Iowas 1st Season ??

[1iagobblergetter]

Just wondering how some of the Iowa guys did 1st season? I usually always do pretty good calling at least a Tom or 2 in for me or a friend,but had no luck with anything,but jakes. I hunt some prime private ground and didnt hear a gobble the first day that i recall. Usually neighboring properties are hunted hard and never heard a shot anywhere. 2 nd day gobbled on the roost, a little gobbling off roost ,calling to them,guy on next property is between them and I and shoots one. Called the flock all in a hour later,but couldn't get them any closer than 65 yds. Usually have luck getting to the boss hen,which two came in a little earlier just purring and clucking left and 10 min.later the rest came to 65 yds as stated no closer. 3rd day gobbled good on the roost then nothing. Called 2 separate groups of jakes throughout the day 20 yds and closer gave a pass. 4th morning gobbled some on roost nothing after. Called two jakes to 10 yds gave them a pass and only hunted for 2 hours end of my 1st season.Usually can figure out roosting patterns etc. Not so this season. Had a frustrating good time!! If it was easy I wouldn't love it so much.HaHa

[stinkpickle]

I hunted 1st season.

Monday - Beautiful morning.  I set up a farm I'm very familiar with at a common roost site where two creeks meet.  90% of the time, the birds fly down to the east fields, strut around for about 10-15 minutes, and then cut over to spend a lot of time in the west field...so, of course, I set up in the west field.  The longbeard flies down into the east field as planned and struts around for about 5 minutes.  Three jakes enter the opposite end of the field.  The longbeard kicks it in high gear and sprints across the field at them.  They disappear into the timber of the neighboring property, and that's the last turkey I see that day...and I hunted until sunset.  Actually, I end up with two hens yelping like crazy around me all morning, but no boys seem interested.  I didn't hear a single gun shot...that's weird for southern Iowa.

Tuesday - Cold, clear, and still.  I thought I'd set up on five longbeards...a group of two and another group of three.  All gobbling stopped once they hit the ground, and it turns out they were all jakes.  I kept two of them around my dekes for nearly an hour.  It looks like they had a decent hatch last year, after all.  No longbeards today, though.  I didn't hear any gun shots today, either...REALLY STRANGE!

Wednesday - More beautiful weather at sunrise.  Turkeys were making all kinds of noise, but after the previous day's experience, I wasn't sure how many were jakes.  Apparently, the ones around me were.  I called in four hens and three jakes.  No longbeard.  Gobbling stopped 15 minutes after flydown.  I did, however, see a strutter with some hens on the neighboring property.  Around 10:00am, they worked their way back to a part of the farm I could hunt, but there was no way I could sneak up to them without being seen.  I waited until they slipped down into a ditch to make my move.  I got pretty close, and spotted one of the hens, so I just plopped down and called.  Nothing happened.  I crawled up over the hill, and all the birds were gone.  I don't think I alarmed any of them.  I didn't hear any putts.  Either way, that was my last turkey sighting for the day.  They were forecasting rain for Thursday, so I set up a blind in the little field I last saw the birds, just in case.  I did hear a couple of gun shots today, so maybe my ears are OK after all.

Thursday - Rained all morning.  I slipped into the blind to stay dry.  Gobbling on the roost was just OK, but they kept it up after flydown.  In fact, one bird on the other side of farm was going apesh#t.  I watched him strut and gobble from about 400 yards away for nearly three hours.  Again, he stayed in the middle of a huge corn field, so there was no way for me to get to him.  Another longbeard joined him around 9:00am.  Kinda frustrating, but at least they were fun to watch.  Around 9:30, the wind picked up and it started raining HARD.  That lasted for about 20 minutes.  When it was over, the longbeards across the field were gone.  Five minutes later, several hens and a jake fly over the fence behind me and started milling around in front of me.  I glance over to my left, and I catch sight of a longbeard skirting my decoys.  He got shot...

[Hognutz]

Way to go, Mr Stinkpickle..Looks like one of those Iowa slob-a-saurus's..Mike

[horsedoctor]

This year was one of my shortest 1st seasons ever in Iowa. O-Dark thirty Monday morning I heard 4 or 5 birds gobbling on the roost. A couple soft clucks to let them know I was there. At flydown a strutter and a looker walked out of the woods, spotted "Pretty Boy" and ran 50 yards across the open field. The strutter stopped 5 yards form the decoy (25 from me) and puffed up. A little yelp made him stick his head up and the last thing through his mind was 2 1/2 oz. of #7 HeviShot. Done at 6:30 AM. Heading to SD for a Merriam hunt to help pass the time until 4th season.

[Duke0002]

Hunted Iowa for the first time.  Son hunted with me -his first turkey hunt.  We were very fortunate on Monday.  I got one at 6:45 and he dropped one at 9:50.  Home for lunch.

I'll be back next year for sure.  Big birds there.