If you plan on being a successful turkey hunter. You must first be able to locate ole “Tom”. In order to do this, you’ll need to spend a lot of time in the woods looking for turkey strut zones. Yes, I said zones!
Turkey’s can have as many as 5-6 strut zones that he will frequent in his mating pursuit. If undisturbed, ole Tom will make the rounds on a regular basis.
The nearest strut zone will be located not far from his tree roost. Yep, after a good yawn and a stretch, ole Tom just sails right on down to his nearest strutting ground and commences to do his thing! You’ll want to setup more than one blind within a close distance of these strut zones. Like the buck in rut, the spring turkey Toms have one thing on their mind. Mating and more mating!
So naturally, you’ll need to spend some time locating these strut zones. There’ll be one found near the roost, another near his favorite creek or watering spot, various places in the woods or nearby fields. Look in a 1/2 mile radius from the one near the roost.
Ole Tom will make the same rounds each day during the mating season. You’ll not likely call him when he in one of his strutting spots, after all he’s strutting, displaying himself and mating in his safety zone.
Locating Strut Zones:
Turkey Toms drag their wings in the strut and walk in figure eight patterns. This will be easy to spot. Droppings and loose feathers are also good indicators. A fishhook shape dropping is an indication of a gobbler.
Morning strut zones will be found on the eastern side of hills, because of the warmth provided by the morning sun. Vice versa in the afternoon struts being carried out on the western side of hills.
Get in the woods early, around 5:30 – 6:00 AM, about a week to 10 days before turkey season and make some mental notes about Toms habits. Give a call or hoot to make ole Tom gobble. Note his location. Move carefully in the direction of the gobble in an effort to locate him. Pay attention to where he flies to and where the hens come from. Following the cooler so as not to disturb or be noticed, you should be able to determine his daily route and routines for strut zones.