RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Good deal man, hope you can get at em!!!

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Went scouting this AM and heard no less then 5 gobblers roosted with a 300 yd circle of my pop up blind. Hope that my son Drake is lucky on the 25th. The weather has really turned nice here and the birds are getting fired up!!!

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

I'm really getting pumped now!
Only days till my opener, and I talked to the landowner today who said that he's seen a small group the other day, and a jake crossing one of his fields this morning... doesn't sound like much but we haven't seen any birds or sign since the start of this horrible winter; they are back :D.
I'm taking a really good friend this 1st weekend (he's never shot a bird before so I'll give him the better set-up), but I've got 5 weeks to score for the team. If I don't have action in the 1st couple of weeks I have a back-up spot in another area, but I hope to stay around the 1st farm because I can stay at my parents cottage nearby where the Rainbows are running up the river, and I have a friendly ex-GF nearby;).

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Hey guys, only 7 days til I can hunt! going to fix up some blinds this weekend. I saw quite a few turkeys last weekend where I hunt, so I am pumped! Good luck to everyone

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Well I have a very happy 12 Yr old this morning.
We got to the blind @5:00 and heard our first gobbles around 5:30 they were about 250 yds away from us . We had other hunters along our fence line that shot at around 6;00 and I thought that the day might be a bust when Drake saw some birds about 125 yds out in front. As they walked through the woods I gave them a lite yelp and they were onto the decoys. As I watched them work in I realized that they were the 2 Jakes that I had seen near the blind site 3 days before. This is Drakes first season as an Apprentice hunter who in Ontario must use his mentors tag we had decided that a Jake or Tom was good for him so I knew that the jakes would be in trouble if they kept on their current path. Sure enough they walked/trotted in perfectly and would not seperate from one another to allow a clear shot. When they were about 20 yds out I see behind them at about 100 yds another 2 Males and a hen. Pretty sure they were Toms but there was NO WAY that Drake was passing up these Jakes(As I would expect) Finally they seperated at about 12 Yds and he dropped one of them. Bird down @6:15!!!The other Jake jumped and then stayed around the blind for 15 mins or so, every time he would walk out about 60 yds his dead buddy would flop abit and he would run back in. He was putting/Clucking all the time and the other 3 birds stayed and watched the show from 75 yds out. After about 20 mins they had finally walked away and Drake who was dieing in the blind to get his hands on his trophy finally was able to heist up his first (of what I hope are many). Guys there is no better feeling then seeing your youngster pick up and examine his first turkey!! I hope all the parents out there get to experience what I did today!!

He is not a monster but to a first day 12 yr old and his Dad he is a bird to remember....

Stats- 13.25 lbs, Spurs both 3/8 inch beard 3 inches.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Awsome!!!
Good work Wood Duck, congrats to Drake... but try to hold onto that other tag for the contest, eh?

I'm packing right now, if I hurry I may be able to get out for an hour or two this evening. I'll be out all day (or till i get a bird) tomorrow. Seasons are opening, we should start to see our #s balloon!!!

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Well
after all those days of scouting and hoping that the Winter was not too tough on the birds, my season is over already..
Drake and I returned to the blind this morning and were treated to lots of coyote howling and turkey gobbling at dawn. We had a strutter on the way to us when no less than 6 hens flew down in front of him and carried him off to his duties..
After hearing silence for about an hour I heard a tom fire up in the woods about 200 yds from us he was shock gobbling to a crow and after a while he was joined by 2 other gobblers. I took his temperature and he was hot with double gobbling and and shock gobbling to crows, our calls and the other gobblers. The stand off lasted for about 40 mins before he finally broke and started towards us.. Drake saw him for a brief moment before he went behind a large bush and after what seemed like forever he walked out into a clearing about 90 yds from us. He was looking around for the hot hens that Drake and I were trying to sound like. Finally he looked up the path we were set up on and the strut show started!! He would take a step strut then take another step. It took him about 10 mins to close within 25 yds but Drake could not get a shot due to his angle of approach. He started to get nervous and turned to walk away when Drake told me to shoot him since he couldn't get on him and he said that he wanted me to get him. I had to hold on him for quite awhile since he was moving around behind several trees. Drake told me afterwards that my leg was shaking his whole chair while I was waiting for a clear shot..!!!Finaaly he presented a shot at about 30 yds and he was down @ 8:00. Turkey season 2008 done!!! Way too fast but lots of Fun.
He was a good bird.. Stats 22.5 lbs - spurs 7/8 both and 8 1/2 Beard.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Congrats Wood Duck, way to come thru for the team.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

