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2024 Turkey Thread
- Thread starter Bowtie747
- Start date
Congratulations! I had 3 around m e first thing however Henrietta lured them away in the wrong direction. I'm not done yet however we can only hunt until noon in NH.
South Carolina public land has been under constant attack from "controlled burning" for quite some time. They are doing the burn intentionally to massively reduce the amount of animals on public land to thereby reduce the amount of hunters on said public land. It is one of many tactics being used around the country to reduce overall hunter numbers in my opinion (which is based on discussions with fellow hunters all over the country that I hunt with and what they deal with annually).
Petition gets 1K signatures to stop large prescribed burns in national forests
An online petition with over 1,000 signatures is asking the United States Forest Service to stop large-scale, high intensity prescribed burning during the spring season in the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests.
www.live5news.com
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Same in NY. Good luck! I heard all gobbling this morning and no hens.
Second to last morning of the season. 20#, 9.5 inch beard.
I had two coming from right in front of me but they were still 100yds or so out when this guy gobbled from about 50yds immediately to my left. I managed to swing over and saw him moving over the ridge I was set up on. At first I thought he'd busted me because he was walking fast over the ridge but a couple of clucks from the diaphragm and he stopped and went into full strut. Two steps later it was all over.
I had two coming from right in front of me but they were still 100yds or so out when this guy gobbled from about 50yds immediately to my left. I managed to swing over and saw him moving over the ridge I was set up on. At first I thought he'd busted me because he was walking fast over the ridge but a couple of clucks from the diaphragm and he stopped and went into full strut. Two steps later it was all over.
Nice one
Thanks
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Congrats!!
To say my blood is boiling doesn't begin to adequately describe it. Seething with rage. I went out this morning to listen and owl hoot to get a bead on some birds for opening day tomorrow. This is the area I saw all those gobblers 3 weeks ago. Didn't hear a peep. I walked all along the ridges that was filled with birds just weeks ago. Quiet and the sign was kinda old. This is public by the way. As I got closer to some adjacent private I finally struck the birds and there was a pile of them. Sounded like 4 birds gobbling. I got a bit too close to them as they sounded further than they actually were and spooked them back onto the private. They were on the public maybe 50 yards from the private. As I looked at the location they were at it was crazy dug up. Down to the dirt. Wanted to see what they were snacking on.
Cracked corn
It is impossible to articulate how much illegal baiting grinds my gears.
Take it from me who did the same exact crap up to my early twenties. It ruins hunting. Instead of birds naturally and nomadically roaming around and hunting them down, they stay absolutely pinned to the bait. A private parcel doing it can drain all the surrounding public of birds ruining it for everyone else. I still get sick about doing that crap all those years ago.
Wardens were called and the coordinates were given. That turkey hunter is about to have a very bad season.
Thankfully I have back up locations that I have other birds to hunt. So so sick of this crap. Almost every turkey I have ever killed that was near a private parcel had a crop full of corn.
Seething man
Cracked corn
It is impossible to articulate how much illegal baiting grinds my gears.
Take it from me who did the same exact crap up to my early twenties. It ruins hunting. Instead of birds naturally and nomadically roaming around and hunting them down, they stay absolutely pinned to the bait. A private parcel doing it can drain all the surrounding public of birds ruining it for everyone else. I still get sick about doing that crap all those years ago.
Wardens were called and the coordinates were given. That turkey hunter is about to have a very bad season.
Thankfully I have back up locations that I have other birds to hunt. So so sick of this crap. Almost every turkey I have ever killed that was near a private parcel had a crop full of corn.
Seething man
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Wow what is the sport in that. Disappointing. One thing you should not do; however is call whomever or whoever did that a hunter. They are not hunters. They are pure and simple GLV’s game law violators.
I can’t even imagine, with the spring green up and all the insects that these turkeys would even be interested in dried corn. I hope they’re not at all interested in the corn and the turkeys don’t show up but the GLV’s gets arrested anyway as he’s waiting over his bait pile when EnCon stops by.
