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What did you learn this season?

RTGobbler

By RTGobbler,
in Turkey Hunting

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RTGobbler Newbie

RTGobbler

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So with another season in the books and under your belt, what did you learn this year? What will you change or try differently next year?

 

For me I think I have a few things...

 

1) Evening scouting and finding new places is important. I have grown up hunting turkeys on semi-public land with almost no pressure other than me, my brother, and old man. They birds were usually in the same spots season after season (still hard to kill the big ones though, damn hens always taking them the other direction). This year I spent a lot more time hunting very public land with a lot of pressure (sterling forest). This forced me to cover more ground and spent a lot of time in the evening woods listening and hooting. Found myself a good spot and a nice bird because of it. Next year I will be doing more of the same

 

2) Patience! Patience! Patience! I still need to continue to work on this. I have always been a mobile turkey hunter, and this has been successful for me in the past. When the turkeys are gobbling and moving its easy to keep tabs on them to move around on them. This was a must because the hens would always move them the other direction, so you had to circle and pick the right spots. However when the bird aren't gobbling, like on some heavily hunted public land you need to adjust. I have always had a hard time sitting and calling past around 7 or 7:30 AM without getting up and moving, and then walking and calling for a few miles. I need to be more patient in spots and wait for the silent birds to come in. After hearing the number of birds that you guys have seen, spooked, or killed that came in silent this is a must for me.

 

How about you folks?

 

- RTGobbler

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2012_taco Rising Star

2012_taco

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 Every year I learn something new about turkeys or hunting them, problem is by next year i forget it until it is too late. I admit I do have more patience as I get older, but the lose of my hearing is more frustrating than anything else. If you can not hear them they are much harder to hunt. The birds sound farther away to me now and I think i bump them trying to get  a little closer. We are all creatures of habit and we tend to use the same calls and they same rhythm and patterns, its hard to break that pattern and try something different. I think we call too much and too loud, but when you aren't hearing gobbling you think  I need to find 1 and out come the calls and up goes the volume.  :dontknow:

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turkeyfeathers Veteran

turkeyfeathers

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I learned not to drink too much Tim Horton's coffee on the drive. Pee and get busted by silent bird strutting up to my deke. Depends adult diapers next year for me B)

 

As mentioned, you learn something every year, every day you're out there. 

I'll second the patience thing. No run and gun again this year ( didn't bump any) and heard and saw birds all 7 days . Killed 2

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jjb4900 Newbie

jjb4900

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I learned not to abandon birds that have henned up first thing in the morning.........an hour or two later they'll be out looking for more. I actually had more action between 8 and 12 than in any of the early morning hours.

Edited by jjb4900
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Skillet Rising Star

Skillet

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I learned to stay put If I have a bird working and then he gets henned up. Several times this season, exactly that happened to me. The birds got henned up by 7 or 7:30 and they would move off for the morning. By staying put and being patient, I learned that often a tom will come back looking for you later in the morning after his girlfriends leave him. I think he remembers that there was another hen in the area (you). One time, the bird I was working got henned up and left the area, gobbling as he went. I moved about 80 yards towards where I last heard him, and set up to wait. At about 11, He started gobbling in the exact spot I had been calling from that morning. I didnt kill him, but he taught me a lot.

   I also learned that I think there are a lot more silent birds out there than I previously thought. The first bird I killed didnt gobble at all on the roost, even though there were several others going nuts. Only after fly down did he gobble, and even then, I think he only did it twice on his way in.

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josephmrtn Enthusiast

josephmrtn

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So with another season in the books and under your belt, what did you learn this year? What will you change or try differently next year?

 

For me I think I have a few things...

