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Well this was a short season. Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

Finished up my 2021 season at 6:23 this morning. He roosted about 100 yds of my blind. I set up a lone hen decoy well before daylight. He had several hens and a Jake with him and he slowly strutted my way. My first triple bearded bird, 8”, 5 1/2”, and 5”. 1 1/8” Spurs and about 20#. Fun hunt!

1st time out this spring hunting, May 2nd. Called in this 2-3year old. Great hunt. He got lonely about 730. Worked him the 150 yds to a load of 5s. 21lbs plus. 9" beard. 14/16 and 15/16 spurs. Hammered at every call I made. Was enjoying every gobble but had to force myself to stop calling to much so he would stop strutting and come to me. Lol. 35 minutes from start to boom. I used a Fiddlehead pot call and he just couldn't resist. Sent from my LM-G850 using Tapatalk

Got a jake this morning at 0830. Called him across three hayfields . Shot him at 20 feet. He was determined. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I spaced and forgot to post final.... Turned out super. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My son got a nice bird this morning. He came in and attacked our jake decoy. valoroutdoors.com

Had a very interesting morning. Snuck into woods early. Looked around and said. That doesn't look like a turkey. Yup, it's a bear. 5 seconds later this bear ran straight at me. I can't post the video but these screens shots show how close he came before I stood up and scared him away. The morning hunt went well too.

After turkey hunting in Ohio we set up some cell cams. Most certainly lower deer density and sign appeared to be less overall but very clear in areas where the sign concentration was present. It’ll be tough hunting and the sits will probably be long gaps in sightings but the sightings hopefully will matter. FTR mineral blocks and feed are legal there.

I went out for a quick walk after I did chores at my friend's farm. I hiked up a log road into the hardwoods behind the barn, calling on a diaphragm call every once in awhile. There was tons of scratching under the beech trees. I decided to sit and listen for awhile. Broke out my cheap Primos slate and got a very distant gobble. He gobbled on his own after a couple minutes of the silent treatment. I cut the distance and he answered, but didn't seem to be moving. I crept up behind a chunk of ledge and could see jake fan and a bunch of red heads. They were on a ledge 100 yards away. It turned out to be a giant jake flock (or two jake flocks combined). I cut on the slate and alternated with the mouth call. What a ruckus! 10 jakes all gobbling together! After firing them up good I went quiet and scratched in the leaves. After 5 or ten minutes of quiet I purred and clucked and soft yelped facing away from them. 5 of them got in single file and found a spot to climb off the ledge. I got them to 25 feet before they figured out something was up. They were really little with 3" beards that stuck out straight. They putted, but I would yelp and they would come back. I fooled with them until almost noon and when they drifted away I dropped over the hill and got out of there. Lots of fun, but not the birds I was looking for.

We stopped at two places in Ohio and both had more ammo than any store in NY that I’ve visited in months. Picked up enough 243 to get me through and some Accutips for friends.

And that's a wrap. Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

Venison parsley cheese sausage, fried potato cubes, Brussels and grilled mushroom s Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone I know who uses a crossbow are all or were “ bow hunters “. Either age and injury limited them to a crossbow , others just wanted to try something new . Let’s get over all this “ difficulty ,and thousands of shots to master a compound “ shall we ? I bought my first one in ‘88 and killed a buck that year and most since . That was with a single pin sight, flipper rest, a two blade Mangus on 2117’s , shooting fingers . Todays with 85% let off ,drop away rests and all the other wiz bang stuff makes it simple ,for a newbie to shoot small groups from day one , I’ve seen it many many times . I know a lot of “ real bow hunters “ who pull their bow out for the first time just prior to and some after the season starts, few arrows and they’re good to, go .

So you can't like both? I took two deer with my bow this year and none with the crossbow, yet I hunted with both and enjoy both. I don't see where I have to choose one or the other or why I can't be a good bowhunter if I also use a crossbow.

Getting a ton of action on clover plot just a couple pictures I have horns A piebald Bear They are keeping the clover mowed

Let the dogs out this morning at 5 am when I went to let them in I heard gobbling . Maybe I can sit in the backyard with the bow lolololol

Next thing you know they'll make a bow to cock with a rope that stays at full draw all day.

Congrats bill [emoji106] Fixed it for you Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Uhm I'm old enough to remember you guys taking over recurve and long bow season in the 1970s and 80s. Get off your high horse already

I was thinking they were smart pills and he didn’t eat enough?

Time for a kegger.

