2018 Fall Turkey Success Thread

[Uncle Nicky]

Post your pictures & stories.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Uncle Nicky

[Uncle Nicky]

Hunted in central NY today, first break resulted in a missed shot, the second break was the charm. I killed a first-year male bird, my buddy shot a bearded hen (his first); it was also his first turkey dog hunt, he was thrilled.

I love this dog!!!!!!

[wolc123]

I hunted Saturday morning, for about an hour, from a blind on the edge of a corn plot.   No turkeys showed up, but there were tracks and I killed a grey squirrel.   That was not enough for a meal, so I went back out this afternoon, to a treestand in the woods at the back of our farm.   I had just settled into the swivel chair, that I had put up there after Saturday's hunt, when a group of turkeys walked into a shooting lane.  I had trimmed that on Saturday also.  They were on the far side of a deep ditch, this one off to the left and three more to the right.   The range was 35 yards.  I held high, slightly to the left and fired a #4-3", 12 gauge shotshell thru an "extra-full" choke.  

She flew almost straight up, right after the shot, landing near the top of a maple tree on my side of the ditch.  Before I could fire a second shot at her, she fell and crashed thru the branches.  I climbed down and walked over, found her holding her head up, and dispatched her with a second shot to the head from 5 yards.  She flopped down into the ditch.  I was able to reach her without getting too wet (unlike late last fall when I had to wade thru the nearly frozen water to retrieve a doe that I had killed in the exact same spot). 

I will have to call that stand the "Sunday afternoon Church" stand.   The last two times I hunted from it I connected, and we had gone to Church both mornings.  Certainly that can't be a coincidence.   At least this time, the Good Lord saw fit to let her fly over to my side of the ditch before she expired, saving me a wet foot.    That "extra-full" choke must have a lot of holes in the pattern at 35 yards.  When I cleaned her, it looked like just a couple of bb's from the first shot had passed thru her breast and a couple more into her drumstick (those were "almost" the only parts I saved) . 

I have not done much turkey hunting and these were the first that I saw while hunting them.  I have had a few toms answer my calls in the spring but none ever came in.  This hen is my first turkey kill.   I have not hunted them much because the tom's that buddies gave me to try in the spring were tough and never that tasty to me, and I never like the bugs in the woods at that time.  Fishing out on the lakes or rivers is always more enjoyable to me at that time of year.   Hopefully this young fall hen will be a little better eating.  Her gizzard was full of corn, so that should help.  We will find out tomorrow, when the breasts and drumsticks go into the crockpot.   

I am going to save that full gizzard and try planting some of the undigested corn in a vegetable flat next spring.  I know from a previous experiment, that it does not sprout after passing part way thru a deer, but I need to see if it does after getting into a turkey's gizzard.  If it does sprout, I will also see if it retains the "roundup ready" trait, by hitting it with some gly.  I also saved the tail feathers and a lower leg that I put the tag on (it said to "save a leg for the DEC").   I hope they don't mind if I eat the drumstick.  Hopefully it wont be tough and stringy like those old spring toms were.            

Edited October 21, 2018 by wolc123

[wolc123]

27 minutes ago, ODYSSEUS said:

Wolc123- Congrats on your 1st Turkey! You might be Hooked at least in the Fall. Hens are Tender. Old Gobblers are Tough. I breast them out. Don't care for the Legs. You are right about the awful bugs in the Spring-- Ticks,Skeeters, Black flies, horse and Deer flies. I try to get in done by May 20th. Flying pests can nasty after that.

Thanks, and I do like it in the fall.  It was neat to hear those toms respond to my calls in the spring, but not neat enough to put up with the bugs, when it is so nice out on the lakes at that time of year.   I will let you know how those drumsticks breasts turn out in the crockpot tomorrow.  I always like the dark meat better on store bought and farm raised turkeys.

[Pygmy]

Praise the Lord...Those legs and thighs on that little peep will be just fine....Bon Apetit and congrats...

[Enigma]

Shot this jake Sunday morning in 6S on some private land. Sat 3 hours on a flat with lots of turkey sign but no turkeys! Slowly making my way back to the car, I rounded a corner in the corn and there they sat, a flock of about 5 at less than 20 yards! It was less than a 50 yard walk to my car. You just never know! Mossberg 935 w/ Primos choke, Winchester Longbeards #6.

[Pygmy]

Those young birds in the fall are good eating....One good way is to skin them whole and roast them in a roasting bag with whatever seasonings float your boat....You don't have to cook them too long, perhaps 1 1/2 hours at 325/350..They are very good that way....Tough old gobblers are a different matter...

[Pygmy]

7 hours ago, Enigma said:

Shot this jake Sunday morning in 6S on some private land. Sat 3 hours on a flat with lots of turkey sign but no turkeys! Slowly making my way back to the car, I rounded a corner in the corn and there they sat, a flock of about 5 at less than 20 yards! It was less than a 50 yard walk to my car. You just never know! Mossberg 935 w/ Primos choke, Winchester Longbeards #6.

BTW, Enigma....I can't see the breast feathers on that bird to make a positive ID, but judging by the head a nd general size of the bird, I believe it is a bearded hen...

[WNY Bowhunter]

Must have been an early hatch, pretty big for fall jake poult...

[silent death]

Wet morning but it all wasnt for nothing was hoping for a buck but started getting cold from the rain when a flock of 15 birds came through at 30 yards a 100gr grim reaper got it done

[Gencountyzeek]

Luck was on my side. Just got back from dropping my deers head off at my buddies for a euro mount. Look in my field and its full of turkeys. Grab my shotgun and cut along the inside of the field in my woods. They saw me and start running out of the field into the woods. I sprinted up and this was the ladt bird to cross.