Editor’s Note: The turkeys had gone, vanished. All the fine turkeys I’d seen the previous fall and looked forward to hunting that spring now lived on my neighbor’s property. I knew, because I could hear them gobbling their heads off the first morning of spring turkey season. I’ve learned that to keep turkeys on your land, you must provide food for them.

“Grass will compete for the crop you plant for turkeys,” Dr. Grant Woods mentions.

“Grass grows quickly and shades out broadleaf weeds like ragweed. The best way to control the grass is to use a grass-specific pre-emergent herbicide. Let it settle the required number of days specified on the container, and then plant your crops on top.” Woods suggests you add lime to the soil to reach a pH of approximately 6.5 based on a soil test. Also, he recommends your adding 25 or 30 pounds of nitrogen and 50 pounds each of phosphorus and potassium per acre. Woods also advises that you need 300 to 500 pounds of 13-13-13 fertilizer per acre,

“The rule of thumb for sustaining a healthy turkey flock is to provide enough feed, so that the turkeys don’t gather on one plot and stress each other out,” Woods emphasizes. “To have a moderate turkey density, you need a minimum of one, 1-acre food plot for every 100 acres. If your property has a high turkey density, I suggest a 1-acre food plot for every 50 acres. Also, create transition zones between the woods and open fields by planting tree plots or other dense cover on the edges, so that the turkeys aren’t exposed to predators.”

You’ll learn many ideas for hunting turkeys in the Kindle eBook, “Turkey Hunting Tactics” by John E. Phillips. “Click here to get these books”.

About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (AMA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.

Tomorrow: Create Better Turkey Brood Habitat to Have More Turkeys on Your Land