Just curious how many days do most of yall spend in the woods every spring turkey hunting? This could include preseason scouting and hunting.
Has that number increased or decreased in the past few years?
Now that covid is over and everything is back to normal is it harder for you to find time to get in the woods bc of the increase in work and family activities?
Have you seen a decrease in hunter activity, likely bc of work demands, family demands, and the significant increase in the cost of living?
Totally depends and varies with work. Some years I've been lucky to get 3 whole days in the woods. Other years I'll hunt multiple times a week. I just take any opportunity I can get
This year I expect about 25 days hunting. Maybe a bit less if I get one on my home turf on opening weekend.
Most every day it's not raining the last 30 years.
I start scouting around the end of February. Always take off the first full week and hunt everyday in off
Our season opener was April 1st. I hunted 16 of 17 mornings, only missed one because of the weather/rain. But I went to the woods soon as it stopped. Tagged out on April 17th, wishing I could do it all over again. Looking for a youth hunter that I can call for.
Have a good one and May God bless y'all, Bo
Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk
Opening weekend was this past weekend here in Tennessee and I got out Saturday. Sunday the weather kept me in. This Saturday I am doing a charity half marathon for St Judes in Nashville. After that though I am going to enjoy my retirement and hit the woods hard. Just finished my Masters Degree in 15 months.
I just retired after 24 years in the Army and my last 17 I spent has a Green Beret in 5th Special Forces Group. We were deployed about 6 months a year every year after 9/11. So sometimes I would miss two whole seasons in a row depending on our deployment schedule. Sometimes I would be home and hit the woods hard.
Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
This year 2 days of scouting before our season opened on April 15 and I tagged out in 4 days .... All trumpet kills ...
I'd say about 10/15 days.
25-30 days hunting, 15 or so scouting days starting March 1.
Depends on how quickly I find a willing bird, some years I hunt two days and I'm done, last year I hunted around 2 1/2 weeks. This year I'm 5 days in and after work will be on my 6th. The first 4 were dark to dark, then the last 2 days have been evenings after work
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This year will probably be tough for me, but I typically spend 20-30 hunting I think. I am working in the NE this year, so the whole Sunday/afternoon closure stuff is going to drop that significantly for me.
Scouting, nearly zero this year, but there are some years I really pour it to it. Especially when I am home. I may be out every single morning for 3 weeks around the house.
It varies depending on the hunting, approximately 10-15. Hopefully, 1 less that mama wanting a divorce. :)
I have a 6 week season... with 6 weekends.
I hunt most days on the weekend, with one of those weekends generally reserved for the family, and Easter Sunday for the family...
If I do not kill a bird on the first couple weekends, I usually take a weekday or two off to hunt the week.
All in all probably 10-15 days on most years. Last year, my daughter hunted with me a lot and I probably hunted 20 days.
This year, I had work seminars, and family trips planned... Daughter did/does not want to hunt. Luckily I tagged out with 3 birds on 4 trips out (which is somewhat unusual for me). I might still take a friend.
10-15 days and that's for 4-6 birds. Sitting on 12 days with nothing right now so it'll likely be pushing 30 days by the time it's all over.
Start scouting for turkeys about the same time I start looking for shed antlers. Hunted 4 days for youth season for
the kids and 5 days so far for myself and couple days for the wife. I got a 3 day weekend coming up for myself. Got 10 days blocked out in May for our West turkey trip. Most of my vacation and sick days get used in the spring.
Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk
Usually 4-5 days a week. Not full day hunts but either a morning or afternoon but all depends on how busy life gets. This year I think I have hunted 6-7 days a week with the exception of a full week i had too much going on and couldn't go.
It really depends. I save most of my vacation time for turkey season. Plus, I have the flexibility to work from home some, so that helps. I would guess I can get to the woods 3-4 days a week on average and if work isn't crazy. I try to pace myself as far as my personal hunts go, but do try and help friends a good bit.
Out of curiosity... How many hours in the field on a given day (if you do not kill a bird quickly)?
Depending on the property and area I am hunting, I usually have an hour drive, and will hunt sunrise to the afternoon (as late as 5 PM). Unless I kill a bird quickly, I would say that most days I average 4-6 in the field hours though.
Last year, I killed my last bird on the last day I could hunt the season at 4:58 PM (shooting time stopped at 5 PM) for an 11 hour day. I was watching the clock as much as I was watching that bird slowly come in... Honestly, stretched my shot to out just past 40... Were I to do it again, I probably would have let him walk.
Quote from: Marc on April 20, 2023, 01:21:17 PM
Out of curiosity... How many hours in the field on a given day (if you do not kill a bird quickly)?
Depending on the property and area I am hunting, I usually have an hour drive, and will hunt sunrise to the afternoon (as late as 5 PM). Unless I kill a bird quickly, I would say that most days I average 4-6 in the field hours though.
