Welcome Simon. It looks like we have a strong team :)
I think that this is the 1st Team that I've been on where everyone assigned all checked in.

Hey JW, I assume that you have called off the request for a replacement?

Yep - we might get some others as more are signing in. And I know we like to keep the team with the same amount of hunters

JW

Well plan is coming together.

Just bought my Online 3rd season! So that makes 3 kills tags I own now.

Am going after 4th, 5th, 6th, seasons in zone 1 and then 5th, and 6th in zone 5 all in Wisc.

So I could whack
4 in TN
1 in MI
7 in WI ?

A Dozen????? We know that is a pipe dream but I will be out there and I don't shoot jakes - I do with a camera!

JW

Wow must be on a team of old grumpy guys who don't talk much!

I am soon to be 61 - any of you older and wizer? :)

JW

Not by a long shot JW, I'm 39.
Are you retired? Is that how you can hunt so much?
I'll probably only get weekends in this year, and I know a have a hospital stay coming up, I really hope that it doesn't interfere with the season because I really am looking forward to getting out there.
I hunt a friends 100acre hobby farm. The winter plays a huge role on my success rates, the birds winter elsewhere but always come back and love the property. Its just a question if they come back early or later. A few years ago I tagged out 1st two days of the season, last year I didn't see a bird. I score most years though.

Yep tschaef - I am retired and hunt more now than before but while I was working I had an agreement with my wife.

Since I had more time in grade and had more vacation - 2 weeks was for family and the rest I could use to hunt - and I was the one who stayed home with sick kids. Was a good agreement.

But as I got older and they left the nest - wife didn't want to travel so I had vacation to use and it did not carry over. So use it I did.

Now another thing - I'd rather hunt birds and do this in spring as there is nothing esle to hunt but come fall I usualy don't hunt turkeys as there are way to many other birds to hunt wiht my dogs. I deer hunt if I have time.

And all these tags I am going after - may be a day or two here and there.

But good luck out there.........and be safe sonny! :)

JW

I am the ripe age of 32 and find myself more of a looker on forums than a poster. This week has spiked my interest in the upcoming KY season though. I have been seeing two strutters on my parents' land where I always hunt opening morning. This has proven to be a very productive spot for me in the last two or three years. I hope it will continue its good luck as my wife will be tagging along with me this year.

JW sent me the HuntingNetwork.com stickers. If anyone from Team 3 would like to have one, I will be happy to send you one free of charge if you supply me your name and address on my e-mail at [email protected].

Thanks Turkman but I'm not too worried about stickers. I don't wanna put the cost of international postage on you, and I can't send a self addressed envelope because I have no way to buy American stamps. Maybe I'll change my mind when we win this thing, till then don't worry about me.

Posatage to you ain't much more than usa

jw

Okay - I start Monday 4/18....

JW

Saturday will be the opener here in KY and I cannot wait. The weather however looks to be less than ideal. Rain Friday night with the highs only reaching the mid 50s Saturday. Oh well, i have always heard that a bad day hunting is better than a good day at work. The wife and I will be out and give it our best go at harvesting a bird or two.

Okay team, here he is. My parents' farm that I talked about earlier paid off big time this morning. This is the third straight year that I have taken a bird off of their farm on opening morning. Now you can see why I call it my "honey hole". My intentions were for my wife to shoot him, but she could not see him on the final setup and he was acting spooky. With her telling me, "Kill him if you can!", the 535 barked and the rest is history.

This bird is my overall best bird to date. This guy weighed in at 22 lbs. 6 oz., 10-3/4" beard, and 1-3/8" spurs on both legs.

NWTF score =
Your score is 22.5 + 13.75 + 13.75 + 21.5 = 71.5

Great bird brother, my season started today

atta boy JD ~ I have one to enter but nto as nice as yours! I piad early forit though as the weather was terrible but I learned enough to be in the right place.

Will enter pics and story later - I am tired.

JW

Your score is 17.875 + 7.5 + 6.25 + 16 = 47.25


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 lbs 8 ounces, spurs where sharp but tiny - 0.75". 0.625", beard 8".
Shot 4/18/11 ~ 6:17AM in upper MI ~ Eastern

Okay am back after a much needed nap, dinner with the wife as I took her out and then added my pics.

