Post your observations, activity, and techniques used to harvest your bird. Good luck everyone!
Turkey Hunting
2018 Turkey Reports
3/28/18 @ 8:57 AM
Displaying 1 to 15 of 115 posts
From 5/29/18. Went out bright and early do to having 3 toms and a hen in the field the day before I was hunting. Toms were gobbling their heads off at 8:30 in the morning and exited with the hen. Well, got set up and only saw one hen and two deer, no toms. Packed up about 8:30 do to loss of blood from the skeeters. Decided to give it one last shot on this last day of the season and went out about 3:30 to the same field I hunted in the morning. Looked down the line fence and low and behold 4 toms strutting on the opposite side of the line fence which has about 150 foot wide small woods. Went to check to see if they were still there and they were gone. I knew that they went into the woods as that is what they did the day before. Quietly and quickly went to the tree I sat by in the morning and waited for an hour, nothing. Decided to sneak through the woods to see if they were out there in the other field. There they were about 300 yards away down the line fence and feeding my way. Got set up behind an old stump with a little brush in front of it for cover. I was thinking all the time "two tags to fill and maybe can get 2 of them to line up for a 2 for one shot". First tom came about 18 yards away and the other 3 were right behind him still coming. Finally all 4 were within 20 yards of me and 2 were lined up for a 2 for one shot but I had to moved just a few inches and when I did I broke a small twig on the ground, they started to run and I decided one is better than none. About 19 pounds, 10" beard and 3/4 inch spurs.
It was 94 degrees out when I went out and these birds were in the full sun just feeding and strutting. Birds do the craziest things.
Had tags for time period 3, 5, and 2 for 6. This was the only bird shot.
always a sad day but I wont be missing the 3am wake up call, that much.
zon 3 Waupaca co:
yesterday AM was brutal dropped my thermacell by atv so the skeeters got their fill, was hot and still no gobbles and seen one hen that was it, didn't hunt in PM.
this AM awesome lighting show to watch and the coolish breeze kept skeeters at bay and me semi cool until the rain came and got soaked, there was a break in the weather for a bit and I thought I heard a choppy gobble and I did out in front of me and closing get gun up and tom pops over slope in the hill gobblin and cluckin he looked at my hen deke and gobbled at her at aprox 50yds before wandering back below the rise and x to another field I decided to pack up and go set up down the hill and try um again, rain came again and then stopped and cleared up some, goooobllllalalee!! he's back! got um to come again within 40-5oyds but he was behind a hedge row just on the other side of me, I thought he would come out and eventually same thing wandered back up the hill in the other direction wet and exceeding my limit of sitting on hard ground for 7hrs I called it a day and a season. happy with the bird I got last weekend but would to have had a crack at another. still as always was a fun and learning experience spring.
goodhuntin all!
I hear ya... But even the width of his tail fan showed he was a few sizes smaller than the average 2-3 year old Wi bird.
Wednesday I had 10 Jakes in one group enter the field I was in and neither the decoys, 3 hen and a Jake, or calling from soft putts, loud yelps to fighting purrs could get ANY of them to come investigate! I'm thinking couple dominate toms may have beat up on them or lots of hunting pressure..... Very odd for this time of the season.......
The other morning a Tom and 4 hens game out on a field that had corn last year. He was in strut when I first saw him and he stayed that way for a least 2 hours while the hens feed. Then another Tom came out with 6 hens. he first Tom went over and chased that Tom off. Now he had 10 hens and was in strut for another hour. Only a theory but if they do that for a few weeks they are gonna lose wieght fast
What's with light weight birds? I'm not complaining mind you, not for the last season, but I killed a bird this morning that sported a 10" beard, but no Spurs. Tipped the scale to 16.8#. full tail, tough narrow. Last year, last season I killed a bird that was lucky to make 15 pounds, but had 1 ¼" daggers for Spurs, a tree limb hanger.
Why would a bird with a 10" beard have nubs for Spurs, and was last year's bird maybe over the hill?
Mighty Hunter, get a blind, 20ga and a shooting bi-pod. My grand-kids both scored this year and they are hooked. One during the youth hunt and one last night. I got the bi-pod at Menards and use a piece of bicycle inter-tube to hold it to the barrel. I have more fun calling them in. It looks like you have a hunting buddy for life, enhance her experience and she will be there for a long time to come.
Nice bird MH, great memory and pics, too.
Congrats to everyone who scored a bird and to anyone who just got out and enjoyed themselves.
Zone 1, 5th period. This bird has been hanging around all season and got pretty wise to calling. He starting locking in to a real steady pattern over the last week, unfortunately for him. I set up yesterday morning where he’s been starting off his all day gobble, strut routine. I got there at 5, left all calls at home on purpose, they just haven’t worked on him.
