Wow!........Great story & a very nice trophy Looks like your son will have plenty of free time for his Girl Friend now LOL.

That bird is a great graduation present. Good luck to him in college and his future hunts

Tough season out here in Central NY so far - most gobblers are with hens - mid-morning hunting is becoming more productive than getting up early.



I did manage one so far (our Spring limit is 2 bearded birds - max. 1 per day). While it was approaching, it's partner was being chased by a grouse! One of the strangest things I've seen in the woods. 8.5" beard, 7/8" spurs - no monster, but I worked for him - and he was a pretty bird. The timer on my camera sure was useful!



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Our season here in Missouri started April 19th and in our area there are lots of big gobblers but all seem to be with hens and not very vocal. We have taken some nice birds but they aren't coming in gobbling like normal. Has anyone else been having this problem?

Hawkeye47

Nope no trouble I just got back from a SD. hunt 3 of us killed 6 gobblers rangeing from 22lbs to 28lbs in a day and half.

Maybe it's an Eastern turkey problem. Our Pa season opened this past Saturday. I heard 4 gobble. We actually worked a flock. I had the hens in front and we heard the gobblers following around 100 yards behind. They were answering and coming along when someone sneaked on the property and shot at them! The "hunter" didn't get the bird, we heard it flop on the ground. We went looking for it but didn't find it. The person knew it was private land and didn't come looking for the bird he shot at. What a waste! Maybe it'll get better as the season goes on and the hens leave to lay their eggs. Let's hope so. I wish Pa would open the season in the middle of April instead of May!

Bob257

We've had a good season so far and the birds have been active. Our season has been open for the past 6 weeks and has 11 more days to go.

Here are pics of the gobblers I've taken so far:



Turkey 1



Turkey 2

When I hunted near Nashville with a friend of mine the second week of April, the gobbler's were seriously henned up. And the report since hasn't been much better. I got mine by basically sneaking up on him. See the report below.

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I hunt in north central Missouri, just northeast of Princeton. Lots of turkeys, and they have been quite responsive to calling. I took a 23.5# tom last weekend and my brother-in-law took 25.25# and 27.75# toms.

I got lucky and picked up my 3rd tom of the season this past Saturday. Early in the morning I had 4 hens fly down from their roost into a corn patch in front of me. The gobbler I was hearing was further back in the woods. I was very surprised that when he showed up and he had 2 of his friends along with him. It was a beautiful sight to see the three toms strutting up to my decoy at only 20 yards.
The one I picked out had a 10 9/16 beard and spurs of 1 inch. It has been a fun season!

Turkey #3

SST,

Those Northern birds get bigger from eating all that grain!!! A 24 or 25 pound bird here is a big one. We have so many hens here that the dominant gobblers are worn out before season ever starts. The turkeys gobbled better this morning than they have for the last two weeks. I really enjoy calling one in when they strutt and gobble a lot.

I took a nice Tom last Friday Morning. It is about all I can hunt around here besides groudhogs right now. It was a quick hunt.........I was done by 7am.......I love it when that happens Here is the tale of the tape. He has an 11 1/4" beard, 23.5 pounds and had 1.5" spurs We ate him Sunday for Mothers day

Awesome bird, Iron Buck, and a great collection of pictures!

NIce bird & great pics! Congrats