I start hunting Sunday morning! Cant wait!!

Well, I told you all I had been hunting with my dad trying to get him a bird during 1st season here in Iowa, and opening day didn't work out too good for us. Well neither did days 2 and 3. However, on the 4th and final day of the season things came together. Got setup on one in the morning on the roost. He was roosted about 60 or 70 yards from us. We kinda got lucky and didn't realize how close the hens were to us. They pitched down into the field in front of us and began calling, meanwhile he flew down in the woods behind us. We were literally in the middle of a flock! I just let the hens call the tom in, it worked out great! He smoked him when the bird got into the field and presented a shot. What a fun morning it was!

Btw, congrats Kenny for getting a really nice bird and getting us on the board! I am super excited to finally get to carry a gun for myself starting Sunday in Nebraska!

Good luck Talondale! Hope you are able to close the deal on a turkey

Congrats to your dad Jepcho!

It is hard to get a bird that has been smartened up by all the calling going on.. I got my second bird in just one of those areas the last 2 years. I limit my calling and mostly wait them out.. I also try to scratch a few leaves once and a while by doing like a turkey does.. Scratch one time followed by 2 quick scratches and then wait.. I also will resort to using just one hen..
Good Luck Talondale

Congrats to you dad jepcho! That looks like a pretty big bird he has got himself..

Good Luck to you on your hunt as well..

I did some scouting this morning and saw 3 small flocks that had a tom or 2 strutting. Then in a field that has no trespassing signs I saw a jake with 2 hens.. I can hunt there and own some land right beside it.. Normally there is more birds in that area so as the snow melts I will be finding out.. I still have to wait until May 4th to start my hunting.. So plenty of time for our snow to go away..

Good luck to everyone out hunting right now!!

Thanks guys.
I will be going to Neb. for a one day hunt on sat. Just going down to hunt with the young man that I got hooked on this great outdoor activity we call turkey hunting. Yes I will be armed just in case we can double again this year. It is suppose to be raining so we will see.

It opens on the 18th in neb jepco why wait till sunday, maybe you have to work sat just like I have to on sunday. lol

First of all congrats to Kenny!!!

My season comes in Monday!!!! I can't stand the wait.

We are suppose to have Thunderstorms from late Saturday into early Monday morning, but at first light it is suppose to be pretty clear and sunny. I was going to go up Sunday afternoon but if the weather does what the weatherman says it won't do any good.

I know the area pretty good so it doesn't concern my to much to go in cold.

Good luck to everyone, I will post an update Monday afternoon, we can only hunt until 1PM.

Really bummed here. With no public draws the rest of the season, I am really limited here in NC on hunting. Really wish I was out today. Will have my one OOS hunt coming up week after next. Thought I was going to get to go to KS the last week of the season but that has now fallen through. For once, I really wish I lived where I go could turkey hunt more conveniently.

It is good to hear from you balckheel !! I am sorry to hear about your luck on the draws.. I hope you do get a chance to blast a nice one.. But, none the less enjoy your hunt..

It is good to hear from you as well bigc870 !! I also hope you have a great success story to tell us all about.. But, most inportantly enjoy your hunt as well..

Well guys, I wasn't able to get a bird this morning, got on the first bird and had someone come in on me this morning. Set up In a spot were I had heard birds and sat down and called every 15min. I could hear another turkey gobbling, so I started to gather my stuff and one shock gobbled at a crow. So I sat back down and called, and he responded. He gobbled again and he was closer. He gobbled again at about a hundred yards, and then someone else came in and started calling he gobbled at them and then he shut up. He gobbled one more time at a crow and he was a good ways away. I really thought I had a good chance at killing the second turkey. I guess that's public land hunting for ya

Yes it is swampbuster.. I was calling a few years ago in an area I knew turkeys were hanging around.. I had set my blind up a few days before hand on a corner where the dirt road left the pipeline for a short distance. I had 3 toms coming out across the pipeline towards me and someone comes along in a pickup truck.. One person gets out and the other keeps going just down below me.. The guy that got out started calling to them so I did.. I had them come into range but did not dare to shoot at them because the other guy was directly across from where the birds were some place.. So I got out of my blind and scared them off as I got out... Some of these guys just do not care at all..