 

1) Evening scouting and finding new places is important. I have grown up hunting turkeys on semi-public land with almost no pressure other than me, my brother, and old man. They birds were usually in the same spots season after season (still hard to kill the big ones though, damn hens always taking them the other direction). This year I spent a lot more time hunting very public land with a lot of pressure (sterling forest). This forced me to cover more ground and spent a lot of time in the evening woods listening and hooting. Found myself a good spot and a nice bird because of it. Next year I will be doing more of the same

 

2) Patience! Patience! Patience! I still need to continue to work on this. I have always been a mobile turkey hunter, and this has been successful for me in the past. When the turkeys are gobbling and moving its easy to keep tabs on them to move around on them. This was a must because the hens would always move them the other direction, so you had to circle and pick the right spots. However when the bird aren't gobbling, like on some heavily hunted public land you need to adjust. I have always had a hard time sitting and calling past around 7 or 7:30 AM without getting up and moving, and then walking and calling for a few miles. I need to be more patient in spots and wait for the silent birds to come in. After hearing the number of birds that you guys have seen, spooked, or killed that came in silent this is a must for me.

 

How about you folks?

 

- RTGobbler

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RTGobbler Newbie

RTGobbler

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I learned that I have too much work, nott enough time, live too far away from hunting ground, coach too many sports/teams, need to save sick days for turkey season! Can't fail if I can't get there!

Haaa yea there is never enough time to hunt, scout, and roost that is for sure.

 

Moog, we all start out terrible. But making mistakes and learning is part of the fun!! These birds make us all bang our heads against the wall when first starting :banghead: .

 

It is interesting to see everyone say mostly the same thing, waiting longer for quiet and henned up birds. This makes me want to ask a semi-religious question as a follow up.... :rabbi:.....are you generally an active/mobile turkey hunter or a sit, call, and wait hunter?

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RTGobbler Newbie

RTGobbler

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I'm finding that turkey hunting could take a back seat to fishing for panfish.  Honestly..............

 

Hmmm sounds crazy to me :crazy:!!! I mean those panfish don’t gobble, hang up at 55 yards, or swim away from you with thier girlfriends when you make the best presentation possible right?

 

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Dr. Honk Newbie

Dr. Honk

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I learned that video taping and hunting at the same time are difficult.

I do enjoy this new twist to spring gobbler hunting. While I have always done a lot of pre season scouting, It takes a lot more scouting for set up areas. You have to know where the birds are roosting in different areas and where they are willing to come into view of your decoys to record a decent hunt. You also have to lug around a lot more gear.

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Uncle Nicky Apprentice

Uncle Nicky

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I learned that just because a property holds birds every spring, and you're covered in birds the previous deer season, it doesn't necessarily mean the birds will be there next spring. I'm attributing it mostly to the rain & water, my best guess is the birds stayed at the top of the mountain where it was drier.

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landtracdeerhunter Proficient

landtracdeerhunter

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I'm finding that turkey hunting could take a back seat to fishing for panfish.  Honestly..............

 

Pan fish are very tasty and a heck of a lot more plentiful, that's for sure. Still fun to call in an old gobbler though.

I'm sensing that your sightings were a bit short of the start line this year.

 

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moog5050 Mentor

moog5050

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Moog, we all start out terrible. But making mistakes and learning is part of the fun!! These birds make us all bang our heads against the wall when first starting :banghead: .

 

 

 

Then by all accounts, I must have had a blast.  I just didn't realize it.  LOL. 

 

 

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Two Track Newbie

Two Track

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Learned a few things since I am teaching myself turkey hunting:

 

  1. the gobbling bird you work for 30-45 minutes to come out from the brush may be a hen
  2. they may prefer recently plowed fields, not the 2 foot high grassy field that you have cover in the tree-lined break between fields
  3. they disappear quickly in 2 foot high grass
  4. they can squat down down and blend in to a damp plowed field
  5. just because you directed two lost mountain bikers back to the trail 2 minutes earlier, it is not time to stand and stretch out - you get busted by the silent tom
  6. you may call in a male pheasant to feed in the open plowed field using a turkey call
  7. when it is raining, and thunder is approaching, quietly head back to vehicle using cover - the turkey may be on the trail 40 yards from your vehicle ( I had already unloaded my gun and was walking back quickly)
  8. place order for box-call chalk before you really need it
  9. check/clean car battery contacts before season starts (at least I did have pliers in the vehicle)
  10. double-check you have a refresh can of insect repellent (instead of two days of having face bitten up around face mask at beginning of season)
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