nice bird wood duck

My season opens tomorrow, but I probably wont be able to hunt until Friday.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Deerdust must be out hunting

Wood Duck
Your score is 22.5 + 8.75 + 8.75 + 17 = 57

JW

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Great work WD sounds like an awesome hunt with the youngster! My season FINALLY opens up on thursday, looking like rain for the first ten days[&:]. Thats ok though, i'll still be out there!

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

I'll be out in the rain too, all weekend.
I saw 7 hens my last outing, not a single beard, but I did hear gobbles that I couldn't bring in.

On my drive home from a site today I saw something you don't see every day:
A woman was standing in a paddock surrounded by goats and wild turkeys. I guess she feeds the goats corn or some kind of grain and the turkeys have been coming by to share and have gotten used to her. We aren't allowed to bait but I don't think there are any laws against feeding, problem is her place is less than a mile from my best place; shes stealing my turkeys!

Good luck NY/Al, and everyone else out there.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

I was out in the rain tonight and had a great hunt. Heard at least 4 or 5 toms gobble. Saw 2 toms and had a jake at 5 yards. A nice tom hung up at 100 yards and wouldnt come in. Mydad and i were in an open field and saw him and we couldn't move, so he may have seen us.I know about where they are roosting, so I'll be on them in the morning. Im going to hunt all weekend.
Good luck to everyone

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Hey fellas, put down a 2 y/o yesterday morning! I'll be going back to college on monday so i'll have some time to post my score and all that. Hes no monster but still a nice one nonetheless!

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

I got one down tonight! nice tom, but his beard is only about 2" long. looks like it was cut off by something. Ill score him and post pics and my story tomorrow. I gotta go to bed so i can go call for a friend tomorrow.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Wooduck-NY/Al-24/7, Congrats to all of you, awesome job guys. Sorry I have been out of pocket for a few days but I will make sure your scores are posted when ya get the posted here. JW has been checking and keeping things pretty well up to date. Good Job at knockin em down. My turn in the morning..[8D]

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Well here he is boys, 20 pounds, 8 1/4 inch beard, 1 in and 1 1/8 spurs.:)

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Nice bird! Way to go.

I feel like an a$$ for not being out there now, or at work. As it is I can't do either because I'm still recovering from last night. I'm too old to party like that any more, but its one I'll remember for a long time.
Heres me (drunk) with Eugene Levy at the SCTV reunion show last night (I'm the guy with the bad teeth):

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Dropped a nice Merriam on Saturday the 3rd. I have pictures but their not good, will post what I have in a couple of days with story. Wife lost our digital camera and I had nothing to use but my new cell phone. Took some decent pictures at the kill site but didn't realize that each picture had to be saved seperately on the phone. Needless to say when I check my phone after getting home on Tuesday, to my surprise, no pictures. The pictures I will be posting are of a gutted, frozen bird, not pretty but the best I have. 3 yr old, 19#, 9 1/2" beard, 1 1/4" spurs, Should total 63 if my calculation are correct.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Hey team my hunt starts this coming Monday and I'll have three weeks to fill my tag if I don't do it on Monday , wish me luck.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

Nice job NY/Al and Bluegunner! I didnt have my camera when I shot the bird, but my dads friend took pics, so im waiting on him to email them to me.

