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Old 05-04-2018, 03:46 AM
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wildernessmaster
Spike
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 2
Default Need Advice Turkey - Season Busted

Forgive me but I am still a novice turkey hunter. I never thought I would hunt turkeys, but as I have renewed my interest in hunting 5 years ago, I became nostalgic about how much my Pappy loved turkey hunting. Quite frankly he had one of the largest turkeys I have ever seen on his wall and I still have his original box call.

Anyway, this is my 2nd season really seriously turkey hunting, and my first season doing it largely solo. One area I scouted (public lands) was burned (planned burn) the day before opening day. Lesson learned - check with the local ranger station on planned burns.

On a whim, the first full week of turkey season, I went and scouted a 100 acre piece of land near me that I had been told didn't have any turkeys on it (the owner). Surprise, surprise... Over the course of 2 days I found what appeared to be 40-60ish turkeys over the back section that was bordered by a river and was very swampy (so a lot of people didn't get back in there.

During this process, I turned the corner about 2 oclock one of the scouting days and saw two of the biggest toms I have ever seen about 100 yards down the lane. Over the 3 days I attempted to whittle down their roosting location. They gobbled but at dawn and sunset extensively. I thought I narrowed the area down considerably and identified that they seemed to be broken out into 3 sub groups and didn't all seem to be roosting in the same tree.

My final day of scouting I decided they appeared to be heading off the roost and east toward the river. There was a lane they had to be crossing before the river and I isolated a 50 yardish stretch I believed they were travelling through.

The next morning I moved into my location nearly an hour and half before sunrise. I wanted to be set up and still way before they might even move. Before sunrise (in fact it was considerably dark) They are gobbling as they have. I hear some to my left about 100 yards, directly in front about 300 yards, and at my 2 oclock about 300 yards. I barely called, just clucked and purred a little and the ones to my left seemed to interact with it. While it was still too dark to properly see (and identify) I swear it looked like a tom (size) ran the opposite direction (toward the roosting vs river) across the lane. It was tucked tight head down and hauling booty.

As the sun came up the turkeys subsided their gobbling but nothing ever came across the lane! I turned to look at a field behind us that had been logged in the fall (lots of cut debris) and I am stunned as I see 30ish turkeys in a line running across it. I move to watch them and they run back and forth over a small rise. I think behind the rise they may have been strutting.

We watch the lane and the field (I had my 18 y/o son with me) until about 9 and then head back to the house. My plan was to come back around 2 and setup on the lane I had seen the two massive toms sunning in, then at around 4:30ish move to the timbered field we had seen the turkeys that morning in and see if we could catch them heading back to the roost.

I went to Cabela's and bought some extra concealment to help conceal us in the open field.

Around 1 when we were heading back in to set up on the lane, I noticed in a partially timbered space in the trees, 5 or so turkeys. They saw me and looked like they were heading toward the lanes we were going to set up on. We set up, with decoys and I periodically (very long intervals) did a little calling. 4:30 rolled around and other than a hawk that swooped at our decoys... nothing.

We moved to the field and set up our concealment. We had the top of one of the small cut trees to our back and sectional stretch out blind pieces around us so we could peek over. We waited til sunset. Nothing... Worse not a sound at sunset, when for 4 days they had gobbled in this area all around me.

The next morning I went in early to the same area and set up... Not a gobble anywhere. Late sunrise I did hear what sounded like some faint gobbling across the river, several miles away (could just barely hear it).

I laid off the land for a week, thinking my presence may have changed the turkey's behavior. Went in today and not a peep or sound, much less sign.

Where do 60ish active turkeys disappear to?
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