Returning this year after striking out late last season. I should be in turkeys much sooner thanks to some of the groundwork I laid last year along with some helpful DM's. Heading up Friday and will stay as long as necessary to fill tag or until season ends. I hope it doesn't take me more than a few days to fill a tag though. If I find early success, I was thinking about running into Utah from there. From quick google searches, the numbers in the southern and southeastern part of the state seem way down though and Utah may not be worth the effort this late into the season. It's just the closest option to extend the season if I find success in colorado. We'll see what happens.
Good luck. Late-season public-land hunting in both states is a real challenge from my past experience. A bit of good fortune and maybe some insider information goes a long way up there! :icon_thumright:
Good luck to you and keep us posted.
Late season Colorado is a challenge!
Pressure is crazy and the forest roads have been open a while!
Lace em up tight, good luck!
Birds were hot around the first of May according to a friend.
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Populations where I hunt in Colorado and Utah were as strong as I've seen in the last 25 years or so. Access in Utah is tough, still lots of closed gates. I hunt southern Utah BTW. Can't currently drive a truck in, only 50" access. Can't speak to southeast, though they've had issues over the years. Where I hunt in Colorado, gate opened the day I drove over. About 1.5 weeks ago. Hunt between 8000-9000 ft. Hens were leaving toms about 10 am and showing back up 2:30-3 pm. Tons of birds. Hens seem to be sitting full time in southern Utah. Also tons of birds. Called one in for a buddy yesterday. Fun morning. It's been a great season. Good luck!
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Two midday gobbles at third spot of the day. Tried to gain a little elevation to pinpoint direction and never heard from the bird again. Will be in there this evening to roost if nothing else pans out and the rain holds off. Morning was pretty much a bust with clouds and light rain falling.
More rain at roost time. Hopefully the skies clear out overnight
Rain let up right around sunset and was able to roost the bird I struck mid day. He might be a screw ball with how close he is to the forest service road. We'll see in the morning.
Gobbled a handful of times on the limb and pitched down the opposite way. Gobbled two times on the ground. Was able to glass what I think was a male bird and three hens. Couldn't tell if Jake or hen his head was so dull, but saw some red on side profile. Appeared to have a 5-6 inch beard. Seemed kinda small body sized to be a tom. Got a courtesy gobble at second spot of the morning as the sun finally broke through. Would be nice to find one that'll work
More rain
Roosted ain't roasted. I need to find a different bird to hunt I think.
I've been rooting for you, but having hunted there late in the season like you are doing, I am well aware of those gobblers that will avoid anything sounding remotely like a turkey like you are the plague. ::)
Persevere and hope you find one that somehow hasn't heard it all... :icon_thumright:
A bird I got a courtesy gobble from yesterday morning was in the same place again this morning judging by the fresh turd he left in the road. Looks like more rain about to fire up, but staking him out is looking like my plan for tomorrow if nothing else pans out.
beard and bird size is not a determining factor on a Merriam's tom!
I shot one up there 3 years ago, was the size of a large chicken, lol. But a tom.
Good luck.
Good to know. The smallest Merriam I've ever killed in NM still tipped the scales at 17 pounds. Have had a couple over 20.
I had also found myself hestant on a couple birds in the past, beards had them looking like jakes, both were toms. If you can get a look at the wing patch it would help.
Well, I can't sit with my back against a tree for more than two hours without going stir crazy. No gobbles heard at all this morning while sitting in position for an ambush. None after I called a few times after an hour of silence. I was pretty cold on the shady side of the mountain, so I got up and left maybe a bit sooner than I should have. Did strike a bird around 10:30 this morning that was hitting the call well, but was a good 150 feet below me on private and 300 yards away in a straight line with thick stuff between me and him, which I'm sure was why he didn't work up. Or perhaps me calling too much as I was trying to find the thinnest stuff he may move up through was where I screwed up. Anywho, he's pinned for later. Will probably just sit where three hens roosted last night (I think the wimpy gobbler was already in the tree when I sat down at 7:30 to wait them out). I had been sitting for a good 20 minutes when the first hen showed up. Then a bird took flight from one tree to another further down the canyon and it looked bigger than a hen. Two additional hens showed up a few minutes later and the three hens pitched up around 8 PM with their take off spot being well within shotgun range.
I think Utah is out of the cards at this point. I'll stick it out here and I think will get a bird eventually, even through deer hunting means if need be, but this is draining and costly with the amount of gas I've burned through checking different areas. Everything looks closer on the map than it actually is when you're out west.
Sounds like your around some birds, one will make a mistake sooner or later!
They sure like that oak brush to sneak around in.
Not roosted, but heard two birds gobble on the ground at 7:30 where I struck them this morning and found the best access to get down as close to them as I can. Hopefully the light it up on the limb tomorrow to help me get set up as close as I can. Thinking about packing the Jake decoy since I'm sure it's two gobblers running together and on the edge of a large meadow.
A lot of feeding and not a lot of strutting going on. On a flock of 11. 3 hens, 3 toms, and a wad of jakes. Know exactly where two of the toms were roosted and their direction of travel this morning. Going to give them a little time to break up and hopefully one will act like a Turkey. If not, I know where I'll be camping this evening.
My fist Colorado tom was a bushwhack, late season actually the last day. Zero gobbling and strutting and I killed him at a water hole, a little lame but better than tag soup!
My next two were called in and hot!
Get you one!
Flock fed a mile deep into private meadow. I'll drop back down to where they were roosted around 6 this evening and will go light with just a bottle of water, Turkey sling, pot call, and shotgun. Maybe further north they're still acting right, but for anyone planning to hunt this state in the future, you probably want to be here late April/early May.