how would you hunt this situation

[milkman]

I pulled a quota for a unit in the ocala national forest. This unit is really big with great habitat. Rolling terrain,burned areas,upland pines with scattered hardwoods. What I found last weekend when I went up there to explore and learn the land is there are off road vehicle trails that meander all through the woods. Looking at the map there is never a way to be more than about 500 yards from one of these trails. These trails aren't really used by guys hunting they are dirt bikes dune buggies and quads. They don't really start riding until about 9 am and during the week they are pretty quiet. During deer season I watched deer within 100 yards of a trail and never paid any attention to them. I know turkeys are there I found sign and saw them during deer season. How would you guys deal with this? I'm almost tempted to concentrate my scouting using these trails to walk in on and then slip out into the woods because guys that are hunting will be using vehicles that they can't use on these trails.

[Turkey Talker]

they are used to their environmental stimuli....just go where the turkeys are and you should be fine.

[TRKYHTR]

The last Osceola I killed was in Ocala NF. We had the same thing. There were dirt bikers and quad runners driving those sandy little roads all day. We were set up on one of those roads because the turkey sign was outrageous. We had a gobbler come in behind us about the time some bikers came around the corner. The turkeys came running right at us going Mock 5. My buddy shot at it but missed. Those bikers saw what was going on and stopped but they still almost got shot. I killed my gobbler the day before about 150 yards off one of those sandy roads. They do travel those roads alot and it's an easy way to scout. When scouting wipe the turkey tracks out so when you go there again the new tracks will have been made since you were there. Good way to figure out what time you need to be there. Good luck,

TRKYHTR

[timbrhuntr]

On one of the properties I have permission to hunt the owners sons run motocross bikes all the time. One son also travels the province competing so they are into it heavy. It hasn't really seemed to hurt the turkey population on the farm and in fact since they made some new trails it seem that the turkeys like to travel them quite often. But when I hunted Florida I bribed the guy that watched the gate to the WMA with coffee and treats and a little conversation in the morning. I got the impression he was used to being ignored or treated like crap by some hunters. It was amazing what knowledge he had of the turkey habits on the WMA after 40 something years in the area. He pretty much told me right where to go and was right on .

[milkman]

Thanks guys. Turkey talker I see you're from green swamp,I also hunt there a lot we should get together some time and share a beverage and shoot the breeze.

[hawglips]

The first and only time I ever hunted Ocala I killed one about 100 yds from one of those trails on the edge of the swamp, at 9:30 in the morning.

[redarrow]

I think the racket bothers us more than it does the turkeys.

[Turkey Talker]

Thanks guys. Turkey talker I see you're from green swamp,I also hunt there a lot we should get together some time and share a beverage and shoot the breeze.

Im down with that.
Shoot me a pm with your number....lets kill some turkeys and some bud lights!

[Rockhound]

We deal with this on a property i hunt in TN here as well, from what i have experienced the turkeys and deer are use to it. Most of the time when there is a hot gobbler off to the side of one of these trails they will shut completely up when a rider comes through, we shut up as well and give it 5 or 10 minutes after the rider is out of hearing distance he will fire back up. Most of the time if they are scared out of the trail itself they wont go far before they stop and the same scenario plays out.

The only time i really see it have great effect is when a rider stops to gawk at the bird and the bird hauls it to the next county.