Spring Turkey Hunting

[white eagle]

Tomorrow for me
my season(7 days)starts today but have a physical therapy apt.
for my recent knee replacement keeps me out of the action today
although not cast I will be using handloaded 10 ga.ammo with hevi shot
my last bird was 22.5# and killed at a distance of 59 yards 1 shot game over[smilie=p:

[baogongmeo]

I shot my bird for the first week at 6:45 opening morning (Monday). 25 lbs by my scale 10 1/8" beard and 1 1/16 spurs.
Then went that afternoon and caught a mess of crappie for supper... if I could have found some morels I would have had a MO. trifecta :-)

Good luck with your hunt (I understand about your knee, I have a bad knee too.)

[chutesnreloads]

We get the whole month of April in our county.May try wearing lipstick next time out.Just can't seem to sound sexy enough to get a response.Only one gobble and that one lost interest quick.For as mild a winter and spring they sure seem late getting active this year.

[4719dave]

166683darn I miss hunting them too dam hot in fl ...now up state ny though.....

[baogongmeo]

We get the whole month of April in our county.May try wearing lipstick next time out.Just can't seem to sound sexy enough to get a response.Only one gobble and that one lost interest quick.For as mild a winter and spring they sure seem late getting active this year.

They're hard at it here in central MO. now. Everybody that I've talked to that's hunted has got their first bird and this was just the third day.

Keep at it, sooner or later one will make a mistake.

[white eagle]

missed a jake this morning
had come in on my weak side and I had
to try and shoot left handed
missed [smilie=p:

[smoked turkey]

I am glad about the success of those who have already notched your turkey tag. Here in SW MO I know of some of my friends who have also connected. For me though I have hunted Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and still no turkey. Have had one nice long beard out at 80 yards but something about my set up he didn't like so he passed on to the north without giving me much of a look see. We did have a two year old gobbler this evening surveying the house on two sides before he moved on. I believe those guys can tell time because he seemed to know season was over at 1pm. I'll try again tomorrow.

[labradigger1]

Today will be the first morning I will be able to get out due to work schedule. I use a Remington SP-10 and 2-1/2 ounce loads or hevi-shot, both my loads. If raining I will hunt the fields with the good ol 22-250

[tim338]

My season opened Monday. I have been so busy with the business I haven't had time to hunt. On a good note I had my highest grossing week ever in the history of my business. I am going out tomorrow morning. I can't wait.

[baogongmeo]

I am glad about the success of those who have already notched your turkey tag. Here in SW MO I know of some of my friends who have also connected. For me though I have hunted Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and still no turkey. Have had one nice long beard out at 80 yards but something about my set up he didn't like so he passed on to the north without giving me much of a look see. We did have a two year old gobbler this evening surveying the house on two sides before he moved on. I believe those guys can tell time because he seemed to know season was over at 1pm. I'll try again tomorrow.

Sometimes they already know where they want to go and it's nearly impossible to change their minds.
Opening day, the first two toms I saw only came to about 100 yds and stopped... displaying and gobbling but would not commit... they already knew where they were going but the next one wanted to work.

The rain showers that we've been getting would make them less likely to work IMO... Saturday and Sunday should be better at least in my area.

Don't get discouraged, you still have 16 days and sooner or later one of them is going to come in. Your time is coming!

Good luck and be safe!

[white eagle]

well the jake didn't have as good of luck today
saw him at first light but before I could ID him my shot was gone
went behind a little rise and used a gully to leave without me seeing
him bout a hour later I see him working back towards me and goes into the
same gully I wait about 5 min or so for him to break out but he hangs up
in there so I decided to sneak over to have a look see keeping a big oak
between us get to the edge of gully he breaks out into a run
hit him with a load of #4 hevi shot out of my 10 ga at 54 yds end of story
for him.Turns out there was 2 in there I got one and the other will be eating alone

[runfiverun]

I hunt them a little differently.
I usually just hang out in an area I have seen them in and listen to the radio in the truck.
when they come out to feed I just shoot one and go get it.
that seems to work for deer, and rock chucks, and grouse, and coyotes too.
saves me a lot of walking and I don't gotta buy no fancy gear either.

maybe y'all don't wanna hear how I pulled off the double using the front axle of the Dodge to brain them both simultaneously.
that tactic works well on Yotes too.

[BrentD]

Got mine this morning. Called him I from way far off
He came on a line. 23 lbs.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jessie/PPB/Turkey/2016%20Turkey%202nd%20season%2023%20lbs%20small.jp g

[smoked turkey]

Sounds like a nice comfy blind. Warm when its cold and dry when it is raining! The fact that you can do doubles with it just shows how versatile it really is.

[smoked turkey]

congratulations white eagle and BrentD on your birds. I also changed my luck this morning at 8:50. Three gobblers came in to my call and I shot the big one! He is my biggest and best turkey at 25 #, 11" beard, and 1.25" spurs. Tasted pretty good tonight for supper too! The range was all of 25 yards.

