Scouting For Spring Turkeys With Trail Cameras

Get ready for spring turkey hunting with the help of trail cameras. 

It's easy to agree trail cameras are most heavily used to acquire intel for whitetail deer. But what happens when deer season closes and bucks lose their antlers? The quick answer for many hunters is turkey hunting. With the help of non-profits and conservation, turkeys are plentiful in most states and offer a great spring hunt. 

With the increased hunting pressure with these popular birds, comes the level of difficulty of tracking down a big tom turkey. One of the best ways to get a bead on spring gobblers is to use trail cameras. 

Learn how to use trail cameras to fill a turkey tag this spring using these simple tactics. 

The Right Level 

This might seem obvious, but out of habit we often put trail cameras at the height to capture a picture of the game we are hunting. Since turkeys are smaller and aren't as always as easy to get on trail camera, adjusting the height according to the land is essential. Some rules of thumb to remember are: a higher trail camera set could cover more ground. Turkeys are much shorter than most game hunters use trail cameras for, so setting the camera at a lower level in a more dense area will allow for more vivid images. After knowing this, let's look at the next trail camera turkey tip. 

Gathering Intel

If you've been hunting the farm for a few years, it's likely you know the hot spots for spring turkey strutting and traveling routes from the roost.  However, if someone were to start from scratch, trail cameras could take the guesswork out of spring turkey hunting. Some great spots to start monitoring would include sunny hillsides and low forage field edges. Strutting areas can change quickly, but turkeys can become creatures of habit if abnormal elements stay out of the equation. 

In order to find success, be open to optimizing your trail camera strategy. Try to run multiple cameras in various locations to gather enough information to zone in on the birds for the given area.

Trail cameras are great for turkey scouting, but remember some of the other basics that help fill tags. Roosting birds at night and glassing areas mid-morning help put turkeys on the ground. That isn't always an option, so employ a dedicated trail camera strategy and practice your diaphragm call for this spring. 

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