Last Minute Turkey Hunting

[Stout33]

Hey Y'all,

I am going to be in the Montgomery county area for about a week and I want to do some last minute turkey hunting. I have heard that Mckee-Beshers has some turkey and also the Senca Creek State Park River Road area next to it. I have been checking them out on google maps and I see a lot of open fields. What would be the best approach to hunt these lands? Should I just set up decoys in the fields and hope for the best or should i try hiking through the woods a bit? Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[SOMDSHOOT]

Fortunately you can hunt Turkey all day now in Maryland.

Unfortunately you have to locate them first.

The best thing you can do is get there, wherever you choose to hunt, and do some light tree calls just before Sunrise and see if you get a response from a Turkey at all. Going in, setting up decoys, and then calling can be a complete waste of time until you know where the birds are roosting that week.

Option 2 is to go in the afternoon and try to locate them roosting just before dark and then go back the next morning / afternoon. Turkey is something like Deer hunting, unless you can figure out where they are, you're spitting in a hurricane wind.

I start my Turkey scouting during the last 2 weeks of Crow season. In most cases Turkey are somewhat territorial. They do tend to stay put in a certain few acres at all times, but, they will spend a day or two away from their home area.

 

[K31]

Unless things have changed drastically in the past few years, the best way to hunt turkeys at McKee Beshers is probably to set up in your vehicle in the parking lot wearing blaze orange with a blaze orange flag on the antenna and keep your head below the dash.

 

[Derwood]

McKee Beshers has too many hunters to make the trip. Everytime I've gone it's sounded like the Tet Offensive.

 

[CrabbyMcNab]

The thing you have to remember about McKee Beshers, you just have to walk further than the other guy. In general, MoCo hunters are lazy and do not want to walk far.

Try going into the areas away from the parking lots. It's all flat and pretty easy walking.

 

[MikeTF]

If you do have luck, here is an excellent recipe for Wild Turkey Parmesan from one of my favorite websites: http://honest-food.net/