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Turkey...

Well fellas I made my first turkey hunt this morning and it was a blast to say the least. I did not unfortunately see or hear a turkey. I did however do my best at calling and have been in the woods listening and trying to locate birds for the last couple weeks. I bought a slate and box call and a decoy and have been practicing my calling. I got out right at Daybreak set my decoy up in a small opening in the woods where I know turkeys tend to hang out at least during deer season. I did my best to mimic the sounds guys were making on videos that I have watched. I wasn't having much confidence in my calling ability but I tried to stay positive and give it my best try. All of a sudden I see movement and two coyotes come barreling out of the woods with the lead dog attacking my decoy. I hurry up and shoulder my shotgun as quick as I can get a bead on the first dog squeeze the trigger in the dadgum safety is still on. So I click the safety off and by this point the dog has gotten so far to my left that I shoot behind him. So I come back to the second dog which is now halfway in the tree line and I squeeze one off at his backside just in case. I don't think I hit either one of them or at least at best I hit the second one in his butt as he ducked off in the woods. It did however give me a little bit of confidence in my calling since I was able to call in some predators. I only wish I had been a little more alert or even aware that this scenario could have happened and possibly could have taken these two dogs off of my property. I'll say this for not having seen the target animal I was after I'm still definitely hooked and we'll be doing more turkey hunting in the future. I don't think I would have left the woods all day except I had to be home to take care of my daughter. I really can't wait to get out and give it a second try.

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Turkeys may not be in the same place as they were in the fall. In the fall birds group up hens with hens , jakes with jacks , and gobblers with gobblers. The best advice I can give you is to check fields in the evening and try to put a gobbler to bed. On rainy days hunt the fields turkeys love to go in the fields when it's raining. I've taken quite a few birds with my bow and all them were harvested in fields. Also get yourself a couple diaphragm calls and practice with them , diaphragm calls free your hands up so you can shoot your gun or bow and still call. Good luck.
 
Apex7 said:
Turkeys may not be in the same place as they were in the fall. In the fall birds group up hens with hens , jakes with jacks , and gobblers with gobblers. The best advice I can give you is to check fields in the evening and try to put a gobbler to bed. On rainy days hunt the fields turkeys love to go in the fields when it's raining. I've taken quite a few birds with my bow and all them were harvested in fields. Also get yourself a couple diaphragm calls and practice with them , diaphragm calls free your hands up so you can shoot your gun or bow and still call. Good luck.
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I've been practicing with diaphragm calls but I definitely do not think I'm ready to make that debut in the woods yet LOL. Also I don't necessarily have fields just a few small openings in the woods less than a 1/2 acre or even a quarter acre that used to get planted in food plots but they typically stay too wet so I don't even bother anymore. I've also had zero luck locating Birds on the couple of evening trips I've been able to make out there. I have a buddy who's much more experience. Turkey hunting and he was unable get any birds to shock gobble either. It's almost like they vanished, but I know they didn't.

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Apex7 said:
Doesn't anyone bowhunt turkeys. Try it you love it . It's the only way I hunt them. I always wanted a turkey gun and thought about buying one but if I wanted to hunt them with a gun I would use my crossbow. I might have to get them closer for a shot but that's the fun of it.
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Got my first one with a bow 3 years ago while deer hunting in a saddle in a tree. Got two with the shotgun last spring in a saddle on the ground. All three I was behind a tree and peek a bow and they are dead

That is my turkey hunting history. Maybe I should try a bow and let my daughter use my shotgun




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denots said:
I've been practicing with diaphragm calls but I definitely do not think I'm ready to make that debut in the woods yet LOL. Also I don't necessarily have fields just a few small openings in the woods less than a 1/2 acre or even a quarter acre that used to get planted in food plots but they typically stay too wet so I don't even bother anymore. I've also had zero luck locating Birds on the couple of evening trips I've been able to make out there. I have a buddy who's much more experience. Turkey hunting and he was unable get any birds to shock gobble either. It's almost like they vanished, but I know they didn't.

