[cbowen069]

This will be my first year turkey hunting. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start scouting? I'm from Lancaster PA.

thanks,
-Chris

 

[Takemrarely]

Not sure how to answer...What ground do you have access to? SGL? State Forest? As far as scouting....Look for birds in fields, walk woods and look for scratching, etc. closer to season, get out of bed and go listen at daybreak.....Good luck!

 

[burk313]

Try Huntingdon,Fulton or Franklin counties...Lancaster has very few turkeys...

 

[ACEarcher]

I'm not sure the area of Lancaster you are in, but as others mentioned their are very few birds in Lancaster Co. The birds that you might find are going to be super pressured. I'd look into either far Southern LanCo or far Northern LanCo. Also check around some of the river hills.

 

[nomad_archer]

As what everyone else said. If you can go else where I highly recommend it There are very few birds in Lancaster. I am putting all my effort in up at camp this year. Typically by the time spring turkey rolls around SE pa is in full green up and visibility is very limited. Good luck.

 

[Tom Hooks]

Locate as many Toms that you can well before the Season. Spring Turkey has become soo popular and if it's anything like around here on Public, you can figure 6 or 7 birds, out of 10 you hunt will get boogered by other hunters, so good to have backups.

 

[cbowen069]

Thanks for the advice. I have no problem going elsewhere.

 

[burk313]

Drive a lot of State Forest roads just after daybreak and listen for birds gobbling...When you locate a lot of birds in a given area then go back the first day...Usually the first day is high hunting pressure so if you go back during a weekday usually there is very light hunting pressure....

 

[Blue Bird]

If you have mind to hunt Lancaster, the area around Octararo lake holds a few birds, and is open to public hunting. It gets hammered pretty hard though, so expect company.

We lucked out and got a decent sized jake out of the woods on the west side of the lake on the opener last year. We had scouted this bird for several days just prior to the opener, so we knew pretty much exactly where to get him. We had hunters all around us though, but we got setup well before the rest of them, and I guess my calling was just better than there's.