When does your season open?

[lacire]

Hello, I was just accepted as a member of your team so I'm a little behind here. The California season starts March 26th and runs to May 1st, we're allowed three toms, no hens unless she's bearded.

Welcome aboard!

Thank you.

[lacire]

Great story,  I am with you, let these young guys do the running. Great picture, You still carrying the humpback?

  yes Jeff I still have it, I bought it used probably 25 years ago or so. Browning Auto 5 in 20ga magnum, bought an additional 28" barrel with replaceable choke tubes for it for steel shot too. Used it up until last spring. That story you read was when I figured out I'm getting old and if I'm gonna do this for a few more years I needed a lighter gun so I bought a Benelli 20ga. My first new shotgun gun I've bought since high school. I worked my butt off for a brand new Winchester 12ga. Super X and of course I had to have the one with the 30 inch barrel. A very pour choice for upland game but I didn't know it at the time. That gun was so slow to get moving I couldn't hit anything. I did kill some non moving jack rabbits with it. My dad bought it from me and didn't have a problem shooting pheasants with it. So right after I got out of high school I got a Winchester 12ga 101 that I still have, much better gun for the quail I was after. I don't have a lot of pictures of the old days (pre cell phones when pictures had to be developed and were expensive) but this was my hunting out fit. I still have that vest too..........

https://imgur.com/a/ZQPnwgo

[JeffC]

grew up in the 60's hunting rabbits and birds, had my grandfathers sxs 12g. My father cut stock on it so I could shoulder better, still have , stock has crack in it otherwise I might use it 1 more time. Love upland bird hunting, had to put down my pointing lab 3 years ago, just dont have time to get another 1, miss it a lot.

[Muzzy61]

See that Muzzy is up this weekend!!  Where are you heading too to put us on the board? Private or public?? Are you hunting areas where you have had sucess before?

I will be hunting private land here in North Central Florida. I've managed to get one each of the last 4 years off of it. It's mostly swamp and Pine thickets, the issue right now is we have gotten over 10 inches of rain in the last 2 weeks, 6 inches of that in the last 5 days, so should be fun. 

I'm hunting this weekend and then a buddy from Kentucky will be down for the rest of the week, will be trying to get him on a bird.

[lacire]

See that Muzzy is up this weekend!!  Where are you heading too to put us on the board? Private or public?? Are you hunting areas where you have had sucess before?

I will be hunting private land here in North Central Florida. I've managed to get one each of the last 4 years off of it. It's mostly swamp and Pine thickets, the issue right now is we have gotten over 10 inches of rain in the last 2 weeks, 6 inches of that in the last 5 days, so should be fun. 

I'm hunting this weekend and then a buddy from Kentucky will be down for the rest of the week, will be trying to get him on a bird.

Rubber boots, hip boots or waders?

[HillclimberWV]

grew up in the 60's hunting rabbits and birds, had my grandfathers sxs 12g. My father cut stock on it so I could shoulder better, still have , stock has crack in it otherwise I might use it 1 more time. Love upland bird hunting, had to put down my pointing lab 3 years ago, just dont have time to get another 1, miss it a lot.

As much as i love turkey hunting theres nothing better than hunting behind a good dog. It doesnt matter if its rabbits birds or bear i always enjoy myself when I'm in the company of a good hunting K9.

[lacire]

grew up in the 60's hunting rabbits and birds, had my grandfathers sxs 12g. My father cut stock on it so I could shoulder better, still have , stock has crack in it otherwise I might use it 1 more time. Love upland bird hunting, had to put down my pointing lab 3 years ago, just dont have time to get another 1, miss it a lot.

As much as i love turkey hunting theres nothing better than hunting behind a good dog. It doesnt matter if its rabbits birds or bear i always enjoy myself when I'm in the company of a good hunting K9.

Yah, I miss hunting with my lab.

[VA Gobble Addict]

Season opens for me the second weekend in April. I hunt private and have a couple of birds hanging around. Planning on going to SD and WY at the end of April. That may change though.

[HillclimberWV]

I've got a pretty good bead on some birds on private. I saw 6 longbeards together the last day in December. Have been keeping tabs on them every couple weeks since. I was coyote hunting 2 sundays ago and heard 3 gobblers firing off back and forth for about 30 mins after daylight. Only trouble is its a smaller piece of private and they sometimes roost across a gravel road. It can be hard to call them across it if they dont pitch to my side out of the roost.
I'm going in blind in virginia. Have some friends that have hunted there and shared some info but I've never steeped foot on the property. I know i should have made a trip and scouted but it kind of adds to the excitement a little bit for me. Also I'm going to be visiting family in VA that weekend so its a pretty cheap adventure. If that weekend doesn't work out i will try some more familiar places later in the season.

[JeffC]

Hillclimber, how serious of a coyote hunter?? Just getting started here, had a few show up a few years ago, now have a least 2 packs running around. Really messed up my bow hunting, just picked up  IR scope, begging and pleating for a suppressor, wanted a thermal, got shot down, so far.

[HillclimberWV]

JeffC i'm amateur at best i do daytime hunts most of the time. I use it mainly as an excuse to get outside and take my gun for a walk.  I have been interested in all the thermal and supressor but hard to justify the cost for something i ain't going to eat. I'm more successful at calling coons out of the barn than i am coyotes in but i have fun trying both. Also i figure any varmint i take out is possibly saved polt or fawn.

[JeffC]

Muzzy I sure hope you got a boat, looks like more rain headed your way. Do the gators become a problem when you have this much rain? Ever run into a python?

[Muzzy61]

Yep, Looks like some more rain tomorrow ( opening day), but then looks pretty decent the remainder of the week. Luckily I'm a little to far north for any pythons, but plenty of cotton mouths to tend with. As far as gators no problem with them when it's wet, but when it's dry they will walk from one water source to another.
I've been in a tree stand hunting and seen then walking through the palmetto flats within bow range.

Not sure what to expect tomorrow morning. With all this water the birds could be roosted anywhere and most of the normal strut areas are under water.

[lacire]

Yep, Looks like some more rain tomorrow ( opening day), but then looks pretty decent the remainder of the week. Luckily I'm a little to far north for any pythons, but plenty of cotton mouths to tend with. As far as gators no problem with them when it's wet, but when it's dry they will walk from one water source to another.
I've been in a tree stand hunting and seen then walking through the palmetto flats within bow range.

Not sure what to expect tomorrow morning. With all this water the birds could be roosted anywhere and most of the normal strut areas are under water.

Good luck on your opener tomorrow.

[JeffC]

So Jersey was good to me this year, got all the tags I wanted, so legally I can take 6 Toms in Jersey and 2 in Maryland. I will be lucky and happy to harvest 3, having 6 tags in Jersey lets me hunt entire season. Going back to a different zone that I hunted last year for the 1st time, know there should be some mature birds there,  17 more days....