Kansas Turkey Adventures

Live field report:

2 toms spotted along the lakeshore. OnX distance tool 820 yards. Being an unusually calm morning and having a valley funnel the sound, they’ve heard and turned directions towards me.

Patience kansasdad!
 
A tom comes to the tree line 89 yards away, stands there for a little while and about-faces and is out of sight in the trees.

Later a young buck sporting nubs enters the sandplum thicket I’m hunkered down 4 yards from where I am sitting. Once inside the cover, he scratched his belly with a hind hoof, and then sneezed three times. He didn’t even try to cover his sneeze.
 
Leaving home while it was still dark, I took a scenic byway, and it was indeed scenic. Numerous deer were seen, one playing chicken with the SUV at 65 mph. Nearing the wildlife area, I found this tom putting on a show for a female friend, safe in a refuge zone.

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I was walking from the SUV at 8:30 am after seeing one truck parked at on end of the wildlife area, and a second on at my hoped for jumping off spot. I decided to split the difference, and headed down to the river. Cresting the ridge and looking down at the lake, I could see 2 toms a half mile away. Slipping under the fence and weaving my way thru the sandplum thickets, I decided to set up at the bottom of the thicket, with the feeder stream and its streamside woods about 100 yards away. Calling sparingly (late season on public lands) I was hoping that the birds I had seen would head my way.

Excited to see sandplums on the limb
May23kanopolis 030.JPG

Over an hour later, I heard a volley of gobbles directly across from me, and it seemed about halfway up the opposite hill. I contemplated crossing the opening to get into the trees, and then possibly find a way across the feeder stream to intercept, but being that this was my first time here, I wasn't aware of the terrain and foliage that journey would entail, and as it was early, I didn't want to blow out these gobbling birds. Hind sight observation: I should have moved to the river's edge.

Several fun moments with deer over the next 90 minutes, with the first one mentioned in post # 542 above

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The day was warming, and for Kansas standards, there wasn't much breeze. I found a nice comfy reclining option with my seat cushion, and before I knew it, the eyelids were getting heavy. I dozed off several times, and then my turkey spidey senses caused me to get the binoculars up, to see a tom in the opposite treeline. I guess he was looking for that sweet sounding hen he had heard sporadically calling from this field, and not seeing her, he turned back towards the woods.

Finally convinced that my setup wasn't gonna work today, I worked my way through the buckbrush down to the feeder stream. Finding a way to cross, I worked my way up the hill towards where I had heard the mid morning volley of gobbles. Finding a good resting spot against a large cottonwood, I let the woods settle down before calling as I had flushed up another half dozen deer walking up the hill.

More fun with deer for the next hours, but no turkeys seen or heard, I moved further away from the main lake edge exploring and hoping for another chance with turkeys. Walking up to the top of the hill, I had a glorious view of a thriving wildlife area, and I thought I now understood what happened earlier this morning.

I hypothesized that after getting down to the lake for a drink (I still have never seen a wild turkey taking a drink!) they walked up a flat open ridge top to get to where they gobbled. I hoped that they had dropped into an adjacent river bottom where they couldn't have seen me in my wanderings. I set up on the ridge and called. Being patient, I enjoyed the scene of deer feeding on the exposed lake bed (drought is strong in Kansas) and was happy to eventually hear gobbling from the lake.

I snap decided that I was going to cut the distance toward the gobbles, and made it 100-ish yards closer. I intentionally picked an ambush spot that seemed to have an opening in the the lake edge brush, and cranked out some cuts on the slate. Immediate responsive gobbling and I thought that finally I was in business. Calling and responding, I guessed that I was dealing with at least 3 toms and as many jakes as well. Coming closer, I could just see dark shapes through the thick brush. My heart was pumping much faster than average, I reminded myself to keep my cheek tight to the stock, and even practiced a left shoulder mount should these birds zig when I expect them to zag.

Coming right to left, these birds were directly in front of me, less than 45 yards away, and completely invisible. Gobbling at me, seagulls, crows, the spray plane flying overhead, I have over 16 minutes of audio on my cell phone as they were totally fired up. Drifting back and forth it seemed that the toms were drifting away while the jakes were moving towards the hoped for opening.

Trying to get a better understanding of what was happening within shotgun range, I used the cottonwood to shield me from suspicious scanning turkey eyes
 
(continued)

Binoculars up, I could see that the toms were now out nearing the middle of the dried lake.

May23kanopolis 083.JPG


Calling got them to momentarily stop their movement away from me, but not enough to get them to reverse course. The jake gobbling were also drifting away, but out of sight because of the brush. Suddenly the toms were running back to my right.

Once they were no longer visible, and I surmised the jakes were also heading away I headed up stream to intercept them. In full ninja mode, I set up where I imagined the morning gobbles originated.

