Merriam I think. We'll be over 7k ft in the ponderosa pine. It's my understanding that the rio's here are down south and in the river bottoms. I'm new here though so I could be wrong
2022 spring turkey
- Thread starter Gellar
- Start date
Gellar
Well-known member
I have no clue. I’m just tryin to learn,
. Either way, good luck. Post up some pics successful or not. I’m better at looking at pics then reading long stories!Gellar
Well-known member
There’s 17 turkeys south of my house in the field and about that many north of my house in the field too. I’m drinking a Spotted Cow grillin deer loin, baked potatoes and asparagus while watching @Big Fin and Michael hunting elk. While taexting my Turkey partner about our Turkey float hunt in May! Perfect Friday night.
I always have my historical spots in Michigan picked out every year. This year I'm in the last minute decision process of deciding whether or not to do my first out of state turkey hunt. I'm debating between Nebraska for my first shot at a Merriam or Kentucky for "just" another Eastern, but a drive that's 8 hours closer. I got the green light from work and the missus to head out a couple days so I'm torn on planning a hunt that I would essentially be going in blind. But it beats working!
Hey I never received the text? Just sayin
Gellar
Well-known member
I think you are winning either way! If it were me I’d go to Nebraska and chase a Mercian!I always have my historical spots in Michigan picked out every year. This year I'm in the last minute decision process of deciding whether or not to do my first out of state turkey hunt. I'm debating between Nebraska for my first shot at a Merriam or Kentucky for "just" another Eastern, but a drive that's 8 hours closer. I got the green light from work and the missus to head out a couple days so I'm torn on planning a hunt that I would essentially be going in blind. But it beats working!
Gellar
Well-known member
New phone, who dis?Hey I never received the text? Just sayin
MB=Manitoba? We could probably work something out if you want to turkey hunt.
LuketheDog
Well-known member
That blows. Same issue foiled a turkey opener for me two years ago. It's the worst.
My selected opener spot still has ~2-3' snowdrifts on portions of the 5mi route in, so it's unlikely the birds have moved up there yet (and no sign around either, not even elk sign and they usually beat the turkeys back up the mountain).
We are going after the closer but much more challenging birds that we pestered a bunch last year (I know - they are probably different actual birds, but there's always a group in this spot that spends 90% of their time on private. We got one within 75 yards on adjacent public last year but he was too smart for us. We also called last year's big tom within 5' of the fence several times to no avail. Hoping Opening day is the ticket to one of this year's gobblers acting dumb.
Given the close-in nature of the spot, we are probably going to need to be there 2h before legal light, if not sleeping there overnight. We will wave at @LuketheDog on the way
I'll be sleeping in tomorrow and letting you knuckleheads fight for the good spots, but wave as you drive by anyhow! May you meet 100 new turkey-hunting friends and kill a fat tom, I saw the flock in their usual spot on Sunday, best of luck!
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We roosted them on public last night. This Old boy decided to do some strutting in the middle of the road when we found them crossing it on our way back to the truck:
mdeerjunkie
Well-known member
Got one this morning in CO!
LuketheDog
Well-known member
Yes, it'll be Merriam's in the Jemez.
We got there at 4:00 on the nose this morning and there were two trucks ahead of us (Shooting light was 6:02). Let them go in (they were carrying bows so they headed right to the fence) and looped way around behind and downhill from where we last saw them flashing headlamps. Ended up surrounding all the roosted birds (got some great audio), which proceeded to pitch down away from them, glide over us for 300 yards and land on the other private.Hey! That guy parked his truck in my spot!
still fun, looped way Back in there around the other private later in the morning and had another one coming but he hung up.
So many dudes.
Going to another spot tonight not far away.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
We had a couple hours to scout. Found some scratchings in leaf litter, and flushed a tom from a nearby loafing spot at 5 yards. She says, “next time, shoot it.”
np307
Well-known member
All quiet here. Not much happening across the entire state it seems. Harvest about 60% of the 3 year average for opening day. Coldest opener in a long time I believe.
Heard one gobble on the roost but he flew toward private. Then I got stuck in the thicket and had to drop 300 feet through the briers. Got back to the car and decided to ride around checking gates. Lots of double and triple parked gates, hate to see it. 3 people trying to turkey hunt 100 acre pieces is a recipe for disaster.
