welcome aboard, Clemson! Great pics everybody and congrats on your big deer, Zim.

I'm taking my boy out for opening day this Saturday...supposed to rain, but maybe we can get a break and catch them headed to the fields to dry off...

Good luck to you and your son.

Seen the first 2 Strutters of the year Monday. With about 10 Hens. Things are heating up!

Ya I'll be grabbing a 6th season leftover. Already got a 5th season in 1st draw. I live in NE Illinois so zone 2 is the closest and spend a lot of time scouting there.

Just learned to leave decoys at home for these late season hunts. The toms are very well educated by then.

Yeah turkeys get very smart (for a bird) by fifth and sixth season so yes it is much better to learn their habits and set up according to that. I have a full body mount of my tom I got last year and they never expect anything with that as the decoy. It's crazy how much of a difference that makes!

Checking in! I'll be hunting here in Ohio and WV. Hey Zim, I too had the highest scoring bird one year and I think I was right at the bottom the nest year. Good luck guys

Did you ever get your check for first prize? I'm still waitin on mine three years later!

I have found pods of uneducated birds that ran in to my decoys at times, if a spot got isolated by flooding or something to keep hunters out. However, more often than not (~90%) this is not the case late season. I've seen some of the most interesting evasive measures taken then. Suspicious looks, skirting woodlines peeking out, big loops around if I was in their paths. You name it I probably saw it. All a learning experience.

When I finally gave in and put the dekes away, I had much closer encounters right up to my blind regularly. I won't hunt in WI without the blind due to Lyme's Disease. Know too many who contracted. Not worth the risk. Also keeps other hunters away because they see me from a distance.

Check..... Sure I got mine lol.