I started scouting upper Michigan 4/14 as I drove the 3 hrs to get there on /thursday morning. I misjudged the time and got to where I wanted to listen far too late. I did find a gobbler that was vocal after much coaxiing. The weather plained sucked! It was windy although was sunny. I did find a flock of 6 jakes and 1 2yr old Tom. I left and drove the 40 minutes to my norhter home as that was where I planned on staying for a few days. Took a nap after a late breakfast. Did a few chores and was back on the road scouting the county until dark. Did roost 1 Tom. Not a good day at all. I should have seen more. Friday - woke to high winds - man with me being mainly deaf this was not going to be easy. Did get 2 more birds to shock gobble but was seeing nothing but gobblin Jakes. Same routine back home, breakfast, nap, chores and then scout till dark. I learned a bit more than the day before. Was not all that much and I had yet to see a good Tom. Saturday the other two boys where to come or so I thought. Rained which turned into ice. Not good. Although one Tom sounded to my crucnhing foot steps. Found him by accident and he was not bad. But that was it! man the weekend before we found birds everywhere so I knew they where there ~ somewhere! Saturday evening one boy showed and we scouted a bit more. I was tired of seeing nothing but we found 3 flocks and at least now I had 3 places to start.
Sunday the last guy was up so we each went our separate way. I found the bird the night before and got a look at him ( was the one I shot). Scouted for back ups. The other boys struggled. Sunday night was a bit better and we each picked a place to hunt.
I tried to set-up my blind int he cedar swamp ahead of time but got caught by a Tom. For some reason he just started gobbling and I was far to close. So I just left my cart int he woods, which meant I had to set-up inthe dark and be realy realy early!
That is my cart minus the gun, vest and bird of which I just left.

Opening day.
I sneak in the woods without a light at all as the snow on the gorund gave me enough to see to navigate. Made it to my cart with no problem. Was about a 15 minute walk. I carefuly unloaded the cart and started to set up the blind, place the decoys, and settle in. Was 5:00 when I was done. I heard no tree talk nor heard no commotion ~ so far so good.
Poured my first cup of coffee and settled back to listen to the world wake up. At 5:40 am not a single gobble -nothing and it was light. Light enough in this cedar swamp that sat next to a cut corn field. I did not have permission to hunt the field. So I was 30 yards in from the best edge I could get too. It was the Sout eastern edge as I knew the birds used the east edge as that warms up quicker in the morning due to the sun.
At 5:50 am I am worried nothing - not even a goose or sandhill or crow. Screw it I called. Softly at first then went right into some cutting. Bang I at least woke up the sanhill cranes who answered me. Then it was a pair of Canadian geese and as I settled back waiting, sipping coffee, I thought I heard a far distant gobble. So I waited a bit and yelped into a bit of cutting again. Yep a gobble was at least the other side of the field. More than 80 acres away. Okay time to wait. Well he started looking for me. So I would yelp a bit just to get him to answer me again and shut up. I would wait until he gobbled again before I would call back. Some times I would wait till the second time. But it was slow going or at least it seemed like it. Then all went quiet. Looked at my watch and it was 6:05 - nothing. So I yelped as now I was out front which was not good. He did gobble once. So I yelped a bit more to a cut a bit to some clucks and waited! Thought I heard drumming but I am rather deaf. So I just leaf scratch a bit. Heard drumming closer and now saw the lead bird with a Jake strutter behind him. They run right up to Vern my strutter (Vern's tail has seen better days!)
Now I like my decoys close. Like no more than 10 yards in front of me. This picture taken from standing in front of my blind.

Anyhow the jakes come right in and the strutter stays with Vern strutting a whiel. Time is 6:10 am. The other Jake is cautious but does try to gobble when the strutting Jake gobbles. I had a show as I was not going to shoot that Jake. he had a stubby beard although his tail was symetrical. I decided to pass.
he gobbled several more times and then out in the field I hear yet another gobble which caused these two jakes to gobble even more! This went back and forth the next 5 or 6 minutes. The jakes in the decoy spread started to drift back into the swamp away from the field. I only keep a tiny slit for a window. However I did see this other Tom as he Gobbled again and did see he had a swinging beard. Man he he comes dead on now as he sees one of my hens. But he put the brakes on when he saw Vern my fake strutter! He gobbled standing behind the cedars moving slowing away in a circle. He was less than 30 yards but it was hard to see him. I told my self it I got the shot I was taking it. He made one wrong Zag and as he stepped out I let him have it. The Jakes putted but he dropped and started flopping. I grabbed the box call and started cutting and did stop the Jakes. But they soon walked off.
Time was 6:17 am and I was done.

Picture taken from the blind. Right under the words shot here on the left of that angled big tree is where he walked out. 28 yards with the finder.

Looking back at the blind from where I shot him.


JW

Congrats JW! We are now on the board. Let's see if we can begin to inch our way to the top.

Jey JD don't know what you do with your spurs but look at this!



Just another way to save those spurs and use em again! :)

JW

I want to make a "necklace" of sorts with all the ones that I have. It has been my plans to do that for a couple of years now, but I have not got it done yet. Those calls do look pretty sweet though.

well cleaning and using spurs is easy!

I have been called turkadile dundee!



I just cut em off with a band saw. Dried them in a bit of borax. Strung them on a leather lanyard as the leg bone is hollow. Did nothing else.

JW

Well our Captain needs to report our scores.

