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First Scouting Trip

Started by StruttinGobbler3, February 24, 2020, 11:41:21 AM

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StruttinGobbler3

Went out for the first time to do some listening before work at daylight this morning. Heard three gobblers just barely over the property line on the neighbors of a small tract, plenty close enough to call over to my side. Will give updates as I do more recon and gather more intel.


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John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

timberjack86

I'm gonna start listening the 3rd week in March. Hopefully locate a couple birds to start my season with.

StruttinGobbler3

Quote from: timberjack86 on February 24, 2020, 12:17:05 PM
I'm gonna start listening the 3rd week in March. Hopefully locate a couple birds to start my season with.
Sounds good, our season starts March 21st this year so I figured it was time to start nailing down a few gobblers to hunt. Will actually start March 15th for me during the youth season if I end up taking a kid out.


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John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

reflexl

Awesome! I had to work yesterday. I made a lap around the farm on the way in and saw a pretty nice bird. Couldn't see his spurs but beard was around 11".

rstewart8706

Went on my third scouting trip in the Cherokee National Forest yesterday.  No birds seen and very little sign found. If a man was looking for hog scat, he would have been in luck.  Hog sign everywhere.  found one hog rub on a tree waist high.  But only some old scratching, before the rain old.

StruttinGobbler3

Quote from: rstewart8706 on February 24, 2020, 03:09:56 PM
Went on my third scouting trip in the Cherokee National Forest yesterday.  No birds seen and very little sign found. If a man was looking for hog scat, he would have been in luck.  Hog sign everywhere.  found one hog rub on a tree waist high.  But only some old scratching, before the rain old.
I despise a wild hog. I grew up farming and come from several generations of farmers. Hogs have infested South Georgia and they eat us out of house and home. The destruction they can do is crazy. And to add insult to injury, they're a nest predator and run off half your turkeys.


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John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

rstewart8706

These are real Russian blood wild hogs.  Direct descendants from those imported by Vanderbilt and stocked in Hoopers Bald in NC.  I saw one last year that was at least 30" tall.  Saw them every time I turkey hunted but not a single.time when I could legally kill one.  The luck of the Scots Irish.

StruttinGobbler3

Scouting update. Weather was terrible this morning, dark and cloudy with misting rain. Didn't hear a lot of activity, as expected. But I did manage to get one gobbler to fire off a few times on the northern side of our of home property. Was able to triangulate him from two directions and get a good fix on his location. Four gobblers located so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

StruttinGobbler3

Still cloudy this morning, didn't hear any roost gobbling. Was able to get one gobble out of a bird about thirty minutes past flydown time. Couldn't get an exact fix on him since he wouldn't gobble again. Hoping for better weather soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

StruttinGobbler3

Depressing morning. Checked two nearby farms this morning at daylight for roost gobbling and couldn't pay a bird to gobble. Absolutely nothing, not even any hen talk. Of course it was also 33 degrees, which probably had a lot to do with it. Will wait for a warmer morning


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

timberjack86

Should get better and better as the days go by and we get thru all this rain.

rstewart8706

Was going to go listen at daybreak yesterday but the thermometer said it was 25 down in the flat land.  It would have been at least 4-5 degrees colder up in the foothills of Big Frog so I stayed at home until late morning and then took a stroll thru some non mountain public land.  Found some sign and saw a big gang of hens and jakes in a field on private property.
Today it was back to the "salt mine" to try to earn a few pennies to put towards a new 20 gauge turkey gun.   

StruttinGobbler3

Scouted this morning, only heard one gobbler. Believe this was the same bird I heard after flydown a few days ago. He was close to that vicinity. Cloudy weather again this morning. Can't buy a warm and clear bluebird morning at the moment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

StruttinGobbler3

Didn't go out at daylight today since the weather was so rainy. But after the rain stopped I rode by one of our smaller fields around 11pm and drove up within fifty yards of two gobblers. Got to see them up close and they looked like real nice ones. Definitely mature birds. Either one would probably put up a nice score on our board. Counting down the days..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion

StruttinGobbler3

Finally a clear and sunny morning. Little cooler than I would have liked at 38 degrees. Heard two gobblers on one farm for sure, and it may have been three. Sounded like a third bird was further in straight behind one of the others. Going to slip in that place from the other side tomorrow morning and try to get a better fix on them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
John 3:16

"Fall hunting is maneuvers. Spring hunting is war"
Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion