Turkey Hunts Offer Big Game Excitement for Bird Hunters in Eastern Oregon

Story by Gary Lewis & photos by GaryLewisOutdoors.com & M2D Camo

Their three-toed tracks gave them away. Here, two major trails intersected on the way to a clearing and the meadows beyond. In a matter of minutes, my blind was up, a hen decoy in place.

Concealed in the blind, I set the shotgun down and lifted my binocular. Out in the sunlight, nine gobblers strutted and preened while 11 hens poked in the grass and leaf litter. Half of the toms had beards so long they almost stepped on them.

In the morning sun, the gobblers’ feathers shimmered. One of the younger birds strutted too close. An older bird charged him and the youngster scurried off, shook himself and regained his dignity. He looked up the hill and spotted my decoy. He strutted back and forth, till he was less than five yards from the twin tubes of my gun. But I could afford to wait for a bigger bird.

By mid-morning, the toms had all but dispersed. One pair of gobblers caught my attention. The boss bird had a ten-inch beard, while his lieutenant carried a beard that looked to be eight inches or longer. 40 yards out, they paused to listen to my calls but they didn’t want to leave their hens, no matter how I pled on the slate. They took another trail and vanished into the trees.

I knew which way they would go, but it was six hours later when the pair, leading a small flock of hens, fed out of the oaks and into my ambush. I put my bead on top of the nearest tom’s head and squeezed the trigger.

Big Game Bird Hunting Excitement

East of the Cascades, the best turkey hunting is on public ground. All it takes is a shotgun, a turkey call and a pair of good boots.

Winter’s weariness is receding with the snowline. Forests are coming to life. Fields of wildflowers are awash with yellows, pinks and blues. There are elk calves in tall grass meadows, spotted fawns in thickets and new growth on the trees.

To many hunters, hunting a gobbler is a celebration of spring, big game hunting excitement like nothing else in the bird hunter’s world. And it is new to many Oregonians. Most of us did not grow up chasing wild turkeys.

Wild turkeys are not native to Oregon. Decades ago, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and far-sighted Fish and Wildlife officials set about to establish turkey populations in the Beaver State. Oregon’s first statewide spring hunt was held in 1987.

There are four subspecies of turkeys common in the United States: the Florida or Osceola turkey, the Eastern, the Merriam’s, and the Rio Grande. In Oregon there are pockets of Merriam’s turkeys but Rio Grandes make up the majority of our birds.

In the spring season, only the males (called toms or gobblers) may be taken. First time turkey hunters may wonder if they could tell a male from a female. There are definite differences.

The crown of a gobbler’s head is white, while its face is mainly blue and red. Male turkeys have a prominent snood, the mostly useless appendage that grows above the beak. A gobbler’s noggin is completely bald while a female will have small feathers on her neck and head.

On the gobbler’s breast there is a beard, a series of coarse hair-like fibers. On a jake (immature gobbler) it may be only three inches long. A mature male will have a beard approaching eight inches in length and longer. Another feature that sets toms apart is their spurs. Spurs are found on a gobbler’s lower legs and average between one half inch to an inch and a half long. Next, look at the coloration of the body. The tips of a hen’s breast feathers are buff giving females a brownish look while a tom’s breast feathers are tipped with black giving him an iridescent, polished sheen.

Outwitting Mr. Turkey

For a bird equipped with a brain the size of a pea, Mr. Turkey has gained a reputation as one of hunting’s great challenges.

Try to locate turkeys the evening before the hunt. If you cannot spot birds, listen for them. Occasionally, toms gobble a time or two after roosting, and hens sometimes yelp. More often, you’ll have to make them gobble by using a locator call. Walk through likely habitat, pausing every ¼ mile or so to call. If a gobbler responds, try to pinpoint his location.

If you failed to put a gobbler to bed the night before, plan to be at a good listening position well before first light. Hilltops and ridges are best. On most mornings, toms begin gobbling spontaneously, but if you hear no gobbling by the time there is enough light for you to see individual limbs on trees, then try to elicit a gobble with an owl or crow call. When you hear a gobbler within reasonable distance, try to get within 100 yards before setting up to call him.

Most often, hens come to the gobbler as he struts, gobbles and displays. But a hunter must convince the gobbler that a hen, in a receptive mood, is calling him. The calling must be so convincing that the turkey loses its inborn wariness and comes looking for the coy hen.

Call just enough to let a gobbler know you are there. Every few minutes, scratch the ground to mimic the sound of a foraging turkey. This assures the gobbler that a hen is still nearby, but since she ignores his calling, he sometimes goes against his own instinct and moves toward her.

