Nice bird, congrats! That's a nice looking bow too.  

Bob

Nice Bird, Bob!!!!!!!!!!    

CONGRATULATIONS, Terry!!!!!!!!!!        

Go git'im Skipper!!!!! He'll be yours by the end of the month!!!!!

Thanks again woodchucker, I appreciate it. He's actually the nicest bird I've killed in a few years, though I think they're all nice.

I've gotta say congrats again too, Terry. Back to back birds.  :cool:  

Bob

Nice bird IndianaBowman. Congrats!    

Well Done Terry, but I'm surprised you didn't get 2 in 2 days, must be you took a day off....  

One of my friends called last night to see how I was making out with the turkeys. I told him I'd gotten one, but our turkey numbers were down quite a bit from usual around home, and as much as I love to hunt them, I thought it would be best not to kill another one here, if I did get the opportunity. He told me that their numbers were down there too, but there seemed to be a fair number of birds around just the same. When I asked how he's been doing with them, he told me he's so busy with work right now that he hasn't had time to hunt, and he'd be lucky to make it out at all this year. I told him I was sorry to hear it, and how much I enjoyed getting over to his place to hunt with him a couple times each season. He's a gun hunter, not that that matters, just thought of it.

He then proceeded to ask me if I'd come over to his place and hunt. He said it would make him feel better knowing I was there giving them hell, when he couldn't be. He said if I get one, and I was willing, we'd split it down the middle so he'd have some turkey to eat. Of course I agreed. I told him I'd give it my best, and if I did kill one, I'd clean it for him and leave the whole bird with his wife.

After killing that bird Sunday, as much as I didn't want to, I decided to leave what few other birds that are around this year alone and start terrorizing the woodchucks, but it looks like I'm back in business again thanks to a good friend.     I'll keep you posted.

Bob

Headed to some public land this Saturday. I have not had a chance to scout them there but saw good numbers in the fall. Its bow only in this spot so I hope they are relatively undisturbed.

Good Luck Bob.

Sounds like you might be onto something good. Like you said, if It's bow only there's a good chance it doesn't get too much pressure. Good luck with 'em Saturday Charlie.

Bob

I got up earlier this morning, so I could get to my buddy's place while it was still dark. I hadn't been there since the middle of last season, so it was as much of a scouting trip as it was a hunt.

I left my car and walked the edge of a hedgerow to the end of the field, and down a small hill through a strip of thornapple trees, and other brush that separates the field I walked , and another bigger field, that rises uphill from there to the hardwoods. I've noticed in years past that the birds really seem to like this second field, though they use them both. I found a good place to basically just listen, and where I could see what any birds that might be around this year were up to. As it lightened up some, a bird gobbled uphill across the field, and to my right. A while later, he gobbled again. Within a short time 6 hens flew down into the field from where the tom was roosting, with him gliding in next. He looked like a nice big bird, and when I got the glasses on him, I could see what appeared to be somewhere in the neighborhood of a 10" beard. I couldn't see his spurs at that distance, but he's a nice bird.

The hens fed back and forth across the crest of the hill with the gobbler in tow,from then until I left them at 11:00. That gobbler never made a another peep in all that time. I called, the hens called, sometimes we all called at once, but not a gobble. The only time I really seemed to get his attention, was when I gobbled at him, but even that only got about a 30 second stare in my direction.

I moved a few times, thinking I could head them off as they left the field, or get in front of them and call the hens to me, but no dice. They weren't leaving that field, and tom wasn't about to leave his hens.

My buddy's wife was outside when I got back to the car, so I talked to her for a few minutes. She said that big tom is out in that field all day, every day. According to her, he never leaves it, whether he has hens with him or not, and he hardly ever gobbles. I jokingly told her I may have to dig a pit blind out in the middle by a small rock pile in order to kill him, and she told me to go ahead and do it. I've got time to hunt, and I'd rather kill him some other way, if I can at all. Looks like  I've got a challenge ahead of me, and a fun bird to hunt.

OK, so I've got a bird that roosts with the hens, won't leave the field, won't gobble, has probably had bad experiences going to hen calls, flies directly into the field in the morning, and doesn't seem to want to get close enough to the edge to ambush.

