Uncle Nicky

It's about 100 miles from Mount Pocono to NYC. LOTS of development in the area in the last 20 years, lots of people retiring from NYC & North Jersey, straight shot down Route 80. But $999K is pretty salty for 136 unimproved acres, even if you are buying gas/mineral rights. Good luck finding a buyer.

WOW, I'm jealous. Good luck!

If so, I'll buy it today. You're not going to find rural land in PA for less than $3K an acre (last time I checked, anyway), and you can't hunt on Sundays. I'm curious as well if there are any buildings on the property.

I've heard lots of birds gobble at thunder also. Not recommending anyone sits out in the woods when the lightning's flying, but just sayin'. I don't have much use for locator calls, most of the time regular sounds in the woods will set them off if it's meant to be (rooster's crowing on a nearby farm, crows, woodpeckers, red-tail hawks). I can owl hoot with the best of them using my own voice. My best locator call is a box call.

Well done.

Not saying never, but I'd have to be pretty desperate in the spring. Might shoot one in the fall.

Mexico, Guatemala, New Zealand....

No sir, I haven't, but I do hunt the swamps & ag fields every year in Georgia, a few hundred miles away. Admittedly, the birds don't gobble much, but they do seem a little more curious, and the flatter terrain makes them easier to spot. I've always thought the terrain here in PA & NY is what makes our birds hardest to kill, they know every flat & ridge on every mountain like it's their own back yard (and it is ) Have an Osceola trip planned next year, it's been a "one of these days" thing for the past few years, I'm finally going to fork over the dough & complete my slam.

Killed a gobbler on Day 3 of the PA season. 19#, 3/4" spurs, 8" beard. I don't care what anyone says, PA & NY mountain gobblers are the toughest birds in the US to kill, maybe the toughest in the world .

Just my $.02, but you'd probably be better off NOT putting decoys in the woods with you, and letting the gobbler come looking for you (or looking for the live hen that you had). Good chance the decoys didn't look "right" to the bird (no movement), so he stayed back. I've never had a whole lot of luck with decoys anyway, but I'll only put them out if hunting an open field. Sometimes just shutting up completely and scratching around in the leaves a little will get his curiosity and bring him in.

You may be over-calling, but this happens to me a lot. The bird doesn't see the hen he is looking for, and smells a rat. Call very sporadically and just have patience, he may get suicidal, or you may draw another bird in with all the commotion. Like others have said, very few "given"s in turkey hunting.

I didn't hunt the NY opener this year, I'm heading up Memorial Day weekend. But a buddy called from my camp in West Almond (Allegany/9P). Him & his boy both killed jakes this morning, both came in silently. He claimed that they heard gobbles up the mountain at daybreak, so that's their plan for tomorrow.

Having hunted bear over bait in both Maine & Canada, I can personally attest that it's not the slam dunk that the OP thinks it is. It's more boring than anything else, a few sightings each week were the norm where I hunted. I don't know where the Youtube videos were filmed, but it doesn't sound very realistic. Baiting deer, hogs, bear...whatever, doesn't bother me. I've filled tags with and without bait, and will continue to do so. I had a chance to kill a bear last year while deer hunting (unbaited), I let him walk, just didn't want the meat or one more head hanging in the den. Sportsmen & gun owners need to stick together, rather than critique how others hunt or what the regs are in other states. Just my $.02.

Any gun with that shoots 3 1/2" shells is going to wail you. I kinda enjoy shooting a gun/shell that I know will thump the bird just as hard as it thumps me. Just my $.02, but why not invest in a good recoil pad, and keep your current setup?

My first bird was actually 2. I got into the game later in life, even though I'd been a long-time small game & deer hunter. Pretty much self-taught at first, I really had no clue what I was doing. Struck out a lot, both fall & spring hunting, but I was determined. A buddy told me he knew where some birds were roosing that night, so I decided to take him up on his offer & try my luck; this was in the fall, in NY. I got in as close to the tree as I dared, and sure enough, the birds started yapping about 1/2 an hour before light. Once the sun came out, I counted 20+ birds roosted in the tree, in the center of a hayfield. They finally flew down, practically in my lap. I EVER SO SLOWLY raised the shotgun to my shoulder, and blasted the first head that I drew a bead on. After the flock scattered, the smoke cleared, and I gained my composure, I saw 2 birds flopping on the ground, both 1st year jakes. So, in the course of a couple hours, I'd graduated from a wanne-be turkey hunter to a turkey killer and tagged out for the season at the same time. I too have been hooked ever since.

Will you shoot a jake this year, if the opportunity presents itself?

The coyote picture doesn't especially bother me, one way or the other. But to this day, I still have trouble killing anything I don't plan to eat or wear. Yes, I know it's necessary, especially in areas where they're overabundant. I just leave that kind of killing to someone else. Most of the areas I hunt locally don't have many coyotes (yet).

Good news. Anyone who's hunted with both knows that it's the same principle, you have to be able to hit an animal square in the vitals in order to recover your game. Not much margin for error. You still need all the skills that any bow hunter needs and have to get them in close. A crossbow is just a little more accurate and cuts the learning curve for the new archer.

For now I'm staying here, because this is where the job is. Once my kids are done college, probably heading south, FL, GA, or AL, or Norfolk/Outer Banks area. All this is dependent on where the kids wind up, whether we wind up with grandkids, and health & situation of other family members.

Way too many to list. Most recent was hunting with a buddy in Georgia, spring gobbler season. A good friend I met years ago in Canada, I make it a point to get together with him every year. A little background, we usually sit together when we turkey hunt, for the last 3 years he's shot birds that have come in from his direction (usually heading towards me). It became sort of a running joke for a while. Anyway, last year we spotted a gobbler heading in from an open field, so we quick set up about 15 yards in the woods, and just waited...he was coming in on a string, so we didn't do any calling. Once the bird hit a dip in the field, I lost sight of him, but I didn't want to move & risk spooking him. After a LOOONNNGGG wait, I looked over & saw my buddy raising his shotgun...I got this sinking feeling he was going to shoot another one out from under me. I slowly raised my gun also, looked through the scope...and suddenly saw big red turkey head staring at me. A second before I pulled the trigger, I heard my friend's safety click off. When I got up to look at my prize, I realized I'd just shot my biggest Eastern...1 1/4 spurs, unfortunately at that close range I shot most of the bird's beard off. I don't know what was sweeter...the trophy or shooting one out from under Robby.

Holy cow, I didn't realize how expensive caribou hunts had become!! Last time I went (about 10 years ago), HIGH end hunts were around $3,500. Pgymy is correct, awesome animals that live in some of the most remote & beautiful country in the world. Glad I experienced it while it was still somewhat affordable.

Antelope or caribou.

Mississippi is the only state I know of with the 6" beard rule. But no, I don't like the idea. I'd rather they put a restriction on hens in the fall time.

Shoulder shot. Miss a little, and still DRT.

I'm going to start applying for an Arizona turkey tag this year. I'd love to kill a Gould's turkey, but don't want to travel to Mexico to do it.