Oh, ya. The 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th.

I need some pointers on hunting the turkeys in the southern part of the state. I have learned that the turkeys up here are call shy from the get-go.
I would sure like my son to get his first turkey. What suggestions can you give me? Heck! I would like to get MY first turkey!
Bona
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jakes are plentiful, stupid and easy to kill.

2 year olds are sometimes stupid and less easy to kill.

3+ are unkillable  

I really prefer to run and gun on turkeys.  That's why I like a big place.  There is always a hot turkey somewhere.  You can't find 'em sitting against a tree yelping every 30 minutes.  Find a spot with ridges you can run.  Start in the predawn with some owl hoots but if you don't get on a bird then move.  There tough to kill if you can't get them coming to a call.  You can't generally get them coming to a call unless you hear them first.  I run the ridges, yelping aggressively every 100 yards.  It's best if it's a ridge without a trail as those get hammered.  If you bust a bird or he gets henned up, move on and then come back in the afternoon to the same spot and blind call for an hour or so.  If you are hunting a Fish and Wildlife Area, you might not be able to hunt in the afternoon though.

Have fun.  Wish I could be there.

Thank you John! That's what I'm taklin about. I'm excited and expect to have some fun whether we get one or not!
     

Be patient.  There are a lot of birds in that area.  Just because you don't here anything or one leaves doesn't mean there isn't another one headed your way.

Thought someone might be curious about how our hunt turned out.

We got some really good tips for you guys and one member, (I don't know if he would mind if I gave his name so I will wait until I contact him), gave us a tour of several places that he has seen, heard or had reports of birds.

We went, after getting in on the fill in spots where hunters drawn did not show, to the first place he showed us. We hoped to find some turkeys in the areas that had been dozed last year.

We did alot of walking and calling without hearing any turkey talk. It's a beautiful morning, promising to be warm. The birds are all singing their own tune but they sound great together. The dogwoods are in bloom, they're neat to see, we don't see very many of them 175 miles up north.

We set up and called for a while...nothing but Tim found the skull of a spike buck amongst the pines where we sat. We decided to circle around calling as we headed toward our van when...A GOBBLE!!

"Did you hear that?!" I whisper. Tim's head nods with eyes big! "He's up there", I point to our right. "Let's go".

We work our way down a path kept clear for tractors. Tim takes the call and striker and makes a nice, soft yelp and the tom responds, bringing a big smile to our faces.

Just as we are rounding a corner to what turned out to be a small green field, we see turkeys and they are close! We slam on the brakes and throw it in reverse! I can't find a tree big enough to sit against so I get on my knees and have Tim lean against me, and I started talking to what I thought were hens, hoping to get them to come to us and pull a tom with them.

It was very cool to "talk" to turkeys that didn't turn tail and run! I would often mimic the sounds that the hens made and they hung around for quite a while then we could tell they were moving off. And the tom we originally heard was still sounding off once and a while.

When the hens were gone we had to decide on a strategy for the tom that was still obviously there. We decided to go through the timber pretty much straight toward him which turned out to be the wrong thing to do. I tried to use the call as we went to make any noise sound like hens coming to him. I think we got too close. He stopped sounding off.

We had one other sighting. As we were heading toward our van again a turkey took flight about 5 feet from the ground and flew about 30 yds down the tractor path we were walking! By far the best turkey hunt we have been on!

A better grasp of the lay of the land will help for next year if we don't get another chance this year. I may get to go again on the last 2-3 days of the season.    

Pictures are coming up!

Bona
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Bona it sounds like a great Trip! But Please, Please, Please, don't call call as your walking especially towards a "gobble" thats a good way to eat a load of turkey shot!

Good point! I'll remember that. Thank you.

Bona

Sorry that you couldn't get a turkey killed but glad you guys had fun.  A friend of mine killed a 22 lb'er in that area this morning. Hopefully a bird will come in for you and your son before season is over.  No mushrooms?

My husband hit the jackpot on the morels with about 40 taken from the woods.

Thanks for the well wishes.

Bona

Bona..sounds like you and your son had a great hunt. Good luck on your next trip.

Thanks Richard. With work and school I don't know if we will have another chance to go together this year. But we WILL keep try'n!