I got zone 3 period A...lets go..
Gobble gobble...im ready
Turkey Hunting
2022 spring turkey hunting
Displaying 40 to 49 of 75 posts
After some tough hunting Wednesday and Thursday, and a missed bird Thursday morning, I rolled myself out of bed at 2:30am and made the two hour drive back to my lease Monday morning. Man, am I glad I did. I never experienced a hunt like this. I pulled into my place at approximately 5:20 and decided I would just stand where we park our trucks until I heard the first gobble, then I would proceed to chase down that bird. At 5:30 a Tom shock gobbled to my crow call only 70-80 yards away from where I was parked. I quickly set out my half strut jake, breeding hen and feeding hen out on our logging road and sat down 18 yards away from them. I made three soft yelps and had that bird gobbling in front of me immediately. I decided since birds were so clammed up on my previous two days of hunting, I would just shut up and let the bird come in. He flew off his roost, displayed back and forth briefly and then walked to a game trail where he could see my decoys. He couldn't care less about my set and proceeded to just travel north.
I thought, "well what do I do now? I decided to just sit out. Not seconds after he walked away, two toms flew off the roost from the same area he came from. They put on the same show as the first tom, but instead of going north they went south. When they did, all hell broke loose and around 30 hens flew off the roost just below the hill I was sitting on. Those two pushed those hens around like sheep dogs for a couple of minutes. The hens were running everywhere! While all of this was happening, three toms come out of the west, then two more, then three from the east, three from the south, one from the north and another two groups of tow from the west. I couldn't believe this. I was grinning ear to ear. I've never witnessed that amount of mature birds in one spot all trying to work over the same group of hens. While this is all going on there is gobbling in every direction. It was crazy.
While these toms all tried to get to their hens, a group of six jakes came from behind me out of the west. They all begin charging at the hens and then every one of those toms at the base of the hill I was sitting on, ran at the jakes and begin to beat the snot of them. There were fighting purrs, legs, wings and beaks hitting every bit of those jakes. The yearling birds didn't stand a chance. What an incredible sight. During this fight I hear a gobble to my right. I turn my head and here is a male bird staring me in the eyes. I couldn't tell if it was a jake or tom because of the shadowing. There is no way I can swing the gun on him without every bird in the woods seeing me and I begin to think, "well crap, here comes the warning putts". He didn't care. He just turned south to join the fight. Now while he's doing this two more males appear on my right and do the same as the last bird, then another two do the same all over again. I'm just thinking there's no way I'm going to be able to shoot one of these birds. There's eyes all over me, I'm totally expose sitting in the pine rows and I have no ability to turn right and shoot.
Just when I'm thinking I'm screwed, a hen begins to angrily yelp away. I start mimicking every sound she makes. When she begins to yelp a nearby tom gobbles and he is close. So close I can feel the gobbling in my chest. When I yelp, he gobbles again. This goes on for about 5 minutes when the hen finally runs up our north logging road, looks at my decoys and turns away. At this point, she stops arguing with me but I can still hear that gobbling tom, spitting and drumming behind me clearly coming my direction. Low and behold, I look to my right just with just my eyes turning this time and there he is with a jake in tow. They see my decoys and you can see both birds are interested. All of the other birds that were fighting and chasing below me are now gone and have moved south out of sight, but these two decided to stick around. They beeline it right for the decoys, but I have to wait to shoot or I'm going to end up shooting both of them. Finally the two separate, the jake is picking a fight with my jake decoy and the tom is strutting to my breeding hen decoy. He gets on top of my decoy and that was finally my chance. I dropped him at 18 yards and the craziest turkey hunt I have ever experienced was over. I sat there and just soaked it all in for a couple of minutes.
This is one that I will never forget. Outside of my first turkey, this bird may be my most memorable tom. He ended up with an 8" beard, a 1 1/8" spur and a 1 1/4" spur. I've been lucky enough to take 11 birds over the last 9 years now. It's great to know I have so many birds around after finding four dead birds on the property on Tuesday. I assume that each were killed by predators and not the avian flu considering they were all at the bases of trees. I can't wait to get back out there in 8 more days. 7 tags to go between zones 1, 2 and 3!
Sorry for the long story, this one was to exciting to not share.
Hunted everday of the first season wednesday til sunday morning...had a great time time saw plenty of birds in fact im amazed at how many birds i saw but for whatever reason this didnt work or they went this way instead if that or they were just out of range...but man did i see birds...yesterday in the dark walking in and the whole woods erupted w birds...i would say there were 7 big gobblers and 4-5 jakes w about 20 hens...i worked around them and set up under 2 toms. I had one on the left of me and one on the right...i was so close i could see them in the tree...i put up a hen decoy and my homemade strutting tom right behind her and i sat down about 4 feet behind the tom...after 20 minutes of non stop gobbles both toms flew down right over the top of me and landed in a little field 35 yards out...both went right into full strut and the biggest bird saw my dekes and without any hesitation he was coming..i had my crossbow scope on him and let him come..at about 8 yards i let'er rip...and i heard the bolt go through the body..he hobbled about 18 yards and layed down...it took a couple of minutes until it was lights out but the other tom hung around in my dekes at 7 yards for about 10 minutes..i finally waved to chase him away...so he didnt go 20...25lbs..1.25" spurs and a 6" curly cue beard...i figure a 4 yr old....i.love turkey hunting so much..got tags 5th and 6th season so we shall see...good luck everyone
Wadu
Where are the turkeys!???
Hunted with my buddy this weekend zone 2, washington co and surrounding areas, he did see some birds birds earlier in the week and Saturday AM we did have 2 toms come out at 30 yds look and peck around and then saunter off into the swamp around to an adjacent field, sat until after 10 and never seen nor heard another bird, picked up to try another property and saw 3 hens when we pulled up didnt fire up anything there and left, drove around scouting for awhile between wash. and ozaukee co, and never saw a bird out anywhere, just bizarre on a gorgeous warm sunny day not a single strutter or turkey for that matter. Hunted last evening at another farm that ive always had luck at, was a bit windy but died down for the last hour, never saw a bird, again just bizarre. Scouting since end of March and Ive seen one tom and a few hens, nothing in any of the areas that in the past have always had birds. Must just be the weather, lol Idk but definitely a lack of birds in the areas both public and private I hunt in Zone 2.goodhuntin all!
Had 1 day to hunt..due to soccer, tball, work and other commitments. Seen alot of birds around today but they didn't come out til the sun came out. Ended up putting stalk on a group of 4 gobblers at 1145. Got to stalk behind my strutter decoy. Soon as they seen the decoy they came running. Could of shot all 4 with one shot..had to wait til one split off enough. Finally 1 did at about 12 yards. Got him with the new Stevens 410! Might be my biggest bird ever
25lbs
10 1/2 inch beard
1 inch spurs
Displaying 40 to 49 of 75 posts