At first I thought he roosted on the other side of the road after a different bird gobbled over there, but a couple minutes later he let loose right where I thought he’d be. At 5:20 I heard him gliding down into the open. He gobbled a few times over the next 5 minutes as he made his way across the pasture. He never stopped moving and he knew where he wanted to go, so there were no easy shot opportunities. The job got done at about 35 yards.
22lbs, 11” beard, 1” and 1 1/8” spurs.
Brother and I both bought a tag for the 5th season with the goal in mind to take my daughter out and have her witness one of us getting a turkey. She has been out a few times but with no luck at all. So Sunday we set out, got to the first place, been watching turkeys there all week and nothing was happening, so pulled the plug and was trying to a different property. As we were getting close, noticed to toms out in neighbors cow pasture and knew they could home go one way. Parked the truck ran back to the area we knew they were going to come through and got set up. Half hour later, as all three of us are set up next to two big trees, here come two toms following a hen. One is full strut and the other following. Brother and I were hoping to take a double but unfortunately it didn't work out, he had to shoot before I got an opportunity. Shot it at 30 yards and dropped on the spot. Let my daughter run and go get it and she tried to pick it up but couldn't! I think I got her hooked now, she had a blast! She wants to go again but to busy the rest of the year. Got her shooting a youth 410 right now and it's hard for her to hold up yet, maybe come deer season I will feel comfortable buying her a mentor tag.
I think her smile says it all that our goal was achieved!
Turkey- 23lbs, 9 1/2 inch beard, inch spurs
Zone 2, sheboygan co, public land,,,
Ben hunting evenings since we'd night with trials and tribulations that go along with public land and turkey hunting, it's just been tough. Albeit perseverance pays off after seeing two Tom's goto roost Friday night I got in real early Saturday am some gobbling but not much, at light apron 200 yd away there was 3toms strut in for some hens I tried and tried they were not budging, o well I did have a Tom come within 40 yd or so but never got a shot a cuz he was pretty spooked by my Tom decoy out I think, I had to leave to go to work by 9 so I tried doing a sneek and that didn't work out well. So ran home and find out I didn't have to work ugggg so get back out in pm to another farm that I've been wanting to try well neighbors must have went to an ammo sale cuz it was non stop shooting all day, ugggg okay goto spot I was at in the am,it's about 4.30 now hike back in get set up with just a hen deke, suns hot Flys were bad and my back and legs are cramping, ugggg okay somethings gate happen c.mon as I'm twisting and turning off the ground to try and get comfortable I glance up and see a big red head staring at me at 30yd wtf, he cam in silent and wanted to start turning back into the woods but I had I one little window to shoot through so I wip the gun up and pow! Lay um out.was a tough week and it ended quickly and unexpectedly like turkey huntil usually does, good bird 10.5" beard ..5" spur and hefty at apron 23lbs. Onto zone 3 and F this weekend, good luck all and congrats to all who have harvested a bird, what a blast!
Well a Tom and 4 hens showed up at first light. They only stayed on the field for about 5 minutes and left. So much for plan A. About 45 minutes later I saw a Tom in the field next to the field I was hunting. He crossed over to the field I was in and was heading for the blind I have been hunting. I thought, "you got to be kidding". Looked down the edge to my right and 6 hens came into my field from the one he came from. They were working the edge toward me and he turned and started coming right at me to meet up with them I believe. Came right to me and dropped him at 20 yds. wasn't the way I thought it would go down but sure worked. 22.5 lbs. One in period 4 and one in period 5 zone 2. Great year lots of Toms seen and heard.
Got out this past morning for a 5th season hunt...I'd been watching a group of birds for a few days now and put together a plan to try and get one....I snuck in early and put out my homemade strutting Tom decoy with one hen on the edge of a green grass field kitty corner from where I saw the birds go to roost ...a couple of hen yelps got them all fired up and they came out of the trees hot...soon a group of 9 birds was coming across the field on a dead run towards the decoys...at about 40 yards the two big Tom's pulled up and went into fill strut with an occasional gobble....they were hesitant....the Jakes however continued to walk towards the decoys and at 20 yards I knew I was running out of time....birds were crossing back and forth and my scope went from one bird to the.next....I had one in the scope I know had about a 6-7 inch beard but it wouldn't hold still so I settled on another Jake as the big Tom's remained hung up on the fringes...i.pulled the trigger and saw the lighted nock dissappear in the bird...it turned and ran about 25 yards and keeled over...then all the other birds ran over and started picking on the fallen bird...game over 16lbs 3 inch beard and little rounded nubs for spurs...great hunt and I've had some real dandy hunts this spring...tons of birds and they are cooperating very well....still a few days left.
Wadu
Juneau county zone 1 public land.
23 lbs 9" beard 11/4 spurs. # 6 for the season.
Birds are still locked down in the mornings for a few hours with hens, toms have been more active mid morning. Very little gobbling after birds hit the ground, really need to shock gobble them with a crow call to get them to respond.
Displaying 1 to 15 of 115 posts
