whaler
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Posts posted by whaler
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On the flip side, last season i busted about ten birds off a roost ridge. Early season, no leaf cover, i was late getting in and didnt know the area too well. All my fault.
I have not seen the birds roosted on that ridge again. Closeby, but not that spot again.
Just a warning. With the way the leaves are right now, everything is crunchy, give yourself an extra 50 yards to birds roosts.
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Looks like a case of beard rot.
Congrats on the nice bird! Nothing beats those quick, action packed hunts.
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I always thought higher pressure gets them gobbling more. More importantly, rising pressure gets them going.
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Got in around 515 and nothin at normal roost site so checked a ridge about quarter mile away. I spooked what i think was a jake or hen, and then figured what the heck ill set up and call hoping there are other birds nearby. Open hardwoods. Had a gobble soon after but never got a visual. Gobbled 6-8 times but because of a small rise between him and me i couldnt see him. Wasnt more than 60 yards. i think either a coyote spooked him or a hen swooped by and he went silent.
Went for a walk and spooked one hen in hardwoods and another in a field. No gobblers. Walking back to my original spot i did some light calling and a bird starts gobbling. I tried a sneak and he was out in a pasture and i suppose he caught me moving. He fast walked away.
Called it quits after that.
Odd day but i could have closed the deal and didnt. Thats hunting.
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Id have either crawled to a point with a fan decoy, so they could see it, or done some fighting purrs mixed with some gobbles.
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Sorry about the unfortunate outcome.
Sometimes it can be something small like picking your head off the stock or even a branch in the way you didnt notice that can lead to something like this happening.
It happens and only your mistakes are really going to make you a better hunter in the end.
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thats a great picture. Little guy/girl has no idea whats going on and why he is in this bright area.
well, got it done this morning! nothing on roost and all the fields are so overgrown i doubt a turkey would feel like walking through them, let alone a person.
gobbled to some loud calling, excited yelping i did while walking through mature hardwoods. set up at nearest tree and he came strutting all the way in to 20 yards. Happy to take 1 bird, no need for another. 10 inch beard, .75-1" spurs, solid two year old it seems.
this was such an odd season for me. only had good action on May 3 then it completely turned silent in my area. I have never had a season like it before...
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Afraid that was still the case. Still will get out and enjoy one last hunt before getting ready for whitetail season!
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getting out tomorrow for the last hoorah. Was in the woods two weeks ago and only called in two hens where normally I had been hearing 5-10 gobblers on the roost.
Anyone have any updates? Weather looks good so hopefully they will be active and the hens won't be as busy with the toms. By the way, this is in Westchester County.
thanks! hope everyone is enjoying or has enjoyed their season.
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Thats beard rot.
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I can't purr on a diaphragm call but yelps and clucks seem to work pretty good for me.
Scratching in the leaves has probably brought the majority of gobblers in that last 20 yards...
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No doubt, Pygmy I agree. I was only suggesting he use a mouth call. Ive seen a lot of beginners fumble around with slates and boxes and push button calls only to spook birds off with movement. As long as you can call with the diaphragm, it eliminates some of the movement that can get you spotted. Thats all I was suggesting.
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Congrats on the Benelli What tube and loads worked the best after patterning it ?
Id be surprised if he patterned it if he bought it memorial day.
Good work on putting a move on the bird but i agree, he spotted you. 34NY, do you use a mouth call? I dont think ive ever killed a bird without using one in conjuction with a box or slate. Good Luck Man!
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I watched it, congrats on the kill.
I don't understand how that can be too exciting, sitting in a blind and hoping a gobbler will come in as apposed to being in the woods, locating a bird and outsmarting him with woods sense. Outwitting a gobbler with your back to a tree, camo mask blurring your vision, black flies and mosquitoes buzzing, dry mouthing a diaphragm call, fumbling for your box, losing your striker for the slate call, having to figure out the best position for the gun in anticipation of his arrival, knowing when and when not to call, move your location etc. is what is about to me. YMMV and obviously it does.
I'm sure it is still exciting to have the bird coming but silent (or darn near silent) gobblers don't interest me at all. I'll walk and try and locate a vocal gobbler, maybe even blast a crow call or two................then a quiet subtle hen call with the diaphragm then maybe, just maybe a loud blast on the box call. Nothing? Move on............
That's the way I learned from guys like Ben Rogers Lee, Dick Kirby, Paul Butski, John McDaniel etc. Maybe those fellas that are still alive of the group are hunting out of blinds these days? I don't know......
I'd guess the people that started hunting with blinds were bow hunters; guys that were trying to kill one of the most difficult animals to outsmart in the open woods. Hiding behind a tree, drawing the bow and making a PERFECT shot on a spring gobbler has to be the ultimate hunt east of the Mississippi.
The blind and decoys changed that. I guess like all of life, somebody figures out an easier way to skin that cat and we all have to decide if thats the path or method we want to use.
