Great job, Hoythunter! I went out this past weekend, and the first morning heard plenty of gobblers. But we just couldn't seem to get on anything. Tried several different set-ups and decoy configurations, but just didn't have luck on my side I guess. I will try again in another week. Anyone else been getting out there yet?
How's everybody's season going. Mine starts the 28th. Can't wait. We just got 1 inch of snow today. Crazy right!!!
I woke up this morning, looked outside, and was instantly pissed!! At least we broke the record for the snowiest season in Michigan since 1898 :D I drew the April 21st - May 4th tag. Less than a week to go!
Heading out for a second hunting trip this weekend. I'm draggin' my gf along, so we will see how still she can sit! Wish me luck, I hope to put up some points for the longbeard loppers! BTW-can we get our name changed as I see other groups doing for this forum thread?
First off I want to apologize for my absence lately. My season is still aways out and school is winding down so I have tried to stay focused on that so come turkey time I can feel good about finishing the semester off well. Hoyt congrats on the bird awhile back man! My cousins is coming back up from school today and we will be in the ground blind tomorrow. This is his first time turkey hunting, and will be his first kill with a bow so I am hoping I can get us set up on some birds for him. I scouted one of the farms I turkey hunt last weekend and there where a few birds around and a couple nice toms to boot. I drove a couple miles down the road to where the deer and turkeys winter (huge crop fields that have mounds the size of school buses of corn feed all winter) and the only thing in the field where honkers so I am sure plenty of more birds have moved over to the pastures where I hunt them every spring. Rain is coming in tonight so if the snow is not gone by this evening then it should be by the time the birds are coming out of their roosts in the morning. I will keep you guys updated in the morning.
First birds sighted right at sunrise. Two hens and a great tom at 175 yards. We are set up in the bottom of a 200 yard bowl next to a watering hole. The birds usually stay up on the ridges pecking at manure and then work there way down toward the bottom as the morning progresses.
Yesterday was tough. Had a guy park his truck 150 yards from us and stepped into the woods ripping a chainsaw and working on his tree stands. Needless to say nothing showed up the rest of the day. We heard zero gobbles yesterday, but they are going crazy right now. We are hearing gobbles in every direction right now though so we are hoping for a good morning.
Good Luck guys! I went out again this weekend. I am having trouble closing the gap on birds. I hear them gobble in the morning, move towards them until I get fairly close, ( from their gobble guessing about 200 to 300 yards), and then set up and continue calling. Is there something I am missing in the equation, or have I just had poor luck recently? Any tips, or advice? I haven't roosted any birds and known where to set up the night before I even go out yet. i imagine that would be the best option. HELP!
Scout a lot. Find out where they go in the mid day and also where they go after they fly down. Do they go out in a open field or pasture? Or just stay in the trees. I have a trail cam set up on a nearby field to where they roost. The turkeys here don't come in to calls and maybe they don't there too. Try hunting in the evening if you can. You can send me a screenshot from bing maps or something like that of where you hunt and put a colored dot where they roost and I can try to help you out.
Took my dad out Monday, and had tom running into our setup. Then wouldn't u know it, geese decide to land right into are setup too. Well the tom didn't think about it, he was gone just like that. He was at 60 yards, and with the gun he was using, that was just a little too far.