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Missed a Tom this morning with my recurve. After watching him strut for a few minutes I convinced myself he was under 20 yards. I took some feathers off his belly. I ranged it after and he was at 24. Of course the same two Jake’s as last weekend then came in and spent over an hour strutting and gobbling in front of us, sometimes as close as 5 yds.
He’s not spooked bad. He gobbled 5 or 6 more times about 100 yds away after I missed. This is the third time I’ve had this same Tom in front of me. First two times I didn’t get a shot. Got a slightly different plan for tomorrow. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm.
He’s not spooked bad. He gobbled 5 or 6 more times about 100 yds away after I missed. This is the third time I’ve had this same Tom in front of me. First two times I didn’t get a shot. Got a slightly different plan for tomorrow. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm.
Just got back from Colorado. Talk about tough hunting. Spent 3 days with only some tracks and a hen to show for it. Not even a gobble. Made a move to a different area on a whim. Found a bird gobbling on the roost first morning in the new area.
Had him dead to rights. He was coming, made a move when he dropped below a knob between us so when he came up on top of said knob, I'd have him in range. He only had a 5" or so beard. What I did not see was the jake that was with him. Jake crested the knob first and had a similar beard. Rolled him, saw the mature bird pitch off the mountain. Pissed at myself.
The jake rolled half way down the mountain hitting every scrub pine and bramble on the way down ripping all his tail feathers off. Didn't even take a picture of him I was so mad at myself.
Is what it is. I guess I can find comfort in knowing I yelped up a mature merriam gobbler. Now to plan next year's trip. Maybe Tennessee, or go west again to Wyoming, SD, or Nebraska.
Had him dead to rights. He was coming, made a move when he dropped below a knob between us so when he came up on top of said knob, I'd have him in range. He only had a 5" or so beard. What I did not see was the jake that was with him. Jake crested the knob first and had a similar beard. Rolled him, saw the mature bird pitch off the mountain. Pissed at myself.
The jake rolled half way down the mountain hitting every scrub pine and bramble on the way down ripping all his tail feathers off. Didn't even take a picture of him I was so mad at myself.
Is what it is. I guess I can find comfort in knowing I yelped up a mature merriam gobbler. Now to plan next year's trip. Maybe Tennessee, or go west again to Wyoming, SD, or Nebraska.
Midway has a good deal going on Burris FF3 red dots.
www.midwayusa.com
Burris FastFire 3 Reflex Red Dot Sight 3 MOA Dot AR-F3 Picatinny-Style
For AR or carbine shooters, the AR-F3 combines the popular FastFire III with a rugged protective Picatinny-style mount. The mount has a storage...
www.midwayusa.com
Was out for the PA season opener Saturday. I was on some private conservancy-owned land which offers some limited public hunting. Birds in my county are spotty at best, and often in little pockets surrounded by private. I have had success finding birds at this one conservancy in the past but they get pressured heavily. Saturday was no exception. I got in and set up in gray light near a point where birds have roosted traditionally. I get in quiet, got set up, and before long the gobbling commenced. They are probably 80-100 yards away; there must have been 3-4 jakes roosted together (sounded like), and one gobbler about 60 yards beyond them.
Well one hunter began calling from down in a bottom, and called almost incessantly. When he would occasionally quit, I could hear at least 3 other hunters in places further off chime in.
Then I had two guys come trompsing in behind me. I tried waving and whistling and they somehow don't see me. They begin setting out a decoy not 15 yards from me. I finally stood up before they saw me. Geez. They moved off maybe 200 yards to my right.
Meanwhile the birds kept gobbling occasionally. One would gobble, followed by all the others joining in. It was cool to hear but chaotic, amongst all the yelping of hunters trying to coax them their way. I tried to be different and only rarely called a few bubble clucks and purrs and scratching.
