Late Season Colorado

[Dtrkyman]

When I was there last week of season last year I heard virtually no gobbling, however I did have one good morning where a group of jake's and one tom roosted close together and there was good gobbling, called in the hens and jakes but the tom stayed one ridge over.

Got him to gobble one evening with a Coyote howler, he was silent the next morning and I even heard him fly down.

[JMalin]

I drug a pine branch across the trail I found gobbler tracks on so that I'll know that any track I see in there again is fresh.  Also set up a trail camera.  This feels more like deer hunting than turkey hunting unfortunately

[JMalin]

Logged 10.2 miles today.  Got a spot I'm going to listen from in the morning and if it's a bust, I may end up just treating the remainder of the time in Colorado as a vacation

[Dtrkyman]

Hunting turkeys is a vacation!  Just keep poking around and enjoy the views!

I get so into hunt mode I forget to stop and smell the roses!

[JMalin]

At the very least, I put in some ground work should I return earlier in the season.  I'm in sign.  Scratchings of pine needs, old droppings, some tracks.  Just can't get on a gobbling bird to save my life.

[PinocchioProjectMS]

Was out in that area of the state from the 10th til the 15th, filled my tag and my buddy came very close to filling his. We covered about 50 miles on foot in 4 1/2 days. With the only snow being above 10,000 for the most part, we ran into pretty much all of the birds/sign ABOVE 8k. The bird I killed was around 8,500 and we actually saw a group of hens as high as 9500. That being said, it was pretty obvious that the toms we were hunting were some of the few to survive the earlier part of the season, which might have to do with them booking it up the mountain to the high meadows. I'd look for access away from traditional campgrounds and larger streams that have decent fishing. Seems that a lot of these areas with birds get noticed during other seasons / activities and people come back to hunt them.

[JMalin]

I probably spent too much time in an area with easy access.  No gobbles again this morning.  I kinda think it's a combination of things being about done on the breeding cycle and the easy to get to birds getting killed.  Getting a hotel the next two days to regroup and get rested up.  Will target some higher areas that are hard to get to, but kinda feel whipped and ready to just sight see.

[Dtrkyman]

I don't think anyone not local realizes the pressure there.

I was shocked, absolutely pounded opening weekend, and guys could care less about coming in on your hunt!

I parked a half mile from where I started opening morning, when I left there were two trucks between mine and my set up!

Saw 11 trucks at one trail!


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[GobbleNut]

I don't think anyone not local realizes the pressure there.

Reminds me of the first time I hunted in CO.  Went into a Walmart to buy a license about May 10th or so.  Ran into a couple of out-of-staters who had apparently been hunting for a few days.  The dejected look on their faces should have warned me about what we were about to face.  "Shocked" does not start to describe it!

Personally, I like a challenge when I go to a new place to hunt, but the conditions we found,...giant country with limited access and very few turkeys that had obviously been scared sh*tless by the time we got there,...were a bit more than even I had bargained for.  A guy can kill a gobbler there, no doubt, but it ain't a walk in the park to get it done!   

[JMalin]

I'm now in a lot of fresh sign with two hens sighted on public.  Finally feels like I'm in them.  Backing out for now.  Will come back in here this evening to hunt/roost.

[runngun]

Get on them!!! Hammer time!!! Best of luck to you! Please post up pictures.

Have a good one
Bo

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[deerhunt1988]

Good luck with them. Been keeping up with the thread and rooting for ya!

[marshboy]

This has been a fun thread to follow! 
Best of luck sir.
Greg

[JMalin]

Dealing with a bird afraid of his own shadow it seems.  Didn't do any good yesterday evening.  He gobbled one time this morning after the hens he was roosted with gave out their first tree yelps.  I thought I had gotten past them and wanted to be able to shoot the forest service road I figured they'd use based on the fresh tracks in the road I had seen yesterday.  Instead I ended up within 70 yards of them, well below them and as soon as I sat down they started putting.  After about 10 mins of off and on putting, they calmed down with the hens continuing with tree talk.  Flew down a bit later than I expected (probably due to my presence) with what I assume was four hens and the one Tom.  Hens yelped a bit on the ground, but I never heard another gobble.  As soon as they worked off, I got a 1/4 mile or so further down the road and set up on a cut I figured they might travel down with a nice bend in the road.  Kept mostly quiet at this point.  30-45 mins later a group of three hens came in from what would have been further up the road.  They take off running past me.  Wasn't sure if they had seen me or what.  Then they headed up to the cut and played chase with what I think was two of the hens the Tom had roosted with and the Tom himself.  One starts yelping and I start calling back.  The Tom then steps out at 80-100 yards, peaks from where I was sitting/calling from, and proceeds to move off quickly leaving live hens in the process.  I know I wasn't moving.  Just a pressured turkey I assume.  Will try for the roost ambush tonight.  Won't make a peep.  None of us turkey hunt for that sort of thing, but I'd sure like to sleep in tomorrow and not try to locate a different bird to hunt. 

[Dtrkyman]

Definitely sounds like a heavily pressured bird, even though I prefer calling in birds I get a certain satisfaction killing a silent bird!

Good luck.


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