Mid-Late season Oklahoma Rios (spring)

[blake_08]

• Tweet

Hello all,

I was wondering if someone on the board has had any experience hunting Black Kettle/packsaddle area later in the season. We went the 2nd weekend this past season (2017) and the birds were still henned up pretty bad. We managed to kill some birds but it was tough and there wasn't as much calling to the gun as i'd have liked there to be. We're planning next years trip and thinking about going on the 3rd weekend, April 17th-22nd. Does anyone have any experience with it? I know traffic will be way down, which is a plus. I just don't know how the turkeys will be acting during that time. This is sure a long wait, waiting on season to come back in.

[gbfan]

• Tweet

I went to Black Kettle this past spring and hunted the last wk of the season, can't say I'd recommend that.  I am a novice though, so take that for what it's worth.  Did you see a fair amount of birds out there this past year?

[WW]

• Tweet

I'm going to OK, April 11th-15th. The wait is what gets you!

[blake_08]

• Tweet

I went to Black Kettle this past spring and hunted the last wk of the season, can't say I'd recommend that.  I am a novice though, so take that for what it's worth.  Did you see a fair amount of birds out there this past year?

gbfan we seen tons of birds. 85% was on private land but they were everywhere. But of all the turkey we seen, almost every tom we seen was strutting with a flock of hens. They were hard to do anything with but my brother-in-law and me got two birds each. 2 jakes the last day and i killed a longbeard a few days before right off of roost. i was hoping if i went later in the year the hens would be on nest and the toms would be looking for love, but that may not be the case.

[blake_08]

• Tweet

I'm going to OK, April 11th-15th. The wait is what gets you!

Good luck on your trip! I live in the southeast corner of oklahoma. We have easterns in my area and the population of eastern birds here has been struggling for years, so our season is always shorter and at the end of april/early may, that way it gives toms a chance to breed the hens before hunting season comes in. I go out west oklahoma hunting turkey before our season opens up that way it gives me more time in the turkey woods.

[Gooserbat]

• Tweet

The advantage of hunting Western Oklahoma in late season is very little competition. The disadvantage is there has been a lot of pressure the first couple of weeks.   I've hunted a lot of the WMA out there and there is no best time to go.  Only you can expect different things in regards to when you do go.  Personally I would go the last week of April or the first two or three days of season.