2024 Spring Turkey Hunting Thread

[BigCountry14]

Birds were loud here all week last week. Today was dead silence. Been a rough season so far.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Very nice!

Must be nice to be able to go Turkey hunting all the time when everyone else is working.
Check out these rocks from the gullet.
Looks like driveway gravel.

 

[outrider58]

Must be nice to be able to go Turkey hunting all the time when everyone else is working.
Check out these rocks from the gullet.
Looks like driveway gravel.

Hey, somebody's gotta do it. Hunted yesterday and I might just go out Friday...

(when you gonna retire B?)

 

[remrug]

About 0730 I bet.

Were they hunting together and doubled up?

 

[Doco Overboard]

Hey, somebody's gotta do it. Hunted yesterday and I might just go out Friday...

(when you gonna retire B?)

Probably never. I'm thinking about it though. My wife wants me to stop but I wouldn't know what to do.
Anyway listen to this,
The kid has his turkey fan and beard all tacked out to a piece of cardboard in his garage. He goes to inspect it and to admire his work or something and the beard is gone. He lets me know he followed a trail of borax off his work bench but cant figure out what stole it. The trail went cold. I told him, maybe a bird found its way in there and picked it up and tried to split out the roof or something becuase of the flesh but becuase of the borax I dont really know.
Maybe your brother stole it or came in when you were out.
He keeps the place locked up like a bank vault and straighter than an arrow but says the trail went cold.
Later on, he says he found the beard in a crack and could determine a mouse drug it off becuase he located its lair in a stowed hammock and found a string off the beard outside its nest and some trace borax. The dam mouse chewed into his rope hammock, stole his beard, weakened his defenses and made a complete mockery of all his hardened first line security measures.
The other poor brother just stopped by and asked me, WTH did you tell him I was over there for? He's all nuts now like he was when he came home from one of his other jobs a while back.

Were they hunting together and doubled up?

Yes, they got busted by some hens that were behind them because a coon tried to get into a rotten tree log that they were up against. And scared them. One putted and they began to move off so they were going to wrap it up and move. He placed some decoys in the field right in front of them and the gobblers were behind coming up along the field gobbling like crazy. They were about 5 minutes behind and one said he should have videod becuase they made the same movements /behavior lock step together but individually. Head low, strut then move in towards the decoys aggressive doing the same thing but at intervals. One shot about 14 yards and the other immediately afterwards. Their buddy let them in to hunt but also let them know someone else also had permission so they had to go to another farm if the guy was in there. That person showed up right at the truck when they were leaving and said he was glad they connected becuase he hadn't heard a peep after being there a few times already.
I told him he should go back there with the guy and call for him so he can get one maybe or help him out and see if he can capture what happens. Or take him somewhere else where he knows some birds are. It sounded like he was learning as he went and needed a partner.

 

[outrider58]

Probably never. I'm thinking about it though. My wife wants me to stop but I wouldn't know what to do.
Anyway listen to this,
The kid has his turkey fan and beard all tacked out to a piece of cardboard in his garage. He goes to inspect it and to admire his work or something and the beard is gone. He lets me know he followed a trail of borax off his work bench but cant figure out what stole it. The trail went cold. I told him, maybe a bird found its way in there and picked it up and tried to split out the roof or something becuase of the flesh but becuase of the borax I dont really know.
Maybe your brother stole it or came in when you were out.
He keeps the place locked up like a bank vault and straighter than an arrow but says the trail went cold.
Later on, he says he found the beard in a crack and could determine a mouse drug it off becuase he located its lair in a stowed hammock and found a string off the beard outside its nest and some trace borax. The dam mouse chewed into his rope hammock, stole his beard, weakened his defenses and made a complete mockery of all his hardened first line security measures.
The other poor brother just stopped by and asked me, WTH did you tell him I was over there for? He's all nuts now like he was when he came home from one of his other jobs a while back.

Yes, they got busted by some hens that were behind them because a coon tried to get into a rotten tree log that they were up against. And scared them. One putted and they began to move off so they were going to wrap it up and move. He placed some decoys in the field right in front of them and the gobblers were behind coming up along the field gobbling like crazy. They were about 5 minutes behind and one said he should have videod becuase they made the same movements /behavior lock step together but individually. Head low, strut then move in towards the decoys aggressive doing the same thing but at intervals. One shot about 14 yards and the other immediately afterwards. Their buddy let them in to hunt but also let them know someone else also had permission so they had to go to another farm if the guy was in there. That person showed up right at the truck when they were leaving and said he was glad they connected becuase he hadn't heard a peep after being there a few times already.
I told him he should go back there with the guy and call for him so he can get one maybe or help him out and see if he can capture what happens. Or take him somewhere else where he knows some birds are. It sounded like he was learning as he went and needed a partner.

That's hilarious!

As for the boys, yes, to help out a fellow hunter has its own rewards. Calling for someone, or putting them in the right tree, can be more gratifying than doing your own thing.

 

[remrug]

Probably never. I'm thinking about it though. My wife wants me to stop but I wouldn't know what to do.
Anyway listen to this,
The kid has his turkey fan and beard all tacked out to a piece of cardboard in his garage. He goes to inspect it and to admire his work or something and the beard is gone. He lets me know he followed a trail of borax off his work bench but cant figure out what stole it. The trail went cold. I told him, maybe a bird found its way in there and picked it up and tried to split out the roof or something becuase of the flesh but becuase of the borax I dont really know.
Maybe your brother stole it or came in when you were out.
He keeps the place locked up like a bank vault and straighter than an arrow but says the trail went cold.
Later on, he says he found the beard in a crack and could determine a mouse drug it off becuase he located its lair in a stowed hammock and found a string off the beard outside its nest and some trace borax. The dam mouse chewed into his rope hammock, stole his beard, weakened his defenses and made a complete mockery of all his hardened first line security measures.
The other poor brother just stopped by and asked me, WTH did you tell him I was over there for? He's all nuts now like he was when he came home from one of his other jobs a while back.

