Well around these parts, last weekend started out beautiful and still Saturday morning and by Sunday evening we had tornadoes. Typical. I can't get to the woods right now, but I still recognize the weather that jerks gobbles out of turkeys even when they don't much want to.
What did last weekend look and sound like to you fellers?
Cheers ;D
FC
North Texas opener was Saturday. I went out to a new property I leased this year to hunt. Birds gobbled good on the roost, but shut up when they hit the ground. Had turkeys around me all day. Had a dominate bird within 50 yards, but just never could get a good clean shot on him. Had a long beard come in silent that afternoon, but he never would come in. Guessing he didn't like the jake decoy thinking it was a tom. Had 3 hens and a jake come in later and lay down 10 yards from me for 1.5 hours when a cold front blew in. Sunday morning was wet and cold. I went out just to learn the property a little more, but very few birds gobbling and nothing on our side of the fence. Left when the rain set in. Tons and tons of birds on this new place. If it ever gets right, I should fill my 4 tags no problem. Was good to finally get out, hear, and see some birds.
Spotty here in NE Missouri. Out scouting for next weekends youth hunt and regular season on 4/17. Some farms there is sparse roost gobbling and another farm we had 5 birds all grouped up gobbling like crazy at noon. Could get real interesting next weekend for the boys..........
Had to work Saturday, sunday nothing sounded off at daylight, called up a coyote around 10:00
I couldn't go this weekend, but went this morning and heard my first bird gobble in central AL this season. 6th day in woods, new record for futility. Got him within 200 yards then watched a hen stroll past me 100 yards to my left headed right to him, last gobble I heard. I am encouraged by at least making verbal contact with a bird at this point. Will keep after them, but have a family wedding to attend this weekend so may be next week before I can play with him again considering the rough weather predictions for this area the next couple of days. Keep after them guys! More states opening up give us a chance to start making a run. Good luck to all.
I am a mid week hunter but it was quiet mid week too.
My friend had heard one gobbling off the property but above one of our food plots that border a hardwood ridge.
I camped out there and spent all morning being patient and calling softly with no luck. Mid day I walked the firebreak around the whole property calling every 100 yards or so and just sitting in a few good spots with some visibility. No Joy!
Late afternoon I went to the swamp where the hardwoods end, I have seen turkeys roost there several times but not that day.
I see droppings and leaves are raked up in a lot of places. I am going to put a camera up next time just to see if a turkey passes through.
I ordered a turkey lounger chair. It was either that or a new butt.
Was out scouting here in MN Saturday and Sunday mornings.Had 3 different birds sounding off at one place Saturday but I didn't here anything in a different spot Sunday. My boy was with Sunday and we split up on one larger piece and he heard 2 birds gobble a total of 5 times between them while on the roost. Nothing after they hit the ground. Saw 16 hens in one bunch with no gobblers with them around 10:00 am Sunday. It's still a bit early up here.
The winter flocks around here have finally broken up. Seeing smaller groups and cruising gobblers. Still 3 weeks away........
Quote from: xarcher on April 05, 2017, 12:20:32 PM
The winter flocks around here have finally broken up. Seeing smaller groups and cruising gobblers. Still 3 weeks away........
Came within a few feet of tagging a cruising longbeard this morning. With my GMC Sierr@ . But being the good driver I am, I yield to all pedestrians. Just wish they would use the crosswalks. And I don't kill gobblers out of season. :icon_thumright:
Birds were just hammering up here this morning! One would sound off and 2 or 3 more would hammer right back! MN season opens this Wed. and I will have the grandson out for a couple of hours on opener. A little hooky for him from school. My season here in MN. won't start until May 3. These 7 day seasons here in MN "stink"!!! I have a few better choice words on this, but my post would most likely be deleted!
Got #3 boys. He's worthy, pics tonight.
Now THAT is a weekend report I can go for.
Congratulations and can't wait to see him.
Cheers. :icon_thumright:
FC
Congrats Mason, I have been hearing them every day got one to 60 yards yesterday, this morning walked under them still in tree at 6:50
It's all quiet down here. It's been a rough season so far. Plus the plant where I work shut down last week so I'm working 12.5hr midnights until we can get back online. Hoping things will change around here soon. I'm about to go crazy. Lol
Atta boy. I'm thinking this will break the ice and we will be seeing lotsa heads getting hammered.
