Any Turkey Hunters on here?

#1
VolfanMike

VolfanMike

Make em Gobble
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
5,543
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2
#1
Alright VN surely I cant be the only gobbler slayer on the board? Season opens on my daughters 1st bday this year...The 29th of March....I personally cant wait, we had a real good hatch on the land that I hunt..was out the other morning taking down a ladder stand and I know I heard one gobble....

Won't be long now....

Anyone else as excited as I am? Deer/Duck/Goose are fun, but nothing beats calling in that lonesome love sick Tom...
 
#2
#2
had my trip all planned until work told me I was needed in Canada that weekend. I will probably make it to the woods over the O&W game weekend. Be nice to have a couple of days off anyway.
 
#3
#3
I have certainly killed some Wild Turkey in my day. :p

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#5
#5
justingroves said:
I doubt that I am as excited as you VolFanMike, but I'll be going
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Good to hear you are going...Sorry PJ about you trip to Canada, maybe you still get a weekend or two in though. JG if you are down this way during the spring hit me up and I will put you on some good birds...I was looking at my gamtracker film on Friday night and we have shots of 45-50 bearded toms out here, there are 6 flocks and they are 1 of the bachelor groups..I am going to take a wild guess and say there is anywhere from 100-120 full gobblers mixed with a grip of jakes and wayyyy to many hen's and jenny's....So we need to thin it out a little bit...Hope everyone has a successful and safe turkey season this spring, and if you get a chance...Take a kid out there...
 
#6
#6
VolfanMike said:
Good to hear you are going...Sorry PJ about you trip to Canada, maybe you still get a weekend or two in though. JG if you are down this way during the spring hit me up and I will put you on some good birds...I was looking at my gamtracker film on Friday night and we have shots of 45-50 bearded toms out here, there are 6 flocks and they are 1 of the bachelor groups..I am going to take a wild guess and say there is anywhere from 100-120 full gobblers mixed with a grip of jakes and wayyyy to many hen's and jenny's....So we need to thin it out a little bit...Hope everyone has a successful and safe turkey season this spring, and if you get a chance...Take a kid out there...
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If I head that way I'll let you know.

Good luck
 
#7
#7
VolfanMike said:
and if you get a chance...Take a kid out there...
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gotta agree with that. I'm 32 and my dad still loves to take me out. He would rather call them in (he's very good) and have me shoot than do it himself. Similar to when we bird hunt he prefers to work the dogs rather than shoot too much. I much prefer being loaded down with shells and putting some lead in the air so we make a good pair :p
 
#8
#8
utvolpj said:
gotta agree with that. I'm 32 and my dad still loves to take me out. He would rather call them in (he's very good) and have me shoot than do it himself. Similar to when we bird hunt he prefers to work the dogs rather than shoot too much. I much prefer being loaded down with shells and putting some lead in the air so we make a good pair :p
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Sounds like you guys do make an awesome pair. I love doing both calling and shooting, but nothing beats calling a kids first turkey into gun range. Had the oppurtunity to take several kids out in the past couple of years, and nothing beats their facial expression when they hear the roaring gobble.

My wife says that I am wierd because of this, but i love nothing more than sitting in the woods, surrounded by nature and watching the sun come up to the echo of a gobbler way off. When I am out there, I am closer to my Lord than ever.
 
#9
#9
VolfanMike said:
My wife says that I am wierd because of this, but i love nothing more than sitting in the woods, surrounded by nature and watching the sun come up to the echo of a gobbler way off. When I am out there, I am closer to my Lord than ever.
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With or without a gobble, that is an awesome way to spend a morning.
 
#10
#10
VolfanMike said:
Sounds like you guys do make an awesome pair. I love doing both calling and shooting, but nothing beats calling a kids first turkey into gun range. Had the oppurtunity to take several kids out in the past couple of years, and nothing beats their facial expression when they hear the roaring gobble.

My wife says that I am wierd because of this, but i love nothing more than sitting in the woods, surrounded by nature and watching the sun come up to the echo of a gobbler way off. When I am out there, I am closer to my Lord than ever.
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I used to go turkey hunting with my Grandfather many, many years ago, but I've not done any hunting at all for many years. It is funny how back then just to hear a gobbler was a thrill, and you rarely saw one. Now I've got them roosting in my Apple trees!!