Losing patience way too soon, I moved downhill to the river's edge, sneaking into the brush in hopes of intercepting the flock heading back towards a presumed roosting spot. Knee walking through the brush, I called and got an immediate chorus of gobbles, well withing 100 yards. Moving into a hoped for intercept vantage deep in the brush, I waited. I was under a tree that might be a nice roosting spot, as I nervously kept an eye on the time, as the end of legal was approaching. I told myself that I wasn't going to shoot a bird on the roost tree (illegal in Kansas), but I wouldn't hold off on a flying bird headed to roost.

I called, and the flock was closer. I tried to find a couple of holes in the thick brush that I could use should the flock come close enough. I called and they seemed to be past me. Finding a slight opening in the brush, I snuck through, to find that the flock had indeed moved, and were past me, and out of range already.

A total of 9 birds (3 toms, 4 jakes and 2 hens) were slowly headed uphill towards the open ridge that I had just used for three ambush attempts in the last two hours. Had I stayed where I was sitting before trying the last ninja move they would have walked right to me. DOH!!

Walking out, I called Mrs kansasdad to tell her I was heading back to the car. She asked if I wanted to sleep in my car for another go at these tricky birds, or perhaps drive back Sunday for another chance. I knew I needed to be home and perhaps this would be my last turkey hunt of 2023. If that is true, it was indeed a glorious day in the turkey woods, chasing this super smart/dumb bird that just bested me for the bazillionth time. And I'm ok with that.

Thanks for the adventure Kansas.
 
That is great news! I am happy to see Kansas is starting to address the turkey issue. I look forward to seeing what the permit caps will be for each unit. This could be the first step in creating a much better turkey hunting experience for both residents and non-residents. Thanks for keeping us updated!
Chase
 
From KDWP Facebook page: (Unit 2 is the North central unit)

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We’ve got leftover non-resident spring turkey permits in Unit 2! Beginning at 10 a.m. CST on March 12, these permits will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis until all permits are purchased.
To Purchase a Leftover Non-resident Turkey Permit
1. Login to customer account on Go Outdoors Kansas
2. On the customer profile, click “Purchase Leftover Permit”
3. Click “Non Resident Spring Turkey Leftovers” then “Next”
5. Select “E-Tag / Mobile or Print” then “Next”
7. Click “Finish & Check out”
8. Go to Cart and Click '”Check out Now”
9. Enter in credit card information and complete transaction.
For more info on turkey hunting in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/What-to-Hunt/Turkey.
 
From the KDWP home page, all NR turkey tags have been allocated.

Cruising around Milford Lake/Ft Riley I've seen large groups of toms/jakes, but no hens/poults groups over the last several months. Closer to home I've seen mixed winter flocks of over 60 birds in multiple locations.

I am looking forward to mentoring one or more youngsters this spring with Outdoor Mentors (https://outdoormentors.org/) on a timbered/pasture land south of Ottawa. The land owner tells me that he has been hearing gobbling coming from the woods.

As a kid, I'd heard the sage advice that crab grass preventer needed to be put down before April 15th, or when the Redbud trees start blooming. My Redbud at home is already breaking out the purple/pink buds, so it for sure seems like an early springtime.
 
I was driving home around sunset tonight passing under the Beechcraft runway which is just a under a mile from my office. There is a flock of birds that live on Beechcraft property, and I see them often, almost always on the private side of the tall fence with “no trespassing barbwire” on top.

Tonight there was a single jake right next to the busy arterial. He was picking up grit, and looking like he was going to cross Central Avenue and find a roost. Waiting for a pause in traffic, he started to cross across four lanes of traffic. One west bound car had to slow down and change lanes, and he made it to the turn lanes. Picking up a little more grit, he made a couple of false starts and then successfully crossed onto the park-like area closer to the modern Beech HQ. He made a practice run up to roost, did a U-turn to his starting place, and then did the little run up and fly up.

Rising about 12 feet into a bare ash tree, he fluffed his feathers a bit, and then began limb hopping up a couple of branches and a little further away from the main trunk.

Sleep well, my suburban friend. Mind yourself crossing the street a little better and you might continue your nightly flyups in the Air Capital of the World.
 
I went to my favorite Morel spot to see if we have any early sprouters. Only, I couldn't get to spot 1 as there were a flock of turkeys blocking it. Multiple toms with a flock of hens all being vocal. So I back out and go to spot 2. I hear a gobble and same thing there. Probably saw more birds on public than I've seen since moving here. Archery season cannot come fast enough!
 
The Facebook video link is still inoperable, but the business next to the crossing spot is trying to do its part to save this jake
 
Driving to work this morning, and on high alert for this knucklehead turkey. As we crossed through the intersection, I saw him 100 yards away, between the sidewalk and the curb. He let the two cars ahead of us pass, and then he stepped down into the street, facing the Highlander as we slowed to a complete stop. Fortunately the driver of the Suburban behind us didn't rear end us, but after a moment he sounded off with an impatient honk. The double bearded jake moved around to the driver's side of the car, allowing us to continue on our way.

Playing Frogger with SUV's at 35 MPH will get you smooshed, Mr Turkey. Go find a better place to play around in the warming springtime.
 
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