Well, I’m a novice. Trying to get my first bird.

Whiffed twice this morning. 40 yards then 50 yards. I had a tom gobbling back at my calls for about 30 minutes but then he went silent. I thought he found a hen but he was actually just moving in on me silently. I got up after about an hour and walked down a logging road to call another direction (thinking he moved on). I started walking back and turned the corner to him mounted on my hen and knocked over my jake deke. I tried the shot standing unsupported with him semi alert he was so low on the decoy I missed high. Clean misses. It happened so fast, and he jizzed on the deke. I’m going back for him tomorrow with different calls and decoys so that he hopefully doesn’t associate me with today. He’s already been back in the area this afternoon with a real hen from cell cam pics.

So frustrating.



image hosting

While we mourn the passing of our dear friend Tom, we will gather again and again to celebrate his life.

13lb of meat vacuum sealed and in the freezer.

Redeemed myself and got it done today.

Congratulations!

If I live to see the sun come up tomorrow, I’ll have my back to a tree.

Well we hunted with a 410 and bow on Saturday. We both had birds hang up at 45-50 yards, to far for both of us. Sunday morning we both went with 3' 12 gauges. I got mine at 18 yards & 8 1/2" beard and he got his at 15 with a 9"! Here's to another great year!
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Those are beautiful birds. Congratulations.

Thank you! Next year we will be hunting Eastern birds somewhere, Love the Chocolate
brown colors in their fans.

Saturday Opener


30 minutes of working him slow.  20 yards

Congratulations!

You guys are killing me. Shoulder surgery went well, can't shoot a rifle though. I did miss this fucker with my pistol as he closed in on my chickens yesterday.

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That's one mangey looking MF'r!

Yeah, he’s mangy. It would probably be a favor to put him down.

And, it sounds like you have an excuse to get one of those .410s now.

I was looking at some online today. I'll definitely be able to shoot my 17 soon enough, but don't know about an my shotgun for a bit.

No gobblers have stayed on our place for more than a few hours at a time all season. I lose interest when it warms up, so I’m done until next year. Hopefully Tennessee opens its season earlier next year. They recently concluded a study that demonstrates that pushing the season back did not really help anything. What our turkeys seem to be lacking the most, according to every biologist I have heard opine on the matter, is predator control.

I am pretty sure there are three different hens nesting on our farm right now. I killed a couple of coyotes in the last few months and one bobcat, but sort of feel bad because I neglected my raccoon trapping last winter. Trapping season now runs year- around here, so I put out some traps the other day.

Got this boar this morning:

Shot mine yesterday evening. 7/8ths in spurs. 9" beard. Didn't weigh him. Marlin goose gun

SCDNR is trying to lower our bag limit and shorten our season. Meanwhile, they haven’t done anything to address predation, or habitat, and they still burn during Turkey nesting season. I’m a little salty about that.

I do plan to do some burning in the fall and I’m going to plant some Chufa to try to hold birds.

I don’t really have the time to monitor traps like Inshould, but I do shoot hogs and coyotes every chance I get.

This bearded hen was in my place prior to the season, but I’m afraid it got got. Attached File

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19#, 10" beard, 1-1/8" & 7/8" spurs. Doggo approved.

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Was within 10 yards of the biggest gobblers I’ve seen in my life last weekend, when the hunt hadn’t started.

Today is day 1. Had a hen come in but then the snow really started coming down.

Nice!

Snow turkeys seem strange me. It’s 90 degrees down here.

Turkey hunting gives me more of rush than deer hunting.
Having a gobbler answer back and come to you is exhilarating.
Especially if you have one come in behind you and walk past at 5 yrs or less.
Mask and gloves to keep the bugs off face and hands make it more enjoyable during warm weather.
Cherry wood smoked Turkey is way better than a butterball. Not as much breast meat, but way more flavorful.

Was watching a tom and 2 jakes in my backyard this morning while making my girls breakfast when the snow started here.  Was an odd site for sure given the time of year.  They called a lone hen in as well.  I got rid of all my calls and other assorted turkey gear years ago but I might stop at Dunhams to grab a call and a tag after work today just in case one of my nieces or nephews want to give it a shot.

Killed a nice Tom with my bow this morning. 13yard shot drt. Second bird of the year. A friend and his son are coming over to hunt tomorrow and Monday trying to get the young man his first turkey. Shaping up to be a great season.

It’s strange to me too. Snow isn’t out of the question for Michigan in April, but turkey hunting isn’t generally a cold & wet weather event for me. I would have brought my gear drying stuff if I’d known!

