How to Find Turkey Tracks

Wild turkeys are large game birds native to the southeastern United States. While most people know turkey as a tasty Thanksgiving soporific, the bird is also an extremely fun animal to track and hunt. Its distinctive track patterns make it easy to identify, but its human-wary ways tend to complicate things. Follow a few steps to successfully track a turkey in the wild.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Learn about the turkey. While the turkey's distinctive look and call make it easy to spot, its behavior might make the bird a bit tricky to find. Learn as much as possible about turkey behavior so you can interpret signs and find turkey tracks.
2. Watch captive or domesticated turkeys. Take a gander at turkeys in captivity to see how their behaviors leave different kinds of tracks. Pay attention to all markings on the ground and take photographs for comparison.
3. Travel to environments where turkeys live. The wild turkey is native to the southeastern US, but the bird has been introduced into other locations such as California. Find oak woodlands, pine forests and grasslands to locate turkey tracks.
4. Look for turkey footprint. The turkey's foot leaves a unique marking of three lines spaced around a small circular pad-print. Keep in mind, when you look at turkey footprints, that other markings like the higher fourth toe and beak marks might obscure the marking.
5. Listen for the birds. The turkey's gobble and mating call is loud and strange and can serve as a good guide for where a turkey might have left tracks.