Getting into the Sticks

Bush whacking through forest even when it’s not that dense is really slow and difficult. It’s tough to get into thick woods away from the roads. According to some of the stuff I've read online, that is where the birds are. It would stand to reason that turkeys, as twitchy as they are, would like to be away from the hustle and bustle of the dirt roads and in the back country. The issue with that, especially in the areas that I hunt is the lack of water in the back country. The mountains of New Mexico can be pretty dry in drought years. Creeks will sometimes completely cease to flow much of the summer. What is left for the forest animals are muddy cattle tanks. Even some of these sources of water can go dry during bad years. Much of the national forest in New Mexico is leased for cattle grazing so cattle tanks with water will often have cattle near them. Generally the better tanks will be near roads and those roads will be maintained for the cattle leases. In addition, cattle tanks that don't hold water still had to have been built with heavy machinery, so at some time there had to be a road to it. Once a road is built people often find other uses for it so they are often maintained even if the cattle tank doesn't hold water. The result is that everywhere there is reliable water there are almost always roads as well. My dad and I have done our fair share of bushwhacking through thick woods as much as 3 miles from passable roads, but haven't found much in the way turkeys due to (I think) the lack of water. In places that I've been where there is plentiful water everywhere it seems like the turkeys are hard to find and I don't see much sign. Maybe this is due to the turkeys spreading out over a wider area, but it seems more like they just aren't around to me. Needless to say, it is really hard to hunt turkeys that you can't find. I bet if I could find a forgotten cattle tank that holds water, with its road un-maintained and 2 miles from the nearest good road, the place would be crawling with turkeys. Cattle tanks that hold water are important resources for ranchers in the dry country I hunt, so I don't think it’s likely I'll find such a place with out looking long and hard.