Trail Cameras for Spring Gobblers

This trail camera picture was taken just before I shot the middle gobbler.  It was posted near the jake decoy and captured the action prior to the shot.  Unfortunately, this image was “still only” and a video would have been very entertaining.

Love this Longbeard.

This big gobbler walked past my blind a few days ago and seeing it gives me high hopes for opening day.  As you will see, this time was 10:31 and that’s about the time that turkeys have entered this field in the past.  The gobbler is walking from left to right which means it probably roosted in a tall patch of timber behind my blind.

Why Cameras are Important.

If you hunt a small farm or other private land, it’s important to know the status of the local turkey flock.  If a longbeard hangs out with two jakes, and the jakes respond to a call or decoys, you know to hold out for the tom that is probably just out of sight.  If the property you hunt has a large number of jakes, you may want to take one of them, since that age structure is in abundance.

Timing is Important

These two longbeards are cruising at mid-day.  If the morning has no response, I’ll know to wait until the last minutes of morning before calling it a day.  In states with afternoon hunting on day-one, knowing when turkeys travel helps you hunt the most productive times of day.  Watching videos such as this one, helps to make optimum shot decisions.  Would you stop these birds with a call?  Where would you aim?

Change in Core Area

Once hens begin to nest, they remain in that nesting area, laying one egg each day.  This will keep toms in the same location although they will roam throughout the day.  A few years ago, the day before the season, I spotted a mature gobbler with a white patch on the back of its head.  It failed to show up the next morning, but I saw it more than a mile away on the drive home.  The turkey had the same unique marking and had traveled extensively from the previous day.  Trail cameras help you see which turkeys are remaining in your hunt area and others that may have moved in.