I'm going to play with him some more and see what I can do. I obviously can get close enough to flush and separate them in the field, so maybe some morning after a rain when It's quiet, if I can't do anything else with him, I may sneak into their roost site and scatter them before they fly down. Then I'll wait a little while, and give him just a few soft purrs. 'Ya never know. If that doesn't work, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. Man, I love turkey hunting.  :D  

Bob

Thurs and this morning...worked 2 lone toms both days. Neither would venture in for a shot. The weather here is getting hotter earlier in the morning.

After hunting tomorrow morning, I won't get back out until next Thursday. The area I plan on hunting ...means snake boots or snake gaiters. The Copperheads make hunting this area very interesting.

Joe, You must be heading up the Mountain.

I'm going to have to get to the woods a bit late tomorrow and only stay for 3 hours or so but its better than nothing. My wife has to work and we share a car.

Joe, charlie, I wish you both the best of luck.    

I'm in the same boat Charlie. My girlfriend had to leave at 7:00 this morning, and won't be back til around noon sometime.  :mad:   I'm anxious to say the least, to get after that bird I mentioned in my last post.

Bob

Had a nice tom Gobbling and strutting in front of me at 50 yards this morning, couldn't convince him to come closer, My deke was completely ignored. this is the 7th turkey in a row to ignore this deke so I may have to invest in something better next year.

Well Charlie, before you go making an investment.....

Why don't you loose the decoy & make him come looking for you??? A Tom can pin-point your calling so good, that he can come right in & end up in your lap!!! Sometimes I "think" Toms are not ignoreing the decoys. They're just following thier natural instinct, that the hen is supossed to come to them!!!!! They come in, see a hen,(decoy) and natural seek a reaction.....

I killed 8 Toms, in 4 consecutive years, hunting a strutt zone up to my Dad's. I had the perfect setup & used it to my advantage... The minute I saw the Tom come into the field, I stopped calling!!! No matter how much he gobbled, I wouldn't answer him. EVENTUALY, he would come up to the strutt zone, to strutt & gobble, Trying to call the "skipped out" Lady friend back to him.....

I don't know why they ignore them like that some days Charlie. I can understand it when they have hens with them, but the other times leave me shaking my head. One bird will fall all over himself to get to it, and the next might act like It's not even there. I think maybe some of the subdominant birds are afraid they'll get their butts kicked if they get too close to it.

I forgot to mention when I posted about my hunt yesterday, that I had a hen come in and slap the snot out of my decoy. Nobody tagging along behind though.

I'm glad you were able to get out and enjoy hearing and seeing some birds just the same. Your new spot sounds even more promising now. Keep after em Charlie.

Bob

Chuck In this mornings case, I shut up when I saw the bird but the hunter 80 yards from me didn't. The bird ignored us both. After the hunter walked out I spoke with him, he was carrying a shot gun in the bow only area, and said he has been for 50 years. He says that Tom has done the exact same thing for the last week, unfortunately its on private property.


I have the same luck without decoys. I did however see 7 deer this morning. They didn't care for the others guys smoking too much. Even I could smell it.

I'm not complaining, just happy I at least saw a turkey.

I saw a Tom Chasing a hen on the way home. He was gobbling his fool head off only 20 yards from my window. It was on a small chunk of the same public property I am sure is semi overlooked so thats the area I will be checking out next time. I scouted it for deer last fall and think it could work for turkeys if they dont get hung up across the swamp.

Turkeys are spooky, fickle, unpredictable critters. I think that's why I enjoy hunting them so much.

Bob

congrats fellas

"Walked and Yelped" for 3 hrs Saturday in a new area. Only had 2 responses but couldn't draw the long beards in. Kind of fun when you get a response and you scramble around looking for some decent cover to hide behind.

Sunday...took Mother's Day off to spend quality time with the wife. Cooked her a nice breakfast and before heading into work tonight, will BBQ up some chicken breasts for her along with Italian style green beans.

The points I scored today...I'm golden for the month of June when bass season opens....      

Glad you were able get out this morning Joe. Any morning that I get to hear birds gobble is a good morning IMO, regardless of the outcome. I did a triple axel off the porch onto my Grandsons bike yesterday, so I'm taking it easy for a couple days. Looking forward to getting back out though.

The BBQ'd chicken, beans, and bass fishing sounds good.    

Bob