Leaderboard

I think if you're going to start nocking on doors, it may be time to take a new approach. Most landowners who own any sizeable/huntable chunk of property have most likely already granted access to a select few family members and close friends exclusively, and that's usually where it ends...at least that seems to be the way it works around here lately.., and I'm pretty sure, not to terribly far from me. The whole song and dance of the righteous, well intentioned hunter asking permission has gone the way of the dinosaur when it comes to obtaining rights IMO. Nobody is going to roll out the welcome mat because they feel sorry their neighbors have locked you out. Finding another reason besides hunting to obtain access may be a little more time consuming to reach the main goal and at least get your foot in the door, but more effective in the long run. I'll use shed hunting, photography, and simply hiking to warm up to a potential owner willing to grant access by a subtler means. With a camera around my neck, I've snapped a few pics of an elderly ladies flowers from the road, and then approached her to see if she'd allow me to get closer to her "amazing garden" of tulips and dandellions,lol! Sometimes you just need to get past the boarder of posted signs along the roadfront just for the sake of opening the door to a fresh new conversation. She had most likely never been confronted with this approach before, therefore was not prepared to refuse my request, and quite honestly... I think she enjoyed the chatter. Deceptive....?...perhaps.. Effective..?.. Most deffinately! I plucked 2 antlers out of her 64 acres last shed season, and she thought it was the coolest thing when I showed them to her and explained to her how this deer was still alive and well. I still haven't asked to hunt here.... but the incredible photo shoots of tiger lillies and marigolds to come, has me eager to show my face again and prepare for rejection when the subject finally does come up!

Sittin here watching reruns n wondering if any of ya'll own any duck commander calls? The ones I've come across are crap in my opinion . But what I'm really wondering is how u enjoy there spittle in ur new call haha... See em all the time blowin in calls there makin ... Not somethin I'd be enthusiastic about puttin my mouth to at 6 in the Mornin ...!

Not good pictures but its feeding off a woodchuck

Wouldn't they consider decreasing bags limits before closing a season altogether?

got myself a jake this morning at 15 yds had some toms coming in but I couldn't hold off. my first bird and cant wait to eat him tonight. at least i know my guns not off

X2.....i was in a bass tournament last year and had two gobblers going nuts with my mouth call. Yes i had a mouth call in my pocket in june....dont know why lol

i think we are in the lull. Ive heard turkeys gobble on memorial day for crying out loud. Just keep hunting its only for a month! Next month you guys will be crying about how much you miss it.....Just hunt and try to have fun!

Here is a little deal that I have used for several years with success, I went to Staples and purchased some blank business card's, and filled them out on my computer with my name, address, telephone number. On the back of the card I list several of the organizations that I actively belong to. Such as N.R.A., local Gun clubs, BASS, N.W.T.F. Church. You would be amazed on some of the good comments that I have received, and permission to hunt on posted land. Almost every land owner I have approached has stated that it is nice to know who they are talking to, other then just a name.

Sorry fellas but I'm going with the majority here. Birds are dead silent and strutting activity is non existent IF you can even find a bird. Foliage is to thick and hay is to tall. It never fails that this time of year the hunting falls off rapidly. Regardless of the good knowledge that Mike dropped, the season needs a one week earlier opening and has needed it for 3 year now. Plenty of seasoned turkey guys around here say the late season just isn't what it used to be.

Try fencing them in, I heard that works well in conjunction with a feeder.

If it is a farm a nice ice braker is first obtaining permission for a little woodchuck hunting. That has a benefit to the farmer and it may open the doors to more seasons once they see how responsible you are.

I don't even own a pistol, so if I want to carry a firearm, I have to get one of those long trench coats.

You are missing part of the point, they are not cooling off, at least not the older toms. The first gobbling peak during winter flock break-up occurs before hunting reduces the flock size and educates the birds. After flock dispersal the birds are doing more mating than displaying and the gobbling slows down. At some point the hens start laying eggs at a rate of one per day, but they will continue to mate. After about 14 days/eggs they sit on the nest and incubate for 28 days. Incubation does NOT shut off the mating urge of mature toms however many of them are dead or educated and the jakes lose reproductive condition (you don't really want to know what this means, trust me). What incubation does do, is start the older toms gobbling again, unless they are aware of the presence of hunters. They will continue to seek hens and if not pressured, gobble all the way into the month of June. (Since 85% of nests are lost to predators with 30 to 60 percent of the hens attempting to renest, toms have a good chance of finding receptive hens into the month of June and they know it). That being established, lets revisit hunting one or two weeks earlier. If hunting suppresses gobbling, and I can supply you with published research that suggests it does, why wouldn't it suppress it two weeks earlier? From a hunting opportunity perspective; the effect of hunting pressure on gobbling would be the same, it would just occur earlier. From a biological perspective; the birds would be subjected to the issues associated with hunting before most of the mating and flock segregation occurs. The only benefit is the possibility of an increased harvest, mainly consisting of jakes, otherwise it is largely a lose-lose proposition.

Your getting into some contentious stuff. Animal populations will go up & down and harvest rates will follow, but in the long term there are lots of birds and the harvest is large. "Why fix what aint broke?" Be careful what you wish for because if you want the legislature to enact political decisions over biological ones, you may get your wish, that should be obvious by now. The current season structure strikes a balance between conservation and maximizing hunting opportunity and is obviously working very well. A few decades ago turkeys were extirpated from most of their historic range. Today populations which can sustain hunting have been restored and turkeys have even been successfully introduced outside of their original range. Spring turkey hunting seasons are timed to minimize interference with reproduction and protect hens by setting the season to coincide with nesting. The logic behind this is that it will allow the majority of mating to occur without disturbance and will reduce the shooting of hens (for whatever reason: stray pellets from flock shooting, poaching, error, or bearded hens which comprise 10 to 20 percent of the turkey population). Fortunately, peak incubation roughly coincides with the second gobbling peak. The first gobbling peak is more active, however, hunting influences gobbling activity, therefore, hunting earlier in the spring certainly would increase harvest, but likely due to more hunting days, rather than greater gobbling activity. In other words all the preseason gobbling would be suppressed if hunters were afield at that time.

That sucks, but at least you got them in close in front of you. Better luck tomorrow!

One of your best freinds in a swamp can be a good walk or poke stick to test areas that look bad. The other is a rope strong enough to pull you out if you get stuck. And a cell phone.

Always a risk. I think the best way would be to leave a hanger with a cable lock on it, and hike in with a set of climbing sticks.