.270Rem
Well-known member
Tomorrow marks the end of the Virginia season and I hope to have a better plan after good action these past two mornings. We shall see as the birds seem to read my thoughts all too well sometimes.
2023 spring turkey!
- Thread starter Gellar
- Start date
Foldem
Well-known member
Got my Colorado list B bird. Hunt lasted a whole day this time haha.Colorado public otc bird. Roosted him last night and he came straight to me off the roost this morning after gobbling at every sound in the woods for 45 mins. 14 minute season.
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Hunting Wife
Well-known member
Hunting Husband had some unfortunate family things to attend to this weekend so I was on my own without much of a plan. It poured rain all day on Saturday, and I wasn’t sure where to even go since I stayed at work and am not near my usual haunts. Drove to the closest spot I could think of (a couple hours away still), glassed up some silent birds, and screwed around with a flock of gobblers until I was finally able to cut some off and cluck them into range. This one was a kind of unique experience, and I think one of the older birds I’ve ever gotten. Made for a fun morning.
Gellar
Well-known member
What kind of .410 is that?
Mica Man
Well-known member
Birdbander
Well-known member
Your photos caused me to purchase one!
I see you have no rear sight, do you just line the front bead down the center of the rail? I purchased a Red Dot Reflex, hopefully I didn't waste $100.
Mica Man
Well-known member
I just center the bead down the rail. Idaho doesn't allow electric sights for hunting thus no red dot on my tuffy.Your photos caused me to purchase one!
I see you have no rear sight, do you just line the front bead down the center of the rail? I purchased a Red Dot Reflex, hopefully I didn't waste $100.
I sent you a PM on the IDaho red dot law
Hem
Well-known member
Good way to start on the first day of my annual trip.
Mica Man
Well-known member
A bird for my daughter before school this morning.westbranch
Well-known member
Surprised you have not ran out of turkeys by now!
Mica Man
Well-known member
Let me know when you want to go!
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
15 yr-old grandson, with his proud Dad.
johnp
Well-known member
Not much gobbling lately but this guy followed a bearded hen right into the danger zone!
Got to the spot early early (4:15) in hopes of getting into a well used roost area. Turns out some super heavy and localized rain had the river ripping and I couldn't cross safely in the dark. Set up close, but couldn't pull any birds close enough. Plan A woulda been a slam dunk, as I watched 8 gobblers strutting next to the tree I planned on setting up under. Damn.
Decided to pull the plug and head out to try and get to work at a decent time. While leaving, I spotted 3 birds a 1/2 mile down the railroad tracks. Headed towards them and cut the distance significantly. Aaaaand then a train came through and sent them deep into the neighboring property. Nice. Back to the truck.
Driving past a ranch I hunted a few times in the past and saw 5 or 6 gobblers out in a corner of a field above the floodplain. Swung in and talked to the rancher and he gave me the go-ahead. Snuck across an opening and down into the floodplain and cut the distance to about 75 yards. Right away 3 jakes came in on a rope with 4 toms hanging out further back. Lined up one jake and squeezed one off. He flopped for a good while and with some excited calling, together we drew in one of the longbeards. Touched off another round and had nice double.
A great end to a challenging morning, and to my spring turkey season. Still have a tag left, but it's time to get the boat out now. Walleyes are biting. Until next year.
Decided to pull the plug and head out to try and get to work at a decent time. While leaving, I spotted 3 birds a 1/2 mile down the railroad tracks. Headed towards them and cut the distance significantly. Aaaaand then a train came through and sent them deep into the neighboring property. Nice. Back to the truck.
Driving past a ranch I hunted a few times in the past and saw 5 or 6 gobblers out in a corner of a field above the floodplain. Swung in and talked to the rancher and he gave me the go-ahead. Snuck across an opening and down into the floodplain and cut the distance to about 75 yards. Right away 3 jakes came in on a rope with 4 toms hanging out further back. Lined up one jake and squeezed one off. He flopped for a good while and with some excited calling, together we drew in one of the longbeards. Touched off another round and had nice double.
A great end to a challenging morning, and to my spring turkey season. Still have a tag left, but it's time to get the boat out now. Walleyes are biting. Until next year.
mdcrossbow
Well-known member
Left Maryland house at 4 AM and just arived at Turkey camp in Greensboro Vt. In the White Mts. about 20 minutes from Canada.
My buddy went to one side of the farm and me to the other . At 6:02 BANG. He dropped a nice 2 YO Tom. It ended his getting skunked street. Tomorrow we'll be hunting another farm, I'll be taking a 15 YO out who's becoming a great hunter
5/21
We did some scouting and Friday morning. My buddy grogner shot a three year old at 602in the morning Friday. This. Morning I went out? 5 minutes after 1st light. Walked to where I knew birds were roosting. Jumped the hens out , got lucky Tom's remained on the roost near by. I backed out. Put my hen decoy out in fresh tilled field and yelped did a fly down cackle n Tom's were gobbling. 5 minutes later 4 Tom's came rushing in. Took the lead bird with a 9"beard. Small spurs. @5:27 AM !
So I sit a bit and strike up another gobbler. This guy was big but got spooked.
Hunting different farm tomorrow.
