Turkey scouting

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

When in doubt, hunt more! With all that pressure, expect him to come in silent if he comes at all. Set up on the path to that roost! Or do some ol fashioned tracking, but it usually doesn't end very well.

Man, if I could I would live out there. I have family obligations however, so I have to choose one. Then I'll be back out in the mornings on Wednesday through Friday.

 

[AggieHunter]

Came close this morning but someone else got to the bird before me

 

[trb]

This might be of interest to some from my bird this morning: 7" inch beard, full fan except one feather, his gobble sounded mature, but no spurs at all!

 

[Nicapopolis]

This might be of interest to some from my bird this morning: 7" inch beard, full fan except one feather, his gobble sounded mature, but no spurs at all!

Awesome. That is a gobbler. According to Dr Turkey (recent Meateater podcast) all Jake's should have a full fan by summer. So he would have been a sometime last summer if he is a 2 year old.

Spurs don't indicate age, so I wouldnt get hung up on that.

I wonder he may just have a funky fan.

 

[Nicapopolis]

Hunted a roost in which the birds usually go south or north when they flydown.... I setup south and they went north. No tree barks from the hens and the Tom's were not gobbling to any calls.

Tried 3 other spots to find a fired up Tom and there just weren't any. Like in years past... birds are henned up. It will get better in the next few weeks.

 

[AggieHunter]

Hunted a roost in which the birds usually go south or north when they flydown.... I setup south and they went north. No tree barks from the hens and the Tom's were not gobbling to any calls.

Tried 3 other spots to find a fired up Tom and there just weren't any. Like in years past... birds are henned up. It will get better in the next few weeks.

I had one respond to a call late in the evening and as soon as I sat down at the closest tree he came out with a group of hens but just wasn't too interested.

 

[clueless]

4 more days till the opener here in NM. Have been doing well on our scouting.


J

 

[Gellar]

Tomorrow,April 13,is our opener. The birds have been talking good until about 7:30 or 8 am. They start up again around 6:30 pm. Looking to be cold and windy. Gusts of 40 mph! Usually when it’s like that the birds have been down in the bottom of ravines. I have a spot I’ve been hearing turkeys where two large ravines come together. That’s where I think I’ll be at first light. Tomorrow that will be about 5:30 or 5:45

 

[NYyotekiller]

Here’s a few birds that I hope to see from the blind May 1st.





I set both of these cameras at known roosting locations hoping to catch a few toms either at fly down, or right before they fly up to roost in the evening.

 

[Gellar]

7:15 opening morning!

 

[Pucky Freak]

Wind blasting out of the North all night long. Cold and snow. Marked some deep south-facing ravines on OnX, then some ambush spots between. Encountered another hunter at the access point and we compared notes - we were thinking along the same lines. We figured out where we were each going and walked in. Toms started gobbling 5 mins before shooting. 1 gobble on the ravine to my left and silent. 2 gobblers on my right, one of which was pretty talkative until sunrise, 200 yards away. I’d wait until the wind lulled and give some loud yelps. A half hour later he sees my set up and commits. 60 yards out he saw something he didn’t like and hung up.

 

[Gellar]

