2021 Spring Turkey hunting

[timbrhuntr]

Congrats Gellar and all the other turkey hunters.
Last year was bust with no way to travel and this year was looking like a repeat but a good buddy and retired farmer with a bunch of land called and said that he and his wife had gotten their first shots and if I wanted I could come out and hunt a few days ! Man it felt good to be loose in the turkey woods finally after two years locked out !!

Limbhanger



Woods Tom

 

[Gellar]

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.

Do you still have to apply for your turkey license in Illinois in like october or November?

 

[Gellar]

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.

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This picture should probably be your first Christmas Card as a married couple!

 

[Gellar]

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. View attachment 183564

It only takes 1! bummer you didnt get one, but awesome your buddy connected!

 

[Gellar]

Finally got a nice one View attachment 183394

Thats an awesome picture!

 

[Nick87]

Do you still have to apply for your turkey license in Illinois in like october or November?

December I believe

 

[Chad Gus]

It only takes 1! bummer you didnt get one, but awesome your buddy connected!

Could've killed a jake, it's a longbeard or bust for me these days. Going to go a few weeks earlier next year.

 

[Pups]

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.

They can still be had for a decent price! I like my guns to be very utilitarian. My Nova is used for everything - ducks, geese, turkey, pheasants, etc.

 

[phutch30]

Closed out my 2021 Turkey season with a bang. I filled my last MT tag with a nice spurred tom on friday after struggling all day to hear a Turkey...finally got a response from a very vocal hen which came in dragging a big tom and 7 jakes. He turned out to have an average beard but was packing great spurs...limb hanger. I met up with a couple of friends on Saturday to help out....what a great day in the Turkey woods. When the dust settled at the end of the day 4 birds were coming with us. Sun was the last day and my friends still had tags for another unit. After a little zig and zagging my buddies wife dropped #6 for the weekend.

2021 was a great year of turkey hunting, I was able to hunt in Texas, Maine and Montana. Over the course of the season I got to be part of the taking of 26 turkeys including Rios, Merriams and Easterns. Can't wait for next yr!

 

[phutch30]

Well I lied about closing out my season...I found out Idaho is still open... Ive never shot one over there even though its just over the hill from me so I figured I better go. So even though the weather was gunna be real wet...and it was, I got a buddy to go and we headed out. Turned out to be sorta a cast and blast, turkey and spring chinook. There were some lonely late season toms running around. Even in the rain the birds were hot and very callable, 3 hours of trying in the rain and we were tagged out on birds so we went salmon fishing.

 

[Gellar]

Well I lied about closing out my season...I found out Idaho is still open... Ive never shot one over there even though its just over the hill from me so I figured I better go. So even though the weather was gunna be real wet...and it was, I got a buddy to go and we headed out. Turned out to be sorta a cast and blast, turkey and spring chinook. There were some lonely late season toms running around. Even in the rain the birds were hot and very callable, 3 hours of trying in the rain and we were tagged out on birds so we went salmon fishing.

Love to hunt turkey in the rain! Salmon and turkey is a combo you don’t hear often! Awesome!

 

[Chad Gus]

Wisco bird from the other day, still have a tag for the this week, the last week of the season here. Late season birds are my favorite here.

 

[Tomahawk]

Called in this mountain tom off the roost. He was gobbling, drumming and strutting at 14 yards just as the sun came up. I’m afraid I’m hooked. Also picked up a couple spot and stalk jakes.

 

[Gellar]

Called in this mountain tom off the roost. He was gobbling, drumming and strutting at 14 yards just as the sun came up. I’m afraid I’m hooked. Also picked up a couple spot and stalk jakes.View attachment 184352
View attachment 184353

Great season!

 

[jt13]

A memorable hunt for a smart bird at the very end of the season.

I finally got some time to hunt for myself and killed the bird thats been strutting and gobbling in the field across from my house driving me crazy. In one final act of defiance, he managed to flop, roll, and tumble down a steep face above the river losing over 325 ft of elevation after the shot.

 

[bradr]

Here's my season pics. I was fortunate to take 2 out of state birds, and 2 in my home state. Hate to see the season end.

 

[cedahm]

My son and I went back to the Meeker area this weekend to hunt my draw tag in the bottom of the 9th (season ends tomorrow and he has a baseball camp tuesday) We got in late Friday night, so I just camped in the same spot as the first two attempts even though the spot I wanted to go to was a 30min drive and another 30min walk in the dark.

Well, I left my phone outside so didnt hear the 03:30 alarm and woke up at 4:45. Not enough time to drive over to the spot I wanted, but enough time to walk the trail 1/2 a mile up right out from camp to where I had a strutting hen in the decoys a few weeks ago. So, we did that. Bird was down at 5:45 after they pitched down into the meadow 100 yards away and came running in to a few light clucks and purrs.

oversleeping works out sometimes (son pictured with the bird since the moon was cool in that shot)

 

[Chad Gus]

Finished out the year this morning, called up a pair of toms and shot the first one that offered a clear shot.

 

[Gellar]

Finished out the year this morning, called up a pair of toms and shot the first one that offered a clear shot. View attachment 184565View attachment 184565

Hell of a turkey season! Congratulations!

 

[Gellar]

My son and I went back to the Meeker area this weekend to hunt my draw tag in the bottom of the 9th (season ends tomorrow and he has a baseball camp tuesday) We got in late Friday night, so I just camped in the same spot as the first two attempts even though the spot I wanted to go to was a 30min drive and another 30min walk in the dark.

Well, I left my phone outside so didnt hear the 03:30 alarm and woke up at 4:45. Not enough time to drive over to the spot I wanted, but enough time to walk the trail 1/2 a mile up right out from camp to where I had a strutting hen in the decoys a few weeks ago. So, we did that. Bird was down at 5:45 after they pitched down into the meadow 100 yards away and came running in to a few light clucks and purrs.

oversleeping works out sometimes (son pictured with the bird since the moon was cool in that shot)

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20 years from now he Will remember the turkey hunt but not baseball camp! Awesome!