2022 spring turkey

[Deckerp]

Killed my one CO OTC gobbler 20mins into the opener yesterday and just like that my 7 weeks of hunting opportunity went up in a cloud of feathers! No, actually I am stoked to have gotten mine. Last spring I struck out all together. Good luck to everyone who is still getting after it.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I've got poachers baiting them in two directions from my house. So I live surrounded by federal land and I'll probably have to get up and DRIVE to hunt.

 

[F250]

I've got poachers baiting them in two directions from my house. So I live surrounded by federal land and I'll probably have to get up and DRIVE to hunt.

Have you made the appropriate phone call ?

 

[Gellar]

Opening morning, I had to get my daughter on the bus at 7:15. After that the plan was to drive 2.5 miles to where I wanted to park the truck and hunt back towards my house. I will either get a ride this evening or take the wheeler to get my truck.

I’m on top of a ridge on public where they gobble from the roost but probably head to straight to private. There are wood ducks all over this ridge and there isn’t a stream big enough to float a ducks butt for probably 3 miles. I heard one gobble around 8:00 a ways off that I’m sneaking towards now.

 

[buck23]

Got a nice 21lb gobbler on opening day with a double beard, a first for me. He took about 30-40 minutes to work in, hunting a field late afternoon, never gobbling at all. Finally got to 30 yards and gave me a shot. The Lord blessed me with a good day hunting passed 5 jakes early in the morning and seen a few hens and another gobbler earlier on also.

 

[buck23]

 

[Chad Gus]

The 2 day youth hunt, is this up coming weekend, and my 2 kids that hunt are now to old, guess i will have to find something else to do, now.

 

[shannerdrake]

Harvested a Tennessee Tom. It was an interesting two day hunt. Highs in the 40s and lows in the low 30s. Frosty mornings, very few gobbles, rain, snow, and high winds. Short story, not what you expect for a Tennessee turkey hunt and not ideal.

Having hunted the farm in a few other times, I had a good idea where birds like to be. Set up a ground blind around three after a late lunch to fuel up and dry off. At 5PM, this guy and two others gobbled out of nowhere about 100 yards away (first gobbles of the day) and one short yelp series later they were locked in and came to about 30 yards.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Have you made the appropriate phone call ?

Yep and if nothing happens this time I am never making that call again. All it does so far is rob me of the use of the public land CLOSEST to me.

 

[DRS]

I was able to sweet talk this one and his two buddies away from two hens at 6:25 pm yesterday evening. He strutted and gobbled and gave a great show.

 

[Gellar]

View attachment 218669

That looks like a hell of a nice square body Chevy. Nice bird too!

 

[Gellar]

Well… I’m in the woods eating some ghost pepper deer sticks. I’m working my way towards a field I’ve seen turkeys at in the afternoon regularly. I’ve walked past a few spots where I’ve killed birds in years past. I was reminiscing at one and I heard some gobbles quite a ways off. As I started to move in that direction I heard a hen below me so I yelped and waited for about 30 minutes. 2 young deer came in and couldn’t figure out what I was from about 20 yards. When I got up to move the hen was 80 yards away. I never heard a leaf rustle or anything.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Got one patterned coming in to this feeder every morning. He's a forkie, er, I mean young Jake, but he'll do on the last day. I just hope I finish my coffee before sending some pellets through the screen.

 

[trb]

Put on a lot of miles this weekend on the CO front range. Got a couple distant gobbles on opening day but with the 20+ mph wind made it nearly impossible to tell what direction I heard them from. Regardless, I guessed wrong, and never heard another peep or saw any fresh sign. Back to the drawing board. Every year it seems like the timing of when birds move through each of my scouted areas changes just enough to throw me off.

Gotta say, its realllllly damn hard to find a bruiser of a mulie shed and leave it there til May 1st.

 

[TOGIE]

Gotta say, its realllllly damn hard to find a bruiser of a 5 pt mulie shed and leave it there til May 1st.

i was thinking about this while i was out sunday morning. so stupid.

the spirit of the law is keep the hoards of insta-likes hungry dumbasses off winter range until may 1st.

the letter of the law says you cant shed hunt or possess sheds.

while i was walking about on sunday i decided since i wasn't violating the spirit of the law i'd probably pick up a shed if i found one. though, maybe luckily, i didn't actually have to face the decision. but i was looking, that's for darn sure.

 

[mdcrossbow]

Friends Osceola this morning, I hunted the same spot on the 7th. I think I primed this spot for him. LOL
Picture yesterday He postponed his ride back to Va this morning, good choice.

 

[Gellar]

Got one patterned coming in to this feeder every morning. He's a forkie, er, I mean young Jake, but he'll do on the last day. I just hope I finish my coffee before sending some pellets through the screen.

View attachment 218674

Never let go the first day that you’d be happy taking on the last day.

 

[Gellar]

Shortly after my last post I heard a gobble. It was around 12:30 and I’m a big believer that if you hear a turkey gobble midday you will kill that bird, unless you mess it up!

He was in the direction where I was headed. I decided to talk Turkey and make way to a clearing with a few apple trees in it and set up. Until this point I hadn’t used a decoy today, just calling. I get set up and talk to the gobbler for a bit, he is gobbling but doesn’t want to commit, because now there’s another hen yelping and working her way to me. The gobbler was just holding position what seemed about 100 yards up a small ravine from me. I couldn’t see him though. The hen finally gets there and I think I’m probably done. There is no gobbles and no yelps from the hen.

I move forward 50 yards, leaving my decoy where I was at. This will prove to be my fatal mistake.

After getting set up behind a deadfall I lay out some love notes for the Tom. Much to my surprise, I see movement about 40 yards away coming through the thick brush. It’s the hen. But 5 yards behind her is the Tom, strutting!! His head is blue as the clearest sky. The hen is feeding and looking for this other hen that should be there. She can’t find it and is starting to get nervous. Meanwhile, Tom is strutting two steps lefts, two steps right back and forth about 40 yards away but is not offering a shot. This goes on for what seems like an eternity, but it was probably 15 minutes until finally the hen has had enough and boogies out.

If I would have moved my decoy with me the hen probably would have committed, bringing the Tom with her. She was just concerned she could not see the turkey that was talking dirty to her man. So goes hunting.

 

[Bc1992]

Diy mount I’m trying on my bird from yesterday. Largest spurred turkey I’ve harvested. 1 3/8

 

[.270Rem]

Three of us heard no gobbles on Sat morning for the Virginia opener and we all stayed in the blinds till noon. One hen gave a walk by calling lesson. Yesterday only two of us got to hunt and I heard birds way off and had one talking on his own within 200 yds. I closed the distance and he never made a peep. Then I left to have breakfast and get ready for work.

Better days ahead and keep after them because sooner or later one will make the wrong move. Was on a WMA today and saw four vehicles on their way out just before 10. It pays to hunt till noon since your competition disappears sometimes.