WildWill
Well-known member
I hope if I ever find a tom they're as interested as these girls in my decoy.
2022 spring turkey
- Thread starter Gellar
- Start date
I hope if I ever find a tom they're as interested as these girls in my decoy.
Had a good morning today after several hunts that for one reason or another did not work out. I had a mouthy gobbler I had been working on several hunts but had left him alone to get my middle daughter on. Her work schedule is hectic so we got on him monday but he has ladies every where and we could only get him around a 100 yards but never closer. I'm not thinking I can get that gobbler close enough. So I head out that direction this morning and he is fired up again. I was heading to a creek bottom away from him and down a path and I underestimated he was closer than I thought and spooked him from the tree. Well crap I head where I am going several hundred yards from him and set up. Soon 4 hens past me headed to the spooked gobbler and another hen flew down near me also, headed same way. He has started back gobbling too. I don't think my calling did much but I looked to my left and a lone gobbler was headed there too cept he didn't make it. I guess he was going for a leftover hen maybe. Tagged out in NC and not planning to hunt Virginia so i guess me and my daughter will try that gobbler again.
got a couple of birds here in NC and SC and slipped down to Texas to get after Rios for the first time on a buddies land
wind/rain/thunderstorms whooped me on day 1, but the next morning I guess they were ready,,
killed two with one shot as they came in on a run to the calls from a wingbone and was loaded up heading to the camp by 06:45AM
wind/rain/thunderstorms whooped me on day 1, but the next morning I guess they were ready,,
killed two with one shot as they came in on a run to the calls from a wingbone and was loaded up heading to the camp by 06:45AM
2' of snow, more jakes than i have ever seen and lots of time stuck in camp sums up 22 turkey for me. First day of trip called in 21 birds under 30 yards, 20 of which were jakes! Next year is going to be amazing just hope to not to have to shovel snow, thankfully rancher used dozer to clear road enough to use atv. Didnt spend nearly time i expected and barely did half things i wanted. Did get lucky and found a suspension issue on trailer and limped it home before crack expanded that would of disabled it completely. Going to be fixing trailer and start bear hunting this week!
Gellar
Well-known member
Great pictures! That was a tough hunt I bet with all that snow!
Awesome photo MM, gun and tom (other than the head shot)! I've got an 870 I've had for 50 years, love it.
okie archer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 707
My brother and I took my son and two of his sons to Kansas a couple weeks ago for youth season and archery season.
The first morning the 3 boys and me and my brother were all in the same ground blind when my 12 year old nephew scored.
We hunted hard later that day and passed on some Jakes hoping to get a Tom for my 9 year old son Drake.
The next morning we saw 2 longboards but couldn't persuade them to come in. Broke for lunch and went back to hunt. My brother and the youngest boy had to leave so me, Drake, and my nephew stayed.
We set up on field edge that afternoon. Hadn't been there but a few minutes and saw a Tom on far end of field. It was super windy so I got out the box call to cut the wind. The Tom turned and slowly strutted/fed our way. We lost sight of him in a terrain change. It took the bird about an hour and a half to move less than 200 yards. We got a bit inpatient and lazy where we were hiding and kinda relaxed as he had quit gobbling. All of a sudden my nephew said look a turkey! The Tom came up out of a low spot in some tree to the corn field. He was about 150 yards and once he saw the decoys ha came running. It was chaos for a few seconds as I was trying to get the .410 up on the sticks for Drake. He was so shook up trying to get settled. The Tom was already at the decoy 27 yards away by the time Drake was ready.
One shot with a handload TSS the bird folded. Drake's second turkey and an Eastern this time.
Some high fives, hugs, and pics we headed back to the truck. I worked on cleaning the bird as I plan to mount it for him.
About an hour after Drake killed his Tom we drive up the road about 1/4 mile and looked on the field we just hunted and to my shock 4 longboards were on the field!
So we turned back around and slipped in and set up a few yards away from where we just were at. Long story short 3 of the Toms finally got within range of the crossbow. I filled my tag on the same field with a crossbow the day before regular shotgun season opened.