I love being that close to a big tom. They’re friggin’ dinosaurs practically. Such sharp, cautious birds too, it’s a real challenge sometimes. I belly crawled across a freshly turned field today trying to get to a big group of them but they busted me. Still fun.

7 big toms went right up the front lawn this morning, same spot as these 2 last night. Should be easy, but it never is in reality. May 1 is the kick off

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“We got us a human over here!  HUMAN ALERT!”



Last weekend, before my license was valid while I practiced calling.

I called in two hunters from my back porch, lol. I was out there just seeing if I could get a response, 5 minutes later I watch two guys below my house creep up and sit down and start calling. I didn't call back.

Meanwhile, I bought a over/under .410 ATI Turkey Fowler and some Federal tss #9's for it for Pennsylvania's opener.

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Nice, lol!

That’s a sharp gun. I think they just started allowing #9 here.

How did I miss this thread?

Gobbler In The Yard by FredMan, on Flickr

Strut 20170403 by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey SBS 2024-04-13 by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey_FS 2024-04-12 by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey On The Grill by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey On The Table by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey Trophy 2024-04-13 by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey Trophies by FredMan, on Flickr

Fred, what is your maximum range using a SBS? I’ve thought about taking one for run and gun light setups but range anxiety is a real thing.

Those are great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

9.0/10 for not browning those Brussel sprouts some.

Season opened here on Wednesday. Been having a few longbeards coming through the yard every morning. They’d better look out!

Awesome!

I’ve taken birds with that SBS out to 35 yards.

It gets better; it’s a 20 ga!

For turkey I exclusively shoot Federal MagShok, 1-5/16 oz No 5, copper coated, 3” shells. Modified choke. . I truly believe the Flite Control wad is what does the magic. I’ve never not killed a bird, with a single shot, with this combo. Barrel is 12.75”.

Once again, into the breach…

Well I'll be durn...

Number 2. First gobble at 6:05. Set up with him at my 10:00, guy flew down at 6:45, walked gobbling below the rise of the hill in a clockwise direction. Saw him at my 12:00 but then he kept circling. Watched out of corner of my eye until he got to my 5:00; made the shift and turn and shot. Dead right there. 20 yards. 7:15 am.

19 lbs 4 oz
10-5/8” beard
Right spur 1-5/16”
Left spur damaged; 7/8”

Definitely 3 years old, maybe 4?

Turkey_FS_SBS 2024-04-21 by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey_SBS 2024-04-21 by FredMan, on Flickr

Spurs 2024-04-21 by FredMan, on Flickr

Nice birds !  You are a Turkey slayer!

My current situation

Nice!!

I’d bet that the only difference between your sbs and a 20” to 26” 20 gauge is a tiny bit of velocity and with TSS and the right choke you’d be good to 50+ yards. But obviously what you’re doing works already.

I am definitely a novice, but I have yet to decide if I'm also a fool. I'm bowhunting from a ground blind hoping to call one in with one hen decoy. We have the 1 week season for firearm, but month and a half for archery. I'm just not confident i can get it done in a week with a shotgun, so I'll spend some time with the bow.

I have a small parcel of private land to hunt, and I heard at least 3 different gobblers this morning. But they aren't very close. None roosting in the trees here, so i suspect it'll be an up hill battle. But I have seen some hens walking arouns this week. Yesterday was winday AF and cold, so i walked some public ground. One other hunter was out, but I didn't hear any shooting.

Next year, I might see what I can do about finding permission on a better piece of private ground take the week off work and getting setup with my old 870. A dedicated turkey 410 looks like a ton of fun. My son doesn't hunt yet, but maybe he needs a birthday present...

I do actually have a few questions if anyone is willing to help.

Do you typically get out and setup before legal shooting light? Or at shooting light? I guess this might depend if you know you're on a roost tree or not.

Is there a slow part of the day to go in for lunch? Or are turkeys generally moving all day?

Yesterday was cold and windy and early in the season. Was it worth my time to go out, or are chances pretty low I'll be successful in that situation?

My current hunting options are my farm where gobblers come and go and haven’t been around much this year, or hard-hunted public land. I’ve hunted there a few times but it’s always, always a race with other hunters, which ruins my enjoyment of it.

I am FAR from an expert. But here’s what I’ve learned as it relates to your questions:

You can kill turkeys all day. Everyone wants to set up at dawn and have a bird pitch into the decoys gobbling. It’s great when it works that way. But it rarely does.  