If there are already hens with the gobblers then the male will not leave them to go looking for another. In this case the hunter must try to call the hens, bringing the tom with them. If they do not come during the first week of the season, try again later when the hens are nesting. Many times a hen decoy or hens and a jake (an immature male) will make the difference between just having a conversation with a gobbler and having him for dinner.

Concealment and camouflage are important. Most veteran turkey hunters insist on camouflage from head to toe, paying attention to the smallest details that might give them away to a wary gobbler. They black their faces and hands with paint or wear headnets and gloves. They know that a reflection from a watch face or band, white socks or part of a white t-shirt may call attention to their hiding place.

Be set up, with the decoy in place before you call. A gobbler may be over the next ridge or just 50 yards away when you begin calling. Turkeys have good hearing, good vision and, with slight head movements, a 360-degree peripheral view. When a gobbler is approaching, keep your own movement to a minimum.

If you prefer to sit and wait for your bird, late morning is a good time to stake out strutting zones. Gobblers that have been deserted by hens meander back to their strutting zones and readily respond to calls.

Action picks up again in late afternoon, when turkeys begin to feed again and start to work toward the roost. If you have located a roosting area, determine the most likely direction from which the birds will approach, and set up in their path. If you haven’t pinpointed a roosting area, spend the last hour of daylight covering ground and using a locator call. If you hear a gobbler, slip in close and work the bird with hen calls. Even if you don’t get a shot, you’ll know where to be when the sun comes up the next morning.

Best Bets for Public Land Toms

Prineville Territory is a great place to start. Turkeys inhabit much of the Ochoco Mountains in the Ochoco National Forest. Concentrate on the areas surrounding the Mill Creek and Bridge Creek Wilderness areas.

The Maury Mountains also have turkeys and there are flocks surprisingly close to Ochoco and Prineville Reservoirs. To the east, turkeys can be found near Paulina and north to Rager Ranger Station.

Jefferson County’s turkey hunting hotspot is Green Ridge, east of the Metolius, but smaller groups of turkeys can be found near Black Butte and Camp Sherman.

In Wasco County, the White River area is famous for its turkey hunting. Prospect for turkeys near Rock Creek Reservoir, Tygh Valley, Friend, Dufur, and The Dalles.

Wheeler County’s best turkey hunting can be found south of Highway 26 and east and west of Highway 207. If your turkey hunting takes you to Morrow County, start your hunt southeast of Heppner. The Umatilla National Forest produces gobblers every spring.

Umatilla County has some turkey hunting near Pendleton, and near Meacham and Ukiah in the National Forest.

You don’t have to go very far out of La Grande to find turkeys. Pay special attention to the Mt. Emily area.

Union County’s hunters can find turkeys northwest of Elgin in the Grande Ronde watershed.

In Wallowa County, turkey numbers are on the rise near Enterprise and in the Sled Springs and Chesnimnus Units.

Baker County is becoming well known for turkey hunting. Good bets are west of Baker City and Haines. The area around Halfway is another gobbler hotspot.

Hunters have reported seeing flocks south of the middle fork of the John Day in the Malheur National Forest, and from Dayville to Prairie City along Highway 26.

Malheur and Harney Counties have limited turkey hunting opportunities along their northern borders. Best bet here would be to hunt north of Burns.

Heading south, Klamath County has been producing consistent turkey hunting for several years. Birds can be found east and west of Highway 97, but the best bet is to scout the Keno area, and walk backcountry roads and trails, looking for sign.

Lake County is often overlooked, but there are turkeys to be found. Try northeast of Lakeview and northwest along Highway 31, in the Fremont National Forest.

East of the Cascades, the best turkey habitat is often on public ground. It is important to know the boundaries of private land. Study BLM and Forest Service maps before you go.

Oregon can boast that her turkey populations now are better than ever. For the hunter willing to do a little homework and a lot of scouting, there are plenty of birds and few hunters.

For Your Information

Turkey season begins April 15 and runs through the end of May. The daily bag limit is one male turkey. East of the Cascades, hunters are allowed two turkeys for the season. A separate turkey tag is required for each turkey. See the 2009-2010 Oregon Game Bird Regulations for details.

To order a signed copy of Hunting Oregon, send $19.85 (includes S&H) to:

Gary Lewis Outdoors
PO Box 1364
Bend, OR 97709
or visit www.GaryLewisOutdoors.com