Who's going out? Rain in forecast here but winds are suppose to calm tonight. I have not seen a turkey in a couple of weeks and I only heard hens last week . Not a single bird in any of these green or plowed farm fields ...so I'm not hopeful. Not going to camp, sure that will get poached big time. I chase off road hunters every year I go. Haven't been there in a few years so won't go until I get a chance to scout. Hunting here is usually great and I know we have the birds in the area. Though DEC has busted several buy a bag of corn and cut it open hunters in this area. Literally that's what they have found. Now I think they feed ahead and condition travel. Explains their sudden disapearance. Hope they return for the grasshopper hatch. Well this just makes me have to up my calling game and appreciate success even more! Good luck to everyone going and stay safe.
I'm installing water at my house tomorrow (finally) but I'll be out Saturday. Wasting my time. I haven't had birds on my property in years.
Well perhaps you can call one in. They have a ton of food on our place so when they "dissappear " my radar goes up. Though they always return for the hatch. Literally the ground "moves" in front of you when the grasshoppers hatch in one spot on our place. Which I have found odd. I never find them in my garden. They hatch grow and dissappear.
Yeah I have a "honey hole" that has held a bird 3 out of the last 10 years and that's where I'll be Saturday morning from 515- 9ish
I could just not go to bed when I get out of work at 3am and go straight to the woods. Na the weather liars are predicting a half inch of rain. My daughter and I might try Saturday or Sunday.
Ok ladies and gents... It's time. I have to be back here by 9 and start digging for the middle guy but here I go
Good luck!. So my a!arm didn't go off on my phone but I woke at 5. Flew out of bed slapped on some clothes and my Sawyer sprayed camo loaded the gun and into the woods I went. . What a wet muddy mess out there. I made it out to the spot I'd planned watching tree tops to see if I was bumbling into roosted bird right at legal hour. Got there and I hear a gobble over the ridge and over on a property 5 or so hundred yards away. I decided to hustle into the gully then up over the ridge to the farthest doghouse blind. I get up on the ridge and hear he's closer. So decide to go to the mid woods dog house. He's sounding off a couple of hundred yards away but now stopped. I called, clucked, purred, yelped . He answered but didnt come in. Then behind me I hear a tom down the hill in neighbors swamp. The one I was working answered him then everything went quiet. 15 mins later I see a bird round my fence headed toward the nieghbors swamp. I called but he was moving pretty fast then disapeared. I clucked and purred a bit then had 3 doe walk by . I'm in early do to not hitting facilities before I left house. Very short fun hunt but no bird.will go back out in a little bit. I have till noon.
Went to my old reliable blind this a.m. Moved off a bunch of deer on the way in. And not a peep nor any sign of turkey. Every year I have birds there. Literally roosted over the blind. Saw a single hen headed that way last night. I can glass a long ways in every direction and nothing, not even squirrels. We have had so many turksy every year. Even got good pics this year . It's pretty dead out there. I'm hoping it's due to the really cold nights we are having.
I'm back at it where I was yesterday. Narry any wind and not even squirrels moving. I take that back got one barking as I typed. This blinds getting a tad warm...
Nice! Just called a bird in for the guy hunting neighbor. Saw a second running up through a different neibors to the gully. I'll sit tight to see if it swings around.
Thanks, it was a fun hunt, 9 3/4 " beard, 1" spurs. No weight yet but feels a little light. Will see if one of his other buddies are heavier in a few days, I hope!
Thanks Fix, hope you get out and a chance at one. I almost missed the chance. I was taking pics of a hen scratching around 15 ft behind the blind. They had popped up out of our gully and were running up the edge of our woods and the hay field headed for the other neighbors pines. I heard one light cluck and turned to see them hauling. Quick yelped for the hens and stopped them. Did a couple of aggressive cluck yelps and those girls fired up running in to my live decoy and the montana I had put out in front of me. Let the girls pass and the boys came in well staggered and I picked the 2 nd one. Got video of the 3rd one yanking him around by the head.