colbea

Who gets to start first? Looks Phil might be last, I start April 25th.

Game Stalker

VA. starts Apr. 9th. Work schedule fluctuates a lot, so don't know if I'll have opener off.

Jorgy

My season starts the 9th also, but I'm a newbie to turkey hunting. I think there should be a award going to the shortest beard because I am going to have a itchy trigger finger once something legal is in range.

turkey harvester

Wanted to share a few pics from Saturday. We were fishing with some friends and listening to birds gobble most of the day from the boat. We caught 62 crappie and bout a dozen bass.

Phil from Maine

Don't worry about it Jorgy.. Any bird is a good bird and if we can get to have every team member getting a bird of any size all the better .. I know i will be trying for a long bearded bird.. I tried last year and ended up all i could get was a Jake as well. that was dues to our winter kill from the winter before and over 100 inches of fluffy snow. The birds are not real plentiful in my area this year but, I do have some nice prospects. Just do the best you can and enjoy the hunting. You get stuck on a bird or 2 give us a shout we will try to offer some advice on helping you score. What you do with the advice is entirely up to you. But again enjoy the hunt!!

Phil from Maine

Nice fishing turkey harvester.. It sounds like a nice fish fry to me...

turkey harvester

Believe it or not Phil we turned all of them loose. Its nothing to go and catch 50+ crappie on a bad day. Were going back in a week or so before my season starts to catch some for a fry.

Jorgy

Ok, my stupid question of the day. I have a little flock of turkeys that come through my yard almost everyday. The males left the flock a few weeks ago, and today I finally saw them again up the ridge from my house. 2 of them were "puffed up" and strutting and there was some turkey dancing going on. They all came through my yard a few hours ago, I can see spurs with my naked eye, and sure can see them with binos, 2 of them I would guess go close to 2". But none them them have beards. I have been thinking the beard magically pops out once breading season starts, and have been looking online and only see pictures of them with the beard just hanging loose

So, do my gobblers shave or something? Please help an idiot out, it's driving me nuts. They are merriams if that helps out

colbea

Jorgy. first Phil is right, any bird, is a good bird. Now for your beardless birds, sometimes if Tom gets a lot of snow built up on it's beard, the beard will break off.

Phil from Maine

I am not sure Jorgy as to why they would not have any beards. I have heard tell of beard rot and have been under the impression that they still would have some sort of beard. So that question is beyond me. Maybe ask in the regular turkey forum and someone with more knowledge will chime in?? Now jakes on the other hand I have seen without beards at times. Not all jakes for some reason will have beards that first year so you need to make sure he has a beard of some sort sticking out of it..