Talondale

Well, I'm going to change my tactics in light of what I've learned. I admit most of my experience has been on dumb, light pressured, private land birds and getting them fired up was part of the fun but I can see the logic in what everyone is saying about being silent on the roost. Interesting points. Now most of my hunting is on public land due to my access to private ground dwindling due to owners dying or moving away. I'll maybe give it another try tomorrow morning.

Good hunting Phil.

Phil from Maine

Yes it is a nice video with a quite a bit of knowledge in it..

Phil from Maine

Well guys i blew it this morning somehow.. It started out being a great morning to be out there.. Nice quite no wind,, The dirt road I have been traveling on while rough takes me out there aways.. I was able to see 8 different moose, around 6 different hens and 2 nice toms. 1 tom and hen together ran across the road on me as I was traveling up there.. I get to where I am heading get parked and all set up.. One of those moose was standing right in the area I set up in. After calling and setting for a while with no luck I decided to grab a cup of coffee which was in my thermos in the jeep. I walk back have my coffee and just as I get out a tom steps up on the road behind me.. Now this bird was a pretty decent bird with what looked to be around an 11 inch beard on him. I grab my shotgun as the bird starts back in the woods on me.. It did not look as though he had gone far so i walked back down along the side of the road. I see him getting ready to go down over a small ridge and fired at him. I fired thinking I would have him.. He flew or tried to around 5 or 6 feet and dropped behind the ridge, I went in looking for him but he was no where to be found. I will go back in there this afternoon and try to find him again. I have no idea on how the heck he was able to run and be gone so quickly.. I know this one is going to eat at me for a while..
Sorry guys..:

I also found out why i needed to park in another spot as the turkeys were coming in there right where I was parking..

Good luck talondale! As well as everyone out there hunting right now..

swampbuster

Phil, those turkeys can be gone in a hurry if need be. If you hit him hopefully you will be able to find him. Good luck and get back out there, that's all you can do. Good luck!!

Talondale

Hope you find him Phil. Look up under any brush in the area.

Talondale

Went and scouted a 1200 acre farm I have permission to hunt. I know it's hard to believe but I had not thought about it for turkey hunting. I had gotten permission to deer hunt it years ago and was so frustrated because its mostly fields and no woods except on the edges. Well duh, it's perfect for turkey. Went by on the way home this evening and the first field had a 2 year old gobbler and two hens in cut corn stubble. Guess where I'll be in the morning?

Phil from Maine

Yeah, he vanished in a hurry and I never found him. I am hoping it was an over shot as he may have stepped down into a hole as I fired?? I do not know how he managed to get away but he did..

After hunting for him I decided to try another area.. Man was those birds talkative! They gobbled up a storm but never showed I am thinking they were jakes? I had three birds gobbling back at me in a group for almost an hour straight! They came fairly close and then go back out there a ways and then back in again.. Then they just stopped.. So I picked up my decoys and started back out and they started up again.. That is when I realized the old gravel pit was a dusting area and they used it for travel .. Which was also where I tried to hide the jeep. I am heading back in the morning with a different parking spot for my jeep and try my luck again.. There was a bird gobble on the other side of the road twice from a distance.. I am thinking that was the big one I saw run across the road earlier.. But what ever the case I will be more prepared for them this time around..

Also after missing/loosing that bird today I tried my shotgun out to check the pattern. I tested it at 50 yards to see what i was getting out of it.. My pattern was slightly larger than your steering wheel on your vehicle.. So i am guessing a miss because he was at 30 yards and I doubt he would of gone any place..

Phil from Maine

Where he run was real thick stuff and I checked all I could even looked around some old rotten stuff from where trees have fallen years ago.. Nothing so I am chalking it up as a miss.. If a hit hopefully nothing to bad on him..

Also good luck tomorrow!!

swampbuster

Good luck Talondale, hope you roll one up!

swampbuster

Good luck Phil, sounds like your on the right track to somewhat pattering those birds. Hope you roll one up in the morning!