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

O.K., going to try to post the bad pictures that I have, they are the only ones I have so they will have to do. First the story!
Hunted the five day slot I had (21th through 25th of April) in Minnesota with no success. Most of the time it was cold, wet, and windy making it not only uncomfortable for me but the birds were totally unresponsive. Did pass on a shot at a Jake and saw only one other bird, a hen. Spring was late here in the north and what is usually a good time slot turned into a bust!
Decided to head to the Santee in northern Nebraska, as I can get a license over the counter. Arrived their on Sat the 3rd about 5:00 p.m. and stopped at the wardens to get a license. He wasn't home so needed to drive into Niobrara as they can be purchased at one of the bars. Arrived back at the reservation about 5:45 p.m., geared up and headed out to find a spot in the field thinking to enjoy the eveing. Found a good looking spot at the apex of a couple of ravines, backed into a cedar and after waiting ten minutes start calling. I called 3 or 4 times over the next 5-10 minutes when a Gobbler fired off directly behind me, not only directly behind me but as I later measured, just 25 yards behind me. Being left-handed, I rolled to me left and peeked around the cedar and their he was, just dropping out of strut. I put the bead on him and dropped the hammer. Bird down, done hunting, time 6:15 p.m. lapsed time 30 minutes.

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RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

DD GOT SCORES PUT IN FOR BLUEGUNNER 63 AND NY/AL 57.75

GET ME THE OTHER ONE - PICTURES CAN WAIT - 24/7 POST YOUR MEASUREMENTS

JW

RE: Pictures of your harvest
 

sorry it took so long guys. I was hunting at my grandpas land just east of my town. We hunted friday night in the rain and had a tom come in to 150 yards and hung up. We heard a few gobbles saturday, and my dad saw some toms, but I only saw one jake. Saturday night we got set up by 5 o clock and I spotted a bird 500 some yards across the field. My dad yelped at him a few times and he turned and saw our decoy setup. He ran about 300 yards and turned off. we called again and he ran right in to 50 yards, and strutted in to the decoys at 25 yards. I knocked him over with a 3.5" load from a Benelli Super Black Eagle. He is 19 pounds, and has a 3 1/8" beard with spurs at 7/8" each. Score is 43.25 if i did it right. nice goin with the other birds guys!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

I'm still trying to get one , haven't had much luck but I got untill the end of this month.

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Plenty of time my friend! Go get em!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Same here, I can't understand how there can be so many hens arournd and no birds wirh beards! Sorry team but if I see see a jake he's eating some lead, I'm tired of grabbing the camera instead of the shotgun!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Well, my 2nd season in Indiana was a ditto to the first. Nothing! Miss Maine, we we're in the birds up there. Congrats to other Tommy Knockers killin birds this year!!!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Guys sorry for not being around much. Didn't think the season was going to keep me away so. Ours is over and no bird for me. 1st yr in a long time I haven't gotten one. I did put plenty of hunters on birds though. Now that it is over here in Mo I have been working on the new hunting lodge till late at night. Stay in touch with JW and he'll keep it posted up to date. Congrats to all of you who have harvested, n good luck to you who still have achance!!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

I'm just hangin on by a thread guys, maybe one more day out there, but only if I can wrap this job up soon enough.
If I can get out I'll try a new spot, I'm always going to the same farn because of friends, family, and toys, but if I can get out again I'll change things up, I gots to shoot a bird!

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Well guys my season is over and no bird for me , they live to see another year. :(

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

Me too, seasons closed and no bird.
Isaw turkeys in range every hunt, all hens, the only beardI saw was long and thick from a big tom but he stepped out of the bush and snubbed my decoys/calls and walked in the other direction. I'm still questioning my decision to not shoot, he was at about 50yrds, probably would have dropped but I haven't patterned the gun at that range.
Theres always next year, sorry team.

RE: Team 2 ..."Tommy Knockers"
 

I need for everyone to send me your mailing adress, so I can send you a 2008 Contest sticker. You can either PM me here with it or you can send it to my email at: [email protected] or [email protected] As soon as I get them and have mailing addy's, I will get yours out to you.

Congrats on a great spring season guys. Sorry I haven't been aroound much, but we are already getting ready for the deer season, and there is tons of work to do getting all the stand sites ready.