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Sometimes turkey get call shy and a opening in the woods is a good spot. I hunt one spot where two gas lines run off of two different hillsides and meet at an old logging road at the bottom it's not very big but it's big enough to make a small little clearing . You don't need a giant field for turkeys to be there and come to your calling I use an avian X breeding hen decoy with a funky chicken it's deadly duo. Also don't be afraid to use your diaphragm call turkey's do not sound perfect when they call so as long as you're calls sound somewhat like a turkey you should be good. I've heard some turkey's that sounded really really bad.
 
Big gobble outside my window this morning . Two weeks till turkey season opens. Try to get a pic but I can't shoot him anyway he's been around since he was a jake. He turned into my wife and my neighbors pet.
 
Here is where I get close. Of course my wife and my neighbor name Tom.
 

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Made my second hunt this morning. We had some really nasty weather that was supposed to hit about 5 this morning. When I woke up it looked like it was going to hold off till about 8:30 so I grabbed my stuff and headed out. With the bad weather approaching I got on another food plot set up my decoy and as it started to break daylight started calling very softly in heard a bird behind me. I decided to hurry up and change positions so the birds would not be coming to my backside. The bird was only maybe 20 or 30 yards from where I was sitting originally and I watched it fly off the roost. She came to the edge of the food plot and stayed there for about 10 minutes as we talked back and forth. I finally slowed my calling down and ended with a few purrs and then got quiet. I guess curiosity got the best of her as she came in checked out my decoy and walked within 5 yards of me as she passed me. Although I didn't get to shoot anything because we cannot shoot hens in Louisiana I was excited nonetheless that I was able to actually call a bird in on only my second hunt. I immediately came home when the weather got bad and started looking for a turkey vest. I wish somebody would have told me this was going to be this much fun a long time ago I wouldn't have waited so long! Hopefully before it's all said and done I'll have some pics of my first turkey to post.

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Awesome @denots sounds like a good hunt! Opening day today got out and right into a bunch of Toms, couldn't seal the deal because I suck at calling but I love hearing that gobble, my wife doesn't like turkey season lol because I'm calling in the house constantly

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Connected this morning, about a 100 yrd from his roost. He put on a show until the lights went out .
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CONGRATS Autumnrider!!! KY was rained out all weekend. I’m living vicariously through you!!!

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donnieballgame said:
Awesome @denots sounds like a good hunt! Opening day today got out and right into a bunch of Toms, couldn't seal the deal because I suck at calling but I love hearing that gobble, my wife doesn't like turkey season lol because I'm calling in the house constantly

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LOL I’m always calling at home. She likes turkeys better than ducks.

That being said she would rather hear calls than hear me ask for another mount! Lol

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My season starts in a week but we got 18" of snow this weekend with another 5-8 predicted for tonight/tomorrow. At this point it looks like its going to be a tough season this year.
 
I’m nursing a injured back after stepping in a stump hole. So frustrating. Good job on those who have killed birds thus far!
 
Autumnrider said:
Connected this morning, about a 100 yrd from his roost. He put on a show until the lights went out .
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Awesome job Rider. I live killing long hooked birds. Congrats on the limbhanger.
 
Today was our opener and man did the weather suck! lol. I set up in my blind in an area where i've been getting trail cam pics of them passing through. Pouring rain, wind and cold. Fun stuff! As it was getting light I could see a lone bird roosted not 40 yards from me. I thought it was a gobbler but as it got light I could tell it was a hen. She saw my decoy and pitched down and ran right into the side of my blind! LOL :D I got some good footage of her checking out my decoy but that was all the action for me. Gonna wait for the weather to get better end of the week before I go again.
 
Our youth season opened over the weekend here in WI. I bet travel in the woods was brutal. No shortage of snow.
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