After about an hour of daylight, the gobbler finally flew down and headed the opposite way of the guy calling so much from the bottom. Another few minutes and I hear the other birds pitching off the roost, and then BOOM, the guy in the bottom shoots. This sends the other jakes flying everywhere. One landed in the top of the tree in front of me. Then the guys down to my right about empty their guns at one of the birds that flew their way. The bird in the tree near me gets out of Dodge, and everything is quiet for a bit. 5 minutes later from who knows where, a different jake flies in and lands in behind the brush about 30 yards from me, but I never see him again.
After all that, I got out too. I'm just glad I didn't get shot lol.
Well one hunter began calling from down in a bottom, and called almost incessantly. When he would occasionally quit, I could hear at least 3 other hunters in places further off chime in.
Then I had two guys come trompsing in behind me. I tried waving and whistling and they somehow don't see me. They begin setting out a decoy not 15 yards from me. I finally stood up before they saw me. Geez. They moved off maybe 200 yards to my right.
Meanwhile the birds kept gobbling occasionally. One would gobble, followed by all the others joining in. It was cool to hear but chaotic, amongst all the yelping of hunters trying to coax them their way. I tried to be different and only rarely called a few bubble clucks and purrs and scratching.
After about an hour of daylight, the gobbler finally flew down and headed the opposite way of the guy calling so much from the bottom. Another few minutes and I hear the other birds pitching off the roost, and then BOOM, the guy in the bottom shoots. This sends the other jakes flying everywhere. One landed in the top of the tree in front of me. Then the guys down to my right about empty their guns at one of the birds that flew their way. The bird in the tree near me gets out of Dodge, and everything is quiet for a bit. 5 minutes later from who knows where, a different jake flies in and lands in behind the brush about 30 yards from me, but I never see him again.
After all that, I got out too. I'm just glad I didn't get shot lol.
TooheyBirdie
Well-Known Member
Oh man... story as old as time...getting the final things ready last night and went to load my bow in the truck... wait..where's my release.. looked for 2 hours.... my license in MN is archery only so I slept in and cleaned the garage... got to go to the inlaws for breakfast... so stoked about that one... and inflated a pool for the kids since it's 65 degrees and the water will be like 55...so it's too hot for them to play outside not in water... all good though... I threw my oldest in the water, replaced my 105$ release for 58 bucks at scheels since they'll essentially price match garage sales, bought a new archery target and fired some shots in the back yard... and changed out the air filter on my truck... fun Sunday though.. got some of these Simply Lime-ades and hung out with the wife getting a good Sunday buzz... happy turkey hunting everyone!!@
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Went out on public yesterday with the shotgun to do some run and gun. Didn’t hear one gobble! Stopped at a turkey foot in the terrain about a half mile in and called at the junction of the terrain to no avail. I’m always scouting for bucks so I found some thicker cover down one of the old log roads. Found one rub but tons of pellets so I marked it. On the way down the old log road I came upon a nice pile of bear scat. Then near the bottom I found a mound that had multiple large holes at different levels. Coyote or fox den I surmise. The main hole with the worn down entry pad looks way to big for a fox and not big enough for a bear. But the telltale “keyhole” shape of the largest holes screams fox.
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One more night and it’s night night forever hehe
I debated posting this in the food thread but since its timely I'll post it here. The wife made THP's Wild Turkey Teriyaki Stir Fry for dinner tonight . . . Mmmmmmm.
I wish I'd remembered to take a picture before I emptied my plate but honestly it was too good to think about pics. The only difference was we substituted water chestnuts for the zucchini and served it over rice. I highly recommend this recipe for wild turkey.
EDIT: Nuked up leftovers lose something in the presentation but still tastes very good . . .
I wish I'd remembered to take a picture before I emptied my plate but honestly it was too good to think about pics. The only difference was we substituted water chestnuts for the zucchini and served it over rice. I highly recommend this recipe for wild turkey.
EDIT: Nuked up leftovers lose something in the presentation but still tastes very good . . .
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