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Bit cool this morning Tom? 22* here.

Pam, sounds like a busy weekend. Take pictures.

you shoulda had the two barrel savage. A 223 woulda worked nice.

Too bad rifles are not legal here for turkeys.

I've often thought the same, but wouldn't it make it just way too easy?

Head/neck shot at 100 yards isn't the biggest target in the world. Not to mention that they move them too.

I'm doubtful that many would voluntarily restrict themselves to head/neck only.

I didn't count today, but saw a bunch of em. 3 toms, two were very "chatty" this am. One gave me best hunt I've had to date but I couldn't drop the hammer.

When I get to an actual computer, I'll describe it.

Fun day!

Awesome. Good to hear they are still working. I go hot again on Wednesday for almost two weeks. I'm hoping they will still be chatty down here. I'm not optimistic though.

Did Jackson tag along?

we're in full swing and then some with turkeys here, I've noticed they have quieted down some, I was hearing gobbles all day everyday last weekend. we still have a pile of hunters out here chasing them, everyone I've talked to have gotten their birds, some groups were 5 for 6 and were heading home without one, but that's not bad.
this weekend is looking like it will be a cool one, so I'm hoping to get a bunch done in the garage, it looks like a mess.

Nope. I gave him the option, but he didn't want to miss baseball. The kids LOOOOOOOOVES baseball. First games today for both kids. I'm looking forward to it as much as they are, maybe more.

No. Turkeys were shot on my watch. It was another fun season and it remains my favorite hunt.

Here is the great hunt I had on Friday. Bare with me, it's long and probably needs to be told by a camp fire while imbibing but here goes...

On Friday I never went more than about a half hour without a turkey near me. It was cool, but at the same time I wanted to move locations. Finally at 11am, after sitting under the same tree since 4:25 am I couldn't take it anymore. I was cold, and needed to move. I didn't seem to bump any birds on the way to the truck.

I walked about 1/2 mile to my truck and drove another 1/2 mile to the farm house. I was going to tell the owners I was done for the day and I'd be back in the morning.

I took 2 steps past the barn and saw a HUGE tom strutting 300 yds away at the back of a hay field. I was surprised for two reasons, one, I've never seen any turkey in that field. Two, it's close to their house, so we don't hunt it.

He must have been facing away from me at that moment because he didn't move. I dropped, and crawled back past the barn to where I could stand. I got my gun and a call from the truck and snuck to the edge of the field, and gave a few calls. He wasn't interested in what I had to say so I figured he had a girl friend down there I couldn't see. I left my bino's on the seat of the truck and wasn't going to go back at this point.

There was no way I could sneak down the edge of the field and not bust that gobbler out of there. I figured I had two options. One, the field was on a hill, I could try to sneak back the way I came and use the hill to my advantage. Or two, I could scurry north 100yds, past a strip of woods, and sneak up another 40 acre hay field until I got close to where I figured the bird would be on the other field.

I choose #2 because it would be difficult to get to the other side of the hill without being busted, especially if there were hens I didn't see with the tom.

I trotted down the field about 250-300 yds, and got over a rock pile and under a fence. After all that racket I had doubts the bird would still be on that field. It was heavy brush and thorns to get between the fields. I took a few steps and 'yelped' on the diaphragm call I was trying not to swallow. Take a few more, 'squawk' a few more times. I did that until I could see the rock pile on the fence line I was headed towards. Then, I belly crawled up to the rocks. I've never been on the field, so I had no idea what was over there...it was the typical rock pile fence line with barb wire fence around it. I guessed perfect and was starring at the NE fence corner, just where the bird was.

From my belly I yelp sweet nothings in the general direction and the tom answered me. I was shocked. I made so much racket getting there I couldn't believe he was still there. I could then see his 'fan' above the rock but it was just too brushy to shoot, so I crawled 10 yards west to an opening. I was face to face with his girl friend...She came through the opening to see who was talking to him. I was literally 10 feet from her, laying on my belly. He came over and was strutting, never broke it, I couldn't shoot without hitting her first. At that point he was 15-20 yards from me. He strutted further west, and she went back through the fence and followed. I couldn't see either one anymore and had to move again.

I backed out and head it...the noise none of us turkey hunters want to hear. The "put, put, cluck, cluck, put" alarm. I saw them both boogieing top speed, south across the field, over the hill, and out of my life.

Simply the best turkey hunt I've ever had....THAT is why I do it. I was jazzed up for the rest of the day. Simply GREAT.

Now that was a good read! Thanks.

Doesn't sound like you could have done much different, although I never call when I'm sneaking on one. I don't want him looking my direction until I'm good and ready. But in your case, sounds like you didn't have any options and it worked - except for the hen getting in the way. Had that happen with elk once or twice.

I don't usually call either. I was yelping as I walked because it was just so dang noisy. The brush was thick as tag alders, but i think it was choke cherries or somthing. It was thick and thorny. If you got low you could get through it, but the grass, dead leaves, and sticks made it noisy.

It worked...kinda.

If it was thorny, it may well have been prickly ash, a common understory shrub that rips a guy up pretty well.

I wanted to see how this thread compared to known long threads. We have some work to do. There's one out there with almost 2 million posts. Cripes!

Wow! What a hunt, buddy! Too bad Jackson wasn't there, but at least he missed for a good reason. 'Gotta send me a game schedule Tom-I'd like to come watch him play. Ellie's game nights are Monday, Wednesday and some Thursdays. They play at Lakeville South tomorrow night.

Quality over quantity...

Thought i'd drop in and show a pic of my new kubota on the trailer behind my dodge straight 6 smoker. I love this thing b3200 loader, bushhog, ripper plow etc. :-D

Awesome coop!