2nd Pfizer shot at 11am drank a ton of water before and still drinking tons after . No issues as of this post but my fingers are crossed

Well....OK...back to turkey huntin'

The truth is somewhere between these two points of view. The hard fact is that a crossbow is still a bow and kills by causing blood loss. It isn't a muzzleloader. Your 8 year old could shoot it, but not under any and all hunting conditions. You complain about repeating yourself, but here you are... I respect the wish to have time in the woods without crossbows, but most of the arguments against them are flawed. The only tangible drawback to full inclusion that I have seen in VT is how far idiots will shoot. It leads to wounded deer and makes for lazy hunters. I don't blame the crossbow for this, just stupid people.

Have been looking to get myself another 44 mag revolver and decided on a barely used early 80s classic style Ruger Redhawk. Got the grips changed out and put in a fiber optic style front sight. Will be looking forward to testing it and it's GP100 357 Mag brother out over the summer with a bunch of various handloads, should be fun. Al

Not to invade someone else's Forum but I found another Pic ! ( Yeah I'm bragging for my first trip !)

You are spot on and thank you for your honesty. I agree the only reason I can think of to not allow full inclusion is selfishness. Again I agree, a certain weapon may make your shot easier but does not make you a better hunter. Shooting at a target and a live animal are miles apart.

oh I will hunt till the very last day. I just have always had better luck early season. Like I said, I'm a fair weather turkey hunter. Not a die hard or anything more than a casual chaser of beards. I more or less enjoy the spring, mixed in with a little sunshine meditation and deer season scouting. I believe this is year #10 in the turkey woods and I'll say my hunting down south was much better than up north. Earlier season timed with the breeding cycle and just a far greater number of birds. All that said, getting a gobble back and then hearing that gobble get closer and closer is unlike anything in hunting and it sure as shit is fun.

HaHaHa....you're too funny! Not that it matters at all, but I've probably been killing deer with a bow, since before you were a twinkle in your mom's eye. Good try mister troll.

Did a little shopping on a recent trip to NC. Sold some handgun ammo that I had no use for to a forum member in PA. The proceeds put some cash in my pocket for the "souvenirs" I picked up. The local Wal Mart had the .22 Thunderbolt bricks on clearance for only $15! limit 2 per customer. I went back the next day and of course the rest were gone. I went into a gun shop and grabbed a box of Aguila .308 FMJ's for about $30. I grabbed them just because they were in stock, although in hindsight I probably shouldn't have since they're not a hunting round. Good for target practice though. I also picked up a complete BCA upper in .350 Legend from someone down there who had it on Armslist. Got that with 2 mags for $450. The mags will have to stay in the safe though. They're a little bigger than NY likes. Also while I was away, the lower build kit arrived. I'm picking up the lower receiver today. Now I'll be able to work on the build a bit once the spring yard work is out of the way.

If you sound half as ignorant while you’re asking permission as you do while you’re typing on here I’m not at all surprised with the trouble you’re having! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doge got picked up on another site for exchange. Plus the pending doom of Elon on SNL... I'll take it. Wish I had more guts to have more than 10% of my portfolio in crypto...but I'm getting there mentally to move to a higher %.

It's really shooting up Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I'm a non ethanol guy in small engines regardless of age or when I got the machine . Side note anyone contemplating getting a zero turn just do it . My 20 year plus JD mower threw a rod in the fall. I ended up getting a smoking deal on a Ferris zero turn. Didn't get to use to much in the fall but its been stellar this spring . Soon as I can mow my entire lawn ,some spots pretty wet I bet I can shave a solid 45 minutes off . Nothing but non ethanol in it for sure

nope, Dont need a Weatherby to kill a deer nor a Weber to cook it. I just dont trust them after 4 years. Hoses etc. Had one many years ago with a leak on my deck and sister in law was using it. All was ok but a little of a scare. I buy one for $100 every 4 years, does the trick.

Interesting my ‘84 Johnson has run on nothing but ethanol , since whenever it came out . I did rebuild the carbs last year . Good for another 35 years ! Also put new carbs on my ‘72 Arian’s snowblower a couple years back . Not an engine guy never knew I should not run ethanol.

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I really hate to think there are elitist hunters out there with your mindset, disgrace to all hunters. Sound more like a troll trying to screw with these threads then a hunter with an opinion. What is it that scares you elitist about the crossbow? Is it that I will kill all your deer? I still till this day have not seen one valid and factual reason as to why not allow crossbow into full inclusion.