(http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv293/mason06111985/F47C55C0-1D34-45D1-859A-0F07F6C42012.jpg) (http://s693.photobucket.com/user/mason06111985/media/F47C55C0-1D34-45D1-859A-0F07F6C42012.jpg.html)
Hunted till 11 this morning and heard a bunch but just couldn't get it done. My uncle had called and I didn't answer due to being in the woods so I called him back when I got out. He told me a big strutter was out in mamas pasture all alone about 7 this morning. I felt like i knew where he would roost so I set up a strutter with a breeding hen at 3 o'clock. At 5:30 he sounds off 200 yds through the bottoms and I answer back with a series of soft clucks and he hammers. I immediately respond with some excited yelping and he hammers again 50yds closer. I put the call down and within seconds he is running across the pasture to pick a fight. Bang flop tss style!
Congrats on a nice bird! Nice planning, nothing like a late afternoon kill.
good deal :icon_thumright:
Awesome job! Congratulations.
I got a invite to go to a buddy's land today. He had never killed before and only hunted them a few times, heard a bunch of birds and called on two to 10 steps and they saw him moved game over right, no another started gobbling close and he killed him at the same 10 steps the other two popped up at. A great bird for a first 18.4 pounds 9 1/5 beard and Spurs one was broke but right under a inch the other was 1 3/4 and was cracked and about to break off.
Arkansas opened yesterday. able to get out this afternoon and bumped 3 birds in one afternoon.... guess i know where to go back to in a few days!
Man what a week. I left Sunday headed to Arkansas to hunt the opener. Got it done on the first sit Monday morning with a great bird I post in "The Limb" above. Still working on pics. Never could get another one on the ground, but had a lot of close experiences. Birds were gobbling good, but still had plenty of hens with them. If you've never hunted the Ozark Mountains, got dang if it ain't a beautiful hunt. Headed out Tuesday night to hunt West Tennessee with a couple of friends. Wednesday was no good, but did see/hear some birds. Thursday morning found me in a river bottom by boat of some of the best hard wood timber I've seen in a while. Nice change of pace as I grew up cutting my teeth hunting Easterns like this compared to these West Texas/Oklahoma Rios in mesquite flats. Long story short had a bird come within 15 yards of me but I never could see him for a big cypress tree. He gobbled and about blew my hat off. I knew he was close, but just could never see him. My buddy could and wouldn't shoot him thinking I'd have a shot. Bird ended up walking off and circling around us. We got him fired up double and triple gobbling. I saw him at about 40-50 yards coming in. Thought its a done deal again about the time the State of Tennessee decides to run an airboat up the river to get in a special track hoe they have on pontoons to clean the river out and start working. Never hear or saw the bird again. Struck another one at 11 o'clock, but he must had had hens with him as he walked off gobbling and one of the hens came in.
I left that afternoon headed back to Texas since my wife had Good Friday off to spend time with the family. Had a good friend from Alabama in town that wanted to hunt Saturday and Sunday. Finally got the Rio monkey off my back. We killed 5 on Saturday. All of them were 2 year olds. 9-10" bears with around 1" spurs. Crazy story. We were hunting a 300 acre wheat field around noon. Had just called in 9 jakes to 10 yards. After they left the field we decided to go get some lunch. We head out across the middle of the field and spot 3 longbeards headed at us. The field has a pretty good rise or hill we were about to walk over. We hit the deck where the birds can't see us. My buddy convinces me that we should put the decoy out, back up 30 yards, and lay sniper prone style in the field as we don't have enough time to make it to the mesquite line. I reluctantly agree. We ended up doubling at about 20 yards. How in the heck those birds didn't see two, 300 pound ex-college football offensive linemen laying in 12" high wheat I'll never know, but chalk up another crazy tactic that worked on turkeys. ;D
About an hour before we killed those birds I had my first ever encounter with a snake turkey hunting. One more step and I'd been on top of a 4-5 foot ratter. Found out a fat boy still has moves, but man that shook me up for a while! Dudes head looked as big as my fist.
Sounds like a great week! Congrats on the birds, nothing like a good hunt with great friends.
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I love doing the Ninjee Chop on 'em like that. Good job at being sneaky! :OGani:
FC
Sounds like a lot of fun! Dang I hate snakes though. Congratulations.