Yes, they got busted by some hens that were behind them because a coon tried to get into a rotten tree log that they were up against. And scared them. One putted and they began to move off so they were going to wrap it up and move. He placed some decoys in the field right in front of them and the gobblers were behind coming up along the field gobbling like crazy. They were about 5 minutes behind and one said he should have videod becuase they made the same movements /behavior lock step together but individually. Head low, strut then move in towards the decoys aggressive doing the same thing but at intervals. One shot about 14 yards and the other immediately afterwards. Their buddy let them in to hunt but also let them know someone else also had permission so they had to go to another farm if the guy was in there. That person showed up right at the truck when they were leaving and said he was glad they connected becuase he hadn't heard a peep after being there a few times already.
I told him he should go back there with the guy and call for him so he can get one maybe or help him out and see if he can capture what happens. Or take him somewhere else where he knows some birds are. It sounded like he was learning as he went and needed a partner.

Seems like other critters love to spoil your hunt. I once had a couple of hens and a gobbler working towards me. Some deer came in behind me real close. Luckily they didnt snort or run away spooked. The turkeys were about 70 yrds away and closing. Then a fox came running through halfway between me and the turkeys. The turkeys froze and the fox must not have seen them and ran on out of sight. The gobbler finally came into range and I took him home.
Happy to see your boys score on some nice birds. Sounds like a very exciting hunt.

 

[outrider58]

Seems like other critters love to spoil your hunt. I once had a couple of hens and a gobbler working towards me. Some deer came in behind me real close. Luckily they didnt snort or run away spooked. The turkeys were about 70 yrds away and closing. Then a fox came running through halfway between me and the turkeys. The turkeys froze and the fox must not have seen them and ran on out of sight. The gobbler finally came into range and I took him home.
Happy to see your boys score on some nice birds. Sounds like a very exciting hunt.

I've had deer ruin lots of sets, except:
I was hunting this one bird that would shut up once he hit the ground. I thought, "well, he must be henned up".
He wasn't. He just shut up and suck in on me after I got up to do a little looking around. That sucker came trotting down the trail behind me, and ran on by!
The very next day, I sat pretty much in the same spot as before(not far from the trail he trotted by me on), and called a couple times. Just enough so I knew he knew I was there. Then, I shut up and waited. As I watched down the trail he used the day before, I spotted movement. Damn-it! It was just a doe, feeding along the trail on wild rose. As I watched the deer feed towards me, I noticed she had a 'shadow'. That damned turkey was using the deer as a shield. The deer would move up the trail a little, the turkey would scoot back up behind her. Eventually, the deer moved off the trail and the tom stayed on the path towards me. I shot him at about 40 yards.

Hunting western Md for years, I have witnessed turkey using deer a alarms, and deer using turkey as alarms. Almost as if they had a mutual agreement.

 

[remrug]

I've had deer ruin lots of sets, except:
I was hunting this one bird that would shut up once he hit the ground. I thought, "well, he must be henned up".
He wasn't. He just shut up and suck in on me after I got up to do a little looking around. That sucker came trotting down the trail behind me, and ran on by!
The very next day, I sat pretty much in the same spot as before(not far from the trail he trotted by me on), and called a couple times. Just enough so I knew he knew I was there. Then, I shut up and waited. As I watched down the trail he used the day before, I spotted movement. Damn-it! It was just a doe, feeding along the trail on wild rose. As I watched the deer feed towards me, I noticed she had a 'shadow'. That damned turkey was using the deer as a shield. The deer would move up the trail a little, the turkey would scoot back up behind her. Eventually, the deer moved off the trail and the tom stayed on the path towards me. I shot him at about 40 yards.

Hunting western Md for years, I have witnessed turkey using deer a alarms, and deer using turkey as alarms. Almost as if they had a mutual agreement.

One time deer almost got me a tom.

I was walking down a point in Green Ridge Trying to get closer to a turkey that was gobbling every now and then. I spooked three deer and watched them run down the hill towards where I was hearing the gobbling. Thinking things just got ugly , I was standing next to a tree holding a decoy , feeling dejected. About that time, here comes a red head running up the hill right at me. I dropped the decoy, which spooked the tom into running back down the hill and taking flight. I was caught completely off guard.

 

[outrider58]

One time deer almost got me a tom.

I was walking down a point in Green Ridge Trying to get closer to a turkey that was gobbling every now and then. I spooked three deer and watched them run down the hill towards where I was hearing the gobbling. Thinking things just got ugly , I was standing next to a tree holding a decoy , feeling dejected. About that time, here comes a red head running up the hill right at me. I dropped the decoy, which spooked the tom into running back down the hill and taking flight. I was caught completely off guard.

I had almost the same thing happen to me, except when the deer bolted, they put the turkey on a B-line directly to me. Dead turkey!

 

[remrug]

I had almost the same thing happen to me, except when the deer bolted, they put the turkey on a B-line directly to me. Dead turkey!

You probably werent standing there with you di...decoy in your hand....lol

 

[outrider58]

You probably werent standing there with you di...decoy in your hand....lol

Ya got me there! I was sitting. The turkey had been using a trail that went right by me, but it was a stretch to try and shoot one from where I sat. I had already missed one earlier. I was down to one shot in my 12. I heard him gobble off to my left and I knew he was headed up the same trail. All of a sudden, I spotted a bunch of movement over in that direction. It was 7-8 deer that probably smelled me and began to bolt. The turkey was between the deer and me. It was their angling away from me that pushed the tom straight towards me. I had to shoot him out of self defense. He woulda run me over!