Turkey

[Otto Matic]

This has been a horrid turkey season.
Not only are birds not patterning, I haven't even seen but 2 birds and both were walking down the ditch.

Anybody else having difficulty locating birds?

 

[R.K.]

I'm having trouble getting away from work.

First they cancelled my Missouri trip, now I'm stuck here all weekend. Hoping to get out tomorrow and chase a bird, even if it's cold as hell.

 

[MThuntr]

2 friends shot 3 birds yesterday

 

[Otto Matic]

R.K.,
I'm retired. Getting away from the "Boss" ain't a problem. Lately, it's been getting away from doctors! LOL! !
I've called in turkeys when it was sleeting.
I've shot turkeys with sweat running down the crack of my "never mind".
Killed a bird one day when it was raining and windy, thundering and lightening!
It was raining so hard, water stopped running in my boots and had started running out!
The next weekend, I killed a bird from the same spot!
Beautiful sunny morning. A crisp 60°, not a breath of wind. Called in several tom's that morning. The fifth one finally came close enough!
I just love hunting turkeys!

Mthuntr
Let's hear the story of the guy who shot 2!

Do you guys keep a journal of your hunting adventures? If not, let me encourage you to do so!

Mthuntr
Here's the only double I've taken so far

 

[Stsinclair]

This has been a horrid turkey season.
Not only are birds not patterning, I haven't even seen but 2 birds and both were walking down the ditch.

Anybody else having difficulty locating birds?

IDK where you're located, but here in the front range of CO every hunter I talked to said it was a really quite opening weekend. I cut some tracks and saw some poop but never saw or heard the turkeys.

 

[Otto Matic]

IDK where you're located, but here in the front range of CO every hunter I talked to said it was a really quite opening weekend. I cut some tracks and saw some poop but never saw or heard the turkeys.

I'm in SW Okla.
Turkeys come into the spring season in phases.
Phase 1 is winter mode. Large groups of hens or gobblers.
Phase 2, the big groups break up and you'll see, sometimes small, groups of hens and gobblers with the gobblers strutting and gobbling and breeding hens as he can.
Phase 3 is the best! All (most?) a available hens have been bred and have moved off to nest. Unbred hens or hens whose nest have been destroyed will return about mid morning to find a tom to breed.
Tom's are MOST vulnerable during this 2 week period. He will come to a rusty gate hinge! LOL!
Normally, OK season will open within a few days of phase 3.
This year, in all my running around, I haven't found enough (any?) birds to figure out what phase they are in.
A local landowner said that he normally hears 3 different roost gobbling in early morning. He said he had NOT heard any birds, period.

Maybe next year, I'll be able to participate more! LOL!

 

[okie archer]

I'm in SW Okla.
Turkeys come into the spring season in phases.
Phase 1 is winter mode. Large groups of hens or gobblers.
Phase 2, the big groups break up and you'll see, sometimes small, groups of hens and gobblers with the gobblers strutting and gobbling and breeding hens as he can.
Phase 3 is the best! All (most?) a available hens have been bred and have moved off to nest. Unbred hens or hens whose nest have been destroyed will return about mid morning to find a tom to breed.
Tom's are MOST vulnerable during this 2 week period. He will come to a rusty gate hinge! LOL!
Normally, OK season will open within a few days of phase 3.
This year, in all my running around, I haven't found enough (any?) birds to figure out what phase they are in.
A local landowner said that he normally hears 3 different roost gobbling in early morning. He said he had NOT heard any birds, period.

Maybe next year, I'll be able to participate more! LOL!

The bird numbers are way down in western Oklahoma. Hopefully it changes soon.

 

[Otto Matic]

The bird numbers are way down in western Oklahoma. Hopefully it changes soon.

It has to be down, way down. We normally see several birds during our daily travels.
As of today, we've seen TWO birds.....and they weren't together!
Spring has been pretty mild. Maybe we'll have a good hatch!

 

[D4570]

We heard some this weekend but could not get them to come off the private land over to the public where we were. Never saw them.

 

[Otto Matic]

okie archer, I'm an older, crippled hunter.
I have two major goals in mind.
1) kill a gobbler with a .410
2) take a gobbler with my 16 gauge, Briley choked Remington "Sportsman".
Since the onset of COVID-19, I've been searching for some 3" .410 #9's.
I can find them in 2.5", but no 3"!
I've got some of the Federal, 3", #9 TSS. Stuff is $6/round! Dang well BETTER kill a turkey! LOL! At that price, if I carry them afield, I think turkeys should just run up to me and fall dead at my feet! LOL!
In my 16 ga, I just use standard, high velocity #8's.
So mainly, I'm just looking for a decent, somewhat normal "Spring-Turkey" here in SW OK to accomplish those two tasks.

 

[Otto Matic]

We heard some this weekend but could not get them to come off the private land over to the public where we were. Never saw them.

Yes sir.
I've been able to call a hot tom over a 100 foot wide, 40 foot deep ravine and had them hang up behind a foot deep, step across ditch!