I got the nephew his easily just as I thought. But the kids turkey has been a different story. Mainly because I can never hunt the am. But in the pm we are still seeing 2 nice Tom’s just can’t get in to a kill distance with them. I haven’t given up but after my kid gets his I’m not sure on the will I’ll have left for my archery tag. We are already missing good fishing
I was out today until around noon when it started to rain. I saw 3 hens, 3 toms, and 7 jakes this morning around 9am walk across the field, but the closest any of them came were about 75 yards. I’ll try again tomorrow.
This seems to happen to me just about every season. I hear them gobbling in the roost each morning behind me, and then see them too far away on the field. Getting one to come within shotgun range is the challenge.
I was out today until around noon when it started to rain. I saw 3 hens, 3 toms, and 7 jakes this morning around 9am walk across the field, but the closest any of them came were about 75 yards. I’ll try again tomorrow.
This seems to happen to me just about every season. I hear them gobbling in the roost each morning behind me, and then see them too far away on the field. Getting one to come within shotgun range is the challenge.
Can you get in earlier and get them fresh out of the roost ? Ditch the blind and still hunt ? I can’t get out any mornings which is a bummer.
Can you get in earlier and get them fresh out of the roost
Yes, I get in there at 5am each morning in the complete darkness. They start gobbling behind me around 5:30am. Sometimes I can even hear them fly down from the trees behind me if its quiet and they are close enough.
Yesterday I tried one hen decoy. Today I tried a hen and a Jake. I might completely ditch the decoys tomorrow.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Can you get in earlier and get them fresh out of the roostYes, I get in there at 5am each morning in the complete darkness. They start gobbling behind me around 5:30am. Sometimes I can even hear them fly down from the trees behind me if its quiet and they are close enough.
Yesterday I tried one hen decoy. Today I tried a hen and a Jake. I might completely ditch the decoys tomorrow.
I’ve been struggling getting the birds in a shot distance, we see them pretty much every evening and they are roosting on a tree on a island, the direction they come in and out has changed daily and where they wander to is unknown. We have moved around and even split up but still dont get in a shooting path . Definitely a tough bird to attempt to follow.
Pretty interesting turkey talk in this episode of kfan fan outdoors on April 20th. Season F is still a long ways away but I think I will be out there a couple days trying to get it done.
Yesterday I tried one hen decoy. Today I tried a hen and a Jake. I might completely ditch the decoys tomorrow.
Been watching a lot of The Hunting Public turkey episodes they have been rolling out and they rarely use a decoy. They say for them it spooks them more than helps which I find interesting.
Been watching a lot of The Hunting Public turkey episodes they have been rolling out and they rarely use a decoy. They say for them it spooks them more than helps which I find interesting.
Oh absolutely I’ve seen that happen sometimes too. Especially if there’s a decent amount of hunting pressure.
Another 10 hens and 2 nice mature toms on the field this morning. All I can do is watch them at 150 yards and give them the finger. Extremely frustrating.
Yesterday morning, on day 5 of 5 of my hunt, 4 hens, 5 jakes, and 2 toms finally walked within range of my blind. I picked out one of the toms and dusted it. I had been hearing and seeing this group of turkeys for several days, but never anything closer than about 75 yards. I ditched the decoys and calls for a couple days, moved my blind a little, and just waited. I saw them on Saturday morning too, but just not close enough.
It was very windy yesterday and even through the howling winds, I could hear them gobbling and clucking in the timber behind me. Just before 8am, they all walked out of the woods to my right. Whenever one of the jakes would get too close to a hen, a tom would chase the jake off. After I shot one of the toms, the other tom started attacking the dead one. It spurred, pecked, and kicked dirt on it for 15 minutes before walking off.
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Great birds congrats
I rarely ever use decoys , they will be in the truck or carried out but I do not use them. I try not get tied to a blind either archery or gun. I like to adjust setup if the birds hang up or if you are seeing them someplace else. I will use a blind with kids but will also try and adjust that on the fly.
Two years ago i picked up one of the primos two sided stake out blinds and it’s great for kids also a little more mobile.
Hunted hard for 2.5 days this weekend with no luck but had a couple close encounters. I was in the woods from 4:30 am – 8 pm Friday and Saturday and then a half day Sunday. Put on about 45k steps over the weekend with trying several different spots.
Saturday morning I struck a gobbler while he was on the roost that I made a move on. Once he got off the roost, he was responding to the crow call so I was able to get within ~100 yards of him before I made any turkey calls. Once I started with the cuts, he started working his way towards me but he was on the shelf below me, probably about 20 ft down elevation wise. He was really responding to the cuts and was moving towards me slowly. I set up on a tree and was waiting for him. He went silent and I eventually realized he completely circled around me and came in from the opposite direction I thought he would and busted me. He came within 25-30 yards of me but I was not in a spot to get a shot on him. I think he was a wise old longbeard based on how he Houdini’ed me.
