Brothers,
The end of the contest is on June 1st and we are presently lounging in 5th place out of 8 teams. Wow.
We have not heard anything from several of our team mates this season. This contest is usually won by a margin of 2%-4% of points. We as a team rely on the hunting and scoring abilities of everyone on the roster and covet every tenth of a point that you post on your harvests. I assume that everyone on the team hunted turkeys at some time this year. Were the birds in your area that uncooperative? Tell us about it. Did unfavorable weather conditions shut your hunts down? Tell us about it. Did personal matters take you a toll on you? Tell us about it.
I enjoy the euphoria of winning as much as anyone else. If you hunt turkeys long enough, you will have Boon years where the squeaking of your box call in your vest gets a gobble and other seasons will be utter frustration. You still hunt turkeys. We all do. It will always be better next year.
If you have a bird or birds that you have not posted, please do so immediately. 1 adult bird from 3 members would easily win this for us this year. Heck of a hill, but it is achievable. If you are having trouble with this scoring and posting stuff, contact me and we will work it out.
You are still my team mates.
Cheers ;D
FC
This was without a doubt my worst season of hunting in a decade. My hunting buddies and I estimate the turkey populations in the areas we hunt are down over 50% from a couple years ago. One lease I hunt in WV is a shade under 5000 acres and I only heard one bird gobble three times there. A couple lease members who hunt it earlier in the season than I do quit going after the first week. The area of VA I hunt was unfortunately not much better. My only shining moment this season was securing a new farm to hunt for next season.
My season in Maine goes to June 3rd . Z
Still at it. Have had gobblers within 30 yards 5 times and haven't punched a tag. 2 more days left.
Got till June 3rd in Maine
I hunted 26 days on a track that I've harvested longbeards on for the past 10 years. It is leased timber company land and they decided to cut it just before season started. The birds were still there but they were not where I usually found them, the cutting forced them to move all over the place. Every day was a challenge just to locate and most days they were silent. I did manage to call in two birds within 50 yds but both came in silent with hens in front of them and did not get any closer until the hen turned and took them back in the direction they came from. This was the most frustrating season I have had in a very long time if not the most frustrating ever.
I scored my biggest for the year and got one other that want an upgrade. I didn't hunt near as much this year as the last few. I did make a last minute run to PA to finish out May but unfortunately messed up the one hot bird I found day one and never heard him again the next 2 mornings even though he left me gobbling as he went. The rest I found were gobbling very little early in the morning and that was about it so I came home empty handed.
I didn't mark tons of stuff on my map so they better be weary next year.