As was expected it was cold and windy this morning. About 2 am as the wind whipped my wife asked me if I actually was going to go out. I said yes as I had a pretty good idea where they would be roosted with 40 mph gusts and 26 degrees temps this morning. I got to the spot where I was going to walk in from at 5:30. Even though the full moon was a week ago the last quarter moon was bright and there was no need for a headlamp. About a quarter mile from the road 3 ravines come together and I was planning on stopping there to listen for a while before committing to a direction to go. About 6:05 I caught movement on top of the ridge to the south or to my 2 o’clock position from where I was sitting. He was moving in a determined way, I think towards me as I had yelped a few times. I yelped again and he lifted his fan but didn’t fully strut. He went behind a tree and I never saw him again. I heard my first gobble about 6:15 south of where I had seen the Tom, but a ways away. I had a few back and forth a with that guy but could hear hens between us and could tell he was not getting closer.
I was cold. And told myself at 6:45 I was going to move, but didn’t know where to. The sun was shining on the hill behind me and I was going to go sit in it even though I knew the sun would not help concealment. After about 75 yards a Tom gobbles on top of the hill very close. A large rock outcropping was between us and I knew if I sat down I would be able to maybe draw the bird around the outcropping and have a close shot. I sat down and yelped. Within 2-3 minutes I heard a turkey behind me putting and spitting. I thought it was maybe the same turkey so I turned downhill to be ready when he came out from behind another rock outcropping. It must have seen me move Because it hightailed it out there but as it was leaving the turkey on top of the hill gobbles again. I move about 25 yards up hill and get right up next to the outcropping for camouflage and am just peeking over the top of it. I yelp, get my gun in position, yelp again. I can hear the Tom spitting so I know he is close and then about 15 yards away behind a log I see him. He comes about 5 yards closer, but now he’s behind an elm tree that is about 4” in diameter. He’s beginning to know somethings up because he can’t find the hen. I didn’t have a decoy out. He moves his head to each side of the tree trying to find the hen. I am in no jeopardy of being spotted because the rock is covering everything except the top of my head and my gun barrel. After about 15 seconds the Tom moves down hill and I shoot him on his left side at about 7 yards. His momentum carries him into a creek with a little bit of water running since it rained all day and the night before. And at 7:15 opening morning I am tagged out!
Of all the turkeys I’ve shot this in my mind was one of the best. The way we cat and moused around the rock outcropping is something I’ll never forget! His beard measured 9 1/2 inches and a 7/8” spur and a 3/4” spur.

 

[Gellar]

Here is my POV. I was tucked below the moss covered rock and the turkey was behind that log.

 

[Gellar]

about an hour later on my way to work this guy was strutting in the road with a hen where I was parked.

 

[Nicapopolis]

Awesome play by play, Gellar.

I like the birds in the road. Especially when they can get a quick ride in the truck.

 

[Gellar]

The one on the road will have to wait for another hunter!

 

[Gellar]

Hunted a roost in which the birds usually go south or north when they flydown.... I setup south and they went north. No tree barks from the hens and the Tom's were not gobbling to any calls.

Tried 3 other spots to find a fired up Tom and there just weren't any. Like in years past... birds are henned up. It will get better in the next few weeks.

I like to hunt midday when they are henned up. You don’t get the action like at first light, but if you get a gobble point your gun in that direction cuz he’s coming in and usually fast. I yelp wait for a few minutes,slowly advance to where I can see good, yelp again, and continue that pattern. I have good luck from 10-3:30 doing that.

 

[AggieHunter]

I like to hunt midday when they are henned up. You don’t get the action like at first light, but if you get a gobble point your gun in that direction cuz he’s coming in and usually fast. I yelp wait for a few minutes,slowly advance to where I can see good, yelp again, and continue that pattern. I have good luck from 10-3:30 doing that.

I don't have a ton of experience but the bird I just shot was really henned up, so after sneaking to about 40 yards with the flock just on the other side of a small rise and even though he gobbled like crazy he wouldn't come in. Eventually, the lead hen started yelping so I just imitated what she did louder and she came to look and so did the tom.

 

[Zootownelk]

Very cold, very windy morning. Didn't hear any gobbles at first spot- sitting field where I had seen a tom strutting a week ago. About 9:00am I starting covering ground. Started hearing a couple gobbles around 10:30- all the reading I've done says they should come right in at this time, but they kept moving away from me on long flat timbered ridge. They answered a couple times then went quite. several minutes later, I'd hear them again a little further away. I tried to follow them. Not sure if I bumped them or not, but after about 1/2 hour of this, I never heard them again. In hindsight, not sure if I should've just stayed put after I was setup on ridge, even after hearing them get further away. Or if it was the correct call to try and get closer. I don't think I could've gotten around them and found them again.

 

[Gellar]

Very cold, very windy morning. Didn't hear any gobbles at first spot- sitting field where I had seen a tom strutting a week ago. About 9:00am I starting covering ground. Started hearing a couple gobbles around 10:30- all the reading I've done says they should come right in at this time, but they kept moving away from me on long flat timbered ridge. They answered a couple times then went quite. several minutes later, I'd hear them again a little further away. I tried to follow them. Not sure if I bumped them or not, but after about 1/2 hour of this, I never heard them again. In hindsight, not sure if I should've just stayed put after I was setup on ridge, even after hearing them get further away. Or if it was the correct call to try and get closer. I don't think I could've gotten around them and found them again.

I would guess they were going out of the wind. From what I see they don’t like to be out in the open long on windy days.