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2024 Turkey Thread

I thought this was kind of a cool pic. “Shift Change!” The deer are punching out going home and back down over the ridge to bed while the Turkeys have been up for a little while and they’re getting ready to head out toward the cut corn fields.
 

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I had a good morning today. I went with a friend out to one of his clubs and we struck a gobbler at daybreak. We had to move around and reposition but ended up getting to withing about 150 yards of what ended up being two gobblers and some hens. All told we heard about 20 gobbles. I'm happy if I'm hearing gobbles. I don't need to kill one to have a great hunt. Maybe they are about to start acting right. This was my sixth day out hunting turkeys and the first day with confirmed gobbles.
 
I went out dark and early this morning and tried out a spot that has been good in years past. I have this area sort of figured out. It's about a mile walk back, then there are basically 2 strut zones with roosting nearby separated by about 500 yards of ridge. Basically, I have to go in and choose where to start because once the sun comes up it is hard to adjust without being seen. This area is very heavily pressured too. When I hunt this land, I get out there and park 2 to 2 1/2 hours before daylight. Anything later and you run the risk of ending up at choice 13B for the day.

I was sitting comfortably near the East strut zone at 4:30 am this morning. The sun came up about 6:10 and about 6:20 I heard what I thought was a faint gobble off to the West about 400 yards. Sure enough I picked the wrong end to start out on. I heard another faint gobble, so I got up and headed toward them. I worked my way around to where I though the bird should be and sure enough, he was right about where I thought. The problem was I was down in a valley, and he was strutting up on a ridge above me. He gobbled 5 times while I was down there about 60 yards from him. I should have just sat tight and listened, but I made a little short call and that shut him up. About 30 seconds after the call, I saw him walk over to the edge and look over. I had him in clear view at about 60 yards for about 3 seconds. He then turned and walked off. He did not make another sound. These gobblers are extremely call shy.

I sat a little while longer then backed out and made a big loop to try to get to the spot I thought he was headed for. On my way I bumped into two turkeys going toward where he had been. One was definitely a hen, the other a very black bird that could have been a gobbler or a jake. I wasn't sure.

I ended up seeing 3 birds, one I am sure was the gobbler, and heard 7 gobbles. Not a bad day at all for around here.

Pictured below is the view I had when the gobbler peeked over the ridge.
 

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I hit a 100 acre track I have about 1pm today. I never heard a gobble, but I did find 2 strutters in a 5 acre food plot. I threw everything in the book at them, and they just strutted away like I never existed. I even dropped off a ridge, went around them, and belly crawled within 10 yds of the food ply on the exact other side from where I started. They still didn’t pay me any attention. One of those days I guess…


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I tried. I walked 8.4 miles today trying to get on one. I ended up hearing only 4 gobbles and they were way off. It was a tough day and there were a lot of folks out. I had to go to my backup spot this morning first thing. Someone was parked in my primary spot at 4:40 AM, so I had to adjust fast before I lost that option too. I barely pulled into the spot before another truck raced by. I guess I'll have to get there at 4 next time.
 
Our opener isn’t until May1st and I have no youth prospects for that second to last weekend in April.
 
Hopefully this colder, wet spring (thus far) doesn’t impact nesting and poult production. I think I’d rather see some snow and have it a bit dryer instead of this damp wetness all the while.
 
Soaking wet Gobbler
 

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