Decided on a second spot and walked a long ways back before I finally started finding sign. Got a response at 230 and thought I was in the game but I guess it was just a courtesy gobble as he never showed up.
Heard one gobble on the roost but he flew toward private. Then I got stuck in the thicket and had to drop 300 feet through the briers. Got back to the car and decided to ride around checking gates. Lots of double and triple parked gates, hate to see it. 3 people trying to turkey hunt 100 acre pieces is a recipe for disaster.
Decided on a second spot and walked a long ways back before I finally started finding sign. Got a response at 230 and thought I was in the game but I guess it was just a courtesy gobble as he never showed up.
First archery weekend day to hunt for me today. 26 calm degrees as I was getting out of the suv. No birds seen, maybe one distant gobble off of the property and on the refuge.
On Tuesday the landowner texted me asking if I was hunting. I was at work. Evidently an unknown car (black Tahoe) was sitting on the side of the road adjacent to her land. Dude was sitting in his car, and as she came to a stop to see if he needed assistance/find out what he was doing there, he put the car and gear and roared off in a big cloud of dust. From that day till now the other guy who has permission to hunt reports no wildlife on his trail cameras.
On Tuesday the landowner texted me asking if I was hunting. I was at work. Evidently an unknown car (black Tahoe) was sitting on the side of the road adjacent to her land. Dude was sitting in his car, and as she came to a stop to see if he needed assistance/find out what he was doing there, he put the car and gear and roared off in a big cloud of dust. From that day till now the other guy who has permission to hunt reports no wildlife on his trail cameras.
TheGreek
Well-known member
Not too much to report from SE IL these last two days. The birds were not that fired up and were still flocked up some. We got on a big bunch yesterday morning at first light but they pitched onto private and we could never call them back onto the public. We spent the rest of yesterday morning trying to strike a bird to no avail. We managed about a dozen crappies yesterday afternoon fishing but mostly small. The trolling motor on the boat didn’t work that well due to my crappy mounting job so we scrapped using the boat after about an hour. Getting the trolling motor properly mounted on that thing is on my spring/summer boat to do list now. that boat is gonna be a way better duck hunting rig than it’s ever gonna be a fishing set up, but I bought it as a duck boat so I can’t complain.
We were hoping the birds were gonna be way more vocal this morning with warmer temps and less wind but it didn’t play out that way. Got on three Tom’s first thing still on the roost, got into 80 yards on them and set up. They were hammering good on the limb but they pitched down away from us and never made another peep. Couldn’t get on another bird and we called it a day.
The hunting wasn’t as good as the last two years but we had a good time. I think a lot of the lack of gobbling had to do with it being a little earlier than we had hunted in years past. I’ll probably stick to 3rd and 4th season going forward down here. And @nick87 no morels and no sheds either.
A pic of a small crappie I caught after we ditched the boat. Not exactly a slab.
We were hoping the birds were gonna be way more vocal this morning with warmer temps and less wind but it didn’t play out that way. Got on three Tom’s first thing still on the roost, got into 80 yards on them and set up. They were hammering good on the limb but they pitched down away from us and never made another peep. Couldn’t get on another bird and we called it a day.
The hunting wasn’t as good as the last two years but we had a good time. I think a lot of the lack of gobbling had to do with it being a little earlier than we had hunted in years past. I’ll probably stick to 3rd and 4th season going forward down here. And @nick87 no morels and no sheds either.
A pic of a small crappie I caught after we ditched the boat. Not exactly a slab.
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lots of traffic jams on the way to the turkey spot. skipped opening morning yesterday. darn low light mode on these new iphones really blurs things that are moving.
handful of gobbles this morning. handful of dudes.
word from some hunters i talked to was this particular spot was a rodeo yesterday between all the dudes and all the fired up birds. sounds like several were taken. needless to say, the birds were not very talkative in this spot this morning... the few that stuck around at least.
handful of gobbles this morning. handful of dudes.
word from some hunters i talked to was this particular spot was a rodeo yesterday between all the dudes and all the fired up birds. sounds like several were taken. needless to say, the birds were not very talkative in this spot this morning... the few that stuck around at least.
2 of my tags are open and i am still stuck at house waiting for this storm to get here and pass. I know we need the moisture and there calling for a lot of it, but dam i am ready to get on road. Hopefully weather turns nice late week and as soon as it does will be heading east.
