Turkey Season, How did you do?

[ShaunM]

WD-40 it is easy when everything comes together. I've called birds in like they was on a string and then next time I can't get one to come a 50 yards.

HA HA this is so true.

[MCSCOTT]

Like roverboy said, I bet it is easy when everything comes together. I was thinking it was going to be yesterday. Hit the owl call when we got to the woods and instantly heard a gobble. Headed in that direction, and it sounded like 3-4 on both sides of me. I quickly got set up kinda in the middle of all of them and started calling. Heck, at one point it sounded like one of them was running toward me and gobbling, so it had me thinking it was all going to be really really simple.

I realized I was wrong as they suddenly just all headed back down the direction they were originally going. I think I was doing decent with the calling, but I think my biggest problem was that I didn't get my pot conditioned good enough so some of it was inconsistant. I will NOT have that problem again.

[whiskey]

Like roverboy said, I bet it is easy when everything comes together. I was thinking it was going to be yesterday. Hit the owl call when we got to the woods and instantly heard a gobble. Headed in that direction, and it sounded like 3-4 on both sides of me. I quickly got set up kinda in the middle of all of them and started calling. Heck, at one point it sounded like one of them was running toward me and gobbling, so it had me thinking it was all going to be really really simple.

I realized I was wrong as they suddenly just all headed back down the direction they were originally going. I think I was doing decent with the calling, but I think my biggest problem was that I didn't get my pot conditioned good enough so some of it was inconsistant. I will NOT have that problem again.

My best advice, FWIW, is that once you have them coming to you, stop calling and get on the gun, ready to shoot. Only call again if they hang up too far out.

I have had many experts tell me this advice. They assured me that turkeys have such keen hearing that once they hear your call they know exactly where you are and will walk right to you. They don't need constant calling to zero in on. Even if your calling is world class, you can make one shy away with too much.

[Guest Jcochran88]

My best advice, FWIW, is that once you have them coming to you, stop calling and get on the gun, ready to shoot. Only call again if they hang up too far out.

This man speaks the truth.

My father killed his first bird in over 3 years. A double bearded jake.

[MCSCOTT]

My best advice, FWIW, is that once you have them coming to you, stop calling and get on the gun, ready to shoot. Only call again if they hang up too far out.

I have had many experts tell me this advice. They assured me that turkeys have such keen hearing that once they hear your call they know exactly where you are and will walk right to you. They don't need constant calling to zero in on. Even if your calling is world class, you can make one shy away with too much.

That answers the biggest question I had in regards to calling. I had heard that alot of folks new to turkey hunting would usually overdo their calling, but I didn't have a clue how I was suppose to know when enough was enough. I don't get to try them again until this coming Sunday, but you can bet I'll be ready this time around. Thanks for the advice.

[roverboy]

I'm guilty of overcalling myself sometimes. I try not to call very much if I got a bird that might be interested.

[whiskey]

That answers the biggest question I had in regards to calling. I had heard that alot of folks new to turkey hunting would usually overdo their calling, but I didn't have a clue how I was suppose to know when enough was enough. I don't get to try them again until this coming Sunday, but you can bet I'll be ready this time around. Thanks for the advice.

Your welcome. Good luck Saturday. I get to go back out for a Thursday morning sunrise hunt. Can't stay all day but hopefully I won't need it.

One other thing I spent time working on before season was using a mouth diaphragm call. I especially worked on my soft calls. When it's raining a mouth call can save the day. When you are hunting alone and have a bird coming in and you have your gun up ready to shoot, but need a few soft calls to get him in 10 more yards, then a mouth call requires no movement. Just a couple soft putts or a purr could get you a bird. I am not an expert at mouth calls, but I did manage to get confident enough to use them in the field.

[Guest clutepc]

I seem to do this every season for some reason.

I got setup by 6:00am and then they started gobbling, right behind me. I didn't know they had roosted there, just got lucky I didn't bump them.

I ended up covered up in birds just coming off the roost.

They just wouldn't come any closer than 18 yards.

The hens didn't have a problem coming in , they were at 5 yards.

After waiting for almost 45 minutes, I took a shot on the biggest Tom, it went just under him.

Well the hens got bored I guess and started heading for the woods and so did the whole gang of toms and jakes.

I had to hold off on shooting earlier at them because they were in such a small group I would of taken out 3 birds with 1 arrow.

I finally had to get sideways in the blind and I didn't range my 2nd shot and that one went low as well.

I did this in deer season before getting my 8 point, although I shoot a lot, having a live target in front of you makes you forget the simple things I guess, like hold your shot higher!!!

I always tend to hold low on live targets for some reason, thinking about adjusting my sights a little to fix that problem.

One thing that is nice, I got all of this on video and I didn't get a bad shot on the bird, I completely missed...lol

Once I get some of it edited down I'll post it.

[Guest GunTroll]

I got nothin down in SC for their opener. I own 200 acres down there and have seen tons of birds in the fall while deer hunting. In the spring they hang out to the south of my property line in the swamp. While sitting on the edge I must have heard at least ten a day shock gooblin' at crows and owls. They just don't like the high ground of my property in the spring. Oh well. Now for TN Toms!

[Alleycat72]

[ShaunM]

Nice bird!

[Chris]

nice hooks. well done.

[roverboy]

I agree with Chris. Very nice hooks. Looks about 1 1/2" or so. I killed one about 5 years ago with hooks like that. It was my best bird as far as beard and spurs, but the lightest.

