I am currently chasing turkeys down here in FL. They have been very quiet this year. They gobble once or twice in the morning and then I have yet to hear them start back up. It is maddening. Add in the severe drought and the river bottomland I favor hunting in has waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more open land for them to wander around in. Most years the WMA I hunt, by the end of the season I am hunting in hip waders so that I can get back to areas most folk don't head to. This year, I could hunt in tennis shoes and not worry about getting wet. The plus side to the drought is that I am able to drive my truck further back into the WMA than I normally would because the roads are all hard. So, I am learning new terrain.
Turkeys in FL seem to be quieter in general than turkeys throughout much of the rest of the country. For me, scouting and knowing the terrain is far better than attempting to put a gobbler to bed at night, though I never turn down knowing where a turkey goes to bed. I tend to split my time between just sitting for long periods of time in places that I know has birds and walking slowly through the woods. I have probably killed equally as many turkeys just sitting down as I have walking through the woods. I am not sure how it is in much of the rest of the country but here in FL, there are so many roosting options for turkeys, I seldom find a turkey in the exact same spot from night to night. But they to tend to favor certain general areas.
When I REALLY got into turkey hunting, I bought the USGS maps that covered the WMA that I was learning. I only hunt public land so I had to learn lots of different areas in case someone else was parked where I wanted to park. I would mark the map for the locations where I had heard turkeys gobble in the morning/evening or where I shot turkeys. Over the years, I was able to see a trend in general locations where birds seemed to favor. I may not have been able to scout prior to a season starting but I was able to go in blind knowing that I was heading to an area that birds frequented. I would also mark places/landmarks that I found helpful....like the best places to cross a creek or river where I didn't have to worry about getting stuck in the mud and losing my boots or a particularly nice opening in the woods that doesn't show up on satellite maps.
As far as calls go, there have been times I wish I had a mouth call but I can't seem to master the freakin things. I have a few slates that I prefer (I prefer a slate with a wooden pot rather than some manmade material) but have used other friction calls from time to time. IMO you don't need a fancy call. My favorite call is off the shelf from either Walmart or Bass Pro from years and years ago. Like Tod said, sometimes you can call too much, too little, too loud and too soft. I remember one gobbler who was coming in HOT to me. I had been calling hard, loud and fast from the moment he hit the ground. When I got to where I could see him coming through the woods, I toned it down a bit and actually watched him lose interest and began walking away. When I started loudly begging him to come back, he turned right back around and came running to me like we were long lost sweethearts. I have also watched birds walk away from me if I called too much. They are maddening sometimes from day to day.
For ammo selection, pattern your gun. My turkey gun does better with Remington Nitro and not so well with the Winchester Long Beard. So, grab a box of both and pattern your gun.
Just get out in the woods. Turkeys like freshly burned areas so if you have any prescribed burns wherever you might hunt, that could be a place to start. Turkeys will walk roads just like we do. If you like to sit and watch for turkeys, having a good seat is important. I prefer a wheelbarrow tire tube because you can inflate it to whatever your liking is plus it isn't all that heavy.
Turkey hunting is great because you don't really need a lot of gear. Thermacell, bug spray, a few calls and strikers, my seat, some water and snacks, my pack and gun & ammo is really all I need. It is "easy" hunting but also maddening. I am frequently outsmarted by birds with brains the size of a pea. But I get lucky from time to time so I keep at it.
