agross

Nice one.

Here are the pics to go with my previous post. One of the coolest days hunting in my life not only just turkey hunting. Get to our spot after the episode with the jakes this morning. After that run around (as previously posted) we go back to the house to warm up a little as it was 42 degrees and windy. Head back out at about 9:45 am and just as I finishing updating my post on here, about the morning hunt, I cut a few times with a slate call and a gobbler sounds off. A couple minutes later and after another call he cuts me off. Getting closer each time. He gets to about 25 yards and stops. Although intending to let my brother shoot first, he is at an angle where he cant see the bird. He came in strutting in the sun in a logging road and spitting and drumming. He then got a little closer and after not seeing a hen he putts once loud and that was it, I dropped him because I wasn't taking any chances. Mossberg 835 at 25 yards with 3.5 inch Longbeard #5 shot dropped in his tracks. So after the shot I walk over to my bird and he starts flopping a little so I stand on his neck. As I am doing this I see 3 jakes cross the logging road that I am standing on, about 85 plus yards away. Once they cross I hit the dirt and start calling trying to get one closer for my brother as he never shot a spring gobbler in his life. I call a few times and then maybe on the 3rd or 4th series of yelps we hear 2 gobble in the same location where my bird came from. So I lay flat in the mud on my belly behind a log because they are close and coming fast. They get to about 35 yards and my brother drops one. The 2 others left in a hurry and these weren't even the 3 jakes I saw cross the logging road earlier. Doubled up in a matter of 10 minutes or so. Great time. My bird is on the left. Weighed in right around 20 pounds, had a 8.75 inch beard and 1 1/8 in sharp spurs. My brothers was a smaller bird, not a jake had a full fan, an 8.5 inch beard and 3/4inch spurs.

Story and pics to come later. Just finished typing last message and yelped a few times on a slate and heard a gobble. 5 min later hes flopping. As i standing on my birds neck i see 3 jales down a logging road about 85 yards away so hit the deck and start cutting. Trying to get one for my brother. As i am calling to them 3 other sound off and come up. Another 5 min later and another one is flopping.

Well you know the saying roosted aint roasted. How true. My brother and i go out this morning and sit over a little clearing between are 2 clover plots. Just as it is getting light and i am getting ready to owl hoot they sound off. 4 or 5 ( jakes probably by the way they gobbled.). Gobbled 40 to 50 times on the roost which happened to be 120 yards away. Well i gave them some tree yelps and did a fly down simulation with my hat and they went crazy. Flew down but not to us They went into the clover plot and gobbled like crazy at everything and stayed there the entire 1/2 hour till they walked off at 615. Crazy. Dont think there was a hen with them but could t pull them to us. And no fences of streams to block their path. Crazy and bery cool. Back out at it again until noon.

Going out today for third day in a row. Yesterday after the wind kicked up in 7p had to call it quits. Not only couldnt hear i was afraid of getting hit on head by a galling tree branch. Was s Caught in between a fired up cutting hen and a hened up tom gobbling his head off. Fun for half hour or so but no sightings.

Heard one gobbling his head off this am but would come in. Thinking he was with a hen. Then wind kicked up to about 20mph in 7p. Time for early lunch

Heard about 30 to 40 gobbles out of two sets of turkeys on neighbors property and one lone gobble from another area. No gobbles since about 6. Just heard first shot (unfortunately coming from where the two groups of gobbles were).

I shoot an 835 with a pure gold and trying the Winchester longbeards 3.5 #5 shot this year. Was on another forum and they had a link to shot drop and wind drift (in a 10 mph cross wind) from 30 out to I think 70 yards. This came up in a post about the Long beard ammo and its supposed long range and patterns At 60 yards in a 10 mph cross wind there was about a foot of wind drift and about 4 or 5 inches of drop. Even with a good pattern you would have to use some Kentucky Windage to get it done at that range. However, based on what most guys were saying (over there) the Long beards maintain a good pattern and guys were getting 200+ pellets in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards. That was more impressive than the distance. I'm going give it a go but for $25 per box of ten I not going to burn through a lot patterning them.