Later on Saturday at the next spot I tried, I heard a mid day gobble as I was stealthily walking thru an oak grove going towards a field I wanted to check out. He was also responding to crow calls but he was not coming any closer. I backed out of the wood and came around the field thru the bottom side and set up on a pine tree downhill from where he was at. He was responding to calls but not getting any closer. After exchanging cuts and gobbles with him for about 15 min, I army crawled across the open field to the field edge to another pine tree. Again, he’d respond to calls but wouldn’t come any closer. He was not more than 30 yards away but there was a treeline between us. I sat against that pine for another 15-20 min or so and then finally I saw movement to my right along the tree edge. Turns out it was 2 hens, totally within range and I knew the longbeard would be coming behind them.. wait a little longer and here comes a 3rd hen, also in range. Eventually the longbeard came thru the same window but he was further out into the field, probably 55-60 yards away. He never busted us but he was not leaving those 3 hens to come check out what he heard. I eventually watched them walk away out of site onto private. Big bummer but it was over an hour that I stalked this guy and was an awesome experience.
Sunday was cold, rainy and windy and nothing was gobbling so I called it a day at about 10 AM.
I won’t have time to hunt the end of the season period so I’m done for the year. Tag soup for me this year but I had fun, learned a lot, and am hoping to finally get one next year.
Great birds congrats
I rarely ever use decoys , they will be in the truck or carried out but I do not use them.
Thanks Hoyt.
I used a single hen on Wed, a hen and a jake on Thurs/Fri, and then stopped using any decoys/calls starting Saturday. I could tell that they were just not really responding to calls, and decoys were not helping when they were present on the field. I even had a group of those 5 jakes one time with just a lone hen decoy and they would not approach it. To me that was a pretty obvious sign that the traditional method of calling and decoys was not going to work, and this is something I’ve experienced many times in years past too. Really it was just probably a stroke of luck that they happened to walk within range of my blind the final day. I’ve had to adjust to this “deer hunting for turkeys” method where I basically just wait for them to travel past within range multiple times over the years. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
You will soon see an ad in the classifieds for a great shotgun for turkey hunting. It’s a Remington automatic in 12 Gage with Black matte finish and camo stock and forend. For more details and photos go to the classifieds or text 612-280-4453
I used a single hen on Wed, a hen and a jake on Thurs/Fri, and then stopped using any decoys/calls starting Saturday. I could tell that they were just not really responding to calls, and decoys were not helping when they were present on the field. I even had a group of those 5 jakes one time with just a lone hen decoy and they would not approach it. To me that was a pretty obvious sign that the traditional method of calling and decoys was not going to work, and this is something I’ve experienced many times in years past too. Really it was just probably a stroke of luck that they happened to walk within range of my blind the final day. I’ve had to adjust to this “deer hunting for turkeys” method where I basically just wait for them to travel past within range multiple times over the years. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
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That’s good how you adjusted and realized what was happening. The birds will let you know what is going to work or not. Take their temp and figure out what is needed. Sometimes I do not even make a call I’ve called birds in just scratching the leaves and they light gobbling and come in looking thinking hens are feeding. Always away just need to figure out but we only get the small season so you have to make it quick.
Nice turkey gimruis. How long was the beard
Nice turkey gimruis. How long was the beard
Thank you, the beard was about 9 inches long.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Nice turkey gimruis. How long was the beardThank you, the beard was about 9 inches long.
Hell yeah good job. I snuck up on a Tom last night and got within 40 yards, I was going to blast a arrow at it but the wind made me question my self and then the turkey slid in to the swamp. So I sat and watched deer play in the swamp for the next hour before I went in at 630
I snuck up on a Tom last night and got within 40 yards, I was going to blast a arrow at it but the wind made me question my self
The wind has definitely been howling for a couple days now.
All done for spring of 2023
The winds from the past two days finally subsided and I was treated to a cold but calm morning. Very sparce gobbling come from the roost trees but at least I knew there were birds in the area. The darkness faded away and the day began with only the songbirds keeping me company. Not even a deer or other critter to be seen.
Every once in a while I would give a hen yelp or two on my call, which always went unanswered. I was happy my hunting blind allowed me to stretch and move around a bit, unseen from the outside world.
And all of a sudden they were there. Coming in from my right was a string of turkeys advancing across the open field. The lead tom was already at my decoy with two others right behind him. I didn’t take the time to count the rest. They had come in silently, never answering any of my calls.
I pulled the trigger on the lead tom and my season was done.
Nice adult tom turkey, with 8 inch beard, 1 inch spurs and weighing in at 22 1/4 lbs.
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Nice job Dave. It was a nice day out there I bet.
Great job and nice birds Gimruis and Dave!
Wife got hers Monday afternoon in Wisco. Congrats to all that were successful. Couple weeks yet before son n I hunt.
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Anyone still turkey hunting? The last season, F, starts tomorrow for anyone that didn’t fill their shotgun tag earlier this season and offers a second chance.
I’ll get out over Memorial Day. Ate tag soup and got Lyme’s after my D season. Now that the fish are biting it’s hard to go get covered in ticks again.
Congrats to everyone on the nice birds.
Some very nice write ups on the hunts. Thanks.
Hunting season E in Wisco now. So far turkeys are winning but I’ll keep after em. The skeeters are absolutely horrible. Thermo-cell helps. Good luck to anyone still hunting and be safe.
Alex came home from college and tagged a nice Tom @ 21.2 lbs.
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I’ve called 4 birds to the end of a shotgun this year, either for myself(2) or friends. The one thing I can say is that too many guys call too often, and focus on calling the toms. I’ll pick a fight with a hen any day over calling a tom. The numbers speak for themselves.
Nice birds all! Got another WI zone 4 bird on Wednesday
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