Last year, I killed my last bird on the last day I could hunt the season at 4:58 PM (shooting time stopped at 5 PM) for an 11 hour day. I was watching the clock as much as I was watching that bird slowly come in... Honestly, stretched my shot to out just past 40... Were I to do it again, I probably would have let him walk.
If I'm off work, I'm driving anywhere from an hour to two hours in any direction from my home to National forest or a WMA. Typically leave the house around 3 am and get to the spot around 4 or 5. Anymore there seems to be people at every spot so I end up driving around until about 6 or so. Shooting time is at 6:20 am and I hunt from shooting time until end of shooting time if I don't get a bird quickly. Which is about 8:47 pm. If I leave early it won't be until 6 or 7 pm typically. If I have to work, I'll hunt evenings and will drive anywhere from 30 min to an hour to a WMA close by and hunt from 4:30 or 5 pm until the end of shooting time. Roughly 4 hours or so.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Went to the woods every Sat. and Sunday after church starting the last weekend in Jan. Season Opened April 8th here in NC. I have been in the woods three times since the season started. Opening Sat., After church Easter Sun ., and this past Sat. I got lucky and have tagged out so now I'll continue to go to the woods and scout and call until the end of the season.
I can't get enough or learn enough! Always working to get better.
Ralph
In the woods typically 20-30 but not all of those are all day hunts. Usually 10-12 full days with lots of 2-3 hrs in the morning or afternoon hunts.
This year is not typical because I've hunted 12 days so far with 8 pretty close to full days with kids a few days, a friend a few and the rest by myself. I will have at least another 12 full days by the end of May with an upcoming trip planning to hit 3 states.
How many birds I personally kill is a different story. Average 3 between 2 states yearly. Potential of 12 this year but I will be really happy with 3 more and my travel buddy to tag 3.
Somewhere around 25-30ish days. Used to be a little more but I have a 9 month old boy now so I got to be home a little more now until he's a little older.
I have seen less pressure. In comparison
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hunted 8 of the first 9 days (rained hard on the 9th), then every Wednesday and Sat and Sunday of 2 out of 3 weekends (lost 3 days total to thunder and lightning). So this year that brings me to 20 days. I let my son in law shoot one of the birds I called in when we were together or I would be done too. I am glad I made that choice, I have been having fun. Ends this weekend.
I used to start scouting around mid March and not miss a day until our season ended at the end of May. That's changed since my wife and I had kids. Now my scouting time is minimal but I still manage to hunt almost every day of our season. I also usually am lucky enough to squeeze in 1 or 2 other states every spring. I'd say I average around 30-35 hunting days a year.
Our season ends Sunday. By then I will have hunted 24 days. Most are a few hours then go to work. Missed a couple weekend days do yo poor weather n Easter.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Hunter activity in the areas I hunt has actually increased post Covid. Luckily I was done very fast that year , and didn't travel that year. I spend however much time it takes , some years it's more , some years it's less. This year I was done at home fairly quick , but have spent a higher than average time out of state , and have had less than average luck. My work demands did not change due to covid ... working from home is not an option. So I've seen no change in my hunting patterns due to the pandemic . I like to set aside about 2 weeks to hunt in my homestate. And I like to spend about 2 total weeks traveling, whether it's all together or broken up. I would say I average easily 30 days in the woods each spring, some years it's less.
It becomes priority #2. Waking up being #1. Every day possible.
I think I have probably averaged ten to twelve days a season over the past 55+ years. The first twenty-five years, probably six or seven days,...the last thirty or so, probably between fifteen and twenty. I think the most I have ever hunted in a single season was about 25 days, not including scouting. Being retired now, I can hunt as much as I want,...and "as much as I want" seems to be about twenty days +/- nowadays. As I get older, I find that I am not mad at them anymore and am satisfied with hunting a bit less,...and trying to enjoy it more.
This spring, first state hunted, I scouted 2.5 days and hunted 2.5 days. Next state, scouted three days and have hunted four days. Harvested one gobbler.
Plan on hunting maybe five more days here and six days in another state. Sum total looks to be about 23 days for both scouting and hunting.
As for overall hunting pressure, here in my home state it has been increasing almost yearly for the last decade,...hunter numbers going up roughly 50% in that time. Harvest has increased about 60% in that same timeframe. Turkey numbers are remaining fairly stable, but gobbler numbers seem to be decreasing steadily. We are not in trouble yet,...but we are headed there if the trends continue.
One day scouting, for every day hunting. I probably average 12 days.I think I can get 4 tags in the spring. I do pass on anything but gobblers, unless it's late in the season.
Pain determines all.
2 to 3 morns a week , I only hunt early morns before work days call . " self employment sucks sometimes " .
If I can't get him a hour or so after fly down ? Then he lives another day . No traveling this spring due to 3 unexpected broken bones and hospital bills !