When the wind is up go set up where birds can avoid the worst wind. Hollows, Lee sides of big hills or below a ridge perpendicular to the wind. Set up where *you* are maximally sheltered from wind while still being in turkey habitat. That’s where you’ll find birds. They’re pretty predictable like that - they stay in sheltered woods or near tree lines to block the wind. On rainy days they’ll stay in the open to avoid exposing themselves to predators in the woods.

Also, once hens have bred and started laying eggs or sitting on the nest, they’ll ignore gobblers so gobblers will largely ignore them individually. On my farm right now I’m pretty sure I have three nesting hens. Haven’t seen a gobbler here since 9 days ago. Hens? Every day.

No point in hunting such a place, but on unfamiliar ground you wouldn’t know that. I only know it because I’m here every day and have cameras everywhere.

I've been having a bad run; I hadn't shot a bird since 4/12/2020.  And it wasn't for lack of trying; I probably spent 25 days chasing birds each year.

It was making me question everything I thought I knew about turkeys, and my turkey hunting ability.  I like to think I know what I'm doing, and have the beards to back it up, but jiminy crickets nothing seems to work the past few years.

Now, I'm 2-0, and could potentially get a third bird (our limit is 3 per license year in VA), but I'm done on the farm.  It's produced enough for me for one season .

And who knows, I might just call it quite for the year, or go back out with the camera instead of the shotgun.  I'd hate to ruin my perfect 2024 record now!!

Two for two is pretty strong!

State/general location would be helpful.

Roost tree or not, always setup in the dark - haven't found a way to kill toms from my bed yet.  Even if you're roosting birds in the evenings, you never know when a tom might sneak into the roost, or get spooked during the night and fly to a different location.

Wake up earlier than you think you need to, and take your time, especially when walking through woods.  Try not to use a headlamp (obviously, clear nights work best for this), and walk slowly - trying to sound like a deer.  Be fully set and ready at least 30-45 minutes before legal shooting.  Take a quick snooze at the base of a tree or in your blind, and let the sounds of the woods wake you up.

If you can hack it, try not to go in for lunch and just take food and beverage along in your pack.  That said, best times of the day to bag a tom are at fly down, mid-late morning, and within the last hour before flying up to the roost.  Different strategies for each.  But birds do typically move for most of the day.

For cold and windy, try to find someplace low, out of the wind, and where turkeys are able to see for some distance.  Their eyes are their #1 sense, and with brush moving in the wind and the birds not being able to hear very well in the wind, that's where the birds will be almost every time.

Random thoughts by a mediocre turkey hunter:

I kind of break the day up into three parts: Daylight, mid morning, and late day. You can kill turkeys any time, but they behave differently at different times of day.

I like to hunt until about 11:00 before I take a break. Sometimes, birds won’t make a sound all morning. But, they’ll get hot after they finish their morning routine. Any bird that gobbles after 10:00 is about to mess up. A bird that gobbles in the afternoon, or evening, is probably coming in hot. So, if you hear one, find a place to sit. Don’t count on gobbling though. Always move and behave as if you are under observation.

If I’m hunting morning turkeys, with decoys, I like to set up before daylight. Whenever I hear other birds start waking up, or a gobble, I do three soft yelps and
sit quiet. That’s all he needs to hear to know I’m there. He’ll either come or not.

After daylight, I’ll start with some clucks and purrs and occasional yelps. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Later, if I hear gobbles way off, or if I haven’t heard anything at all, I might try a cutting series to strike one up.

Hunting in the wind is tough, because it’s hard to hear them and it’s hard to do some of the subtle calls that work close in. But, the birds are always somewhere and you have to be there too to have a chance.

Anyway, YMMV and your turkeys will probably do the exact opposite. Lol

I'm fortunate to live on a few hundred acres that has fields, pines, hardwoods, rivers, ponds, and a boatload of turkeys, so keep that in mind as you read what I write.

I like to get out to a listening post about an hour before official sunrise.  I'll just have a seat, get my decoy ready, and just listen.  At first gobble, I don't do a damn thing.  That guy might not be the only bird out there and the last thing you want to do is spook one off the roost.  I'll wait 15-30 minutes, to make sure I'm not sitting under a roost.  I'll then decide which bird to go after (if more than one gobble).  Now, I know the lay of this land like the back of my hand.  I know if a bird gobbles over there, this is how I need to set up on him.  Over here, do it this other way.

