Nick87
Well-known member
This, to hell with the turkey can we get a couple pics of that chevy?
2022 spring turkey
- Thread starter Gellar
- Start date
WildWill
Well-known member
Our youth season was this weekend I took my nephew out Sunday. The weather was nice and warm with clear skies but the wind was blowing pretty good and just got worse later in the day. We didn't hear one gobble but saw 3 hens in one of the hay meadows. Was working around the shop behind the house today and heard a gobble from the hay meadow were we had seen the hens. Snuck back and took a peak found this guy trying to corral a hen (she's on the right next to the treeline). Our regular season opens Saturday probably save the birds on my property to let the nephew play with and I'll chase a few on public around here.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Honey-do’s this AM, and headed out to hunt about 3:30. Had ambush spots 1-5 on OnX ready to go, then on the walk in opt for a totally different place. Set up a fan hoping to catch a bird’s eye, with a jake and hen decoy off to my left.
With 20 minutes of light left, spotted 3 hens and 3 toms at 400 yards. I pulled out all the stops: call loudly, wave my fan. The three hens came in on a string, and I draw back hoping a tom is in tow. Nope. After a few minutes of them nervously milling about, they roost. Two of the toms pay me no attention whatsoever, and roost about 250 yards away. The last tom slowly makes his way to my set up, and arrives after sunset. He fluffs up a couple times at 90 yards, then flies at me and roosts in a tree 40 yards away. I wait until it’s dark, then pack up and sneak out of there.
Debate for tomorrow night - meet them at their loafing spot, or change locations to hunt some birds that want to play ball?
With 20 minutes of light left, spotted 3 hens and 3 toms at 400 yards. I pulled out all the stops: call loudly, wave my fan. The three hens came in on a string, and I draw back hoping a tom is in tow. Nope. After a few minutes of them nervously milling about, they roost. Two of the toms pay me no attention whatsoever, and roost about 250 yards away. The last tom slowly makes his way to my set up, and arrives after sunset. He fluffs up a couple times at 90 yards, then flies at me and roosts in a tree 40 yards away. I wait until it’s dark, then pack up and sneak out of there.
Debate for tomorrow night - meet them at their loafing spot, or change locations to hunt some birds that want to play ball?
shannerdrake
Well-known member
Yes, I’d appreciate a full thread over in truck talk highlighting every detail of that beaut.
okie archer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 707
Like the turkey but I really like the truck!
mdcrossbow
Well-known member
The farm I hunted Sunday I took my brither from another mother out who has only taken 2 birds a both hunting with me the past 2 years. He was in the way back back and texted me he had birds gobbling. and then shut up. I told him they were probably sneaking in on him and to be ready. He no longer set his phone down and 3 birds were 15 yards fro him running around his decoy. In his excrement his laid out a tasty bird.
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Bc1992
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2020
- Messages
- 186
Roosted is roasted!
Gellar
Well-known member
10”
1”
23.8lbs
1”
23.8lbs
Gellar
Well-known member
I will just start this off… this hunt was not on public ground. I would not attempt this on public ground or on private ground where I thought other hunters may be present. This was the first time I’ve tried this. So the story follows:
I couldn’t hunt this morning because of work obligations. I got home at 3:30 and as a my former boss would have said, it was windier than a sack full of buttholes. About 4 pm I notice 8 hens and 1 tom about 400 yards from my house. They are there every night at this time. My daughter gets off the bus at 4:15 so I decided I was going yo try and reap these turkeys. I got dressed and met the bus. The turkeys had fed behind a hill but we’re still in the field. I left my house and got behind the hill creeping bent over at the waist until I thought I had to get down on my belly. I crawled forward carrying a gun, a fan and a hen decoy. My plan was to get closer, plop the hen decoy up and continue forward with the fan. I saw the turkeys now about 125 yards, the Tom was not in view. He was still behind the hill. I crept ever slowly forward until I saw his red head sticking straight up looking right at me. He came to me but would get closer than 50 yards. The hens were suspicious and were ready to feed the other way. The Tom was Leary so he went with the girls not offering a shot. At this point I probably should have just went back to house and stayed inside but I figured what the hell and kept crawling right at the turkeys. As they were about to crest the hill where the had originally came from a lone bird came out of the woods along with several deer.
The original Tom is circled on the left and the lone Tom is on the right.
The first Tom immediately went over to the new guy and sized him up. The new turkey saw my fan about 175 yards away and sheepishly raised his feathers and headed right at me. I’d crawl forward 5 or 10 feet and wave the fan side to side and in the air until he was about 60 yards from me. The I just held the fan in place turning it side to side. He made a spitting dash to about 10 yards where I dropped the fan. The turkey was very confused as I awkwardly raised up and shot him as he turned to bolt.
In all I belly crawled to far. Probably close to 150 yards. I lost all sorts of stuff from my vest including spare Ammo, a water bottle, and my little gorilla camera tripod. Luckily there was a trail a mashed down alfalfa I could follow to retrieve it all.
