By Herman Beck-Chenoweth — Illustration by Tomasz Szymanski

Ask anyone who’s seen them, wild turkeys are fascinating to watch and challenging to hunt or photograph. The procedure for both activities is the same, only the tools needed are different. It’s not easy to find these wary birds. Start by looking for what turkeys themselves look for: open woodlands or forests with scattered natural or artificial clearings.

Whether you are hunting or watching, a good pair of 10x50 binoculars is necessary. Don’t scrimp: A nice pair is worth its weight in gold because your best observation time for turkeys is near dusk or dawn. One key to locating turkeys is finding their food source. During the spring and summer, grasses and insects are abundant, and turkeys can normally be found at forest edges and in open pastures or meadows. As it gets closer to fall, you can find turkeys in the woods eating wild grapes, nuts and even dogwood berries.

If you have no wild turkeys on your own land, a good plan includes scouting out an area by vehicle. If it’s private land, get permission from the landowner before scouting. When you find an area containing turkeys, quietly sneak into the area early in the evening and listen for turkeys going to roost: Turkeys prefer the tallest trees and ridges. Listen carefully for the sound of wings beating the air and hens cackling. You might also hear a gentle assembly call made by the older hens. Once you have decided on a comfortable location, remain very still and, most importantly, quiet. For more information on wild turkeys:

National Wild Turkey Federation
P.O. Box 530
Edgefield, SC 29824-0530
800-843-6983, www.NWTF.org


To learn more about the wild turkey, read "Raising Turkeys at Home" at Mother Earth News.