Getting that time again.

Turkey season is almost here. We've had a big decline in Turkey numbers the past few seasons on our club but, I've been scouting the past couple of weekends and did manage to find where a few birds were hanging out. I heard 3 Toms gobble for a bit at day break Saturday morn. They've been hanging around a section of land of probably 200 acres that was cut over a couple of years back. The timber co burned part and sprayed the rest to plant pines this spring. They tend to like burns but, strangely these birds are hangin' around the sprayed areas where all of the vegetation is pretty much dead. I haven't quite figured out what they are feeding on but, I think Opening day I'll be hanging around the edge of the sprayed cut-overs where most of the sign is. Hopefully I'll get a chance at one of the birds I heard last weekend.

4 days to go!

Any of you located a few birds?

Good Luck

Reloader

I know I am! The season comes in Saturday and I'll be our there. It will be in thru May 15th.
We had a terrible hatch in 2005 but a very good one in 2006. I'm looking forward to seeing how things change this year and next.

I have never turkey hunted before but I think this year I am going to try it for the first time. There is a place north east of where I live that I hear has some good birds. Any suggestions for a first timer?

Yeah, I'm waiting. Gotta wait till middle of April to get off work long enough to go.

quote:

Any suggestions for a first timer?

Frankie,

I'm sure some of us can get you on the right path but, I can tell you from experience it will take a few years to learn how to be reasonably successful baggin' big birds but, it's like any other wild animal, the difficulty is solely proportional to the population density and hunting pressure.

Where I hunt in La. the birds get hunted hard and population numbers are low so getting a good bird is quite a challenge.

The best pointers I could offer to a beginner would be:

Get good camo that matches the terrain you intend to hunt. I'm talking Full Camo, meaning gloves and a mask as well. Turkeys can see quite well and seem to notice things that are out of place.

Buy a calling tape or CD and try to learn how to sound like a turkey.

Buy a couple of calls that are easy for beginners. The pump type are easy and sound pretty good and a box call is pretty easy as well. Once you get more experience you can move to slates and mouth calls.

Get some turkey loads, the cheap 3" Winchester 1-7/8 oz turkey loads of #6 at Wal-mart work just fine and actually pattern very good in many shotguns/chokes.

Get a hen decoy, the Flambeau decoys work just fine. One hen decoy is all you need.

Get at least a full choke. A regular full choke will work fine, you just have to limit your range to around 30-40 yards max. Buy some cheap Turkey targets and see how your shotgun patterns at 30 and 40 yards. A turkey choke will add range and is better but, you will need adjustable sights and some range time to sight in your shotgun since the turkey choke throws such a tight pattern and may not shoot to the POA of your regular bead.

Don't call too much and don't call if a bird is coming into your set-up. Once he spots the decoy and commits, let the decoy lure him in. If he hangs up give him some soft purrs if you can do so without being seen.

Try to be still when you set up. Turkeys pick up on movement and can spook quite easily especially if they've had any pressure.

When you hear a bird gobble at day break from the roost, try to get reasonably close. Get as close as you can without him seeing you. I usually try to get within 100 yards if the terrain and cover will allow. They can spot you a long way off from the trees so be careful in your moves. If he see's you it's usually over.

Remember that Turkeys don't like obstacles like water such as creeks, fence lines, etc. and often will "hang-up" at such obstacles so, try and position yourself where you will not run into that problem.

Turkeys also prefer to only climb in elevation in my experience. I know that may sound funny but, it can be hard to get them to descend a ridge but quite easy to get the to climb up to the top.

Watch for snakes as they are out this time of the year.

The rest will pretty much be learned mistakes and trial and error.

I'm sure some of the other guys can offer some tips I missed.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Reloader

Heck yeah! Just a few weeks away now.

Reloader

Thanks for the advice that all sounds easy enough, but then again if it was that easy it wouldnt be called hunting it would be called shooting. I do appreciate the advice and I will try to put it to good use and let you know how it goes.

The front yard is beginning to look like a cheap "pick-up" bar for turkeys.

The hens have started coming around and the Toms are starting to strut their stuff.

Last weekend of the month and I travel 55 miles to try for a turkey. something about blasting one in the front yard takes the challenge out of it.

Backpack is packed-blind and decoys are ready to go. Got my new bow sighted in....now I am impatiently waiting for April 14!! Counting the days!

There is no strutting where I live yet, too much snow (over 4 feet of it yet). But, provided more don't starve to death it should be a good season. Hunting in the north country doesn't start until May but we are allowed two toms.

Trying to pattern turkeys right now is basically useless right now up here. Like Ann said, there has been deep snow, and only a few days ago did it start to melt. I did, however see 40+ turkeys last week, including a group of 4 nice toms tromping through the snow.

I've got a good idea on where the big boys like to roost and gather hens every year, so I like my chances.

Frankie2000 - Spring Turkey hunting is what you make of it, but I find it to be very much more than turkey hunting. The spring season starts just as the warblers and many other birds are returning and filling the woods and field with their songs. I usually also see some pretty neat stuff that often pass by real close, like raccoons, deer and squirrels. Last year I found a Great Horned Owl nest with two owlets in it - got some unbelievable pictures. Lots of great picture opportunities, so bring a camera.

Of course, one of the best things about spring turkey season is that you often know immediately that you're "in the game" when you hear that first gobble long before sunrise - a lot different than waiting in a deer stand in silence!

Here's my fourth tom of 2006, taken in October (NY allows 2 spring, 2 fall). Our spring season runs May 1-31, so I still have to wait a while:

That's a nice bird Erict. How much does a mature tom typically weigh up there?

