NC Turkey

[Virgobythesea]

New to turkey hunting and just got my first ML a Pedersoli 20GA side by side with turkey choke and light modified choke.

I live near Wilmington NC and would like to find out how and where to start looking for turkeys nearby.

I know of a couple public game lands nearby(Holly Shelter, Green Swamp, Angola Bay and Croatan) and don’t know anyone with any private lands.

Though I am not that familiar with turkey hunting these public lands and assume they are also over shot similarly to deer and dove.

I’m not looking for exact spots just would like to know where to start, what woods to looks for, if one game land is better than the other and how to scout for them.

Are fields necessary, certain types of woods/fields, certain types of food or trees, etc.

Thanks for helping a noob out.

 

[Spikebuck]

Turkeys are highly adaptable to all kinds of conditions. They eat all kinds of things: insects, grains, fruits, nuts. In my area of SE MN (wooded hilly country with scattered dairy and crop farms) you can see them anywhere. They are particularly fond of white oak acorns here, as one food source. One can find large areas of leaves all scratched out in oak stands where they have searched for acorns. In the springtime I see them all times of day in alfalfa fields looking for insects. Of course, they roost high up, so I'd be looking for good roosting locations.

Turkeys and turkey hunting is a pretty big topic. Maybe contact whomever is your local game dept manager and talk to them. You might also have a local chapter of the Wild Turkey federation nearby that can give you more info for your area. Drive around, talk to farmers. Even if you can't secure hunting permission, they will probably talk to you about what they see on their farm.

Like any hunting endeavor, your boots on the ground will pay the biggest dividends.

Good luck!