[whiskey]

Nice Gobbler.

I went this morning but only hens and jakes. 12 hens and 11 jakes altogether.

[Rightwinger]

I don't know about you guys but I think mating season is over and done in south Tennessee (Wayne Co). I hunted two areas yesterday down there. In the woods near a usual roosting place for them in winter, sun came up, nothing. Did hear a gobbler at around 6:15 crank off a few times but by 6:30 the woods were silent. Even the crows had moved off. Went across the county to our deer lease and brothers property. Couldn't get them to answer anywhere. Brother saw two hens as he was driving around the property. I finally saw one moving by herself and quiet around 5:00 PM yesterday evening. This quiet and single hens leads me to believe they have already done their duty and its done down there. I may try a few times up here in Sumner Co but if you don't hear a lot of activity as they are coming off the roost and trying to gather together in the morning then your just not going to have any luck.

So has anyone else seen a bunch of strutting going on this weekend or are you seeing the same?

The reports I'm getting is there was a ton of strutting two weeks ago during juvenile.

[roverboy]

I've not seen a lot of strutting birds but around here the birds aren't gobbling a lot now. They are gobbling a little on the roost and then flying down and not gobbling much after that. I think they are getting with hens.

[ShaunM]

Going in the morning hope to have a turkey by mid-day. I will be in Westmoreland hunting.

[MCSCOTT]

They're still gobbling alot where I'm hunting at, and just honestly this being my first year hunting after yesterday I believe I'm hooked, and haven't even fired at one yet. My dad and I have been trying to decide where exactly we need to be for a while now to get them to us. We went out to a spot that we thought we could cut them off at, but ended up being wrong about that. They were in the area a bit for a while but right after daylight some coyotes came in and seemed to push them completely out of the area. So about 7:30 we moved out to another spot overlooking a big field because we realized where we were there wasn't enough visibility, and as soon as we got there there were a couple of hens moving over the next hill to join the others that we could still here way off in the distance.

We sat and called but never could get anything to come back, and around 9:30 or 10 decided to just sit there and drink coffee and enjoy being in the woods. After a few minutes I decided to get out my gobble call to practice with it a little since I hadn't really messed with it much. Played with it a little, and then put it down to drink some coffee. Probably 10 minutes after I put it down, I got an answer from just across the field on the next hill. I hit the gobble call again and immediately got an answer again, and then we saw him running down the hill towards us. He stopped just inside the woods across the field on the other hill though about 150 yards away, and it looked like he was searching the area where we were to try to find a bird. He stood there for over an hour, and never took a step. We finally ended up having to leave before he ever came across. I believe if I would have had a couple of decoys set up he would have came straight to us.

With that being said, I will have decoys before Saturday. I now know where I need to be, how I need to call, and where I need to put decoys.

[Rightwinger]

Going in the morning hope to have a turkey by mid-day. I will be in Westmoreland hunting.

Who do you know up here!!! And leave the birds in my backyard alone! One might die of old age out there any day now!

[ShaunM]

Well went to Westmoreland this morning to my friends gandfathers farm. We got there around 5:15 am. We started out across the field and I hit the ol' crow call and they started to gobble on the back side of the field. We set up on the opposite side of the field as not to spook them, they were roosting close in the trees on the edge of the field. We put out the decoys and as soon as we seen them hit the ground I started calling. I would call and they would gobble. Well the damn things walked the tree line and came out in the middle of the field. There were several jakes and hens and 2 good toms. One looked like he had about a 10 inch or so beard. I called but they never left the hens. So I did the only thing I knew to do, I started crawling across the field as soon as they went over the little hill. They were about 90 yards when we started crawling. Just to let everyone know this was a dried plowed field with big ruts and rocks in it not fun to crawl across. We crawled about 40 yards and then about 50 yards in front 2 turkeys came out of the woods so we stopped crawling and I began to call. Well they took the bait and I called them up to 10 yards or so. I wasn't going to shoot one as they where not very old birds but I had just crawled 40 yards through rocks and dirt with my shotgun. I made a 10 yard shot from the prone position and down he went. He had right at 6 inch beard and almost 1 inch spurs. Not a big one but I felt after all the work we put into this hunt it was well worth it.

Sorry about the pic it is a cell phone pic couldn't find my camera.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Hunting101

[ShaunM]

Who do you know up here!!! And leave the birds in my backyard alone! One might die of old age out there any day now!

A guy I work with his grandparents owns some property down on Lake road or maybe it was West Lake road. One of those or something like that.

[memphismason]

that is awesome man!

[Rightwinger]

A guy I work with his grandparents owns some property down on Lake road or maybe it was West Lake road. One of those or something like that.

Crap, that's less than a mile from me as I sit and type. And I'm driving all the way to Wayne Co to get skunked!

Does your friend need MORE friends!! This is a great area, I just don't know anyone in the immediate area as this is my wife's hometown. I do hunt down in Bethpage south of here. Will probably go Wed morning to see what's up down there.

[ShaunM]

I have deer hunted their before, but this is my first time turkey hunting the property. I doubt he will let anyone else go or I would say meet you their .

[ShaunM]

I'm going again Thursday but staying in the boro area. Not really wanting to get up at 3:30 again at least not for awhile. I have great friends and am going again with another friend I work with to his lease land out in the county. Called 2 into 70 yards a week ago but thats as far as they got. Hope to get out their earlier and get the jump on them.