So what did you learn this spring.
 

What new technique or new method did you learn this year? Something you want to try again.

At 65 years old one technique I've learned is that sometimes its better to just stay in bed and catch a few extra ZZZs. Go out later in the day when the hens are sneaking away from the toms and the toms are still "lookin for love". Don't get me wrong, I love being in the woods at dark and listening to it come alive. But after several days of doing that my old body tells me you just stay under these covers a while longer!

One reason I have a portable camo recliner bronco. My woods naps are priceless. I rather be sleeping there than in some comfy bed.

But one thing I learned...you are correct. I also slept in more. I shot more birds late afternoon to evening this past spring than ever.

Think out of the box. Is another tip I'll pass along.

If possible...I like to enter the (public hunting land) turkey woods to one of my stands, (which is about one mile from the hardtop road) about 1 or 2am. I'm certain that I'll probably be the first one in the woods. And if I make any noise going into the woods, I'm hoping that if I do rouse any turkeys from their sleep, they'll just go back to sleep again and forget the "noise" ever happened --- While I be catching some ZZZ's in my turkey stand.

Of course...one method is to roost a tom the evening before and stay overnight near the same spot...so I'll be ready at first light.

I also don't want to shoot at a tom that has another close range turkey directly behind him.

:lolabove::lolabove::lolabove:

He's more committed than I am. I'll give him that

-Jake

This was a strange Spring with extremely short grass instead of weed and grass growth anywhere from 1-3 feet tall. I learned that the turkeys don't like being out in the open like that and tend to hide in the brush a lot. Makes running and gunning more difficult.

I found out that wild turkeys love to hide in green leaf sticker bushes. Walk slowly every 10 feet or so in a sticker patch, before stopping for a minute or two. This pause makes the turkey nervous and anxious like a cottontail...and he might flush right next to you --- While he's making such a noisey racket to take-off --- It sounds like someone's being hit multiple times by a 2x4.:busted:

Turkeys prefer to roost in trees that overhang over water --- Because they love to hear their poop plop in the water.:s13:

:lolabove::lolabove::lolabove:

:lolabove::lolabove::lolabove: Tell the truth, you never hunted a day in your life.

Now I can understand why you have over 11,000 posts...with the majority of them much to do about nothing.

Now that is funny, did it ever occur to your liberal brain that I have been here many years longer than you have, next of we want to talk about much to do about nothing you best take a look at your own posts. I still do not believe you ever hunted a day in your life.

What? Ive never seen this or heard of this

I really don't think this is the case here, that they like to hear their poop hit the water and Ive never seen a turkey roost or heard of a turkey roosting over water. Stop with the nonsense.

I disagree with you on this post. Again stop the nonsense

Learned long ago Arrow you need to get past the idiots sometimes to find a safe place to hunt. And sometimes it is better to just pack up and find another spot. Safer for all.

True enough except they roost over water for safety from predators.

From NWTF, https://www.nwtf.org/hunt/article/locating-roosts,

Consider the factors below to determine likely roost sites:

Proximity to water
The old hunter’s adage suggesting, “Turkeys love to roost where they can hear their droppings hit water,” rings true here.

On our lease, one of the best spots is creek bottom land with swamp and and beaver ponds.

It just proves everything he posts is not from experience or knowledge, it is from googling a subject them posting as though they are his thoughts and experienced.

How do you spot a turkey that is hiding in a bush???

"You look for his black eye."

So far...I've flushed two turkeys out of sticker bushes this way --- One was a hen, the other was a jake --- Both flushing about 5 to 10 feet away from me. Though it is hard to see his beard when he is flying away from a hunter.

A severely wounded turkey, will usually seek out a bush or a hollow log to hide in.

Your nose must be at least 6 feet long by now!

I love to turkey hunt in or near swamps. I let the foxfire light my way to my turkey stand before the spring dawn.

I've noticed that some toms and jakes prefer to roost on a high-point of land, overlooking a swamp. I believe that they realize they can have an easy escape route by a fly-down over a swamp, and it's easier to project their gobbles at a farther distance, from a high-point overlooking a swamp.

I know...you just want me to reveal all of my turkey huntin' secrets.

If you miss a spring tom with a bow an arrow --- and he then starts to scoot away --- keep calling to him; and he might afford to give you another shot, by stopping or coming back within bow range.

Usually..."road toms" (the ones that prefer to roost near hardtop roads), are sometimes the first ones to be shot during the season. Later in the season..it's best to hunt deeper in the woods.

If you want to traverse around the lower end of a swamp...search for a possible beaver dam, that's causing the swamp backup --- So you can possibly find a place to cross the stream below the beaver dam.

Keep reading and googling and regurgitating, you aren't fooling anyone.

I always shoulder carry my turkey harvest out of the woods in a single strap, ventilated, blaze orange turkey bag.

Enough already, no one is buying you!

​​​​​A few good tips though. Saved me a Google search

-Jake

I agree 100% JW

Can't speak to the poop part but yes from my experience they often roost over water in fact several places Im have hunted the turkeys would fly up into the trees in a swamp to roost over the water to avoid predators I believe as was posted by another poster.

Truth I don't read much of either these guys posts lol

I wish I hadn't deleted my posts ever year for many years after a while or I might have 11000 useless posts too bwahaha

I've since given up using a turkey wing during my fly-down hen cackle call sequence, followed by a few yelps. Instead...I use my hat to slap against my thigh for about 5 times; instead of a turkey wing, because a turkey wing might be too dangerous to use in a woods crowded with turkey hunters.

Of course...you have to make sure or hope that the tom is not looking at you, when you slap your hat against your thigh.

A fly down cackle call sequence, is one of the most important calls to use during a dawn hen turkey fly-down.

I also sometimes use a cackle sequence for a hot gobbler after fly-down, with the translation from hen to gobbler being: "COME TO ME...RIGHT NOW!!!" --- If he answers or cuts you off --- Shut-up...because he's probably coming in...unless he's with hens.

While I have never seen Erno on any past Turkey teams here my years of chasing these birds I have witnessed all of what he posted.
Thanks to all who added to this post.
It's about teaching and sharing rather than being a bully.
A good hunter learns from his mistakes and moves on.

JW

I learned a few things:

1) I don't have a 50yd gun - I have a 70yd cannon.
2) Expect the unexpected when taking new turkey hunters.
3) If you're not seeing birds in your honey hole, then scout hard and move to hotter properties.
4) Strange and unexpected changes in weather can drastically alter bird movement for an entire season.
5) Well-designed strategic hunting plans are great - but in the end, trust your gut at the moment of reckoning because it's almost always better than your predesigned plans.

I have advanced degrees in animal science and 25 years of experience, but this past season reminded me of a very hard lesson - turkeys do what turkeys want to do, when they want to do it, and you can't always understand nor explain it...

:happy0001:

Do you really hunt turkeys? If you are flushing turkeys while walking through "sticker bushes," you are busting hens off their nests.

I'm legally turkey hunting before the Maryland spring 12pm shutdown. Do you have any qualms about that?

The last turkey I flushed from a sticker bush was a young jake.

And if you only wound one --- gaod forbid --- you'd be better off looking for him possibly hiding in some kind of bush or in a hollow log.