Hen decoy, crap that fell out, and that black spot is the dead turkey.
Before I found all my crap that had fallen I tried to set my camera in a tree in the edge of the field. I saw 1 shed right away and I walked over to it I found the match a few feet away. I found another shed in the same spot in February.
After my first and only attempt at reaping I am sad to admit that it was really exciting, but not as much fun as calling and listening to the gobbles trying to talk them in, moving and listening to gobbles get closer until you see that spitting red head come over the hill. I probably won’t attempt reaping again.
I couldn’t hunt this morning because of work obligations. I got home at 3:30 and as a my former boss would have said, it was windier than a sack full of buttholes. About 4 pm I notice 8 hens and 1 tom about 400 yards from my house. They are there every night at this time. My daughter gets off the bus at 4:15 so I decided I was going yo try and reap these turkeys. I got dressed and met the bus. The turkeys had fed behind a hill but we’re still in the field. I left my house and got behind the hill creeping bent over at the waist until I thought I had to get down on my belly. I crawled forward carrying a gun, a fan and a hen decoy. My plan was to get closer, plop the hen decoy up and continue forward with the fan. I saw the turkeys now about 125 yards, the Tom was not in view. He was still behind the hill. I crept ever slowly forward until I saw his red head sticking straight up looking right at me. He came to me but would get closer than 50 yards. The hens were suspicious and were ready to feed the other way. The Tom was Leary so he went with the girls not offering a shot. At this point I probably should have just went back to house and stayed inside but I figured what the hell and kept crawling right at the turkeys. As they were about to crest the hill where the had originally came from a lone bird came out of the woods along with several deer.
The original Tom is circled on the left and the lone Tom is on the right.
The first Tom immediately went over to the new guy and sized him up. The new turkey saw my fan about 175 yards away and sheepishly raised his feathers and headed right at me. I’d crawl forward 5 or 10 feet and wave the fan side to side and in the air until he was about 60 yards from me. The I just held the fan in place turning it side to side. He made a spitting dash to about 10 yards where I dropped the fan. The turkey was very confused as I awkwardly raised up and shot him as he turned to bolt.
In all I belly crawled to far. Probably close to 150 yards. I lost all sorts of stuff from my vest including spare Ammo, a water bottle, and my little gorilla camera tripod. Luckily there was a trail a mashed down alfalfa I could follow to retrieve it all.
Hen decoy, crap that fell out, and that black spot is the dead turkey.
Before I found all my crap that had fallen I tried to set my camera in a tree in the edge of the field. I saw 1 shed right away and I walked over to it I found the match a few feet away. I found another shed in the same spot in February.
After my first and only attempt at reaping I am sad to admit that it was really exciting, but not as much fun as calling and listening to the gobbles trying to talk them in, moving and listening to gobbles get closer until you see that spitting red head come over the hill. I probably won’t attempt reaping again.
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mdeerjunkie
Well-known member
Sweet turkey! Nice job!
Found a load of birds on private over the weekend. Some boss toms out on the strut already and looking surly. Finally found a trio of jakes running around and gobbling to my calls on public this Sunday. I'll happily shoot the first one of them that'll walk in front of my gun once the season opens this weekend. That is, if the area isn't full of every other turkey hunter in the area who already knew they were there.
I also managed to score lottery access for a few days on a promising chunk of BMA a little later in the month. Hope to have a shot at something a little nicer on one of MT's region-specific additional tags.
I also managed to score lottery access for a few days on a promising chunk of BMA a little later in the month. Hope to have a shot at something a little nicer on one of MT's region-specific additional tags.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Opted to hunt the loafing turkeys tonight. Another hunter had the same idea - he/she must have walked in from another access point, over twice as far away. I turned around and went with a new location. Called in another bird, jake maybe? At 25 yards it got nervous and ran past some nearby deer.
Bc1992
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2020
- Messages
- 186
I’m not a fan (no pun intended) of reaping myself. I carry a fan with me but it’s always a last resort.
Hiding behind only the fan is real good in that open ground. I have tried it before too and it had no effect on some toms and was successful on a couple others. I had wings attached to give it a bigger stance. I haven't used it in quite a few years as I just like sitting and calling to them more. Nice gobbler and bone too.
I didn’t have a scale but he felt like the heaviest I’ve killed thus far. He pitched into the field I was on at fly down along with another Tom, and several jakes & hens. There was a short fight with the other Tom. He wouldn’t commit to my decoy, but he ended up coming close enough for a kill shot from the new 20 gauge w/hand rolled tss 8 shot.
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mdcrossbow
Well-known member
I dropped my 2nd for the year in Va. yesterday. The big boss Tom's wouldn't commit, one with hens and the other spooked for some reason. The 3rd wanted to play. He traveled the length of a 500 yard field. Put a beat-down on my Jake. I like the white spurs.
