How much or little would you be calling late in the afternoon?
Minimal if at all. If you already know their travel route back to the roost, just set up along that and wait. “Deer hunting” for turkeys is what I refer to it as. The hen decoy would probably be fine. Just my opinion of course.
My son and his friend were going to talk to the farmer that I got permission for him to hunt yesterday but the weather changed those plans. So much snow and his road wasnt plowed and it was a real disaster. He is pretty excited and I anticipate a quick hunt because the farmer says they are so predictable. We will see. I might even give it a try if they are able to get a couple.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dhpricco wrote:</div>
How much or little would you be calling late in the afternoon?Minimal if at all. If you already know their travel route back to the roost, just set up along that and wait. “Deer hunting” for turkeys is what I refer to it as. The hen decoy would probably be fine. Just my opinion of course.
Sounds horribly boring. I’m opposite, no decoy and I yelp every 10 to 20 minutes. I get them to come back to the roost area early and excited. Seen this work the last 3 nights. I can’t just sit and hope, that’s for deer or turkey. But as much as I’ve read from all our posts, I think gimruis hunt in a way different manner. I am not a sit quietly and hope kind of guy. I love to move, make noise and be aggressive.
When I do get a gobble back after a triple yelp I continue to do so until that bird runs in fired up. Then I drop down to really soft single or double yelps. In the last 3 days in the evenings and mornings it has gotten multiple Tom’s within shot gun distance, but not with in my bow comfort zone or in the perfect bow kill shot zone. But it has effectively gotten the Tom’s to get fired up and strut and gobble like no other.
Nice birds for the youngsters. So great to see the next generation out hunting! Will be nice if the weather can straighten out for everyone.
But as much as I’ve read from all our posts, I think gimruis hunt in a way different manner.
I probably do. I think people over call though. Too much calling doesn’t sound natural to me. Plus I also hunt in a blind and although it is somewhat “portable”, I can’t just pick it up and move it on a whim. Its staked down so it doesn’t blow away in the wind. I do a lot of scouting ahead time so I pattern the birds down to a daily cycle. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Patience is my best asset here, not calling.
I’ve seen calling and/or decoys back fire some many times over the years. Its very dependent on how much hunting pressure the birds are receiving. Virgin birds are dumb and they get sucked in by a call much more easily. The turkeys I hunt are on private land, but they receive some pressure on neighboring properties I’m sure, plus I’ve been hunting them for 3 years now already too.
In dhpricco’s case, it sounds like he’s pretty close to the roost. If you bust them from their roost, they aren’t coming back anytime soon. And I think his season ends tomorrow.
How close do they need to come for a bow? I assume pretty close, certainly closer than with a shotgun.
Yes I have today and tomorrow left. I tend to be very aggressive and move around a decent amount. Probably because I watch a lot of the The Hunting Public. It is really hard for me to just sit when nothing is going on or I hear a distant gobble, I just want to go after it. I probably overcall too. Its all a learning experience and every time I fail I hopefully learned something and don’t repeat that mistake again. Will probably get out the last couple hours of daylight today and the first couple hours tomorrow and then will call it a season.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
But as much as I’ve read from all our posts, I think gimruis hunt in a way different manner.I probably do. I think people over call though. Too much calling doesn’t sound natural to me. Plus I also hunt in a blind and although it is somewhat “portable”, I can’t just pick it up and move it on a whim. Its staked down so it doesn’t blow away in the wind. I do a lot of scouting ahead time so I pattern the birds down to a daily cycle. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Patience is my best asset here, not calling.
I’ve seen calling and/or decoys back fire some many times over the years. Its very dependent on how much hunting pressure the birds are receiving. Virgin birds are dumb and they get sucked in by a call much more easily. The turkeys I hunt are on private land, but they receive some pressure on neighboring properties I’m sure, plus I’ve been hunting them for 3 years now already too.
In dhpricco’s case, it sounds like he’s pretty close to the roost. If you bust them from their roost, they aren’t coming back anytime soon. And I think his season ends tomorrow.
How close do they need to come for a bow? I assume pretty close, certainly closer than with a shotgun.
I’m only sited in to 30 yards. I could poke a little further but haven’t just because I don’t want to. I hear what your saying about over calling. But watching the birds the last 3 days, they are very vocal. And it only takes 1 to get 9 to start being vocal. I am also in a blind to start, but I will get out and move around and keep that yelp moving around not just sitting in one spot. I’m far from a expert or what not. I’m just saying what I’ve been seeing the last couple nights and what’s been working. I also know the roost spot but they still take different routes to get there. I enjoy a more aggressive hunt rather then sit and hope while being cold and bored. As for decoys, I bailed on them after day one. They would come in within 50 yards and then turn around.