Drake got a brutal case of poison ivy/oak? But he said it was worth it for his turkey.
The first morning the 3 boys and me and my brother were all in the same ground blind when my 12 year old nephew scored.
We hunted hard later that day and passed on some Jakes hoping to get a Tom for my 9 year old son Drake.
The next morning we saw 2 longboards but couldn't persuade them to come in. Broke for lunch and went back to hunt. My brother and the youngest boy had to leave so me, Drake, and my nephew stayed.
We set up on field edge that afternoon. Hadn't been there but a few minutes and saw a Tom on far end of field. It was super windy so I got out the box call to cut the wind. The Tom turned and slowly strutted/fed our way. We lost sight of him in a terrain change. It took the bird about an hour and a half to move less than 200 yards. We got a bit inpatient and lazy where we were hiding and kinda relaxed as he had quit gobbling. All of a sudden my nephew said look a turkey! The Tom came up out of a low spot in some tree to the corn field. He was about 150 yards and once he saw the decoys ha came running. It was chaos for a few seconds as I was trying to get the .410 up on the sticks for Drake. He was so shook up trying to get settled. The Tom was already at the decoy 27 yards away by the time Drake was ready.
One shot with a handload TSS the bird folded. Drake's second turkey and an Eastern this time.
Some high fives, hugs, and pics we headed back to the truck. I worked on cleaning the bird as I plan to mount it for him.
About an hour after Drake killed his Tom we drive up the road about 1/4 mile and looked on the field we just hunted and to my shock 4 longboards were on the field!
So we turned back around and slipped in and set up a few yards away from where we just were at. Long story short 3 of the Toms finally got within range of the crossbow. I filled my tag on the same field with a crossbow the day before regular shotgun season opened.
Drake got a brutal case of poison ivy/oak? But he said it was worth it for his turkey.
Attachments
Last edited:
okie archer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 707
The next week my brother and I hunted our home state of Oklahoma. We arrived near midnight and went ahead and set up our ground blind in a field near a creek where we usually find birds. We went back to camp and I made a bed for the night in a cow trough under the stars. Next morning we got a gobble on roost less then 200 yards from our set up. I let out a few very soft tree yelps to let em know we were there. It worked, they pitched out and headed our way. One Jake and one Tom. I told my brother to pick up my .410 and kill the bird. That hunt was over just that quick as we let the Jake go. We eventually went to a different property and set up. Right off the bat that afternoon we got a quick response from some gobbles. Two Jakes quickly came in. We let them go. A Tom sounded off as the Jakes were messing with the decoys. On his way in the 2 Jakes challenged the Tom and a fight ensued. The Jakes ran off the Tom. We hunted a few more hours hoping the Tom would work his way back. I didn't have enough snacks and was getting hungry. Finally about 4:30 I told my brother I was getting something to eat. He said you know if we get up and leave we will get busted. I knew that could happen but I was hungry! We walked the 1/2 mile back to truck, drove the 5 minutes to town, grabbed a quick bite and walked the 1/2 mile back in. That took about an hour. I fell asleep on the ground while my brother watched. About 15 minutes into the nap my brother woke me up from snoring as a Tom and 3 hens were on the way. I quickly got my bearings and killed the Tom. Fun times!
I took my 20 year old daughter a couple of times but no Tom yet for her. Our turkey hunts have been turning into Morel hunts.
I took my 20 year old daughter a couple of times but no Tom yet for her. Our turkey hunts have been turning into Morel hunts.
Attachments
Last edited:
WildWill
Well-known member
It's been a great 5 day's even if I didn't see a legal turkey the whole time. I love this area of Oklahoma if you blind folded someone and drop them of here they'd guess Colorado before Oklahoma. I might be able to slip away a morning or two before the close of season but for the most part this ends my turkey hunting for the year.
Gellar
Well-known member
Looks like a good placeto spend a few days.
