Looks like Muzzy and snoman4 are going to start this season off for us! Go get them guys!! :turkey2:
lacire, you have been really quite this year? hope all is well. I think you are opening end of month?
I need to start scouting in a few weeks, how are everyone else's plans working out this year?
Finally heard my backyard Toms gobble this morning, been strutting but haven't heard a single gobble before this morning. Single hen came thru early, so flock might be finally breaking up, then rest of flock showed up. Lots of posturing and showing off for the ladies. Even saw the Jakes strut after the Toms had left. Last week my wife and I were outside when they showed up, we just stood still and she got to see and hear the dominate Tom strut and spit and drum. She actually heard the drumming before I did.
Have not heard any birds fire off yet but buds are starting to come out here so it wont be long.
The flock left for spring stomping grounds, 2 Toms and 3 Jakes are still hanging around. Moved cameras around trying for better pictures.
Late afternoon sun lights these Toms up!
I went and put ears on one last weekend, was gonna go again next weekend but weather looks terrible for gobbling. Oh well, my season doesn't start til mid april so I got some time.
My WI season doesn't start until May 3rd. MN's still up in the air.
Muzzy and snoman open this weekend!?!
Quote from: JeffC on March 17, 2023, 07:48:36 AM
Muzzy and snoman open this weekend!?!
Good news is that we do open the season tomorrow, bad news is a cold front is coming in tonight. Calls for 90% rain for most of the day with thunder storms early.
Looks like I may have to hunker down in a pop up blind. Rain is suppose to clear Sunday, but temps will be about 15 to 20 degrees lower. We've got some good birds on camera so fingers crossed.
Wish us luck, and good luck to anyone else that might be getting started.
No turkey, or for that matter, any game animal is worth taking a chance of a lightning strike. They will be there tomorrow! Good luck, please keep us updated to how the hunt goes, good or bad, hunting thru you guys till April 24. Have a safe and successful hunt!!
Quote from: JeffC on March 17, 2023, 11:46:04 AM
No turkey, or for that matter, any game animal is worth taking a chance of a lightning strike. They will be there tomorrow! Good luck, please keep us updated to how the hunt goes, good or bad, hunting thru you guys till April 24. Have a safe and successful hunt!!
Well said, sadly nothing to make a joke about here :TooFunny:
Come on Jiffy, give us something to work with
Quote from: crow on March 17, 2023, 05:14:58 PM
Quote from: JeffC on March 17, 2023, 11:46:04 AM
No turkey, or for that matter, any game animal is worth taking a chance of a lightning strike. They will be there tomorrow! Good luck, please keep us updated to how the hunt goes, good or bad, hunting thru you guys till April 24. Have a safe and successful hunt!!
Well said, sadly nothing to make a joke about here :TooFunny:
Come on Jiffy, give us something to work with
cow is correct, lightning is nothing to fool with...... if you live near any of the G.O.A.T.S team members maybe you could set up a hunt with them and have them carry your gun. :whip2:
Quote from: Muzzy61 on March 17, 2023, 09:59:08 AM
Quote from: JeffC on March 17, 2023, 07:48:36 AM
Muzzy and snoman open this weekend!?!
Good news is that we do open the season tomorrow, bad news is a cold front is coming in tonight. Calls for 90% rain for most of the day with thunder storms early.
Looks like I may have to hunker down in a pop up blind. Rain is suppose to clear Sunday, but temps will be about 15 to 20 degrees lower. We've got some good birds on camera so fingers crossed.
Wish us luck, and good luck to anyone else that might be getting started.
Rain is definitely going to be bad tomorrow. I plan on hunkering down in a blind also unless it's popping lightning. Muzzy61 is right, we have some great birds on camera this year. Lots of jakes, so it should be great next year too. Hopefully its not flooding at 6:00 AM so we can get to the blind without getting soaked.
Youth week starts April 1st. Then regular season is April 8th. I only have 2 kids left for the youth hunt. Went out this morning to scout one of our spots and not a peep. A little discouraging.
Quote from: Spellnj3 on March 22, 2023, 02:47:49 PM
Youth week starts April 1st. Then regular season is April 8th. I only have 2 kids left for the youth hunt. Went out this morning to scout one of our spots and not a peep. A little discouraging.
The turkeys in the frozen food section are usually on the quiet side
went to state forest closest to my house for some scouting, lot of people trails now. Zero fresh turkey sign, only found a little old scratching. Even deer sign was minimal. Did spot 2 hens while leaving, at this point I doubt I will even buy a MD license.
Had a good morning, was able to get the OTC tags I needed and wanted, look out Jersey birds, will put sometime into scouting over there now that I have tags in hand. Save Maryland for next year.?. Getting closer!! :turkey2:
Thats good news Jeff. More tags means more opportunities.
I managed to get permission on the MN property I've hunted in since 2014. I honestly thought that was a done deal following the 2022 deer season.
Well my season may be delayed a bit... I got 3rd degree burns on my index and middle finger on my right hand. I still got most movement in them, but dr says it'll be 3-4 weeks to heal and they'll probably stiffen up some over the coming weeks. Guess I could try to shoot left handed lol
Quote from: austinc on March 27, 2023, 08:54:12 PM
Well my season may be delayed a bit... I got 3rd degree burns on my index and middle finger on my right hand. I still got most movement in them, but dr says it'll be 3-4 weeks to heal and they'll probably stiffen up some over the coming weeks. Guess I could try to shoot left handed lol
Sorry to hear about your burns, I know they are stinking painful.
Shooting left handed if your right handed is definitely doable, Col. Tom Kelly covers this in His 10th legion book about gobblers coming in behind your off shoulder (3:30 if right handed)
I practice shooting left handed set up against a tree with dove loads several times a year to stay tuned in and have shot several gobblers this way. it will feel awkward at first but you should have time to get used to it, at least for standing or slow walking gobblers. Good luck to you
Thanks for the update austinc, sorry to hear about your hand, Ive never shot left-handed, poor eyesight in left eye, but crow is on to something, grab some dove loads and try, better then trying in woods and wounding a Tom. Please keep checking in and up-dating.
Yeah thats a bummer about the burns. Left hand shooting is definitely doable if you can get your eyes to cooperate. My brother and i would shoot both ways when we were kids and 22 shells were cheap.
Good luck with the lefty shooting, it is totally doable. I will also be shooting lefty, it is my off hand, as my shoulder surgery rehab is not going as fast as I hoped. I did it a couple times before cuz I am a big fat cow and would rather chance shooting lefty, which I do practice, than try to move my fat butt, lol. Good luck bro. Z
I've practiced shooting rifles, bows, and others before, just never had to with a shotgun. I figure having a red dot it won't be to bad. But, the fingers are feeling better each day so I think I'll be ok by time season opens.
Good news on the update glad you are healing. Im sure if you get a gobbler in that red dot you wont care which hand is on the trigger.
Good news, yesterday afternoon I'd got a few pics of hogs rooting up a hay field and I went to test the fingers out... managed to shoot and kill 5, so the fingers work fine lol.
This morning I got up and went to scout some public, got ears on 3, found one at about 9:00 all alone and gobbling up a storm, he was in a great spot and I think he could or been killed, But season doesn't open for another 14 days. Hopefully he keeps hanging out in there, I'll check on him in 10 days or so and see if he's still in that area. If he ain't, I got solid leads on others if not.
Thats great that the finger gave you no trouble. What did you shoot hogs with? day or night?