Tough out there.

[Hayudog]

Last two days have been high winds.  Have had a few jakes come thru.  Very few gobbles, even on the roost.  Prospecting tomorrow and Friday on a property that i have not hunted in 2 years.  Its about 3 hours away from home.  Jr hunt on Saturday.  I'll meet the Jr on Friday night, scout and introductions.   Saturdays hunt will be in assigned areas of a UC Davis research property that they only have jr's hunt 2 x per year.

Looks like the Alabama team is putting them in the dirt. 

Good luck to all.

[blackmagic]

The way my season's going, the first jake that acts like a big boy is gonna get it.

[RutnNStrutn]

Just got home tonight after a very tough 9 days at my lease in SC. Had 3 days of crappy weather with no gobbles at all. The other days they gobbled a little on the roost, but shut up as soon as they flew down because they were with multiple hens who flew down with them. 3 of the days I got within 50-75 yds of the roost, had them gobbling at my calls, watched the gobblers fly down and then GAME OVER when as many as a dozen hens pitched down to the boys. After that, the same thing every day. The hens would take them away, they wouldn't gobble and they would stay gone all day long before roosting with those ho's again!! Have I mentioned that I hate hens?
Gonna try chasing some Easyolas on some hard pressured public land the next week or so.

[RutnNStrutn]

The way my season's going, the first jake that acts like a big boy is gonna get it.

I always say, if its legal, and ethical, and it makes you happy, go for it!! Good luck!!

[Hayudog]

Three days of hunting and not one bird to the gun.

Day one arrived about half hour after fly down, didn't remember how long the interior roads took to the hunting area.  Didn't hear a bird til about 9 am.  Brought him all the way in, held up behind some brush at 25 yards,  just to have him walk out.  Why do they come from 300 yards and not give a look?   Hunted the whole day, not another gobble.

Had a bird roosted close the second day.  They roost up a drainage on a knoll that is almost impossible to get into in the dark.  Never saw him, only could hear him gobble.  No hens that I could hear.  When he came down he went the other way.  After he left I went up the drainage and spent some time cutting a trail into it from above, so another time when they are roosted there I'll make a closer play.  Got on him again I think about 10 am.  He was gobbling on his own, so we got as close as the open area would allow.   He came at first, closed to about 70 yards, and again drifted up the hill.  I could only think he had hens with him.  One last play on this bird.  Back to the truck and drove around and above him.  Told my neighbor that was hunting with me that we were not going to call this bird- its ambush time.  He gobbled one time and gave away his position-we eased down the road- lots of tall timber and understory brush.  I spotted him at about 70 yards and froze....but Leo didn't stop til the bird was standing in the middle of the road.  Bird didn't react like he'd busted us, just didn't act relaxed. (are they ever?)  I moved up to get a clear shooting lane.  Made a few soft yelps, he cut me off.  Walked below me at about twenty yards thru the brush, gobbled every minute or two.  Never to show his face.  BTW- Never saw a hen with this bird- he might just be a crafty bachelor that doesn't know how to hook up.

Cut out early to head down the hill to scout for the Jr. hunt on Saturday. Arrived at about 2 pm- Its a University of California research property.  I wasn't allowed out on the property until after the orientation talk at 5 pm.   They allow Jr hunters to hunt it 4 days a season.  2 on jr weekend before the general season.  And 2 days mid season.  I volunteered thru NWTF to help a father and son that didn't have much turkey hunting experience. Its about a 3500 acre property.  There are about 15 assigned hunting areas. 
The area Blake drew had no birds in it that I could tell on our scouting search the night before Saturdays hunt.  Being an assigned area hunt, we did what we had to do.  Hunted it the next morning- guess what- no birds arrived overnight.  Heard one gobble on the roost, so far off I wouldn't even have walked down this canyon had the bird been on the property.  I made the call an hour after shoot time to go back to the check in folks and ask for an area change.   There were a couple of no shows- so we got into a zone close to where I had seen a couple of birds the day before as I drove in. 
Figured if we bumped a bird on this small of a zone to hunt it would be tough to recover from.  We eased into a likely area- set up and called.  ZIP.  Didn't hear a single gobble til 10am.  Then it was out of our zone and 500 yards away.  One gobble all morning for this young man.  Worked a few hens thru.  Had a coyote come thru.  Had a garder snake scare the Bejesus out of me- this is rattlesnake country.  Grass exploded as I walked out to pickup the decoy.  5' snake that was faster than a scared old man.  First time I'd ever seen a snake climb a tree.  Kid loved it.  Climbed after it.  High light of his day.
Good young man.  12 years old.  Had a good attention span.  Listened well.  We had plenty of time to talk about good ways and bad ways that turkeys are hunted.  Explained how and why of what we did.  Scouting, roosting, moving in the woods, decoy set up and calling.  Hope he and Dad took something away- but no bird.  Maybe another time.

[Twowithone]

Good of you to take a young kid out there and show him the ropes Hayudog

[RutnNStrutn]

Man, its been tough all over. I'm having a terrible season. Thankful for my one bird. Hopefully the rest of the team will start hitting the woods soon.