Cabin Fever

Great birds! Congrats everyone! They all look pretty wet too! LOL

First year for my daughter. She got a shot at a jake on Sunday and missed.... twice! She was (and still is) crushed! Don't think anything I told her made her feel any better... Gonna take her out shooting this weekend to build her confidence back up.

Congrats!! Sounds like an exciting hunt!!

Anyone have any luck or action?? Sure was happy when I got up and saw it wasn't raining! My daughter likes to sleep in until ~noon on the weekends, so I wasn't too sure how it would go trying to get her up at 3:45am! I woke her up at exactly 3:43am and she was up, hit the bathroom, dressed, contacts in, and ready to go at 3:47am!! 4 MINUTES!! LOL Yeah, she was a little excited!! Was hoping the rain would hold off for a few hours. My daughter and I got to the blind and settled in at 5am. Never heard a peep all morning! Around 6:30, my daughter was sound asleep. I looked behind us and saw a coyote sneaking by ~50 yards away, trying to get downwind of the calling and decoys. He stood there for a minute and locked in on the decoys. I woke my daughter up, so she could see it. Told her to watch, as it may put the stalk on. It got our scent and trotted back out the way it came in. That little bit of excitement woke her up and she never went back to sleep again! I called every now and then, hoping a lonely gobbler would wander in. It started to rain ~8:15. My daughter was getting pretty bored, frustrated, and tired, so we left. Don't want to burn her out. Just as we were walking up to the cabin, I glanced up towards the yard, and there were 2 turkeys busting out of the YARD!! They must have spotted us at the same time we saw them! One flew one way and the other went the other way! I didn't get a good enough look at them to know what they were, but I'm "assuming" they were the 2 hens that I see and get trailcam pics of frequently together around the cabin. We couldn't believe we were out in the woods hunting all morning, only to get back to the cabin and see 2 turkeys ~8 yards from the cabin!!!! Well, she'll have a story to tell anyway! LOL Have another game plan for tomorrow morning to hunt in another area.

Great bird!! Big congrats!!

GREAT buck! What a shame...

OMG!!! I had no idea grooming cost that much!!

Cute pup! Looks like a trouble maker to me....

Love the bear pics!!

Went out listening 2 weeks ago. Heard 2 gobbling one morning, then 4-5 gobbling the very next morning. Been out 5 mornings (3 last week, 2 this week) at daylight since then, and haven't heard a thing! Even went out a few additional mid-mornings, but nothing! I think they are about tapped out up here!! I'm not expecting much action in my area by the time regular season rolls around...

What a huge decline! Looks like ~63% from 10 years ago!

Oh Boy....

Right now, it looks like their calling for rain this weekend, for the youth opener! It rained hard last year on opening weekend also! Great......

I've read a few articles recently and they all said that wet weather does attract predators to nests. The hen emits an odor when she's wet, which tips off predators to the nests location. I certainly believe this, as turkeys have an odor to them anyway. Top 3 nest raiders are (in order), raccoons, opossums, and skunks.

Wow this is early! In my area, I'm sure there was an early rut last fall. I couldn't believe how far along the rut was, by the time season opened. The rut signs, activity, and trailcam pics over scrapes that I was seeing on the opener, I typically wouldn't see for another 2-3 weeks. I'm not talking a few rubs and half-hearted scrapes, but heavy scrape action by big mature bucks, that don't show themselves until the rut is in full swing.

Zombies... Something to hunt in the off season!! Have you seen the Talking Dead after show? Pretty funny!

If you use diaphram calls, do you buy a new one every year? I don't know why, but I do. The reeds on the old calls stick together, but come apart with some warm water and a toothpick.The old ones would probably be fine, but I just buy a new one, as part of the season prep, I guess.

Getting close! Anyone hearing or seeing much? I went out listening last weekend and it sounds like this will be one of those years when there will be a couple in the area to hunt. I plan on going out listening again this weekend, to see if they are still roosting in the same area and do the same thing they did last weekend after flydown. My daughter is getting very excited!!

Looks like I'm not the only one having "The Walking Dead" withdrawls!!

LOL! I bet that guy had to go home and change his underware!

I'm in, as soon as they allow them in archery season...

That's great! LOL Love your videos!!

In the latest issue of NY Outdoor News, it reports that in 2001, spring turkey harvest was at an all time high of 45,000 birds. In 2011, the spring turkey harvest was 18,738 birds!! Talk about a HUGE decline!! They are blaming wet springs for poor production/survival rates and predation for the decline. 10-12 years ago, turkeys were THICK in my area! I had never seen a place with more turkeys before! On an average day of bowhunting, I would see ~50 birds and hear multiple flocks calling to eachother. Every year since then, there would be less and less birds around. For the past 4-5 years, I seldom see any turkeys or any sign. I also keep 5 trailcams out year round, but seldom ever get any pics of turkeys. I've had years where I haven't seen any or gotten any pics of turkeys at all! My daughter is now 12 and is looking forward to turkey hunting this spring, but it's sad that I doubt we'll have any around this spring to hunt... Makes me wonder where we'll be in another 10 years???

My daughter is now 12, so I'll be taking her out. We seldom have turkeys in the area though. In past springs, every now and then, we'll have a gobbler around. Other years, we won't have any within hearing range! Tough getting the kids out of bed that early, driving 30 minutes to camp, trudging them back through the woods, then not having any turkeys around! Sure bursts their bubble...

About 10 years ago, turkeys use to be thicker than squirrels in my area. On an "average" morning of bowhunting in the fall, I would see 30-50 turkeys and hear several other different flocks. For the past 6-7 years, they are almost unheard of! Nothing has changed. I also keep 4-5 trailcams out year round and seldom ever get any pics of turkeys. Don't know what else to blame, other than predation... A raccoon, opossum, or skunk can wipe out an entire "flock", by raiding nests while their still in the eggs. Then, they still have to get by fox, coyotes, and birds of prey while their growing. I guess I have to take part of the blame for not doing anything to help keep the predator numbers in check.