Yeah, I lost about 100 posts. I hope they get it straightened out. I don't know if it's premature aging or what, but my rack has shrunk. What are the birds doing Wayne? I'm chomping at the bit to get over there. One more week!!!

Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!

LOL... well I'm back to a starting member <img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle>

Welcome aboard WANWTF, again.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I working on packing for next week's trip, getting my rainsuit and clothes washed up and waterproofing the boots. The forecast is calling for rain/snow early next week, but it is supposed to warm up by the end of the week. I guess you can just about flip a coin on the weather over there this time of year. I'm hoping for sunny and warm. I can get cloudy and cool right here at home. I'm so ready to go I'd hunt in knee deep snow if I had to, not that I'd want to.


Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!

You are not kiddding Slee. When I was over that direction for the opener it was hot and nice one minute, then the temperature would drop and it would begin snowing so hard you couldn't see 100 yds. Bizzar stuff. Good luck! Stick w/your box calls - those merriams love em'!

Yeah, we experienced that last year along Deadman's Creek north of Kettle Falls. It was sunny and mid 60s one minute, then you could feel like a wave of cold air move in. The snow would fall for 10 minutes, then the sun would come back out and the temps would rise. This happened 3 or 4 times one afternoon. Really odd! I'll be ready for it though.


Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!

Well....Had a good friend come over and spend the week-end with me, from the west side....he brought his 79 1/2 year old father.......They both took their first Tom's ever....was to &quot;COOL&quot;.. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>....both about 20 lb's....one with a 8 1/2 in beard,the other had a 9 incher.....both had 3/4 in. spur's

Hi Wayne ! Glad to hear youre bagging some more birds over there ! Have you guys had to work as hard to get them? I hear it's still been unusually cold over there. Good Hunting!, - - Rob

Hey Rob.....Their still not acting like they ought to be this time of the season.....just not alot of gobblin

Hi Wayne ! Yeah, I recently talked with some buddies who hunted in the Colville/Kettle Falls region and they got skunked. They ran into some cold weather, even got snowed on like we did. That was only about a week or 10 days ago. They weren't able to get much in terms of gobbles out of the birds. - - - I think they'd have had more success if they were able to find some gobblers and pattern their movements better. &gt;&gt;&gt; This year I think it'll be real tough for out of towners to drive on over, hear some gobbling, and bag a bird. Man, turkey hunting is a terrific challenge, isn't it? Just like it should be ! Good Hunting!, - - Rob

Hey guys, tell me what you think of this theory. The birds haven't been talking or responding well to calls for basicly the whole season so far. The guys that just ride around tooting on locator calls aren't getting birds because they aren't answering or they aren't coming in when they switch to turkey calls. The veterans and especially locals are tagging birds because they have spots that have produced in the past. Does all of this sound pretty correct?

Here's my THEORY for how the birds will be when we arrive on Thursday. The birds will likely be very call shy, but they won't have been educated too much because most mature toms aren't coming to calls. What I mean is they haven't been educated like they get when they come into set-up after set-up. If they aren't coming in, they aren't getting conditioned to spook when they come into decoys or be extra paranoid. With this being said, if you can find their strut zones and roost areas you're almost tagging him. I'll bet there aren't as many idiots stumbling onto birds, blowing set-ups, and still tagging like there was last year. It sounds like this year is requiring the leg work before you bag your bird. Reminds me of the Easterns back home. So what do you guys think of my theory? I know it is oversimplified at best, but I'm optimistic.


Hunt hard, live right, and tell your kids you love 'em!