How many days?

[Cowboy]

Start scouting for turkeys about the same time I start looking for shed antlers.  Hunted 4 days for youth season for
the kids and 5 days so far for myself and couple days for the wife. I got a 3 day weekend coming up for myself. Got 10 days blocked out in May for our West turkey trip.  Most of my vacation and sick days get used in the spring. 

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[Burtwill]

Usually 4-5 days a week. Not full day hunts but either a morning or afternoon but all depends on how busy life gets. This year I think I have hunted 6-7 days a week with the exception of a full week i had too much going on and couldn't go.

[Happy]

It really depends. I save most of my vacation time for turkey season. Plus, I have the flexibility to work from home some, so that helps. I would guess I can get to the woods 3-4 days a week on average and if work isn't crazy. I try to pace myself as far as my personal hunts go, but do try and help friends a good bit.

[Marc]

Out of curiosity...  How many hours in the field on a given day (if you do not kill a bird quickly)?

Depending on the property and area I am hunting, I usually have an hour drive, and will hunt sunrise to the afternoon (as late as 5 PM).  Unless I kill a bird quickly, I would say that most days I average  4-6 in the field hours though.

Last year, I killed my last bird on the last day I could hunt the season at 4:58 PM (shooting time stopped at 5 PM) for an 11 hour day.  I was watching the clock as much as I was watching that bird slowly come in...  Honestly, stretched my shot to out just past 40...  Were I to do it again, I probably would have let him walk.

[ScottTaulbee]

Out of curiosity...  How many hours in the field on a given day (if you do not kill a bird quickly)?

Depending on the property and area I am hunting, I usually have an hour drive, and will hunt sunrise to the afternoon (as late as 5 PM).  Unless I kill a bird quickly, I would say that most days I average  4-6 in the field hours though.

Last year, I killed my last bird on the last day I could hunt the season at 4:58 PM (shooting time stopped at 5 PM) for an 11 hour day.  I was watching the clock as much as I was watching that bird slowly come in...  Honestly, stretched my shot to out just past 40...  Were I to do it again, I probably would have let him walk.

If I'm off work, I'm driving anywhere from an hour to two hours in any direction from my home to National forest or a WMA. Typically leave the house around 3 am and get to the spot around 4 or 5. Anymore there seems to be people at every spot so I end up driving around until about 6 or so. Shooting time is at 6:20 am  and I hunt from shooting time until end of shooting time if I don't get a bird quickly. Which is about 8:47 pm. If I leave early it won't be until 6 or 7 pm typically. If I have to work, I'll hunt evenings and will drive anywhere from 30 min to an hour to a WMA close by and hunt from 4:30 or 5 pm until the end of shooting time. Roughly 4 hours or so.


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[outdoorguy3]

Went to the woods every Sat. and Sunday after church starting the last weekend in Jan.  Season Opened April 8th here in NC.  I have been in the woods three times since the season started. Opening Sat., After church Easter Sun ., and this past Sat.  I got lucky and have tagged out so now I'll continue to go to the woods and scout and call until the end of the season.

I can't get enough or learn enough!  Always working to get better.

Ralph

[FLGobstopper]

In the woods typically 20-30 but not all of those are all day hunts. Usually 10-12 full days with lots of 2-3 hrs in the morning or afternoon hunts.

This year is not typical because I've hunted 12 days so far with 8 pretty close to full days with kids a few days, a friend a few and the rest by myself. I will have at least another 12 full days by the end of May with an upcoming trip planning to hit 3 states.

How many birds I personally kill is a different story. Average 3 between 2 states yearly. Potential of 12 this year but I will be really happy with 3 more and my travel buddy to tag 3.

[Mossberg90MN]

Somewhere around 25-30ish days. Used to be a little more but I have a 9 month old boy now so I got to be home a little more now until he's a little older.

I have seen less pressure. In comparison


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[g8rvet]

I hunted 8 of the first 9 days (rained hard on the 9th), then every Wednesday and Sat and Sunday of 2 out of 3 weekends (lost 3 days total to thunder and lightning).  So this year that brings me to 20 days.  I let my son in law shoot one of the birds I called in when we were together or I would be done too.  I am glad I made that choice, I have been having fun.  Ends this weekend. 

[PALongspur]

I used to start scouting around mid March and not miss a day until our season ended at the end of May. That's changed since my wife and I had kids. Now my scouting time is minimal but I still manage to hunt almost every day of our season. I also usually am lucky enough to squeeze in 1 or 2 other states every spring. I'd say I average around 30-35 hunting days a year.

[roberthyman14]

Our season ends Sunday. By then I will have hunted 24 days. Most are a few hours then go to work. Missed a couple weekend days do yo poor weather n Easter.

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[dzsmith]

Hunter activity in the areas I hunt has actually increased post Covid. Luckily I was done very fast that year , and didn't travel that year. I spend however much time it takes , some years it's more , some years it's less. This year I was done at home fairly quick , but have spent a higher than average time out of state , and have had less than average luck. My work demands did not change due to covid ... working from home is not an option. So I've seen no change in my hunting patterns due to the pandemic . I like to set aside about 2 weeks to hunt in my homestate. And I like to spend about 2 total weeks traveling, whether it's all together or broken up. I would say I average easily 30 days in the woods each spring, some years it's less.

[ferocious calls]

It becomes priority #2. Waking up being #1. Every day possible.

[GobbleNut]

I think I have probably averaged ten to twelve days a season over the past 55+ years.  The first twenty-five years, probably six or seven days,...the last thirty or so, probably between fifteen and twenty.  I think the most I have ever hunted in a single season was about 25 days, not including scouting.  Being retired now, I can hunt as much as I want,...and "as much as I want" seems to be about twenty days +/- nowadays.  As I get older, I find that I am not mad at them anymore and am satisfied with hunting a bit less,...and trying to enjoy it more. 

This spring, first state hunted, I scouted 2.5 days and hunted 2.5 days.  Next state, scouted three days and have hunted four days.  Harvested one gobbler. 
Plan on hunting maybe five more days here and six days in another state.  Sum total looks to be about 23 days for both scouting and hunting.

As for overall hunting pressure, here in my home state it has been increasing almost yearly for the last decade,...hunter numbers going up roughly 50% in that time. Harvest has increased about 60% in that same timeframe.  Turkey numbers are remaining fairly stable, but gobbler numbers seem to be decreasing steadily.  We are not in trouble yet,...but we are headed there if the trends continue.

[High plains drifter]

One day scouting, for every day hunting. I probably average 12 days.I think I can get 4 tags in the spring. I do pass on anything but gobblers, unless it's late in the season.