2024 Spring Turkey hunt

I know some seasons further south have already started. MN & WI will be starting next week.

Let’s hear about your strategies, success, and failures on the upcoming season.

Season A looks a little sketchy, at least at first. Wind, rain, colder temps, and raw.

I’m gonna try season B starting on April 24.

I wonder what things will be like this year. i was hearing gobbling in February! Will the breeding season be all over in most places and the hens will already be on the nest?

Its 1st season for me or wait til D and I aint waiting that long. My strategy is to get mine in the first hour of the first day then spend the next six weeks trying to get my 10 yr old stepson one and my eight year old daughter one who wants to try this year as well. The forecast is improving everytime I look hope that continues. Cool temps and wind dont bother me. Just dont wanna get to wet.

I’m bow hunting so I have all season. But first and foremost I want to get the kid on a big ole Tom. Hoping to get it done next weekend. We won’t have any time mid week to get out.
I will just be stalking the woods and calling my self, but for the kid I am going to go set a blind in the same spot as last season and hope they come right in just like last year. I was able to get my nephew on a big bird last year which was his first, but then I kind of lost interest. As I have other things going at that time of the season. I am excited to get a kill on the new bow though.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Will the breeding season be all over in most places and the hens will already be on the nest?

I was wondering the same thing. By my house there was 2 hens with 2 toms everyday for a week or two. Last few days just the hens.

JEREMY wrote:

Its 1st season for me or wait til D and I aint waiting that long. My strategy is to get mine in the first hour of the first day then spend the next six weeks trying to get my 10 yr old stepson one and my eight year old daughter one who wants to try this year as well. The forecast is improving everytime I look hope that continues. Cool temps and wind dont bother me. Just dont wanna get to wet.

I’m opposite, get the kids on one and then my self. Hope it all works out.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Will the breeding season be all over in most places and the hens will already be on the nest?

Good question. I don’t really know.

My speculation is that it really won’t be that different from normal at this point now. Much of the state received colder and snowier weather than average the second half of March even though it was clearly a lot warmer without snow prior to that.

I have still seen some very large groups of turkeys in the field which tells me they are still in wintering mode. They should start to split off into smaller groups soon if they haven’t already.

There is supposed to be some cold weather behind the front next week. The lows next Thursday and Friday night are projected to be below freezing.

Stepson is at his dads 1st 2 weekends and daughter has gymnastics on the days I could make work thats why I figured I would try and geter done then when anyone has a free evening or weekend we can try to hammer a few out.

Everything is looking great for MN and WI right now for the start of our season’s next week. Weather is always a factor so i never really let that affect me hunting. I will be taking a buddy out with his son next week dad will be the hunter but the son wants to go be there for the hunt. Think next year he will pull the trigger on a thunder chicken.
The very last season i’m taking out two kids new to hunting. This sprint should be a blast and a lot of new experiences. I was asked to mentor the Women for outdoor hunt but could not make the weekend work out. I will be in WI fishing opener that weekend if we did not need my boat I would probably back out of the fishing :). That would be a blast archery only hunt for them.

Hope everyone has a great successful season and safe.

There’s been lots of strutting with good sized flocks all around my areas of central MN the last couple weeks. No idea if there’s been any actual breeding, but I’m not worried in the least. The Turkey “Rut” looks to be fine. 18 year old son and myself will be shooting bow and crossbow all year. Hoping to get our birds quickly. Then I’ll bring three next two in line. 14 year old son and 12 year old daughter. No matter who’s going we’ll have all season with youth and arrows.

Good luck to everyone.

Driving through the farm about 10 minutes ago I had a full strutting tom come out of the bushes and run at my truck, the hens ran in to the woods and he was not pleased with me. I didn’t see the number of turkeys I thought I would so they must have broke out of the groups by now. But I found our target turkey. He was a big boy.

Hunting first season here. Wind is going to be the biggest negative. Makes hearing so much harder. I usually only hunt mornings and plan on being out every morning until I get lucky enough to hopefully get one.

I went on a hike this weekend and heard about 10 different Tom’s gobbling at day break. I might have to give it the old college try here finally.