If you are weird, then I am too, but how can you not feel His presence when in such a moment as that? I enjoy doing my shooting strictly with a camera, and I still get to embrace moving moments like yours.
 
#11
#11
I heard male turkeys are very territorial creatures, and hunters often use faux turkey decoys to draw them in to firing position. I know nothing of hunting, but wish to learn. Is this true?
 
#12
#12
Svengali said:
I heard male turkeys are very territorial creatures, and hunters often use faux turkey decoys to draw them in to firing position. I know nothing of hunting, but wish to learn. Is this true?
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Replace territorial with horny and you would be correct.
 
#13
#13
Svengali said:
I heard male turkeys are very territorial creatures, and hunters often use faux turkey decoys to draw them in to firing position. I know nothing of hunting, but wish to learn. Is this true?
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Very true. Mature Gobblers are some of the most territoral/excited creatures in the woods. Lots of hunters use full strut decoys like (Pretty Boy, B-Mobile) to imitate a strutting Jake (young gobbler) courting his harem of hens. Tom's cant stand it and will usually come in...

However, the ones that come in like that are usually no more than a two or three year old turkey. You can usually pick them out because they gobble at everything, and will come running to the sight of a decoy.

If you want to kill a real old wise gobbler, I have found success in using no decoy what so ever, and do very little calling. Maybe a soft cluck at daylight and do nothing more for at least two to three hours. You have to remember that a turkey doesnt get old by being stupid. So the elder ones will hear the call, and begin to circle around you with you not even knowing they are there. I took my biggest bird this way. He scored at 28lbs, 14 1/4 in beard and 1 3/4 in spurs. I heard him gobble on the roost at daybreak, and didnt meet up with him till about 11:30.

As with any hunting, patience is the key.
 
#14
#14
justingroves said:
Replace territorial with horny and you would be correct.
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was gonna say the same thing.

I was looking on wikipedia (just a habit) to see what they said about turkeys and found this.

While the large domestic turkey is generally unable to fly, the smaller wild turkey can fly to several meters height. This is usually enough to perch in the branches of trees, however, it is an ineffective method of transportation. Turkey poults (chicks) are unable to fly for the first two weeks after they hatch
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Many of the birds I've spooked would disagree on their ability to fly. :p
 
#15
#15
utvolpj said:
was gonna say the same thing.

I was looking on wikipedia (just a habit) to see what they said about turkeys and found this.

Many of the birds I've spooked would disagree on their ability to fly. :p
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They can definately fly...Just don't like doing it...They can jump to lol....
 
#19
#19
utvolpj said:
was gonna say the same thing.

I was looking on wikipedia (just a habit) to see what they said about turkeys and found this.

Many of the birds I've spooked would disagree on their ability to fly. :p
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The ones who roost in my yard can fly about as well as a Pheasant, maybe better. They cross over the lower street onto a wooded ridge which is over 100 yds and they reach an altitude of at least 50 ft. Domestic turkeys are considered one of the lowest IQ animals, wonder why wild ones seem fairly smart? I take it to mean it's better to stay wild, good enough justification for me.
 
#20
#20
Interesting, thanks. Do you guys process it yourself or take it to a butcher? I cant even imagine how good that stuff must taste.
 
#21
#21
Svengali said:
Interesting, thanks. Do you guys process it yourself or take it to a butcher? I cant even imagine how good that stuff must taste.
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not a whole lot of processing to it...lay him on its back, cut open his chest, pull the breast out....Or you can cut the head off, and cape the entire body, this will give you the drums and wing meat....I usually just take the breast and the drums..Easiest game out there to clean.
 
#22
#22
VolfanMike said:
not a whole lot of processing to it...lay him on its back, cut open his chest, pull the breast out....Or you can cut the head off, and cape the entire body, this will give you the drums and wing meat....I usually just take the breast and the drums..Easiest game out there to clean.
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Yep. Ducks, geese, turkeys, dove etc are the same.
 
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