It took a few days and a couple of misses but I was finally able to get a bird on 5/16/24. I tried some Federal 3rd Degree loads but finally went back to the tried and true Win Long Beard XRs. The Federals seemed to pattern okay but didn't do well on real turkeys. I shot this bird at the gas well opening near the center of my property. I didn't get a second tag this year due to the lack of birds last year. I can't recall even hearing any gobblers on my property last year and finally got a bird on another property over a mile away.

This year I'm still seeing and hearing birds. I had a gobbler walk along the edge of the yard and gobble twice right beside the house yesterday morning. I also heard a bird gobbling in the woods near the house about a half hour ago. The last two photos were taken by a trail camera on the powerline near the house two evenings ago (6/2/24). What a difference a year can make!

We lived in Pa for 8 or 9 years back in my younger days. Back then turkeys were absolutely no problem whatsoever. Was actually almost as easy as squirrel hunting. From what I gathered back then there was a pretty heavy rise in coyote population as well as raccoon which are both pretty hard on turkey populations. I know dad and I both were killing coyotes weekly and easily. We were in the south central part of the state, Hershey, Palmyra, Grantville, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, and Harrisburg areas mostly. I still to this day follow dads rule, see a yote, kill a yote.

Still hearing birds gobbling almost every morning. Heard one this morning from about 5:45 AM till he walked down the powerline at 6:27. Here are some recent trail cam pics including one from this morning.

Very nice. I'd be happy to put my tag on any on of those buck.

Here's a video from 8/12/24 in my small orchard. I've been seeing these two bucks on trail cams about once a week now but only after dark. Not 100% sure but I'm guessing the big guy with the twisted rack might be that tall seven from last year. Also seeing a few other legal bucks but nothing like these two. The widest eight doesn't usually show up until mid November.

I saw my first buck of the season that had started shedding his velvet show up on one of my trail cams this morning (9/7/24). He was a spindly little fork horn, probably a 1-1/2 year old, and I can't say if any of the older bucks have started shedding yet or not. Seems a little early?

Recent trail cam video of the largest local buck I have seen so far. I have several other videos of him including the one I posted on 8/17. He has obviously now shed his velvet. This was less than 200 yards from my house and early yesterday morning (9/14/24, 5:38 AM).

BTW, I had seven deer, all does and fawns, in the yard this morning eating red oak acorns.

Had this youngster in the yard a few minutes ago. Those trees behind him are mostly red oaks. Sorry for the crappy quality. I had to take the photo through a screen door.