Nice bird Dr Honk, how are you preparing him?
I agree with most everything you said. The one exception is if you are taking a new hunter or even someone who is just coming along. In that situation, I have found its better to stay put. New hunters dont really have enough experience to be stealthy, quiet, know where to look, just basic woods skills.
there is nothing like bowhunting turkeys without a blind. So much fun.
Also, someone could argue that sitting in a treestand is very similar. Although, if you are run and gunning whitetail, youre probably up there with some of the greats.
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All the birds i hunt have that in the middle fan feathers. Its a genetic thing. Seems like the older the bird, the more pronounced it is. I guess its just passed down among the birds i hunt. The one I got yesterday had it, and the two last season both had it.
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Once I had some bad mexican for late night snack before a hunt the following morning. Let out a loud fart and heard a triple gobble from a good bird not 50 yards away! Farts work!
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great bird. Pretty fan on that one!
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6P yesterday.
roosting area i have known for 8 years, always holds birds. Have heard 20+ roosting there in years past.
Yesterday...4. I think it was 4 gobblers. Didn't hear any hens. They also only gobbled 5 times in the span of 45 minutes. I have never heard it that quiet. Had geese and crows making a racket and literally no shock gobbling. Very Very strange. Also had an owl sound off around 445 and no shock gobbles.
Im actually very surprised.
Anyway, got lucky and had a bird gobble about 100 yards away, called once, he gobbled again 5 minutes later. Came right in to the jake decoy, dead at 6:03am.
Solid 3 year old. 20lbs, 1.25 inch spurs, 8 inch beard. Looks like his beard got broken this winter.
I felt very lucky my season is over. I pray for the turkey population to recover.
Driving back, fields that normally had birds galore, devoid of anything. I think i saw one bird way off on a field edge.
Hopefully the spring hatch is good and predation is at a minimum but my hopes are not high after what I saw.
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Honestly, I think the blind and the decoys have hurt me. I went on foot one time with the bow and got within 25 yards of three Jakes I just didnt have a clear shot I set up in a spot where I thought they were going to cross that road and they crossed about 20 yards further down.
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This is what im talking about. Ditch your setup and go stealth. You can still draw on birds you just have to be systematic about it. when they are behind trees or if they turn their back to you while strutting.
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I would recommend ditching your blind. Something is not right. The odds of having that many birds hanging up like that is pretty ridiculous. If you ditch the decoys and they come right in to your calling, thats great. But I have a feeling you conditioned these birds with your repetitive hunting setup.
I dislike blinds so much so I may not be the best person to listen to. Maybe its because I get claustrophobic.
Oh yea, get a shotgun and use that for the first few kills. The bow is a challenge! I got one last weekend with it and it was a lot of luck.
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6P, 5 or so gobblers on the roost hammering from 5:30 - 6:50. Fought with a hen and had her come in to 10 yards. I was getting tired of mimicking her and Im sure she was tired of it too, was about 45 minutes straight of back and forth, me cutting her off, one upping her.
thick swampy hardwoods. made the move to put a sneak on them. Turned out that only three jakes were left hanging around a hen. Got behind a big oak and the hen came looking for me. Dragged the jakes along. Dropped a Jake with a neckshot (not intentional, dropped in his tracks, i was shooting a standard slick trick). Happy to have connected with the bow. Shotgun time next.
2nd hunt this season but they were gobbling good both times. I guess I've been lucky.
Still very henned up.
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If he is having trouble with the last committment, the birds are either seeing something they dont like (decoys, you moving in the blind) or they arent seeing the bird. If you are sitting in a blind, the bird knows where the sounds are coming from.
Ive always found the way to trick that gobbler the last 50 yards is to shut up and let his curiousity kill him.
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Well one came back but same thing. I just can't get them to close the distance. I know I'm a beginner but it's getting discouraging. I've been near some 15 birds since opening day. Still no tag punched. I've tried calling softly when they're close, I've hammered on it, I've gone dead silent, ugh frustrated frustrated.
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There is no magic formula. You need more experience with reading birds. Once you get that, you wont even have to think much about it when you work a bird. You can always be dumbfounded, i still do get skunked by a hot bird, but your success rate will increase.
Are you bowhunting them? get out of the blind if not. Heck, i dont even use a blind when i bowhunt them. Mouth call, full camo, bow. All you need.
Run and gun them. I love making a gobble all fired up because the "hen" keeps moving around. Its particularly deadly when I use a gobbler call.
(Dutchess County) New Turkey Hunter- Advice Needed
in Turkey Hunting
Posted
Sundown? You know you can only hunt till noon. Maybe read the regulations???
Didnt you or someone else ask a similar question weeks back?
Best to do your homework months before. Given how this season is going for most people, you probably wont get great responses. Hell, im about ready to start asking got tips and help.
Good luck if you do get out.