How did my fellow New Yorkers fair on opening day today?

[Sir-diealot]

So how do everything go today? Did ya get one? Did you see any? How were they acting?

I got out to the field about 4:30 and got set up in an area I have hunted before but am not real familiar with, got setup in an area I have seen them before and then settled in. A little before daylight they started to sing and it was a wonderful song indeed. I really missed it last year because of my shoulder surgery so it was good to get back out there.

It is funny how fast the can be there after not being there a few second ago, I let out a few calls when I heard them gobbling on the roost with the longbox that Cut N Run sent me and it seemed to get a good response as a short time after sunset I looked up and could see some large birds in front of me on the other side of the field though I was not sure if they we turkey or not (I really do need some new glasses) but as the milled around I saw the telltale fan go up on one of them and I settled in for business.

I gave a few more calls on the longbox and then tried to get them to come in using the Black Palm Slate call I bought from ChainReactionGC as I wanted to try to use something a little softer as they got closer because I am not yet proficient with the longbox yet. They turned and started to come my way a little more 9 hens and 2 toms. I did not see longer feathers in the center when they fanned, and they were pretty well lit in the morning sun to their backs.

I was a little curious though, 8 of the hens stuck pretty close to what I am guessing is the boss tom but a single hen when way off to the right along with the other tom that was also displaying but not gobbling. Am I correct in thinking this is a dominance thing?

They pretty much stuck around until 9:30 in the morning and then they all kinda left, never presenting a shot, not even close to one. A long tom came back out around 10 or 10:30 and he was displaying a little but went across the field and around the corner and disappeared. I hit the longbox again a few times and after about 10 minutes he came back around the corner and out into the field but like his brethren he never came close to presenting a shot.

Though I have had a tom come in from quite a distance behind me thundering all the way, had 3 come along both sides of my blind scraping the blind and the third scraping it's wings on the backpack a foot behind me today was something that was special as well to me, never other than on TV have I seen toms displaying and gobbling in the wild under hunting conditions until today.

I have to say it was a pretty cool feeling!

I can't wait to get out there tomorrow. I really tried to make today about calls that I have gotten here on this site, I have met some cool people here and really want to be able to get one with stuff I was sent, won or bought from this site this year.

I forgot to pack the mouth calls and the Woodhaven Ninja Hen Box I won here today but they will be coming tomorrow, maybe they will make the difference Now I just have to decide if I want to go without decoys like I did today or take a couple out with me?

So that was my day how was yours?

[maytom]

Text book hunt this morning. Called two in and shot the strutter at 6:20am. 21 lbs. 8" beard and 3/4" spurs.

[Sir-diealot]

Text book hunt this morning. Called two in and shot the strutter at 6:20am. 21 lbs. 8" beard and 3/4" spurs.

Fantastic, congratulations to you!

[mikejd]

MayTom nice job. Nice pic just got me fired up.

Sir-diealot. Where your birds gobbling while they were displaying or did they shut up after fly down. Just wondering what the gobbling activity is like right now. My birds usually shut right up as soon as they hit ground.

[Sir-diealot]

MayTom nice job. Nice pic just got me fired up.

Sir-diealot. Where your birds gobbling while they were displaying or did they shut up after fly down. Just wondering what the gobbling activity is like right now. My birds usually shut right up as soon as they hit ground.

The ones in the field were gobbling very seldom, mostly displaying, A LOT  The one that I mentioned behind me to the left was gobbling for hours after fly down, thought he was going to come in as well at one point as he sounded closer. Pretty sure there was a fourth off in the distance gobbling for a while after but not as much as the one over my left shoulder.

[nyhunter]

heard 3 on the roost dead silent after fly down, called in a pair of jakes later on, I have talked to several turkey hunters and  it seems to be very hit or miss, I'm leaning more toward the miss side right now.

[Sir-diealot]

heard 3 on the roost dead silent after fly down, called in a pair of jakes later on, I have talked to several turkey hunters and  it seems to be very hit or miss, I'm leaning more toward the miss side right now.

Depending on who you talk to some seem to say that the cold spell we had has slowed the breeding process while others are saying it is right on time.

[nyhunter]

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[/quote]Depending on who you talk to some seem to say that the cold spell we had has slowed the breeding process while others are saying it is right on time.
[/quote]


Yepper that what i'm Hearing from other's as well. The few guy's that got birds or that worked birds are saying it's right on schedule. the one's that haven't are saying it's behind. I'm say there turkeys being turkeys and there frustrating 50% of the time, they'll drive you insane 49% of the time, I quite 500 times a year, I give up 20 times a day, and the tiny little 1% success rate I have  is what drives me to hunt every single day I can. 

[deerpoo22]

I'm in North East PA so I'm not to far from ya fellers and it's been extremely quiet down here. I have the privilege of hunting prime turkey private land and it hasn't been too hot so far.

[Sir-diealot]

.

Depending on who you talk to some seem to say that the cold spell we had has slowed the breeding process while others are saying it is right on time.
[/quote]


Yepper that what i'm Hearing from other's as well. The few guy's that got birds or that worked birds are saying it's right on schedule. the one's that haven't are saying it's behind. I'm say there turkeys being turkeys and there frustrating 50% of the time, they'll drive you insane 49% of the time, I quite 500 times a year, I give up 20 times a day, and the tiny little 1% success rate I have  is what drives me to hunt every single day I can.
[/quote]

The weather person is not helping my hunting either, it said thunderstorms today so I did not go out, I don't mind sitting in the rain but don't play around with lightning. There is barely a cloud in the sky, I think I will train my dog to bite weather people.

[Sir-diealot]

I'm in North East PA so I'm not to far from ya fellers and it's been extremely quiet down here. I have the privilege of hunting prime turkey private land and it hasn't been too hot so far.

I have to get into PA to hunt one day, I am only an hour from the border. I have seen more turkey in PA then I have ever seen in NY

[deerpoo22]

I'm in North East PA so I'm not to far from ya fellers and it's been extremely quiet down here. I have the privilege of hunting prime turkey private land and it hasn't been too hot so far.

I have to get into PA to hunt one day, I am only an hour from the border. I have seen more turkey in PA then I have ever seen in NY

up in Wayne, Bradford, and Susquehanna counties their numbers are higher than usual. I have a route that goes to NY everyday and like clockwork i see gobblers all the time. I'm down in luzerne county WMU 3D where the game forecast report said #s were way down and I believe it.

[Sir-diealot]

I'm in North East PA so I'm not to far from ya fellers and it's been extremely quiet down here. I have the privilege of hunting prime turkey private land and it hasn't been too hot so far.

I have to get into PA to hunt one day, I am only an hour from the border. I have seen more turkey in PA then I have ever seen in NY

up in Wayne, Bradford, and Susquehanna counties their numbers are higher than usual. I have a route that goes to NY everyday and like clockwork i see gobblers all the time. I'm down in luzerne county WMU 3D where the game forecast report said #s were way down and I believe it.

My grandfather was in Forest City before he died and my uncle was in Carbondale before he died, both are i Susquehanna County. I have friends in New Milford but have yet to be there.