whaler

What is hunting Late? Anyone else seeing activity picking up? all this rain and warmth has probably got the foliage filling in nicely.

If it rains be out in the open. Fields, log roads etc... With decoys.

Gates dont mean much when you are on a quad. They will find a way around. Unless the gate is attached to a fence...

With some fava beans and a nice bottle of chianti?

I tend to disagree. Sure, somedays they are tough to fool but most of the time ive had gobblers that are just lovesick or want to fight so much they forget their survival instincts. As long as you sit still you will rarely be spotted. A shotgun can reach a long way with a turkey choke and a heavy mag blend 3.5" shell. You cant say the same about bowhunting a mature whitetail. He may come in like a fool but deer have a wider array of tools for defense than a wild turkey.

If im in the hardwoods, no decoy is better than one. Birds know exactly where the call is coming from when you make it. Ive had birds walk over my legs trying to find that "hen". I had two Jakes walk so close to me last weekend that i could have grabbed one of them. Fields, different story.

Depends. If hes tired of being beaten up by jake groups he might avoid. Most of the time, a mature tom will come to that set up, at least in my experience.

Looks awesome. You can almost hear that hammering gobble by looking at him!

Could it be that something crushed his feet? Could explain why only the longer middle toes are disfigured? Run over? Maybe the bird was perched on something metal and when to hop off and caught the longer middle toes on it? Only explanation i can think of. I cant really see that being frostbite because the feet are mostly skin, cartlige and bone down there. Not a whole lot of soft dermis to freeze and die.

Agree UpStateRedneck. Coyotes have made birds act differently the last few years.

Honestly, he will probably be huntable later that day if it was legal. I have gotten back on birds that i missed a shot on the very next morning. Now they may seem skittish if you set up exactly as you did when you spooked him. Just completely switch it up. use decoys or not depending on what you did prior. dont go to the same spot. good luck.

As far as a difference, i think with more foliage and the hens not sticking around / on the nest 24/7 makes for some easy calling to some pretty receptive toms.

i never really get out until the 2nd week or so. Always get my birds. Last year, hunt on the 23rd, had a banner day the one hunt i did in upstate. doubled with a buddy and we had one missed shot on another bird. Dont like dealing with henned up birds early in the season. Saything that, i hunted saturday with the bow and missed two shots (doh) on the same gobbler (no blind i might add, wait till they get behind a tree) and continued working 4 more who wouldn't walk down a steep hill. I prefer the second half of the season over the first anyday. Also, we have a late spring this year. I think the action will lull and then the second breeding phase will be epic. Just my opinion.

Thanks guys

Next season will be one for the books, trust me. Gobblers running at yelps, hens running away, the perfect dilemma.

AWESOME!

froze off meaning the bird got it stuck in some ice. Most of the birds I shoot in Upstate have around 11inch beards, haven't seen too many with bigger even when the spur lengths are over 1.5". I never would think that the beard could pull out of the skin. It would more like just break clean off but I could be wrong. So there would most likely be some semblance of a beard left. Just my thought on that...

Im from New Canaan CT. I got to check this show out and to whoever posted on page 3 that people here dont rake their own leaves, you're wrong. Not all know what a rake is, but some do.

So im guessing its wet and you havent had any luck??

Ohh the all day turkey hunt, very effective.

Guess no one believes me....

Was covered in birds this am. One on the ground at 6 and another at 10am. The early bird was my buddys. Could have taken a jake after he shot his and i blew a stalk on a hot bird. Gobbling all morning, get out there guys.

did it thunder last night? Ive seen them hop from roost trees during strong thunderstorms.

how did she prepare and cook it? makes all the difference. kind of like painting. Its not so much much the actual painting part, its mostly the prep.

Hi all, longtime bird hunter looking to get into deer hunting this fall. do a lot of turkey hunting up in Oneida county. thanks, Justin