I will be at it again in the morning, Hopefully I will be able to close the deal on a long beard and enjoy a great morning in Gods creation

Good luck swampbuster.
I stopped hunting on public ground for turkeys except on week days when all the unethical wanna be's are hopefully at work.

Good Luck swampbuster!!

I have not been seeing very many turkeys at all in this area.. The small flocks have been nothing compared to the past few years.. But our snow is still deep in the woods which may also be why? Hopefully they will be showing up soon.. I am going to head out shortly to see if I can find a few..

Well I went out scouting and never saw half the turkeys I normally see.. But perhaps it is because all the snow we still have in the woods here.. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain hard giving us up to 3 inches.. That should get the snow melting pretty good I am thinking.. Hopefully no major floods or washouts as well. Here is a nice shooter I had come across if a youth does not nail him on youth day that is..

Well guys more of the same for me. I heard one turkey gobble twice on the roost, but he was on the other side of the lake. They were tightlipped this morning. It rained last night and this morning.

I surely hope that there is not as many out tomorrow. Some people are hunting out of boats driving into every cove and yelping on a box call. They hear a turkey drive in and start calling. Never stopping to think there might be someone working that turkey.

I hope you get some good luck coming your way.. I know it can be frustrating at times though.. Then all of a sudden out of no where there he is.. Good luck to you in the morning...

Thanks Phil, I would rather be lucky than good any day. Good luck to everyone else who is out there hunting.

Got a double bearded jake down which wasn't easy with all the flooding. The Tom's stayed on the other side of a flooded river for the most part. Had a coyote attack my jake decoy this morning which was pretty cool. Would have shot him but didn't want to spook the birds away.

15 lbs
1/2 " spurs
5" beard
1.25" beard

Also found this awesome 10 pt skull. Not sure if it was hit by a vehicle or lost by a hunter. The g2's are 10" abd the g3's are 8". Couldn't get to alot of the areas I like cause of all the rain. It rained every say and even hailed on me a little Yesterday. And today we had a cold front pass that brought 30 to 40 mph winds. Hopefully I'll get another chance to get out but I am closing on a house the beginning of May so it's kinda touch and go. Good luck to all that are out

I have a score of 37.5 Congrats kellyquinn!!


Congrats kellyquinn! Nice jake you have there.. Now we have bird number up on the board.. Way to go !!


Also congrats on your find.. that is awesome a bird and an antler skull all during the same day.

Good luck with your closing..

Congrates Kelly.
Nice rack, just a bonus to the hunt.

Way to stick with it Kellyguinn, especially in such adverse conditions. I had a nice, bluebird Saturday, almost too hot. I also had a bunch of public land yahoos to share it with. One guy showed up at 6:10 and parked next to my car and then started to use something that sounded like a combination hoot owl and Thomas the Train horn. Weird. The thing is he kept using it and trying to get close to a gobbler with it. Plus the drive-by crow callers in the early morning. Seeing how little gobblers responded to these calls, and knowing at least 3 gobblers had been gobbling in this area that morning I know that shock calls are a no go, at least in this sector. Anyway, unfortunately all the gobbles were on the side of the road as John Philip Sousa. So I decided to play it more coy. I did mostly soft purrs and putts and leave scratching. The band left around 7 which tells me again he didn't know what he was doing. I had one bird cross the road and strut on a flat bench about 100 yards below me but he wouldn't come. When I tried to drop below the ridge and circle around to the nearside of the bench I heard nothing. Tried the other side of the road that the trombone player had abandoned since dawn had 3 or 4 gobblers on that side so walked over there and tried several setups. Heard one distant gobbler back the way I had started but nothing after that, except a few hens I could hear in a different direction, but they ignored me. Still, it was a beautiful day. Rain today and tomorrow.

kellyquin, I need a state, time (estimate is ok ) and type of turkey Eastern or ect..
thanks..

