2021 Spring Turkey hunting

[Gellar]

View attachment 183242This bird certainly read the script this morning. A lot of distant tree gobbling , after I figured they must have flew down I used my calling tactic of trying to sound like several birds. He stepped out into the field 300 yards away and came in on string ! As another plus I noticed the soybeans are up!

Looks like a nice beard! Turkey nuggets!!!

 

[wihunter12]

13 hours of hunting today paid off about 7pm.

 

[Gellar]

The last weekend of turkey season is upon me! It has been a tough season no doubt. Actually my toughest ever. For whatever reason the turkeys would not cooperate or I messed it up when they did. I have had my chances and am thankful for that, but I want one more chance!

 

[Chad Gus]

Me and buddy are headed to Montana for the last couple days of there season. Been battling a leg infection for the last couple weeks and finally got clearance from the doctor this morning.

 

[glennw89]

Some days it just works ...

My dad and I set up on the edge of a thick fencerow between two fields this afternoon at about 3:30 PM. I sent out the first volley of calls on my crystal friction call and didn’t have to wait but a few minutes to have a longbeard gobble thunderously just behind us in the adjacent field.

We had oriented the blind for my dad to shoot the field in front, complete with jake and hen decoys. The longbeard would have to come through the 10 meter fencerow and out into the field in order to present a shot - problem was I was sitting directly in that path.

Some soft purrs and clucks on my slate call had him on a string. With me frozen in position the bird walked past me at a distance of 5 feet. The blue X in the second photo is where I was sitting, the orange track was the bird’s path.

He walked within mere feet of my dad’s blind and into the decoy set. My dad made the 10 meter shot to tag his second Ontario longbeard in as many years - not bad for 69 years old!

 

[Hem]

Don't pass on the first day what you will shoot on the last day.
....and quite possibly the entire hunt after the very first hour will be a shitshow to include a miss(under estimated by 10 yds in the heat of the moment). All my decision making wasn't wrong...it just wasn't right. I'm still feeling rather humbled from the last few days.

 

[44hunter45]

It's been frustrating to hear the gobbling as I leave for work each day. Or I'm in the house tied to my desk and hear them at noon.
I had got out one day during lunch and called one in to about 50 yards where he hung up and I ran out of lunch break.

I got out at legal light this morning and it was insane. The woods were thundering with gobbles. I set up with a view down a skid trail and made a couple strokes on my slate. Three toms came in on a string. They were bunched up and I took the first one that gave me shooting room. The other two ran off a 100 yards and started gobbling again.

5 minute hunt.

This is the first tom I've actually called in. All my other birds have been jump shot.

 

[Gellar]

Got set up this morning and it had just stopped raining. Legal shooting came and went with 1 or 2 gobbles but nothing close. Around 6:15 2 hens fed to my decoy and fluttered off. I heard a gobble several hundred yards south of me, but wanted to wait a bit where I was because yesterday there were 2 toms there at 6:45. about 7:00 I heard a lone gobble followed by two shots. Where I had heard a gobble earlier. I still headed that way intending to make a big loop. Eventually I got to an area I’ve found morels in this spring but kept yelping as I was quietly checking trees for mushrooms. Just after I yelped a few times I looked ahead and saw 3 jakes in the open 100 yards feeding towards me. I was in a good spot and they’d be about 40 yards if they kept on their path. I found the one with the biggest beard and followed him. Unfortunately he was the furthest away and stayed behind some brush. He finally cleared and I shot. He went down but got up so I finished him with shot # 2. No Spurs and a 3.5” beard, but I can taste the turkey carnitas already!

 

[vanish]

Just thought I'd contribute some Turkey porn. He was on nearby private, off limits.

 

[44hunter45]

Public land mountain turkey! The first double bearded one I've taken too. Called him in from 200ish yards away. He came in spitting and drumming. It appears he read the script.

I've always wanted a Benelli Nova. I wish I had got one when they first came out and you could get them for less than $300. Of course I didn't have $300 then.

 

[Gellar]

Just thought I'd contribute some Turkey porn. He was on nearby private, off limits.

Now when the Russian guy is looking for threads to hack he’s going this ones going to come up in his search!

 

[Gellar]

Walked uphill towards the truck and I found some gold!

 

[skull]

Finally got a nice one

 

[Dougfirtree]

It's been a tough season here. My son didn't want to go this morning, so I went alone. I blundered into one group of toms who weren't calling and feeling like I'd blown my chance for the day, I drove to a different spot.

I walked in about 100 yards and gave some yelps. Immediately a turkey gobbled about 100 yards in front of me. It was one of those right time/right place encounters, where the turkey gobbled every time I called and came in like he was on a string. It was all over within a few minutes of me sitting down. It's been a couple of years since I've gotten one and I think this is my biggest. My scale said 27 pounds!

 

[Nick87]

Only turkey hunted once and killed one didnt really get into it much. This thread has me thinking maybe I need to give it another try.

 

[cedahm]

Walked uphill towards the truck and I found some gold!

well, you had some challenges this season, but that picture is full blown redemption! Well done!

we are headed down to the local spot tomorrow where they roost and fly down on one guys place and literally walk a 10 yard strip (on private the whole way) to another guys barn. Border by NF. One day they’re going to slip up to check that hen back in the trees on the other side of the fence, and I hope it’s tomorrow...

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

Didn't have much time to hunt turkeys this spring, so was happy to connect w/ this roughed up tom.

 

[BuglinDrew]

With guide season wrapped up, I was able to take my fiancé out for her second-ever hunt with a tag in her pocket. It was a pretty quick morning, we had a couple of jakes in the decoys by 5:45am, and she had her first turkey by 6:00am. After a brief celebration, we had another gobbler get fired up in the trees from across the clearing and hustled back into position. A little bit of cutting on the mouth call was enough to get him to peak out of the clearing and slowly make his was over to the decoys. I thought he wasn't too interested and might stay on the far end of the clearing as he made his way across, but once he was parallel to the decoys, he came in right on a string to 30 yards. By 6:15am we had both of our tags punched and early wedding present from the turkey gods.

 

[Arrogant1]

I've always wanted a Benelli Nova. I wish I had got one when they first came out and you could get them for less than $300. Of course I didn't have $300 then.

That’s my weapon of choice for turkey with a Hawke reflex sight. Keep an eye out for package deals that include a NOVA. I Picked my Nova up three years ago from Northern Gun Broker, which is also Reed’s in Walker, MN. They were running a special of buy a SBEIII they through in a Nova turkey setup at no additional cost. Just give me another reason to purchase another gun.

 

[Chad Gus]

Just got back from Montana, no turkey for me but my good friend was able to get his first merriam's. Tom's were very, very few and far between where we hunted, but hens and jakes seemed to be in good numbers. The other turkey hunter we talked to reported the same, lots of hens, but no tom's. Burned a fair amount of boot leather and learned alot about the area, i will be better prepared for next year.