Got it done today. 26lbs. Awesome hunt. We ended up getting a double.

Was out tent camping with my wife last night and we were awoken this morning by a flock of very noisy turkeys...only a few arm-lengths away from our tent. congrats to those who have harvested!!

On the board! Called once, never heard a gobble. Four hens and this guy came in to feed in the fresh spread manure.

Don't let anybody tell ya .243 is not enough gun for a whitetail. 0 recoil and accurate to 250 yards. My son was and still is a slight built man even now at 6' 165 but I got him a Ruger .243 for his 14th birthday and he killed several bucks with it with no problem. I took a doe from brace at 475 yds by aiming 2 ft high. Put it right through both lungs and she ran 50 yds. We have used 100g Remington core lok but would hesitate to used 95g Hornady either. It's a great caliber!

Really needed some woods time . Went to local spot last week to listen. One bird gobbling. Went back today and hit the owl tube at 5, 5:10 and finally he hit me at 5:20. I climbed almost into his living room. Now he’s gobbling on his own. Maybe 100 yards off. Soon a hen 30-35 yards off starts tree talk then another cutting hard. He’s double and triple gobbling. So I joined the fun and cut hard. This Tom was coming fast. I knew he’d crest a small ridge and boom there he is full display at 60. Hens still tree talking but he’s headed to the one on the ground. Me ! I did not want to get into a pissing match with these gals. I then went soft purrs and scratching only. He’s still coming. More tree talk by others. He comes in to about 40 yards tilting his fan . I’m only scratching leaves now. He comes another 5 yards . Burris fastfire 3 on. Tactacam ready to go on barrel. Started to get into some thick stuff so aborted tactacam. Red dot on his head. Squeezed off a 3.5 tss 7 and bang no flop. Finally the hens pitch out. Quick hunt but awesome . 20.5 lbs -1” Spurs - 8.75” beard

Not a big turkey hunter but when time allows I try to get out. Well this year with the opener on a Sat my young sons were pumped to go out....all week they couldn't stop talking about waking up at 4am. Well last night the youngest was sneezing and couching so that put him on the shelf but he gave his blessing for his brother and myself to give it a try. We set a blind and camera a few weeks earlier so we knew they was a chance of birds.....just didn't know if it was the day they would be nearby. Well around 5:45 my buddy who was 100 yards away started calling and boom the woods lights up with gobbles and one is 20 yards from us....I tapped my son and he was ready. Well my buddy would call..and they would hammer, then a crow would call and gobbles were coming from what seemed like everywhere. We were ready and just waiting for a fly down and hope they were headed our way. After about ten minutes of silence I did a real light cluck and boom there was a bird on the ground and close. Well I looked in that direction and I see something running full bore at my decoy.....once it cleared a tree I realized it was a hen and she was ticked at that decoy. Well she pecked and posture the decoy for a bit and a crew of birds she had in tow weren't far behind. Once they were around 20 yards I away I could see they were all Jake's but I wasn't letting one leave especially with my son in the blind. What seemed like forever probably was only minutes before this one got far enough away from the others and I let him have it with a 3" 20ga. Size 6 XR. I few birds scattered.....one of his buddies hung around for a while pecking at him and another Jake strolled by 10 minutes later. They did make their way towards my buddy but got hung up near some blow downs and did a u turn to get outta there. What an aweosme morning with my son in the blind and great day with the crew I was out with. Sent from my SM-A716V using Tapatalk

Got set up at 4:55. Made a couple soft tree yelps at 5:16, and a tom answered about 60 yrds behind me. Couple hear others gobbling below him, and some I couldn't tell where they were they were roosted because of the wind. Apparently two were roosted on the other side of the field as they came running in. They ended up behind a huge oak that was only 5 feet in front of me. They stayed behind that tree for 5 minutes gobbling, spitting and drumming only 12 yrds from me, but I couldn't see them. Finally one took a couple steps to the left. After the shot the 2nd tom pounced on him and thrashed him for about 30 seconds. I managed to finally get my phone out and got a video of him as he was waking away, gobbling like crazy. Typical 2yr old. 21lbs, 3/4" spurs, 10.5" beard. Pic is where he flopped, and got a thrashing from his buddy.

Ka ching Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

What a fun hunt. Story later.

That time a year again . Sitting and listening local for Saturday opener. Sadly Samantha is at college and not allowed to leave campus per Covid restrictions. She’ll be home last week in May. So hunting without my buddy til then. Side notes. First ink coming up next week and ordered new plates. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk