March is a great month for turkey hunters. A lot of hunters in the South are already starting their turkey season while Grant and I, who are located in the Midwest, are using this month to scout. March in the Midwest can mean large flocks of turkeys roosted in close proximity to each other. This also means they can be very vocal while on the limb, but finding where they fly down can be difficult sometimes. Using the same trail camera you use for scouting deer, and turning on the time lapse feature can help you find the fly down area and increase your success rate once season opens.

We were able to locate this large flock of turkeys using the time lapse feature on our Reconyx trail camera.

Early in the spring, gobblers are grouped up. During this time they are sorting out dominance so don’t expect them all to be roosted in the same spot a month from now, but they will most likely be close. Once you find their roost location, it’s important to try and find where they fly down and spend the early part of the morning. Although their roost site may change, the areas where they strut and feed will likely be visited throughout the spring. This could be a large field, a small opening in the woods, or a hardwood ridge. Finding this location can be pivotal to your success.

We use our Reconyx cameras and the time lapse feature to find the areas the turkeys are most active in. The time lapse feature allows us to monitor entire fields and hone in on their fly down locations. We set our cameras to take a picture every five minutes from sunrise to two or three hours after sunrise. The cameras will also take motion activated pictures or video if the turkeys are close enough to set off the motion sensor. Using trail cameras is a great way to start your spring so you can be more prepared when turkey season gets here!

Daydreaming of long spurs and long beards,

Adam