Again, I am no expert. I wing it and I learn from my mistakes. But in the last 3 days I have had Tom’s in as close as 30 to 50 yards probably 7 or 8 times. Just either didn’t have a clear shot with the bow, or didn’t have a opportunity to draw without giving up my spot. This is hunting a large piece of public land and having access the the private field edge.
If you are having that kind of action day after day, your strategy is working (obviously). At some point you will be able to take a shot at one.
If you are having that kind of action day after day, your strategy is working (obviously). At some point you will be able to take a shot at one.
This evening the bow will stay home and I’ll take my son who’s finally home from Arizona out. Hoping to get him on a big bird, bigger then his cousins so he has bragging rights. Then I’ll focus on my self. That’s another reason I went archery. So I can take my time, knowing I’ll make mistakes along the way, and I can learn from them and keep pushing. Being I have access to the 100 acres of private land is nice but it’s completely surrounded by 900 public. So it’s still a competition to beat others to the birds and stay with them.
I will say this is the most fun I’ve had hunting in a while.
I think people over call though. Too much calling doesn’t sound natural to me.
That could be the case sometimes, but my dad has a whole flock of turkeys that come into his yard every day and they are juveniles or hens and those suckers are clucking non stop!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
I think people over call though. Too much calling doesn’t sound natural to me.That could be the case sometimes, but my dad has a whole flock of turkeys that come into his yard every day and they are juveniles or hens and those suckers are clucking non stop!
I was really surprised that when they are fired up how vocal they can be.
Tonight I will be set up on the edge that they will be pushing in to to go roost. It’s kind of a gamble as to where in the woods they are coming in because it chages day to day. But they are roosting on an island in the swamp. The kid and I will be set up on the field edge inside the trees 6 ft or so. And I will start calling with 3 soft yelps filled by 2 louder. I will continue to do that every 20 minutes or until I get a response. I might throw a single breeder hen out, but honestly haven’t had birds like them. So the decoy might go 60 yards down field to keep the birds my way
Timing of the spring and when Tom’s get locked down on hens has an incredible amount of influence on the birds behavior and how they react to calling. It sounds like Bearcat is on some really active birds right now. The overcalling approach could have wildly different results give or take 2 weeks. From my observations, there seem to be two major breeding rounds of turkeys in the spring. If you hit that timing just right before each one, the Toms are super active and horned up and will respond to darn near any calls. Once they get locked down on a hen or group of hens, its much more difficult to pull them away from those hens.
I plan my turkey hunting season (i.e. week) months in advance due to other trips I take each spring. I’m totally at the mercy of what mother nature is going to throw at me as far as the timing of the spring and the Toms getting locked down on hens. If you hit the timing just right, you could darn near fart and you’ll get a Tom to holler back. Other times, you could do absolutely everything right and be the best caller in the county and you’re not going to pull a shooter in to you. The chase is what it’s all about.
What do you do When you show up to the field and they are between you and your blind at 6pm. They beat us to it.
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What do you do When you show up to the field and they are between you and your blind at 6pm. They beat us to it.
Haha. Ya that’s a problem.
What do you do When you show up to the field and they are between you and your blind at 6pm. They beat us to it.
Haha that’s a great problem to have. Is that corn that was in that field?
How much pressure does the SE public get ? I assume quite a bit? I went out and scouted around tonight . Got one to fire off on my voice doing the ol owl hoot . When you get into a group of turkeys they chatter all the time , crazy the noises they make.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
What do you do When you show up to the field and they are between you and your blind at 6pm. They beat us to it.Haha that’s a great problem to have. Is that corn that was in that field?
Yes that was corn last season. We hiked in to a way different area seeing if the other flock was near. No luck. So we watched deer all evening.
We had a big doe walk with us 20 yards away, walked right with us probably 400 yards. It was strange. Almost like she had a fawn in the woods but it seemed early. My son and I got a good kick out of it.
you’ve definitely got a nice spot to hunt there BC. Do you mind sharing what part of the state you are in? Sounds like the Toms are in lock down mode trying to lock down a hen.
