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What's are the turkeys doing?????

5K views 28 replies 20 participants last post by  Tomcat 
#1 ·
First session has been open 3 days and most of the hunters I talk to are zeros. I finally made it out this afternoon and what I saw was discouraging. I'd like to know what you guys are seeing. Here is what I saw. I saw gobblers feeding in a picked corn field. This is bad. Gobblers should only be feeding like that if they are done breeding. Other hunters out past mornings have told me there is zero to little gobbling. That is bad too. I'm wondering if the warm spell in February started the breeding process way early and this puts first session now equal 4th session. What we should be seeing now, thanks to the DNR starting seasons too late, is a strong matting with strong gobbling first thing in the morning and again about 10:00 and they are ACTUALLY breeding the hens. What do you expert turkey hunters think. Guys with 10 years experience plus only answer please. Thanks
 
#2 ·
Seeing lots of "Henned up" birds.. Lots Gobbling on the roost then quiet mostly after flydown.. Toms are wanting you to go to them for sure. I go left they go right 1 day, the next i go right and they go left.. Been frustrating from youth clear thru first so far. The good news is there is no shortage of birds around me. Just not playing nice..
 
#4 ·
Funny story thought I would share. The old man was sitting in one of his hay bale blinds the other morning and had a goose land on the top of it and start nesting. She never moved through out his calling and was up there for quite a while. Her and the gander started making a lot of commotion and it kept going on and on and come to find out the gander was challenging a Tom from coming in. Old man finally gave up and got out and the geese were even more pissed off.
 
#6 ·
Here is what I saw. I saw gobblers feeding in a picked corn field. This is bad. Gobblers should only be feeding like that if they are done breeding.
Do you feel a tom turkey never drops strut during the turkey rut for a kernal of corn? Especially in the afternoon.

Most of the time I kill a turkey his crop is half full of greens 1 hour into the day. Also are toms ever done breeding in the spring? Them things will rub one out on the ground through all 4 seasons and not even think twice. My opinion.
 
#7 ·
I only know what the biologist tell me. All that fat they have in the spring isn't there to keep them warm. And I'm sure they will grab something good if they see it. The rotten weather we have been having this season isn't helping. Second should be better. Terrible looking clouds this evening. Doesn't matter to me. Just got a phone call that I have to haul more stuff to the trash tomorrow a.m. and pick up 3 dogs in D.M. at 3:00. Tom's are safe from me. Never realized it took so much time and effort to see a farm house, Especially when it is in a good location. We had 7 showings of it today. Thanks for the info. Hope we don't get blown away.
 
#9 ·
I've chased the longbeards since the '70's, so I guess I can reply. We had 3 of us and we all filled our tags. I previously hunted Texas and killed 3 there, but had to call very aggressively. Found out that was the ticket here also. I agree, lots of birds, but mostly they aren't playing nice!
 
#12 ·
Been pretty tough for us. We have had our chances just hasnt worked out. Seen alot of turkeys, they are very responsive until about 11. Got close to 2 toms and 3 hens on the roost yesterday morning. Toms flew down first and strutted in the field. One hen flew down and walked away from them yelping. Other 2 hens flew down and hung around for 10 minutes, then wandered off to the north. The 2 Toms fed to the west and didnt pay any attention to the hens at all, was weird. They never gobbled once in the tree or on the ground. Figured they didnt have 2 with the 3 hens, but then just to wander off, makes no sense LOL
 
#13 ·
Now Howard, you have been hunting long enough to know that early warmth has nothing to do with breeding, it's about the light as I know, you know. As far as toms being quiet, I reckon it's due to subordinate birds not wanting to get their ass kicked again. Must be a dominant bird in the area you/ they haven't run into yet, prolly a smart ol boss gobbler.
As far as my opening day, birds we're very receptive. Called multiple toms away from hens. Hell I had a tom hang around the decoys just out of range after missing with an arrow....twice. He didn't want to leave the area until his ruckus pulled in two other, larger birds. He beat feet not wanting to tangle again as these were a dominant pair and were my actual goal for the morning. They were talkative on the roost and on the ground. Even as I was walking out carrying a double beard with inch and a quarter long daggers. Hens did their thing, fed in grain fields and hit the normal loop they take, milling around in groups. Didn't appear to be heading to nest. A little early for that I think. Anyway, you not gonna put a tag on one sitting in front of the computer. Choot em in da face...
 
#24 ·
Spent $20 on a hen decoy. $10 on a plunger-type call. $12 on a box of turkey loads. Used my Cremator LR Goose Choke in my Stoeger M3000.

Had never been turkey hunting before in my life.

Walked into the timber pasture on 4/17, 45 minutes late. Still had four birds gobbling, got one to work, but he hung up and left because we were set up wrong. Had to leave at 8:00 to go to work.

Overslept on 4/18, didn't hunt at all.

Walked into timber pasture on 4/19. Had him gobbling from the roost, set up 100 yards away. Called him down and within 30 yards, my buddy smoked him (his first bird ever as well). Got back to the house and pictures taken just before the rain that morning.

Couldn't hunt on 4/20 because of previous commitments, so my tag went unfilled. But to say I am now addicted is an understatement.

I would post a pic to prove all of this, but my phone doesn't like my computer and my computer doesn't like my phone. Interface issues.

Beginners luck? Probably a little.
 
#18 ·
1 season pics. 2 birds.
1 bird on the opener took a little longer than I wanted but knew it was a matter of positioning between him and hens.
day 3 took a 1st time Turkey hunter and put him on ground zero. Helicopter flew over at 5:30 am and the tree tops thundered. LOL Flydown was right in the decoys.

On to bird 3 here in second season, bird 4 and 5 will be 3rd season and bird 6 4th season.
 
#22 ·
Hunted on opening morning last Monday and haven't been out since, I've got a bow tag. Birds gobbled good on the roost and after flydown. The birds closest to me never would come out of the timber and out into the field. Hunted until 10am and I would say the least gobbling was from 8-9, then a few birds started going off again. Gun hunting a guy could have been running and gunning on gobbling birds all morning long s they were vocal. Hope to get out Wednesday, we'll see what this weather does. Took an OOS trip over the weekend and we did pretty well.
 
#23 ·
Hunted Saturday morning. Birds were on fire in the trees and very responsive to calls. Seemed very typical for early in the season to me.

The bird I ended up shooting that morning came into the decoys and started fighting with the Jake decoy. This particular bird we've been watching since the end of May. Very dominant bird and has been doing lots of fighting, hence all the missing tail feathers. The only gobbler I've ever actually watched strut into a flock, fight with and run off the other dominant tom in the section.

 
#25 ·
I'm glad you are all having good luck. Situation with me this year only allowed me to hunt a total of 3 hours in 2 days and that was in the middle of the afternoon. Others in first session told me they had problems too. I had circumstances dealing with legal and physical issues so I knew it would be tough. Should have waited to get a 4th session license. No big deal.
 
#28 ·
had a big tom strut into 25yds on Sat, first bird i can 100% say i called in. he hung up and you could just tell he didnt like the way something looked. turned and walked off. thought about taking a shot but im using guillotie style broadheads and dont feel they are that accurate at that range and didnt want to educate him...... long story short, i set my 2 hen decoys in mud and they had fallen over with the weight of the decoy
:DeadHorse:


Sunday see a few but got skirted by 3 jakes. bordering land owner is also bow hunting and he was walking around at 730 trying to put the sneak on some but ended up running all the birds out of our area
 
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