MN Gobbler

[Trigger50]

Spring has finally broke in the upper Midwest ! I took this gobbler this morning after belly-crawling within 15 yds of the whole flock. I shot him at 11:30 am. The morning was uneventful until the light rain broke & the sun came out. The birds seem alittle leaner this yr after a long winter. This tom only weighed 19 lbs. That's on the lean side for MN. Good Luck

 

[kenton]

nice bird, congrats

 

[JohnCushman]

Congrats!!

 

[skimerhorn]

Nice bird, is that a Rio or mirriam?

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Way to go, Tim! Sneaking up on turkeys is no easy feat!

 

[kansasdad]

Love spring turkey season!! Will the morels be far behind?

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Nice bird, is that a Rio or mirriam?

Minnesota is only supposed to have Easterns, but I have seen some birds that look mysteriously like a Merriam's. I did some looking and found that when they reintroduced turkeys in MN back in the 60's they put in a mix of Easterns and Merriam's, so it is likely there are some Merriam's genes still floating around. See the link to a pic of a double me and a buddy took in central MN. They look like they could be two different species and they came from the same flock.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/picture.php?albumid=382&pictureid=3329

 

[ginkgo72]

Today was a great day in MN to see birds...I saw two in full strut from the hwy this morning. Can't wait until next week. When I get my chance.

 

[Gellar]

The birds were on fire in Ne iowa this a.m as well! I stopped at the farm before work and saw a pair of toms on the road and heard several gobbling in the timber. Also saw several more during the a.m while working!

 

[sluggo6850]

congrats on a nice bird!

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Very nice! Congrats!

 

['Ike']

Great picture and bird...

 

[Trigger50]

I'm not a very patient turkey hunter. For me...turkey season is a way to get out of the treestand & do some stalking. I usually sit for a couple of hrs in the morning & then its run & gun / belly crawling. I hunt open farm country so spot & stalk is effective. Its all private land but I am still careful @ stalking. I usually drive the section & look for other vehicles or hunters before beginning a stalk. Actually about 75% of my turkeys have come from stalking. Its good practice for antelope & mule deer stalking !

 

[Trigger50]

Regarding turkey coloration... Personally I have noticed that the toms from extreme SE MN seem much darker. Both in the browns & blacks of their fans. Almost like an Osceola turkey. They are much harder to hunt too. Stubborn birds that have seen the most hunting pressure from the time of their re-introduction to MN. Ive hunted around Cannon Falls alot & have shot a couple toms w white in their feathers. The warden said that its from inter-breeding w domestic turkeys. He said that the DNR will not release wild turkey in an area where there is free-roaming domestic turkeys. But inter-breeding has happened in the Cannon Falls MN area.

 

[1_pointer]

Well done! Season opens here tomorrow and I'm taking 3 days this weekend to give it a go. Hope I can find one as nice as that!

 

[GSP4EVER]

Driving around Southern MN (Minnesota River Valley), there were turkeys everywhere strutting around. Wish I didn't have so much going on this spring. Congrats on the bird.

 

[big28hunter]

I was told by a turkey hunting expert in PA that the leaner birds are the dominant ones. Congrats on a great trophy!

 

[hearteater]

That's a nice bird. I wish I could say that I'm also looking leaner after the long winter...