Mossberg 835 trying the new 3.5 inch Winchester longbeard ammo in #5 shot and a pure gold choke. Back up (or if im lucking for a second bird) martin recurve.

I will be out Sat Sun and Monday. Cannot wait.

I would sit tight. Could try and move on him if you know where he is going (like out flank him to another field he may be headed to) or just sit it out. If he saw your decoys he may come back around for another look. If you had a jake decoy and he was an older tom he may have stayed clear because the jakes have been harassing him this spring. Try removing the jake decoy and sit tight. If he swings back around and sees the lone hen he may come in. Good luck

Well for me its only been one bird so far. But I breast it out and cut into strips and made fried turkey cutlet strips with a nice cold coors light. After hunting ritual which is a carry over from the coors light bacon wrapped back strap from deer season.

Congrats. Have to post the whole story. Cant wait going up next weekend to try my hand. Fill us in on the details after you take a nap.

I feel bad for you guys. Im in Chenango in 7P and always see and hear grouse all year in spring turkey hunting through bow and gun season. Plenty around by me. But now that I got a new german short haired pointer im guessing I wont see any and luck usually has it.

8:00 pm. Says New York biologist tracks coy wolf in new York. On now.

I was thinking of buy some bushes to put on my property as an added attractant for deer and turkey...like red osier dogwood, willow, some various berries, American plum, etc, etc. Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations of nurseries where I could buy some of the above. I already have about 20 apple, pear and crab apple trees, the property s loaded with oak and beech, has several hickory and walnut. Thanks in advance.

Back at it. Just got up but not looking too promosing. Going to be warm windy and then later rainy here in 7p. May end up on the couch watching the jets game afterall.

Been out in 7P since 545. A lot of shots. Quiet now since e about 11:30. Not a deer in sight. Plenty of squirrels and turkey talk off in the distance. Sitting till dark.

Boy I remember the past when opening day was on a Monday and my brother and I would go up to my uncles place in Delaware County in the late 90's. He had a small property and we used to all go out on Saturday and Sunday before the opener and trample all over the property stinking it up cutting branches down (sat on the ground back then) and sighted in our rifles. Never even saw anything back then. If you saw a flag of a tail running away during a season it was a good year. No bow hunting back then just 4 or 5 days of gun. Comical. Boy have times changed. Now its hush hush, dirt wafers, coon urine, scent away, play the wind, wash you clothes, shower before u go to the woods.

Snickers, beef jerky, a couple red bulls and when warm (like this weekend) and added gatorade to the pack.

Where is the lease located (generally). And do you have any pics of the 140 12 pt?

My brother said that the neighborhood people know its there and feed it (why they don't get in trouble is beyond me) but they keep and eye on it and supposedly 3 people have been pinched so far trying to hunt it.

Using my climber instead of my ladder stand (because I didn't get to use it) so I will be leaving house at 530 am short walk but then undress, climb to desired height, lock on to tree, haul up extra clothes gun and bow, try not to break a sweat. Hopefully fully in stand and seated ready to go at about 615 or 620 Don't like to make noise in hearing distance of a deer that could pass my way at legal light.

Im down in between Afton near Nineveh Junction

A good place to look is on the German Short Haired Pointer Breeders club. Also another forum (huntingpa.com) has a bird dog section where this topic comes up regularly and there were always recommendations as to different breeders. The dog in my avatar is my pup Jango. 6 months GSP from a kennel in Massachusetts. In picking a dog I went with a kennel that primarily hunted grouse and woodcock (to be closer hunters) and had dogs that were family raised. My dogs breeder is Wolf Plain Brooks Kennel in Rehoboth Massachusetts. Do a search they have a website and also are on facebook with a nice following. Jen, the breeder was super nice and we talked and emailed regularly because my main issue was temperament of the dog because it was going to be a house dog and I have two kids, 5 and 4. But that being said I have a situation at work where I can go home regularly for lunch, my wife stays at home so he always has the ability to run around in our backyard to burn off energy and not be kenneled all day. Haven't taken to the woods grousing yet as he is still young but he points the Sh*! out of the doves at the bird feeder. Pretty funny to watch.