Turkey Season Updates!

[cvillecat]

I took my son out this morning, we heard some toms on the roost, but they stopped pretty much as soon as they flew down. The turkeys that I am hunting are solidly hened up. I think I am going to stay out of the woods until Friday. I am going to give them some time, maybe by Friday the hens will start to nest. I hope.

 

My son has been talking about our hunting trip all day. That is what is all about.

I had the same experience as you Ram, you are correct as they are with hens as soon as they fly down. By the end of next week or into the third week, the hens should start sitting.

It is nice to see that your son had such a great time. My hats off to you for taking the time to teach him the right way. You now have a hunting partner for life.:thumb:

[spindoc]

Well, here's an update for you,,,,,the turkeys aren't playing the game right now(big ole DUH!). What stinks is that I've taken a couple of friends that have never killed a turkey and this particular past week was not your prototypical textbook turkey hunting. So, I tried to reassure them that this is not "usual" and that turkey hunting is much more fun than watching paint dry. Oh, well, that's why they grow up to be 20+ lbs. The stupid ones don't make that far!!!! Here's hoping that something gives in the next few days. Perhaps this rain coming in will make them change their evil ways!

[woodsrider]

Saw my first big boy of the season Saturday morning. They have been coming off roost between 6:15 and 6:30 and he never made a sound until almost 7:30. I was actually planning on heading back to the truck by 7:30 as I had a race at 9:00. As I was gathering my stuff he and 1 jake and 7 hens made their way into the field I was hunting. It just so happened to be 300 yards away on the other end. I watched him for about 30 mins calling and waiting but no way he was leaving his gals. He finally strutted off into the woods.

[cvillecat]

Saw my first big boy of the season Saturday morning. They have been coming off roost between 6:15 and 6:30 and he never made a sound until almost 7:30. I was actually planning on heading back to the truck by 7:30 as I had a race at 9:00. As I was gathering my stuff he and 1 jake and 7 hens made their way into the field I was hunting. It just so happened to be 300 yards away on the other end. I watched him for about 30 mins calling and waiting but no way he was leaving his gals. He finally strutted off into the woods.

Sounds like you had a good day. By next week his girlfriends should be sitting on nest so ol' Tom just may be making his way toward your set up.

Good luck.

[train3399]

Sounds like you had a good day. By next week his girlfriends should be sitting on nest so ol' Tom just may be making his way toward your set up.

Good luck.

 

I'll second that!

[BigBlueFreak]

The only thing I've managed to catch this year is Poison Ivy.:irked:

[cvillecat]

I went out this morning to a public hunting area. I should have known better to go there on a Saturday. As daylight came I thought I was at the Grand National Calling Championships. There were two other hunters just a few hundreds yards from my location that called as loud and as often as they could for almost 45 minutes. The two gobblers that I heard in front of me then became silent and headed for the next county. I did the same and now sit quietly in my Den looking at the turkeys on my wall.

I have killed most of the turkeys in my lifetime off of public hunting areas but will never hunt a public hunting area on the week-end again.

[BigBlueFreak]

Are they still hened up or are they starting to break apart? I didn't go cause i had to work.

[cvillecat]

Are they still hened up or are they starting to break apart? I didn't go cause i had to work.

The birds I was on this morning did not have hens with them. I am sure that some are still with hens but it is my experience that this time of year that some of the hens have started to nest. The middle of next week should be very productive.

[spindoc]

Took a friend Friday to a place I've been one other time and it seemed to have a lot of birds. We finally found a bird who'd play the game, called him up where my friend got to see him strut and hear him spit/drum and when he broke strut, he rolled his first Tom down the hill in a heap. This was his first turkey in the 4 years hunting turkeys and he held perfectly still and learned from his former gaffs and harvested a nice bird. I was tickled that I got to call it in for him.

I actually snuck out before church this morning and got with 60 yds of one I had roosted in the thunderstorm Sat. night. He flew down and was 40 yards away and my 8y.o. was so close to seeing him but the Tom wouldn't come over the rise and went uphill to a small field. He told me "Dad, sneak up there and kill that thing". So I was standing at no less than 40yds from that Tom waiting for him to step out to the right another 2 steps and another hunter came barrelling up the dirt road in his beat up Toyota and flushed the turkey along with my chances at #2 for the season. Oh well, my boat keeps calling me to take her for a ride to the nearest lake anyway!

[spindoc]

Hunted in WV this morning. Same story,,,different state. Gobbled on the limb, flew down and shut up. That's okay when I'm home and know how the land lays and can manuever on turkeys and spot and ambush. When you're in someone else's spot without a clue how the land lays, game over!!! But what a beautiful morning to be out in God's creation. Sadly, I'm now back at work doing in half a day what I had scheduled for the whole day. So many turkeys,,,so little time!:walk:

[BigBlueFreak]

Is the last day Sunday?

[FamilyTradition]

I killed a 21 pound tom with a 9 1/2 inch beard on Sunday and I called a 20 pound ,10 inch (paint brush) beard for my hunting partner on Tuesday. The birds have been gobbling a lot on the roost and then they have been lighting back up again about 11 o'clock in Pendelton Co. The birds seem more receptive after 11 o'clock, too many birds in the morning looking for tom's.

I found another 21 pound, 10 1/2 inch beard, and 1 7/16 spurs to finish the season on Friday. This had to be the most difficult year turkey hunting that I have ever had. This bird has to have been named 'Morris' (nine live's) for the amount of close call's the past three week's. Can't wait till next year.

[spindoc]

Well, another season has passed, and I've already started to long for the next opening day in April. And my whole hope for this season was to get my midget his first turkey and alas, we'll look to fall to make it happen. He actually had a 15yd shot yesterday on a turkey that came in to the immediate left of our set up as we waited for a turkey to come up the hill and this one snuck in on us. We tried to move him to get the shot, he did and just was in an awkward position as he pulled the trigger. I thought he got it done because the turkey flew into a tree and immediatly fell out, but he just must have been "nicked" because his legs got him out of Dodge in a hurry. That's 2 misses in 2 seasons. Oh, well!! He's not nearly as depressed as his old man. I'm so tore up about it that I am booking a trip for us the first of April next Spring in Texas,,,,that will make me feel better!:lol:

[spindoc]

Also, congratulations to YAKOFNORWEGIA, his little YAK got his first bird this morning before church. Jake for his Jake!!!