WildWill
Well-known member
Good lord I'm growing soft! My daughter lost her first front tooth while I was gone. Almost cried cause I missed it. But it's okay she saved it till I got home for the tooth fairy. No doubt I have my amazing wife to thank for that.
Gellar
Well-known member
The way our tooth fairy pays I’m thinking about pulling some of my own.
WildWill
Well-known member
Amen brother!
Mica Man
Well-known member
Took the little 20 gun for a walk this afternoon and left the 12 at home. Same results as I did Monday morning but this time with an 1 1/4 Oz of # 5's.
wihunter12
Well-known member
Gellar
Well-known member
My notes from 2021 indicated I found mushrooms on this day last year. This year we barely have any green in the forest.
Gellar
Well-known member
Went out this morning in a rainstorm and wind. Headed to a spot that they like to go to roost when it’s nasty. Got up in there and was hanging out waiting for a gobble. It finally came from up the drainage further. As I begin to move a hen flies down from above me and about 10 others start going nuts. So I sat down next to a log. At least 5 different Tom’s started gobbling and I had one in particular answering me every time I’d call. A few more hens flew down to the side of the hill and all of a sudden they started flying back up into the the trees and the ones that were still in the trees stayed. I catch movement on top of the hill and there is a coyote circling around to get my wind about 80 yards away. After the coyote went through the turkeys dispersed and I could never catch up to them again.
WestKyHunt
Well-known member
Hiked into a spot i was at last weekend this morning. Showed up around 720am and began the couple mile hike to where I saw birds last time.
As I'm walking in I like to stop and call every so often. At 7:50 I hear a hen talking back to me so I quickly get set up behind a couple of downed aspens with my back against a pine. That hen came helping all the way to exactly where I was standing when I called. Putting her 3 yards from me. She walked around putting and purring for several minutes until she walked away the direction I had come from. I stayed put for about 5 more minutes and could hear her still yelping.
About 830 I get to where I saw the birds last weekend and begin my cycle of attempting to find the flock: sitdown, call, wait 5 min, get up, repeat. About 9am I get a gobble as a response. I wait him out for 10min then call again. He gobbles but is behind me, uphill. I take the long way around and climb to the highest point. Call again - gobble. Circle around the top out of sight then slowly creep forward. I see a couple hens. Ease up to a large sage bush and use it to cover most of my left side but I can see the turkeys.
Give a calling sequence. The hens hear it and the tom gobbles but he decides to keep going where ever he decides.
This commences a 2 hour game of "gobble and stalk".
At one point I'm on the side of this steep @$$ hill with the tom only 10 yards away, but the sage and oak brush is too tall.
After lagging behind them for so long I decided to back track and get over the top and out of sight. I go about 100yd past where I saw them last and sit down and call. I guess that was a mistake because I never saw nor heard them again.
As I'm walking in I like to stop and call every so often. At 7:50 I hear a hen talking back to me so I quickly get set up behind a couple of downed aspens with my back against a pine. That hen came helping all the way to exactly where I was standing when I called. Putting her 3 yards from me. She walked around putting and purring for several minutes until she walked away the direction I had come from. I stayed put for about 5 more minutes and could hear her still yelping.
About 830 I get to where I saw the birds last weekend and begin my cycle of attempting to find the flock: sitdown, call, wait 5 min, get up, repeat. About 9am I get a gobble as a response. I wait him out for 10min then call again. He gobbles but is behind me, uphill. I take the long way around and climb to the highest point. Call again - gobble. Circle around the top out of sight then slowly creep forward. I see a couple hens. Ease up to a large sage bush and use it to cover most of my left side but I can see the turkeys.
Give a calling sequence. The hens hear it and the tom gobbles but he decides to keep going where ever he decides.
This commences a 2 hour game of "gobble and stalk".
At one point I'm on the side of this steep @$$ hill with the tom only 10 yards away, but the sage and oak brush is too tall.
After lagging behind them for so long I decided to back track and get over the top and out of sight. I go about 100yd past where I saw them last and sit down and call. I guess that was a mistake because I never saw nor heard them again.