Average success rate in MN for spring turkey (shotgun) is 20-25%. Average success rate with a bow is only 10%. There are a heck of a lot more hunters that have tag soup than there are who fill a tag. Heck, even if you filling a tag every 2 or 3 years, you are well ahead of the curve. And with a bow, even every 5 years would be better than average.

gimruis wrote:

Average success rate in MN for spring turkey (shotgun) is 20-25%. Average success rate with a bow is only 10%. There are a heck of a lot more hunters that have tag soup than there are who fill a tag. Heck, even if you filling a tag every 2 or 3 years, you are well ahead of the curve. And with a bow, even every 5 years would be better than average.

I’ll be trying with a bow again this season. I don’t find it to much fun trying with a gun. Hopefully everyone has a successful season

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’ll be trying with a bow again this season. I don’t find it to much fun trying with a gun.

I don’t bow hunt but the really nice feature of archery is that you can hunt for a much longer period of time. With a shotgun, you’re limited to one week, although you can try again during the last season if you want to. If you’re mostly a weekend warrior, I could see the selling point of archery instead of shotgun.

I’m sure its far more difficult with a compound bow too compared to a crossbow. Turkeys have binocular, full color spectrum eyesight. Any variation in natural color or the slightest movement, and its done. Plus I imagine the target is significantly smaller than it is with a deer.

Gun or bow it’s a great spring sport. I’ve harvested with bow and shotgun I do not really care which way I hunt. I have a week of archery hunt only in NE to always start the spring. Different strokes for different folks. I just prefer to have them in close to see all the show gun or bow.

This is one of the best sports I think for introducing kids and non-hunters. If these things could smell better you would really have a hard time getting one. Just be safe and have fun. I know too many people who have been shot more than I should know public and private.

Use turkey vest to haul your bird out private or public pull the orange fabric out also. We use orange HS strut turkey bags every time as we take our birds out.

Have fun it all starts Wednesday.

Hope they stick around this is where my daughter wanted her blind.

We won’t get out until Saturday unless I call in sick on Wednesday or Thursday. But I’m hoping to get the kid on a bird right away. Good luck to everyone

Sad but im actually contemplating working tomorrow its gonna be a muddy mess.

I have a tag for the first time in a number of years. I won’t get out to put up my blind until Friday but hopefully I can seal the deal Saturday morning. The weekend weather looks like its shaping up to be good. Excited to hear some gobblers in the woods!

I won’t be out tomorrow but potentially Thursday if not Saturday. Good luck to everyone going out in the am

Well we didn’t get wet at all this morning and it was not too much of a sloppy mess out there. Setup on a cut field corner close to where we have roosted them in the past years. Called a couple times and a group of 5 came out about 200 yards away and came on a rope right to use but stopped about 40 yards out and got pretty nervous. Only could see one Tom in the bunch and they were all so bunched up didn’t have a clear shot. Don’t think we spooked them too bad but they drifted away pretty quick once that got that close and didn’t see another turkey. Considering going to the same spot tomorrow morning, but setting up some decoys. How many and what kind would you guys set up?

Didn’t see a bird this morning, hunting, driving or otherwise. Weather was much better than I expected it to be.

dhpricco – for the last 2 years I have a jake, breeding hen and a hen decoy out during first season. Have had birds right up to the decoys both years.

Gerty wrote:

dhpricco – for the last 2 years I have a jake, breeding hen and a hen decoy out during first season. Have had birds right up to the decoys both years.

I agree with this, if im running decoys its 2 hens and a jake.

Still seeing quite a few big flocks around town here with an occasional loner hen wandering around but lots of gobbling. Good luck to everyone hunting the first couple seasons, ill be out in May.

My father in law has a jake and a hen and I have a hen so that should work out. Gunna give it a try in the am and hopefully get some to come in closer.

I didn’t get out this morning. But one of my boys and I are out now. Saw a couple strutters on the drive to the woods. No birds or gobbles yet. Picked off a couple ticks already tho.

Had the least amount of fun I’ve ever had hunting this morning. Didn’t get rained on but half of my half mile walk mud was half way up my muck boots. Wind sucked saw 1 hen. On the plus side the spot I saved at my dad’s for my daughter paid off in 16 minutes after school.

Just a jake but it came in with 6 others it was awesome. Told her only like 2 out if 10 turkey hunters get one and she said “it’s easy for me”. Disappointing seasons ahead. Pretty awesome for an 8 year old. She also said the 20 gauge didn’t kick but it was loud. The other day she said trap loads in the 410 for practice hurt. Told her when the time comes she wouldn’t notice. Thank god.

That’s awesome man congrats for the young lady