Got the day off work today from capturing/monitoring/collaring whitetails for research. So, I sit here at 6 am at the cabin with the doors wide open. Some may ask why would you do that when it's a whopping 28 degrees in April. I grab a cup of coffee and sit by the fireplace and listen to my gobbler just down the road go to town gobbling all over the place. I fortunately filled my tag earlier this spring over in region 6 of MT with a nice bird, 9 1/4" beard, nice spurs, beautiful fan. Working on the mount as we speak. All that is left is the maceration process of the skull. So the question is, what can I do? Simply enjoy my local birds that are only huntable by special permit and enjoy my coffee sitting around the fire. Attached are my local tom, my bird that I harvested in region 6, and my mount of last years turkey. Once my new mount is done I will post it up and you guys can tell me what you think.
I'd be doing exactly what your doing, except at 28 degrees I'm closing the door and watching at a window.
Sounds to me like you're doing what you should be doing. I'd be doing it closer to the fire though.
Put in your camo , grab a good camera and go hunt them and shoot them with the lens.
I can only see one of your pics.
This is the perfect time to break out the calls and to play with the local Tom, see if you can get him to come onto the deck looking for a fight.
None of my other pictures will post for some odd reason. I am currently on the porch with the calls playing with this tom. He will respond back with a gobble to every call, but there is no way I think I will break him of his hens. He has about 8 of them. I guess I'll just have to watch the hunting channel and drool as they blast these 11" private land birds on tv :drool:
Well the camera is a good idea.
First thing is while drinking your coffee I would keep an eye on that mount as the gobblers down the road may be looking for a fight !
UPDATE ON MY CALLING ABILITY! While sitting here playing with this tom, the phone begins to ring. I get a sour look on my face and slowly walk towards the phone. I pick it up and fill up my coffee cup. It's the neighbor and he is not happy with me. He knows I'm the only hunter in the gulch, so of course the calling is coming from me. "Will you the F up up there, this bird down here is driving me NUTS! I'm trying to sleep, it's 7 in the morning and you have been calling for the last half hour." I guess the neighbors don't enjoy the birds as much as I do, but I sure got a good chuckle out of it :fire: :TooFunny: now it's time to warm up and drink some coffee and watch the hunting channel before I get into anymore trouble!
Tell the neighbor you got turkey in your yard that is doing all the talking
Lol
I'm sitting here in my kitchen reading your "woe is me" story shaking my head. You are in the closest thing there is to Heaven and you're on the Internet. You're either one ungrateful sonofagun or you are bragging to make the rest of us jealous.
Beautiful land. Beautiful mount. Beautiful morning!
Happy for you.
:icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
:icon_thumright: I LIKE HOT CHOCOLATE :icon_thumright:
Definitely not bragging, MT is a beautiful place, everyday is something different. I am more than grateful to live in this beautiful landscape and can't say more about it. Just went to check on the mount of my bird from earlier this season, all that is left is the maceration of the skull and she will be on my wall of shame 9.25" beard, 3/4" spurs, beautiful fan. What do you guys think?
Think that turkey is flipping you off . In stereo,LOL
Really congrats though!
Would be nice to be by the fire there and having some coffees listening to turkey and enjoying the land
Down here in the flat land it is raining cats and dogs and nothing is talking even with the thunder and lightning .
Enjoy! Sounds great. Good job on the mount!
Here's a great idea to solve these issues for ya next year!
Do a Montana/Missouri hunt swap with me next year and tell your neighbor I will take care of that nuisance bird for him. :toothy9:
Congrats on your bird. I envy your situation.
Buy at least one of four region specific tags available, get in your truck, drive, hunt.
Or hunt spring bear, or.........
Sounds like a yard bird, but if you really need the bird killed, we've got two 399 tags left.
Sounds like a good morning!
Congrats on the bird.
And that tom is strutting on a real steep hill, about a 90 degree incline I'd say... :goofball:
That's how I dry all my feet. I gave him the lead to head, he returns his favors by flipping me off on the wall :TooFunny:
Quote from: MT elk slayer on April 30, 2017, 09:25:18 AM
That's how I dry all my feet. I gave him the lead to head, he returns his favors by flipping me off on the wall :TooFunny:
I had one that way too, was fun having someone looking at it and it started to hit them .
Whenever I take people into the trophy room they stop and take a second glance at my fans and then damn near fall over laughing and ask me how I do that to my birds :TooFunny: as for my local bird being a "yard bird" they transplanted 25 into the area two years ago. 10 of them showed up in my gulch. Then after the winter two years ago, we only had a jake, hen, and tom survive. Last summer the tom and the hen had 3 chicks survive. Now we have a little population containing 3 hens, a tom and two jakes. I have seen them in the neighbors yards, my yard and as far up as my cabins, I own 41 acres and they paroose through my meadows as they please. I don't consider them "yard birds" but it's always nice to see them around. I have been out spring bear huntin, but haven't had near the luck as I did last year. About 45 mins into opening mornin last spring I harvested a 5.5 year old cinnamon. Knew she was in the area from the many upon many piles of scat everywhere, they're are more bears frequenting the same area this spring, just haven't been able to catch them yet moving round.
Montana winters and springs can be tough on turkeys.