2024 Turkey Thread

[Center Punch]

Been at these birds since '89 and this year killed my 18th bird. Two with a bow.
I've made a lot of mistakes in this time and still make them, but this year with all the rain I finally patterned what birds do after a rain and never committed to a plan. I never forced anything with calls or impatently giving up on a location just because they went quiet.

The Rain Strategy: Heavy downpours in mid-40's temps means they're in survival mode until they dry out. ( IMO )
The pattern I observed was on the second morning after the rain stopped they were dried out and ready to get back to breeding behavior.
And boy did they! I observed this pattern three times in our three week season, so I'm confident I can bring this with me for the rest of my life.

I've developed a renewed love for hunting in thick woods. Our public land has been plagued with yearly burns and keeps the woods wide open for the past 7-10 years it seems.

So back to the second morning after a rain subsides...
They gobbled well on the roost and when they touched down. When I SOFTLY called and loudly scratched leaves while slowly moving through the thick woods, THEY WENT NUTS! I had three of them responding and coming to me! When the closest bird closed the distance too fast, he also had the sun at his back and in my face, so I just ducked behing a really large tree, shouldered my gun an pointed it at the spot the bird should appear as he was approaching. I was about 30 yards to the right of where I called and scratched last. I had no idea how close he was when I leaned out from behind the tree ( the end of my barrel was now in sunlight, but my body was still in shadow ).

And THERE HE WAS! 20 yards...

My barrel was covering most of him so I really didn't know if it was the same bird or what. Then he gobble while looking right at me.

So I shot him with my Super Mag loaded with expesive and potent Hevi-Shot. ( total over-kill )
He was a two year old with medium beard and a broken spur. The good spur was less than aninch long.

The other two kept hammering while I gathered him up and talked into the camera for a bit. When I had everything packed up and on my back, I pulled my call out again and they both responded even closer. They were coming!

I skedaddled away from them as fast as I could and hid the bird close to the road because I was about a mile from where I parked. Hiked back to the truck while avoiding the birds, picked up my bird, and made coffee with the JetBoil.

So. Much. Fun.

After sleeping in my truck the night before, I went back to the same spot on the last day of the season and decided to slip in close to a bird that was hammering later in the morning before calling. He had shut up after fly-down so I started scouting while slowly slipping into his area.
I got too close before spotting him. He kept gobbling while I was standing 65 yards away and he knew I was there ( thought I was the hen who blindly called 15 minutes earlier ). He didn't move other than gobbling for 25 minutes and niether did I. He finally turned and faced me and proceeded to incessantly gobble at me for another 5 minutess before giving up on the hen that was supposed to come to him.
He moved to my left and he was too far. Since I had killed a bird a few days ago with my Super Mag, I only brought my 870 20GA Youth gun loaded with 3" Hevi-Shot.

When it was all over, I went back to the truck and made coffee again.

The smile hasn't really left my face since and that was a week ago today.

 

[weekender21]

Baked turkey nuggets

Wild turkey egg and cheese on a buttermilk biscuit

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Center Punch]

Baked turkey nuggets

Wild turkey egg and cheese on a buttermilk biscuit

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m gonna need a knife and a fork for that…
Really nice.

 

[austin1990]

I had a great spring, killed in 3 states, and gonna try to add another in the coming weeks. Killed one here in AR using my poppas box call and my pawpaws browning. Struck it with the box call and finished him with a pot call I built. Other 2 birds I killed this year also fell to that call. Around 20 were killed this spring with calls I built, so it's been a great year.

 

[Center Punch]

I had a great spring, killed in 3 states, and gonna try to add another in the coming weeks. Killed one here in AR using my poppas box call and my pawpaws browning. Struck it with the box call and finished him with a pot call I built. Other 2 birds I killed this year also fell to that call. Around 20 were killed this spring with calls I built, so it's been a great year. View attachment 102687View attachment 102688View attachment 102689

You know who's awesome? You're awesome.

Very, very nice work, Dood!

 

[BTaylor]

I had a great spring, killed in 3 states, and gonna try to add another in the coming weeks. Killed one here in AR using my poppas box call and my pawpaws browning. Struck it with the box call and finished him with a pot call I built. Other 2 birds I killed this year also fell to that call. Around 20 were killed this spring with calls I built, so it's been a great year. View attachment 102687View attachment 102688View attachment 102689

Great pics and season. First pic is a little confusing. I dont know of many places here with palmettos and the ones I know have no pine trees. AR bird? More importantly, is that pot call glass over slate?

 

[austin1990]

Great pics and season. First pic is a little confusing. I dont know of many places here with palmettos and the ones I know have no pine trees. AR bird? More importantly, is that pot call glass over slate?

Ar bird is the one with the browning and box call, other 2 were from other states. That is a crystal over glass in carribean rosewood pot, but the crystal over slates I've built have killed the most this spring.

 

[bigcat93]

Welp. Finally on the board. First turkey, and with a bow.

Waited a bit this morning since i woke up with it pouring. But got into woods are 1030am, struck up a group of 6 birds. Worked then until about 145pm when I finally got a shot. They stayed 60-100 yards zig zagging off the wood line (where I was) and I set up some decoys and tried to lure them into me.

Got to the point they weren’t interested without seeing them so I jumped forward in the direction they were going and set up the decoys in an opening.

Once the hit that opening and saw they 2 gob’s came in on a line and gave me a shot at 20 that I whiffed as a wind gust came and I took feathers off one’s back. Then I was able to regroup and get a shot off at 30 as they walked away and drilled him. Went 10-15 yards and piled up!