[s mac]

Congratulations smoked turkey, smoked you a nice bird. I got my first one opening morning, little on the small side but I'm not going to be able to hunt much this season. I'll try to do better on the second one.

[baogongmeo]

BrentD, +1 on using a 1897 for your bird.
Years ago I encountered a hunter on the Lamine area that had shot a fall season bird with a '97.

[BrentD]

The 97 is one of my more modern shotguns, but it was bought in Iowa by my grandfather and his two brothers back around 1900 or shortly thereafter. Then one of the brothers moved to Montana with it and in 1917 and several years thereafter, he stuffed some Montana hunting licenses up the buttstock. Eventually, the gun came down to me, and I found the licenses and started adding my own. After I moved to Iowa by coincidence, I make sure to always take it out at least once a year, usually for turkeys. It is probably the most ideal turkey gun one could have with 30" barrels and a tight full choke.

[smoked turkey]

s mac congratulations on your "early bird". If I could have I would have gotten one on opening day too. But the turkeys had other ideas. This hunting is a funny thing because you never know when the game is going to change. In my case I had invested hours and hours the past three days and to my mind this was going to be a repeat day. But then all at once it began happening. It was over in probably a minute. Those smaller one and two year old birds eat just as good and maybe better than the old ones. Say we need to have some coffee and catch up on things one of these days. See you before long.

[s mac]

Just say the word and we'll try and make that coffee happen.

[NC Brass]

BrentD....nice bird. My son shot one opening day of youth season that went 21.5#. He's finally addicted!

[s mac]

I took a friend this morning, his first time turkey hunting, killed a 22# bird at 6:15. What a way to start!

[BrentD]

That is the one downside to turkey hunting. It can be over, almost before it starts. But I bet he was pretty pumped to get his first bird.

Good job!

[s mac]

That is the one downside to turkey hunting. It can be over, almost before it starts. But I bet he was pretty pumped to get his first bird.

Good job!

I agree, I started to have him wait for a show, but we didn't have much cover and I was afraid we would get busted, there were 10 birds in front of us.

[Duster340]

Congrats to those that bagged their gobblers. Man...reading these posts is killing me. Pulled a tag for 1st week in May up in Door County WI. I'm crawling out of my skin with anticipation. Driving the wife and kids crazy playing with my calls. Can't wait to get in the woods...

Be safe and good luck for those still hunting.

[Wolfer]

166900

I couldent go until this weekend due to work. I just couldent close the deal yesterday but made it happen early this morning. I can't find my scales, I'd guess 20 lb or so 9" beard and 7/8" Spurs.

I just run Winchester double xx mag with #4 shot in my old 870. Not the latest, greatest combo but it's put a lot of gobblers on the ground since I got it in the 70s.

[BrentD]

That's a nice bird. Gotta love those old 870s. They just keep on tickin'.

Brent

[taco650]

166900

I couldent go until this weekend due to work. I just couldent close the deal yesterday but made it happen early this morning. I can't find my scales, I'd guess 20 lb or so 9" beard and 7/8" Spurs.

I just run Winchester double xx mag with #4 shot in my old 870. Not the latest, greatest combo but it's put a lot of gobblers on the ground since I got it in the 70s.

Congrats! Like the old saying goes... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Just keep using that 870, seems to be working just fine!

[smoked turkey]

Wolfer that is some nice bird. That old 870 and some of the older magnum loadings with #4 shot has put a lot of turkeys on the table around here too. In fact that is just what I used a couple of days ago. Congratulations on a job very well done.

[Doughty]

I got one last week too. I was working at my son's shop when we heard some gobblers, gobbling , up on the hill. Got up above them and started working down. My son would gobble, they would answer back. We would move toward them again. Finally got to within about 25 yards away when we saw two sounding off. Waited until they separated some and shot the one that gave me the best shot. Weight was about 19 pounds.

I was using an old Stevens 94b single shot. A $75.00 gun show find. I wasn't using home cast shot or even reloaded ammo. Something better. Free factory ammo given to me by a friend. It was a partial box, so only good for about another 21 birds.

Cut it up and put it into brine for a couple of days. Had schnitzel this weekend. Mighty good.

166965

[Wolfer]

Doughty is that a Rio? Or a Rio eastern cross?

[s mac]

Nice bird Wolfer. Gotta love those MO birds, I think we must be spoilt.

[Doughty]

Wolfer,
I am told they are Merriam's. Any of you Missouri boys been through Mtn. Grove? I made my first appearance there some years ago.

[Wolfer]

I'm from Winona, about 60 miles east of Mtn Grove. I live in Ash Grove now which is about 70 miles west of Mtn Grove.

Ive been led to believe all the western turkeys are Merriams. Me and a buddy hunted Nebraska last year wanting to kill a Merriam. He got what we believed to be a Rio/Merriam cross and I got a Rio/eastern cross. We're going up around Chadron on the 14th hoping to find a true Merriam.

[Grampo]

Nice turkeys everyone! I struck out for the 2nd year in a row. Saw a couple of nice Toms but couldn't get them to come in to the decoys. Hopefully I'll have better luck next year!