JW

I was just getting ready to say the same thing. We have two birds to enter here! :)

Mooky puts up an Ohio gobbler for team 3

Today started out wet, but the showers ended just as I left to get to my spot. I found several birds gobbling late on the roost, way down below the ridge I was on. I closed to within 200 yards which was as far as I dared go. Made one series of calls, not another gobble to be heard. knowing that the boss had been spotted earlier in the week I was not happy about it, but not surprised at the abrupt silence.
I set up in a natural travel corridor/funnel between two hidden fields. I put out a decoy in the woods as they were wide open, and too easy for a gobbler to close to 60-80 yards and insist on seeing something. I seldom use a decoy these days, but there was little green up to be had. I had a small rise about 50 yards out, and I would have preferred forcing the gobbler to show up closer while taking a look.
45 minutes of very sporadic soft clucks, purrs and very light yelping, Lots of silence in the calling sequence this morning. I then spotted a gobbler coming my way. Short moments later, there was two, all of a sudden, three gobblers closing the distance. The lead bird was the largest, and semi strutted. The second one, had a rope for a beard. A light cluck-yelp lit the first gobbler right up. He immediately went into full strut, with his head turning brilliant white, every bit the same as turning on a light switch.
Mere seconds, the lead bird walked a few more a steps and stopped at 26 paces. Folding up his fan, he put his head straight up, The holosight was already trained on my florescent target, and that was all she wrote. although the gobbler was still wet from being rained on, he managed to roll back into a little creek just the same. The other two gobblers exited quickly at the shot, I will return to roost tonight to hopeful locate them, and or the boss gobbler.
The gobbler weighed 20lbs 11 oz, swung a 10.25 beard, and sported 1-1/8 & 1-1/16 spurs. A solid 3 year old gobbler








Your score is 20.6875 + 11.25 + 10.625 + 20.5 = 63.0625

Mike - your picture would not load so I fixed it. ~ JW


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Mike - atta boy and will be a nice score.


I leave tomorrow afternoon for a whorl wind tour.
I hunt Wisc and hope to bag on in 2 days - help my nephew for a day and a half and then leave for an army base to hunt next week and hope to bag a bird in 2 days so I can move to my next spot. Then a day or so and.........home to pay bills only to leave again!

JW

It's not posted yet but we climbed right up there to 7th place for best bird contest.

Each of us just needs to enter as a team so go get em boys!

JW

Congrats mookyj!! Thanks for taking time to share the story with us. Good luck on bagging one of the others that was tagging along.

JW, was that for best single bird or team score?

Ya best single bird per hunter. That is where we are 7th. The last 2 yrs the team I was on had the most birds but I think that might be out of our control. 1 hunter has 9 kills already.

JW

Hey, that would be me then!!!

All scores been report
Sorry guys

Turkey hunt been slow here in ILL rain all week.But I did get a jake.I hope get a bigger bird this weekend.

Thanks for checking back in with us and congrats on the harvest.

I hope to bag my second bird this weekend. The weather looks good for tomorrow morning. I am going back after the bird that I missed last week.

Congratulations to the guys who have killed a bird(s) already. I hope we continue to get the birds and win this thing!

Turkman

Well, my season has been horrible since the first Sunday. After my wife used my gun to kill her jake I have missed three birds. The latest of the three being Saturday morning at 5:55 am. This bird flew off roost and walked straight to me. At less than 10 steps I squeezed the trigger and watched him run off. This has been my worst string of luck since I have started chasing these big, black chickens. Hopefully I can get back out a couple of afternoons this week to try and seal the deal on my second bird. I will be packing a different gun this time.

My bird is listed in the scoring thread as a Merriam instead of an Eastern.

Turkman Got One
 

It's been tough this season to get the birds due to mushroom hunters being out and about in the woods. However, I did get one, so far. I got a jake. This should help the team. lol

Species: Eastern
Weight: 14.2 pounds
Beard: 4.9"
Right Spur: .5
Left Spur: .5


Score: 14.125 + 5 + 5 + 9.8 = 33.925

Turkman
Team 3 Captain

Well, my lucked changed yesterday evening. I tagged out with a very nice bird and am thankful to the good Lord for allowing me to do so.

21 lbs. 5oz.
9" beard
1-3/16" & 1-1/4" spurs

Your score is 21.3125 + 11.875 + 12.5 + 18 = 63.6875

Pics to come when my buddy emails them to me.

I am back for a bit - have a tag for this week but i am bone tired and old!

Hey JD and Turk - way to go and I have an upgrade too! With all the scoring I do I think it ought to improve me about 20 points.

We probably should send a reminder e-mail to the rest of the team to see how they are doig and to help them not foprget about us!

rough stats as I need to download my pics - need to re-measure spurs but they are in a freezer several hours from me so I will go with the pics until I can recheck.