My buddy went to one side of the farm and me to the other . At 6:02 BANG. He dropped a nice 2 YO Tom. It ended his getting skunked street. Tomorrow we'll be hunting another farm, I'll be taking a 15 YO out who's becoming a great hunter
5/21
We did some scouting and Friday morning. My buddy grogner shot a three year old at 602in the morning Friday. This. Morning I went out? 5 minutes after 1st light. Walked to where I knew birds were roosting. Jumped the hens out , got lucky Tom's remained on the roost near by. I backed out. Put my hen decoy out in fresh tilled field and yelped did a fly down cackle n Tom's were gobbling. 5 minutes later 4 Tom's came rushing in. Took the lead bird with a 9"beard. Small spurs. @5:27 AM !
So I sit a bit and strike up another gobbler. This guy was big but got spooked.
Hunting different farm tomorrow.
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johnp
Well-known member
My friend ,Ellen , has tried several times to get her first turkey. We had a great star to the morning when a couple of Does accompanied by newborn fawns entertained us . No tree gobbling at all had me thinking it might be a slow turkey day.
Then out pops three jakes and within a few minutes they make their way into range. Her shot was right on and the turkey jinx was over!
Then out pops three jakes and within a few minutes they make their way into range. Her shot was right on and the turkey jinx was over!
Gellar
Well-known member
They are still gobbling and strutting every morning here. Maybe even better than during the season.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
Due to some of the kids activities I couldn’t hunt my first tag - leaving me just Saturday and Sunday to fill a late season tag. Went Saturday morning and it was a total bust. Due to the decline in numbers I didn’t even get a gobble out of the 50 acre woodlot I choose that morning.
That afternoon I took my son out to look for some birds. We found a lone tom in one spot and a group of five birds in another. The five were in calf high alfalfa at 400 yards and my optics couldn’t tell me if one was a Tom. Unfortunately, with family obligations we didn’t have the opportunity to try and roost either option.
I waffled for hours on where to go Sunday morning. Eventually I decided to roll the dice on the lone Tom - crossing my fingers that he would opt to roost nearby and not a half mile away and out of reach.
My son had a hard time waking up so we were running late Sunday morning. We were still about 30 yards from our planned spot when a Tom cut loose. To make matters worse we only had about ten minutes until shooting light. My hope was that with overcast skies, full foliage, and our silent approach via the freshly planted field we might be OK. I was determined to get to my planned location as it was the high spot in the field, allowing our decoys to be seen from all corners of the field.
We moved up to our planned spot and I threw out two hen decoys at about 12 yards and tucked us in to the brush on the edge of the field. We masked up, I got my calls set, and told my son to get set. The tom had gobbled a few more times while were setting up. I started calling and after a few yelp sequences with my mouth call he responded - he hadn’t spooked and we were still in business! I knew he was close and after hearing his response I figured he was roosted about a hundred yards away.
I was still trying get my son set up when he gobbled again. This time the notes sounded much more distinct and it was definitely louder. A quick glance to my right revealed he had hit the ground at 75 yards and was closing. Of course we weren’t in position yet.
He paralleled the field edge about 30 yards out until he was in front of us. He was strutting and on a mission, but he didn’t seem to want to come any closer. I let him take about four steps past the decoys, trying to give him every opportunity to commit and continue to put on a show. However, by this time my gut was telling me he was expecting the hens to come to him and he wasn’t going to get closer. I opted for the shot and folded immediately. We were all done before 5 am.
Afterwards, my son kept remarking how lucky we were to have it all work out so well. I acknowledged that luck certainly played a role, given that the tom stayed in the limited area we could hunt him rather than moseying down the creek and out of reach. But more importantly, I let him know that experience and learning from past mistakes had more to do with this outcome. I was pleased to see the light bulb go on . . .
That afternoon I took my son out to look for some birds. We found a lone tom in one spot and a group of five birds in another. The five were in calf high alfalfa at 400 yards and my optics couldn’t tell me if one was a Tom. Unfortunately, with family obligations we didn’t have the opportunity to try and roost either option.
I waffled for hours on where to go Sunday morning. Eventually I decided to roll the dice on the lone Tom - crossing my fingers that he would opt to roost nearby and not a half mile away and out of reach.
My son had a hard time waking up so we were running late Sunday morning. We were still about 30 yards from our planned spot when a Tom cut loose. To make matters worse we only had about ten minutes until shooting light. My hope was that with overcast skies, full foliage, and our silent approach via the freshly planted field we might be OK. I was determined to get to my planned location as it was the high spot in the field, allowing our decoys to be seen from all corners of the field.
We moved up to our planned spot and I threw out two hen decoys at about 12 yards and tucked us in to the brush on the edge of the field. We masked up, I got my calls set, and told my son to get set. The tom had gobbled a few more times while were setting up. I started calling and after a few yelp sequences with my mouth call he responded - he hadn’t spooked and we were still in business! I knew he was close and after hearing his response I figured he was roosted about a hundred yards away.
I was still trying get my son set up when he gobbled again. This time the notes sounded much more distinct and it was definitely louder. A quick glance to my right revealed he had hit the ground at 75 yards and was closing. Of course we weren’t in position yet.
He paralleled the field edge about 30 yards out until he was in front of us. He was strutting and on a mission, but he didn’t seem to want to come any closer. I let him take about four steps past the decoys, trying to give him every opportunity to commit and continue to put on a show. However, by this time my gut was telling me he was expecting the hens to come to him and he wasn’t going to get closer. I opted for the shot and folded immediately. We were all done before 5 am.
Afterwards, my son kept remarking how lucky we were to have it all work out so well. I acknowledged that luck certainly played a role, given that the tom stayed in the limited area we could hunt him rather than moseying down the creek and out of reach. But more importantly, I let him know that experience and learning from past mistakes had more to do with this outcome. I was pleased to see the light bulb go on . . .
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