NY Turkey Tags Filled

[CAPTJJ]

Didn't make the trip to Florida this year, so I decided to try the public land in Ohio where I deer hunt every Fall, hadn't turkey hunted there in over 15 years. Found turkeys right away scouting, but the hunting pressure was a lot more that I saw many years ago. Weather wasn't the best either, cool and some rain, so after 4 days I headed back to NY to be ready the May 1st opener: more turkeys and less pressure near home.

From day 1 I was into gobbling turkeys every morning, but the toms were with hens. Must have had a really good hatch last year with more jakes than I've ever seen, groups of 2, 4, 5 and 6. Had a group of 6 come into the decoys on the opening morning. Right before that a decent tom was coming in except they chased him off, can hear him in the background.

Back at the same spot on the 3rd and with no jakes roosting close I had 3 nice toms coming to the decoys off the roost, but they wouldn't commit, got to 15 yards and turned away. Not close enough for my longbow. Same thing happened last year at another spot, they used to attack the DSD jake regularly, especially when in groups. Maybe all the jakes have them a little scared?



By the 8th I was starting to hear more gobbling later in the day, seems the hens were breaking free and toms started looking for new ones. Yet, off the roost this good tom gobbled near several jakes but wouldn't come over to me, don't think he could see the decoys. Interestingly, 2 hens stayed in a tree nearby until the tom and jakes left, then flew down.

That evening I roosted what sounded like a good tom right where I had one gobble back once the previous day late in the morning. Wouldn't answer the hooter but the coyote howler worked, knew where to be early the next day.

Up at 4am, got ready, short drive and hiked up a short distance to set up close to the roosted tom and in a nice clearing where he gobbled from when I first found him. He started gobbling just as it got light, steady but not crazy; plus 2 more off in the distance, east and west of me. Then I heard a hen tree yelping and answered her. Soon heard 2 birds fly down, then gobbling above me. Then the light yelps of an approaching hen, she came right down, went around the blind and to the decoys. Gobbles still above, then I hear drumming and I thought for sure he would follow the hen. Wrong, she went back up to him and the gobbles got quieter. Snapped a quick picture, she was close and had been eyeballing me.



Then the gobbles from the east started getting louder and I was calling to him and he was answering, getting closer. A few minutes later I hear a loud gobble... behind me, he came back, guess the hen wasn't interested.



He was coming down strutting, but instead of taking the direct path to my decoys, he circled around behind the blind and did a full 180 to behind the decoys. He was strutting across at 8yds, still approaching the jake and I was expecting an attack. There was a small, downed tree he had to go around and I expected a closer shot. Then he didn't turn and kept going, still in strut. Looks like he's leaving, time to shoot. Get to full draw and concentrate at the vitals behind the top of the wing and released the arrow. A little further than I like at about 10 yards, arrow hit right where I was looking, he ran about 20 yards and was down. The other tom was still gobbling and getting closer.

Double lung with lots of blood:



The setup:



Mistake here is the small, downed tree in the lower left corner that blocked the tom's path to the decoys. I usually clear any branches and sticks to make a clearing for strutting toms; they don't like stepping over things. It was dark and I didn't realize howe bad it was.

19lbs, 9 1/4" beard, fat 1" spurs (typical with the rocky terrain), an older mountain tom:





45# Omega Native, 510 grain arrow w/ 150 grain original Snuffer:

[CAPTJJ]

The next morning, Mother's Day, I tried a different spot on the mountain, near an area that had been logged and had been hearing roost gobbles regularly there. Have a hide made with sticks, freshened it up with pine and hemlock branches that came down over the winter.

Got there in the dark in case anything was roosted close, and waited. Had them gobbling over the ridge and down in the draw where they have been regularly, plus some way off to the south, and one more below me but not too close. They kept gobbling off the roost this time and I was more aggressive with the calling. Heard gobbles getting closer above me, then heard drumming, looked up and a nice strutter was coming down my way. Except I was also hearing multiple gobbles approaching from below, and then the jakes came out, 5 this time... and the tom was heading back up the hill.

It got a little crazy after that. The jakes gobbled around and then I heard more gobbles further up the ridge, turned to look and spotted 2 nice strutters less than 100 yards away going back and forth on a small flat. Then some hens started yelping, plus more jake gobbles getting louder, another group of 4 came to the party. So now the first 5 jakes head up there and it is non-stop gobbling with fighting purrs and yelps mixed in, what a racket.

Still early and things quiet down, I'm calling softly and hear a hen approaching with quiet yelps and clucks. She was hanging around for a while, pretty sure she came by my first sit here earlier the first week.



She was feeding off in front of me around 7am when I heard a drum from behind me, looked up and a really nice tom was there strutting at 40 yards, headed my way. Grabbed the bow and got ready, can't move much with no blind. Drumming getting closer, I hear footsteps, then a long pause of several minute. Is he still there, gobble, yes. More footsteps and I expect to see him at any moment. Thought he would strut by close and I could get the bow up as he passed with the fan blocking his view.

Again, the tom wouldn't go straight to the decoys, circled around behind some trees and stepped out but not strutting. Wouldn't engage the decoys, had him at 10 yards and tried to raise the bow but he saw enough, putted and was gone.

The next 2 mornings I was able to set up close to roosted toms, but they were back with hens. Then later one morning I had a hen come through yelping about 10 yards behind me. Then several minutes after she left I heard a booming gobble and thought he was coming to me, but he followed the hen and the gobbles tapered off.

The 13th, rain in the forecast but my last day to hunt turkeys for the year, flying out of town soon. So, I decided to pack the blind in to a new spot, well, old spot just hadn't hunted there recently. It's up the road from where they often roost and I haven't heard roost gobbles there, but they usually seem the head there. Plus, I did get one to shock gobble late morning a few days prior.

Got there just before daylight, set up in a nice clearing on grassy hill. Rain held off until later, so did the gobbles. Steady rain had started and thought I heard a faint gobble around 7am, and kept calling on and off. Around 8am I heard a definite gobble, then another 3 or 4 getting closer but up and down the ridge, meandering. Last gobble was down lower, then at 8:40am I spot several red heads coming by about 40 yards below me parallel, 5 jakes. I figured they were ignoring the decoys, had already seen them. As they got directly in front I me I made some loud clucks and fighting purrs... then turned and came right up toward me. Running out of time and one tag left, plus more jakes around than I've seen by far, grabbed and arrow with a 100 grain Magnus Bullhead, their smaller head lopper broadhead.

They were coming up and turned toward my jake decoy I had set up over a hen on the ground. Took aim at the closest one, released and the arrow sailed off, complete miss, didn't focus enough with 5 red heads right there. They didn't seem to care much and continued on after settling down, I have one more Bullhead or a Snuffer for a body shot. Jakes are perfect for head shots as they tend to stand there head up, grabbed the Bullhead one, nocked the arrow quickly. Drew this time but paused at full draw to make sure I aimed, concentrated on the red waddle of the closest jake at 8 yards. Arrow hit him perfect and down he went, head holding on by some skin.





Happy with the results of the 100 grain 3" Bullhead, glad I tried them again. Hit a nice tom in SC in 2021 and the arrow bounced off and tumbled away, tom went back to strutting.

[mnbwhtr]

Congrats, loved the videos, you got to love them bullheads!

[Possum Head]

Thanks for sharing such fabulous hunts. I've been wanting to read some good ones. Well written and congrats!

[Bowsey Wails]

Nicely done! Great story and video.

[Hud]

Thanks for the really good stories and videos and photos, and congratulations on a great year.