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Spring 2020 Gobbler Season

KYdalton said:
My first turkey ever, very exciting hunt and couldn't be happier with the results. Turkey hunter for life now. This bird had a 9 1/2 inch beard with just over 1 inch spurs. Called in and shot him at 31 yards with a 12 gauge from a ground blind. These birds are very majestic and beautiful, to see them strut and gobble in the wild is breathtaking and a hunt i will NEVER forget!
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Congratulations man! If you weren't hooked before, I bet you are now! I know I am! Awesome bird!!!
 
bj139 said:
What is everyone using for turkey loads?
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Winchester Longbeard XR in #5. I tested 6 different loads and these won hands down! Better have a red dot sight or something with how tight the pattern is. Here was my last comparison, LongBeard on left, Kent in middle, heavy shot magnum blend on right. And yes, I've since moved the pattern up just a little.
IMG_6476.JPG
 
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Brought up the idea of heading up to PA for a spring turkey hunt to the wife in between her semesters. She didn’t bite! Back to the drawing board.
 
Long beard Xr #4s paired with the XR choke. My gun like those the best. I used to shoot nitro’s but when I got my Benelli Nova years back it didn’t shoot as well so I had to re-pattern.
 
bj139 said:
What is everyone using for turkey loads?
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Turkey Load

What are a few good options on ammo for a Remington 870 12ga with a primos tight wad turkey choke? Trying to procure some ammo that I can have confidence in before being able to pattern it. My season opens Friday. What have y’all used?
saddlehunter.com

I recently asked for some help finding a load for my 12 gauge. There a quite a few suggestions in there including some for 20 ga if you want to give it a look.
 
gcr0003 said:
Brought up the idea of heading up to PA for a spring turkey hunt to the wife in between her semesters. She didn’t bite! Back to the drawing board.
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I never hunted turkey before but I am thinking of going to my deer hunting area when our turkey season opens May 2. I saw or heard no turkeys while deer hunting so it would probably be a tree sit and a walk in the woods.
 
gcr0003 said:

Turkey Load

What are a few good options on ammo for a Remington 870 12ga with a primos tight wad turkey choke? Trying to procure some ammo that I can have confidence in before being able to pattern it. My season opens Friday. What have y’all used?
saddlehunter.com

I recently asked for some help finding a load for my 12 gauge. There a quite a few suggestions in there including some for 20 ga if you want to give it a look.
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I'm shooting an 870 with an Indian Creek choke and the results are above.
 
bj139 said:
I never hunted turkey before but I am thinking of going to my deer hunting area when our turkey season opens May 2. I saw or heard no turkeys while deer hunting so it would probably be a tree sit and a walk in the woods.
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I may be wrong but I think they do most of their noise making I.e. gobbling in the spring. I hadn’t either but I took the advice you’ll find in this thread and hiked out and listened and was able to hear some gobblers. I put together a game plan and went after one and was able to get it done on my fourth hunt. You can deer hunt em but if they aren’t gobbling folks usually keep moving until they find one that is. Finding the turkey is only half the battle. Getting in close then drawing him in that last little bit is the hard part. Though, if you’re hearing a turkey gobble your chance of killing one goes way up. The one I killed almost fell in my lap. You never know unless you’re in the turkey woods!
 
gcr0003 said:
I may be wrong but I think they do most of their noise making I.e. gobbling in the spring. I hadn’t either but I took the advice you’ll find in this thread and hiked out and listened and was able to hear some gobblers. I put together a game plan and went after one and was able to get it done on my fourth hunt. You can deer hunt em but if they aren’t gobbling folks usually keep moving until they find one that is. Finding the turkey is only half the battle. Getting in close then drawing him in that last little bit is the hard part. Though, if you’re hearing a turkey gobble your chance of killing one goes way up. The one I killed almost fell in my lap. You never know unless you’re in the turkey woods!
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I may go out this week for a walk in the woods. I have a turkey call that is a piece of sanded plexiglas and a stick with a corncob on the end. It makes turkey like sounds. Do I need chalk rubbed on it?
 
My assessment of Turkey hunting being a first timer in WI, WAY HARDER than killing deer on public!

When i deer hunt i find those out of the way spots, cross water and swamps, etc to get away from pressure and into deer. The problem i found the last week is the Turkey seem to prefer the accessible, wide open fields, scrub brush and hardwood ridges hunters also prefer to hunt in so I had a ton of trouble getting into turkeys as well as avoiding other hunters.

Case in point, heard gobbling right at sun up along the border between private land field and public. I moved towards the gobbles in the morning gloom and set up. Was thrilled to see not one but 6 gobblers about 200 yards out in the private field and had hopes of calling them onto the public. Well, shortly after i called i heard more calling about 150 yards to my right towards the other corner of the field. Another 15 minutes it seemed that first call was closer, maybe only 50 yards to my right but then i heard them BOTH call.

As you may have guessed i wasnt the only guy to hear those gobbles and two other hunters moved in in the dark and we all were calling to these 6 toms who proceeded to ignore all of us and stay out in that field eventually heading off towards the other side and deeper into the private land.

I saw turkeys EVERY day but also saw other hunters EVERY day in the same spots i was seeing turkey, which was mostly out in fields on private abutting public.

As i watched those hard hunted gobblers i got the distinct impression they were pretty wise to hunters and calling as they barely gave any attention at all to the calling and just turned and headed the other way.

Any tips for hard hunted turkeys or outside the box ways to get away from other hunting pressure but where you would still possibly find turkeys? I have that process down for deer but find it hard with turkeys as i have never seen any in knee deep swamps!
 
swampdonkey said:
My assessment of Turkey hunting being a first timer in WI, WAY HARDER than killing deer on public!

When i deer hunt i find those out of the way spots, cross water and swamps, etc to get away from pressure and into deer. The problem i found the last week is the Turkey seem to prefer the accessible, wide open fields, scrub brush and hardwood ridges hunters also prefer to hunt in so I had a ton of trouble getting into turkeys as well as avoiding other hunters.

Case in point, heard gobbling right at sun up along the border between private land field and public. I moved towards the gobbles in the morning gloom and set up. Was thrilled to see not one but 6 gobblers about 200 yards out in the private field and had hopes of calling them onto the public. Well, shortly after i called i heard more calling about 150 yards to my right towards the other corner of the field. Another 15 minutes it seemed that first call was closer, maybe only 50 yards to my right but then i heard them BOTH call.

As you may have guessed i wasnt the only guy to hear those gobbles and two other hunters moved in in the dark and we all were calling to these 6 toms who proceeded to ignore all of us and stay out in that field eventually heading off towards the other side and deeper into the private land.

I saw turkeys EVERY day but also saw other hunters EVERY day in the same spots i was seeing turkey, which was mostly out in fields on private abutting public.

As i watched those hard hunted gobblers i got the distinct impression they were pretty wise to hunters and calling as they barely gave any attention at all to the calling and just turned and headed the other way.

Any tips for hard hunted turkeys or outside the box ways to get away from other hunting pressure but where you would still possibly find turkeys? I have that process down for deer but find it hard with turkeys as i have never seen any in knee deep swamps!
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So, go to open field areas, don't use a call since they will ignore it or worse yet, I will scare them away. I have heard of hunters calling to other hunters. :D I need turkeys in my back yard.
 
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