We have only Easterns here and they will go from 17-22 lbs on the norm with 22 being a toad.
About the biggest Easterns I've hunted where in the Ozarks around Southern Missouri where a good many mature birds went around 25 lbs.


Have a Good One,

Reloader

Gibson and Ann, That's a bummer about the snow.

Right now we are hitting around 80 deg every day and the birds are starting to Gobble a bit.

If it were not for this darn pine pollen and big hatch of Buffalo gnats it would be alittle more pleasant out. That pollen will sure get your sinuses in a mess.

Good Luck to you all when the season rolls around.

Reloader

It has been a very hard and cold winter for us and I am betting pretty high winter kill. I saw several dead toms not far from the road where they just sat down and died. That was before the St. Patty's day storm that just dumped another two feet.

Some hens found the shelled corn I put out for them so I hope they nest successfully. Temps were minus 1 last night.

No doubt about it, I am ready for Saturday. The guy I am hunting with called me this morning and said the birds are gobbling their heads off. Saturday can't get here fast enough.

I don't know about you but I think spring turkey hunting is a blast. I've been ready since January 8th, (the day after deer season closes here). I was in Vanderpool Texas this past weekend. While riding around and scouting on my four wheeler I came on three different toms strutting in front of several hens. I got within in 10 feet of one tom who was so intent on taking the gals to the malt shop, he hardly paid any attention to me.

I will be there on friday nite ready for opening day.

GWB

Our Juvenile season opens this Saturday but Adults must wait until the following Sat; the 31st. We have Easterns and the spring limit is 4 "Bearded birds" because on occasion you will see bearded hens and they are legal. But I leave next Friday for TX. Trying my hand on Rio's. Will be my first hunt for them. LDK

It took some patience as the gobblers were hung up with hens starting at sunrise, but I periodically let them know I was there hoping they would soon get on the prowl. They eventually started working towards me from several hundred yards away at about 8:30 and finally 3 gobblers showed up together shortly before 9am. It was awesome when I got all 3 of them to gobble at about 25 yards.
Here's my opening day bird. His spurs were 1 1/8" with a 9 3/4" beard.

Way to go Spring, congrats Keep 'em coming, David

Congrats Spring! Nice Bird.

Reloader

Reloader -

Our NY toms go the same 17-22 on average. They are often out strutting beginning in mid-late March, so by opening day on May 1 they have probably lost a few pounds from their pre-strut weight.

We had a very easy winter here, with only about 3 weeks of "tough" winter weather most places, so winter mortality should not be high this year.

I am getting antsy. My tag is good for 4/18-4/22, but I will probably only be able to hunt the last two days. The property I hunt is on the way to work, so I can monitor their progress a little. The other morning there was a flock of about 20 just a few yards from where I intend to set up the first morning. In that flock were three strutting toms, one of which had a really nice beard. I have done well at this place, usually getting my bird before the sun is up over the trees. This year my oldest son will go on his first hunt with a tag. We will hunt different seasons, so I'll be his guide. I am really looking forward to it!

My scouting has paid off. I finally found them -- just outside my basement window.

I've camo'd a blind just behing the couch.

I've been practicing calling. I think I can call them in close enough.

I'm ready!

Now if I'll only buy a tag.......

[URL=

Killed this one Saturday afternoon.
20 Pounds
10 inch beard
1 1/8 inch spurs

Nice Bird, Congrats.

Reloader

GDH, that's what one of the old vets calls a

'Ma-tur' buhd!'

Great tom!

Here's a sixteen pounder from the swamp. He's my first and best so far.

fan

spur

bird

me

If my pics come thru, that's not bad for a first time out newbie. I'll try to improve on the next forested presentations. best-o-luck

hmmm, that's not quite what I wanted, but I guess it'll work. I'd thought the four images would post on screen, rather than a link. Oh well, I'm still on a learning curve. now if I could just post a link when I wanted to.......

Here ya go, lonniemike:

buffybr - that sure looks like some very nice spurs on the tom in the center (look near the bottom of the vertical window frame).

It was an awesome sight this morning when the gobbler attacked. I had been working a love-starved bird since sunrise for about 40 minutes when he finally flew down. I was sitting on the edge of a freshly planted corn field on only my second hunt of the season as I hoped to get bird #2. "Fred", my imposter of a gobbler, was successful on opening day in helping me close a deal on bird #1, and now he was back again with his enticing hen postured before him.
The gobbler stepped into the field about 85 yards away and immediately began coming in my direction along the wood line. Suddenly, about 75% in strut and red-faced with fury, the gobbler ran violently to Fred and tried to kill him. He slammed his spurs into Fred--but Fred was not deterred, still staring at the lovely hen in waiting. This enraged the gobbler who attacked again with even greater velocity, this time slamming Fred into the ground.
It was then, from only 15 yards, I did some slamming of my own as my 3 1/2" #5s whacked the attacker and ended the battle.
Ole Fred had come through for me again, but this time he had two spurs holes in his side to show for it.
And who says strutting gobblers don't work?

Congrats Spring, nice story and nice Tom.


I didn't hear a gobble at all and put quite a few hours in this weekend.

Too many hunters and too much pressure where I'm hunting. There has already been 5-6 gobblers killed where I got my opening day bird and that's about all I heard during preseason scouting. I'll stick with 'em for a couple more weekends maybe the pressure will ease as hunters get discouraged.

Good Luck

Reloader