24 lbs and was a double bearder - my 4th! Was a 4yr old.

JW

That is awesome JW!

Also, congrats to turkman1 on your turkey.

His name is Mr. Tick Tock and I found him late Tuesday April 26th. He will gobble at most everything maybe! He will sound off from the roost on cloudy days at 5:24 AM - Clear days, 5 minutes earlier. He will gobble his fool head off but once on the ground and with his hens, he goes quiet ~EXCEPT~ Tick Tock will gobble hourly or very close to it! Just about when you think all is lost as it is raining, snowing, hailing, and the wind picks up - Tick Tock will gobble. He might return the favor to your responding call as you call in intervals or he might not! He came close to me several times but he wants to see that hen! When he does – he will gobble once maybe twice. He may step into the field at all the wrong places - and leave just as quick. You go back to see how he got to that point there and you won't believe the incline this boy will walk up. And then just when you think you have him a single strand of barb wire no more than 2 inches off the ground will stop him! I have been turkey hunting almost a quarter century and never had a bird such as him needless to say he really pissed me off! Man I am tired - wait what time is it - almost 5 PM and you guessed it – I hear Tick Tock!
That went on for 3 full days.
The third day my nephew was with me and he got to witness Mr. Tick Tock. We did battle all morning on and off. It was quite a show and was good for this new hunter to hear. I was tired and decided it was time for lunch, so we were going to leave, and you guessed it Mr. Tick Tock sounded off almost out of ear shot. So foolish me I pulled out the Tom Turpin as it was windy! He answered almost immediately but man he was a long ways off! I waited for a good 10 minutes and hit the Turpin hard again. He was closer but still....man.....Good ole Mr. Tick Tock. Waited another time period as this time I waited a good 15 minutes. Hit the Turpin and he gobbled right back and was closer but it was slow going. So I went silent for the next 10 minutes. This time I simply clucked and he gobbled closer than he ever was before. And this time since he was so close I cut him off in mid gobble with some wild racket calling. This cranked this bird up and he choked out non-stop gobbles – so much so the last one I thought he would drop over from loss of breath! He was right behind us in our blind. So close that last gobble had made my nephew jump out of his seat!  I had promised my nephew he was the shooter! Well that was the plan from the get go. He had to be right behind us but it was steep and it had one single strand of barb wire on that fence. What I believe from his angle he could not see my hen decoys at all
I kept teasing Tick Tock with the Turpin Yelper ever so slowly - 5 mins here - then let him gobble 6 to 7 times before I even thought about answering him back. and slowly switched over to my box Call. He was behind us in a ravine as I was sitting the edge of a cornfield. We played cat and mouse for almost and hour. Then all went quiet ~ We heard no more drumming or the snap to gobble and figured it was all over. Through the my hard right side corner of my blind I could see a bird sneaking up through the tip of this ravine which entered in the cut corn field. It had several tree blow downs so entrance was tricky but I had cut a few big limbs out of the way making it easier for me to sneak in this way. And Tick Tock was using it!
Mr. Tick Tock entered the field hard to my right at 35 yards ~ he had a big tree blow down to maunver around to make it to us. This was unfortunate for my nephew as he sat on my right. I had told him if the bird came in for a shot he was the shooter. And that almost happened. But Tick Tock that once he cleared the mass of branches and limbs that he saw my decoys – he went into strut! He just stood there drumming. Then when he came out of strut he simply started to walk away – so a few more soft clucks to a yelp or two and he went back in strut – but I swear he was strutting facing the decoys but walking backwards. It was like he was in a moon walk. I figured he had moved to 40 yards and he was at less than 30 when he first came. Then he stood straight up and turned to walk away! Man my nephew is not going to get this shot at all but with my gun and as hard as I had chased this Tom!
It was a poke but I certainly have the gun to do it! Certainly helps ruin my 24 yr 21 pace average! But screw that! Tick Tock time had run out!
24 lbs – double beard my 4th! 1st beard 3.325”, 2nd 9.0” Rt spur 1.0”. Lft Spur 0.9375”
NWTF ~ Your score is 24 + 9.375 + 10 + 24.65 = 68.025


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Note: In Wisconsin you need to register each bird shot and the scale was at the registration station downtown Lyndon Station, Wi.







How I get in and out of the fields. I have a long walk and many hills to climb. But I sit all day.



Now as I think about it I should have taken this bird to the taxidermist as it was prettier in color than the one I had mounted. It was the real iridescent green and I did not knock a feather out at all. Counted good 8 pellet holes in the skull.
JW

Congrats bud !! You da man !!

Hey Team, I'm back from up north where I had no access to computer. Sorry for going MIA. Congrats to those who have taken birds.

My season is open but I haven't been out yet as I just got back in town, I hope to hunt Monday. I have till the end of the month so hopefully I can contribute a bird.
Cheers