowing where a turkey is before daylight makes it easier to get up early and make the hike in. I personally don’t like to hike miles into the deep woods without knowing a turkey is there.”
Gouveia takes a similar approach.
“I prefer to spend some time in the evening targeting an area where I think birds will roost in earshot,” he said. “This gets a little tougher as the season progresses. As foliage blossoms, hearing far distances can be more difficult.”
If Ladeau doesn’t have a gobbler roosted, he hikes to high points before light and listens in the hopes that birds are nearby.
“Otherwise, I keep walking and calling until I strike a bird or run out of time trying,” he said. “If I don’t have a bird located, I typically use a box call or slate call to reach out farther and try to strike a bird with a louder call. I also try to get a turkey to gobble with locator calls, like a crow call or an owl hooter.”
Likewise, if Gouveia doesn’t have a bird roosted, he’ll walk to a good vantage point before dawn and stand by a large tree in case a gobbler is nearby. When a bird sounds off, he reacts quickly.
“If I hear a bird in the distance, I usually don’t waste much more time,” he said. “I try not to be too hasty, though. He is likely not the only gobbler there, especially earlier in the season. I start reading what terrain I can see and making moves to get as close as I can comfortably without bumping him or others before they fly down.”
When turkeys get quiet later in the morning, Gouveia starts searching.
“It’s in my nature to be aggressive while hunting, so I will move along swiftly, covering ground and stopping and calling as I go,” he said. “Usually, I’ll stop in spots before going any farther to where I can see again, and then I’ll call again in case there happens to be a bird or birds just out of sight.”
When Ladeau fires up a big-woods gobbler, he takes a specialized approaching to calling.
“If I set up on a bird, depending on how responsive he is, I will call more frequently in the deep woods, because most of those turkeys have not been messed with as much and tend to be more receptive to a call,” he said. “It’s really scenario-specific, but I really like to call and keep tabs on a gobbler if at all possible.”
Gouveia typically starts with short, soft calling sequences to avoid blowing out unseen birds nearby. Then, depending on the turkey’s response, he ramps it up.
“I use to use primarily box calls for them, but in recent years have switched to a pot call with an aluminum surface,” he said. “Most surfaces will work, but the call has to have something a little more special. I prefer calls that have a high-pitched front with a thump in the back end. High Class Calls by Matt Van Vise with an aluminum surface is my go-to.”
Big-woods hunting can make for a somewhat surreal experience for folks accustomed to other types of terrain. However, Gouveia said hunters shouldn’t be afraid to lace up their boots and go find birds in the timber.
“It’s a little more time consuming but can make for some spectacular and exciting hunts,” he said. “Find a nice ridge with a good vantage point. Go from there. Try to stay open-minded and think, ‘Where would I be if I were a turkey?’ If they are any kind of woodsman, their instincts should take over.”
And as with any type of turkey hunting, observation and time in the woods makes the job easier.
“Knowing where a turkey lives obviously increases your odds of success, and the more time we spend in the woods, the more knowledge we will have of the area,” Ladeau said. “Stick with it. It’s not easy, but it’s very rewarding if you can find one of those elusive big-woods birds.”