My goal is to set up silently 80-100 yards out from a roosted bird.  I won't even look at my call until I'm settled in, decoy out, gun on my knee.  I'll give out a few soft yelps, maybe a cluck or two, and shut up.  I don't care what he's doing on the roost, I shut up.  I'll let him do his thing, maybe softly call again at 10-15 minute intervals, as long as he's on the roost.  At flydown, I try to give a few excited yelps and clucks (fly-down cackle).  he knows where I am from hearing my on the roost, what I'm trying to do is make him think I'm a hot & horny tramp hen, and if he doesn't get here soon some Jake is gonna get all the action.  

Then it's a waiting game.  If he's interested he'll slowly start coming your way.  Might take him 5 minutes, might take him 3 hours.  If he's not interested, it's going to be tough.

Now, on the setup.  It really helps to know the land.  I want to set up so that the FIRST TIME I really see him, is the instant I pull the trigger.  I don't want him to be walking around all in the open, able to eyeball me and decide something doesn't look right.  I like to put my decoy about 20 yards out, and at about a 45 degree angle to the expected approach of Tom.  You don't want to be sitting right "behind" the decoy, because he'll be able to see you while he's eyeballing the deke.

Two things will screw up a hunt faster than anything:

Impatience.  Be patient.  He's got all day, and you're not his only option.  Just because he's silent or seems invisible doesn't mean he's not RIGHT THERE.  I can't say how many times I've gotten frustrated after sitting for 90 minutes, deathly still, and say Fuck it.  That guy is GONE.  Only to stand up and hear the dreaded Put! and watch him as he runs away.

Calling:  Don't call TOO MUCH or TOO LOUDLY.  Granted, every set up is different, but hammering him with yelps and clucks and purrs every time he gobbles will probably not work.  That's making him think one of two things:  Horny hen and he can play hard to get, or that ain't no hen over there and ain't no way he's coming over to find out.

Now, it's not unusual to be doing everything right, and he still won't come in.  Could be he gets henned up, could be he gets suspicious (but not suspicious enough to just run w away).  One tactic that can work pretty good, if you're sure he's outside that 80-100 yard circle, is to sneak back out of the woods, silent as a church mouse, and go get some breakfast.  Take a nap.  Play with the kids.  Bone the wife. Then, maybe 10:30-11:00 in the morning, head back out.  see, the daily mating pattern is:
-Gobbler gobbles on the roost, letting al the hens know wher ehe is.
-Turkeys fly down and hens come to him
-He engages in turkey love
-Hens, once bred, go off to the nest to sit and/or lay

Once the hens have gone off, if he's still looking for action, and you're in the right place, you've got pretty good odds.  It's important to understand that the spring hunting method of calling a gobbler in is the exact opposite of what they are biologically programmed to do.  Hens come to Toms in nature, and you're trying to reverse that process.  Now if you catch him after the hens are gone, THEN it is much more likely he'll come to you with less wariness and increased speed  (I called in a gobbler from about 3/8 of a mile away, across fields and woods, in about 12 minutes one time at 11:00 am.  That bird was LOOKING for action).  I like to go back to the exact spot I was at before (after all, he heard a "hen" over there a few hours ago, right?) and give out a few very loud yelps.  What you're trying to do here is let him know "hey, sailor, I'm still here, and I got a room rented for the next hour!"  If he gobbles, maybe follow up with some soft yelps/clucks/purrs.  I like those same 10-15 minute intervals for calling.

Finally, don't get discouraged.  I hunted for 3 years before I shot my first bird.  Think about everything you see and hear in the woods, regardless of whether you're set up on a bird.  Why do those trees and plants grow there, but not over here?  Is that something that turkeys might like to eat?  What do squirrels and deer sound like when they get spooked?  Why oh why does a murder of crows always want to seem to land in the tree you're sitting under and Caw! Caw! for freaking 20 minutes.

In the end, to be successful, you HAVE TO get out there and fail.  I learn more from my turkey tragedies sometimes than I do from my turkey successes.

You have to be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, and still have a not insignificant measure of luck.

And for God's sake, leave that phone in your pocket!  I don't care how bored you are, if your nose is in your phone, you WILL NOT see him coming in.  Eyes up,. ears open, and s-l-o-w-l-y scan the area.

Flock Entire by FredMan, on Flickr

Flock by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkeys 20170212 by FredMan, on Flickr

Strut 20170403 by FredMan, on Flickr

Front Yard Flock by FredMan, on Flickr

Frontfield Flock Bunched by FredMan, on Flickr

Gobbler Strut 2022-03-17 by FredMan, on Flickr

Flock in the Yard by FredMan, on Flickr