We also need to have the weapon of kill from all birds posted as well.. I believe that both birds scored were from a shotgun??Thanks guys..

Keep at them talondale you will get a chance to connect.. Once those guys get tired of blowing their horn there they will find a different place to try it.. Good luck to all that is out there hunting !!

Congrats on the jake!

Sorry bout that. It was in Oklahoma, 8:30 am on 18 Apr 2015, Rio

Thanks kellyquin.. We still need what your weapon of choice was.. I am assuming shotgun...

12 gauge mossberg 835, 3.5" federal 3rd degree

Thanks kellyquinn I only needed shotgun for it... I just want to make sure other teams do not bicker over it.. Your turkey score has been updated.. Thanks kellyquinn..

Good luck everyone out there hunting.. I can hardly wait for May 4th to get here..

I think I am going a bit crazy here waiting for our season to open up.. We have had rain all day here and even our first thunderstorm of the year.. I am under the impression our snow will be all gone by this weekend and that had aught to get the birds going good.. Less than 2 weeks now and I will be on vacation hunting those birds.. I am getting starting to get all excited now!! I want it to hurry up and get here.. Good luck guys..

Sorry I have not checked in the past few days, I have been getting my butt kicked by turkeys on public land. Thought I had one today, but turned out it was a jake. I have also being battling the flu so have not had much energy in afternoons. Going to take the next few days off and sleep in. Suppose to be raining anyway. Good luck to everyone.

Yeah, you need to take care of that flew.. It has been quite the flew this year..

I took a ride yesterday morning on the way home from work and saw 3 toms in the 2 year old range together with 2 hens.. Then left the house for another drive to another area and saw around 10 more hens,, After a while I was fortunate enough to see a huge tom sneaking off and 3 moose along 8 deer.. It was a great morning for a drive out there after having heavey rain all night.. Hopefully with the hens showing up more toms will be as well.

I wish I had better news to report.......

I hunted for 3 days straight and did not hear not one gobble and everyone I have talked too including my friends that are hunting in the southern ozarks everyone is saying the same thing the birds are not gobbling. 2 of my friends that are turkey hunting fools have not heard a single bird, the birds are in there area, there is plenty of turkey scratch and droppings. I did see 1 Jake and 2 hens when I was out roaming around but I didn't see them until they where flying off. My 2 friends did see a group of 7 hens with no gobblers.

I don't really understand what is going on right now, I have never seen a season like this. I don't know if the turkeys are done or not started up yet.

I have decided to give it until next week before I go back, but if the people I know that are hunting in the same part of the state give me a report they are gobbling then I will go back sooner.

I am at a lose as to what to do other than hunt them like I do deer and just set up on a spot that has some scratching and hope one walks through.

Congrats to everyone that has scored and to folks out there hunting have fun and be safe.

I am sorry to hear that bic870...

I have had the last 2 years in which they only gobbled a couple of times early in the season. I am not sure if they get used to people trying to call them or exactly what it is. I do know that it happens and it makes for a long day out hunting them... But, if you know that they are there keep your calling at a minimum.. It is a big waiting game and if they are interested they will come in. Both my toms the last 2 years never gobbled for me at all on the days I shot them. My first one it was on a rainy day and my second one was after everyone else drove by and I was late starting out. I saw him with 2 hens while heading up to my blind. So I found some cover to dodge into and worked on the hens. He came in toe Then something spooked them? Maybe the had spotted me but they were in range and once the closest hen moved away from him I was able to get my shot.. I also waited 2 and 1/2 hours for one to show up that never gobbled and missed it.. One just never knows what is going to take place.. But not one of my birds gobbled..