I’m up in the Duluth area but I’ll be hunting down in the SE part of the state, so its hard for me to get a gauge on what the birds are doing right now
I’m in Rochester and drove about 12 miles to the lake early this morning….6-ish….and the turkeys were already in the fields. I saw seven different groups of males in 12 miles. No hens. On the way home, taking the same route, I saw the same seven groups plus two others. The male groups had between 3 and 11 birds. Six of the groups on the way home had hens around.
On another note, I was fishing and had zero hits in an hour. Even with all the snow and rain the water was fairly clean and clear but the water temperature on the surface had dropped 8 degrees since Thursday. The surface temperature on Thursday was 56-57 degrees and we got fish. I was on shore this morning and didn’t have enough immediate water to use a drop-down thermometer, but I am assuming that the water temps at about 6 feet pretty close to 45 degrees. Today’s sun might help for an afternoon bite but we are looking at rain again now for three days, then a mixed bag into next week. I think those 80’s spoiled me a bit.
you’ve definitely got a nice spot to hunt there BC. Do you mind sharing what part of the state you are in? Sounds like the Toms are in lock down mode trying to lock down a hen.
I’m up in the Duluth area but I’ll be hunting down in the SE part of the state, so its hard for me to get a gauge on what the birds are doing right now
This is right in north branch. Less then 5 minutes from my drive way. I made it a point to meet and help the land owner last year and now he allows my son and I to hunt his property as long as I help keep trespassers off the land. I drive by the land multiple times a day so I have no problem with that. The guys at the vfw and at Petersons grain mill were telling me he hasn’t allowed hunters on his land ever, so I just had the right charm some how.
My brother’s place I hunt along the snake River in pine city is completely under water right now. 75 acres gone.
It’s my son’s 12th birthday today, and my grandmother passed away this morning, so these turkeys will go unbothered the rest of the work week. I don’t think we will be able to hunt until Saturday morning. And that’ll be a short sit, because we have a celebration of life for my girlfriends grandfather that passed last Friday.
Well that is going to sting for a while. Big swing and a miss for me this morning. Got out for the last couple hours last night and the birds were no where to be found. Went to the north end of the roosting area this morning and heard some gobbling in some different trees. Had one responding to the call pretty good, but seemed off a ways so I repositioned to a new tree. Ripped the pot call and had another response still off a ways so figured I had time. Stupid me didn’t have my gun in the ready position and 30 seconds later 4 jakes pop out on the berm 30 yards right in front of me looking right towards me. I probably should have froze, but they seemed pretty nervous and did a 180 and I could tell they where getting out of there. I took a shot at one as he was walking away at about 35 yards and missed. In the heat of the moment it felt right and I felt like I was right on him, but looking back I probably should have held off since it was a low percentage shot. Looks like tag soup for me. Had a blast and learned a lot hunting them this past week.
Dang BC that’s a lot going on. Wish the boy a happy B day and sorry for your losses on the other.
SE Mn past cannon falls we have took a bird on Sunday and birds are responding well. Toms are leaving and searching for hens most the day.
Just past Forest lake I called in a bird late morning for a friends son and he was able to harvest a Jake. I was not even there to help. I was pulling cards and the boys where hunting. So I ran up to the truck while they just came out from hunting took them down where I heard a gobble. He was going off just himself searching. Threw out a few calls and we had him down in short time. Came in silent after letting everyone know where he was.
Then later that evening we called in one more so two down and I was just scouting and I always have my calls in the truck 
Went to my other property up by Forest lake and was able to sneak in on a group of longbeards giving away there spot. Got up to 22 yards and they never new i was there . Strutting around for about 30 minutes while the hens feed. Going to try and give one of them a dirt nap tomorrow. Boom stick in hand
Dang BC that’s a lot going on. Wish the boy a happy B day and sorry for your losses on the other.
Thanks buddy, appreciate it.
If the rain slows down this afternoon to early evening, it might be a killer night in the blind
Going to give it a try tonight, got a photo yesterday around 3 pm drove by later in the evening and seen some hens 100-150 yards from the cam.
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Three days in a row when I checked my hunting spot after work turkeys right where i want them to be, but havent been out cause my stepson has been at his dads. He comes back today. Took off work at noon today to get blind set up. Was gonna get him out of school a little early so we can beat the birds to the spot. This was all played out in my head. Left for work early this morning just to take a peak and half the field is under water. How much freaking rain did we get.
Went 6 for 6 on our tags in Nebraska. 40 mph sustained winds for 2 days, managed to scrap a gameplan together and capitalize. Final morning was the kind of morning you spend all winter thinking about, gobbles everywhere and birds coming in on a string. Special place.
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Beautiful
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