Speaking of which, one of the biggest challenges of spring turkey hunting is waking up early enough to sneak into your hunting area. Deer hunters are fortunate in that their season runs three to six months after the summer solstice. Turkey hunters, on the other hand, only have a month or two before the longest day of the year meaning wake-up calls that begin with the number three are not uncommon.

Weather is also a big factor in the spring and any hunter with a few seasons of experience will have plenty of stories involving blizzards, sweltering heat, thunderstorms and extreme wind -- often in the same season.

The weather is not to be ignored because every year when the harvest results are published, there is a strong correlation between the lowest success rates and the worst weather conditions. It's not that the turkeys stopped coming off the roost in bad weather, it's usually that the hunter either wasn't willing to endure the conditions or didn't adjust accordingly.

Scouting With Data
Surveys aren't known for being thrilling reading material, but the spring turkey hunter survey report is actually a very interesting document that can be used to learn much about the habits of other hunters. Knowledgeable turkey hunters can use this information to their benefit and improve their odds of success by planning around what the "average" Minnesota hunter does each year.

The survey showed that Minnesota turkey hunters spend an average of 2.7 days on their annual turkey hunt. With some of the seasons lasting five days and others lasting seven days, it shows that hunters are not spending their entire season in the field.

As far as the weapon of choice, the vast majority of hunters prefer a shotgun to archery. Actually, saying the vast majority is an understatement, since 92 percent said they shotgun hunt, 4 percent said they bowhunt and the rest said they use both methods throughout the season they are allowed to hunt.