Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Fall turkey season starts tomorrow!

Got my bird tonight after work. Was in the woods by 4:00 p.m. About 6:20 three birds came in. Shot a 17 pound tom with 8 inch beard and 1" spurs. Walking on air right now. Just got him cleaned up and he's in the fridg, cooling down. Will take him in tomorrow to get him smoked.
Shot him with Benelli SBE with 3 1/2" Hevi-Shot. Bird didn't argue with the load one bit. Dropped him in his tracks at about 25 yards.

Hunter01

Congrats on you turkey. Our fall season dosen't start until 10/19 and I'm getting eager to go. I was going to a party on at my friend's family lake (small aside - about 750 acres, 150 acre lake, whole damn family is ANTI!!!!!) and about ran off the road when I saw a flock of 20 or so on thier property. I will have to use the first day of the season for some scouting. Then it off with the turkey barrel and on with the slug barrel!

SWJ

Off with your turkey barrel and on with your slug barrel? For turkey season wouldn't it be the other way around? I am still waiting for a shot. When soccer season ends I should be able to get out a lot more often and longer. Hope everyone does good.

Fall turkey season starts Saturday. They come down off the montain about 4:00 in the afternoon and get a drink from the river. If it rains they won't come down for a drink. Unfortunately there is a 30% chance of rain. Shot will be about 200 to 500 yds. with a 17 Rem. Things will get tricky if I have to fight the wind for 500 yds with that little 25 grain bullet.

buffalobob;

Sounds like you hunt turkeys like I do.

Season (firearms) start on Halloween; they come out into a field most days, and within 250 yards, the .221FB ought to work beautifully. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My father shot an adult hen on opening morning around 8:15 am heading into a food plot. I was on the other side watching another trail into the plot. All I saw were 2 does, a fork horn buck and a really large squirrel. I saw around a dozen birds scatter at his shot. I moved my position and tried a few yelps to see if they would regroup but no luck. I suspect the flock moved a few ridges over, off the property we were hunting. The weather changed and all of the animals became inactive and then there were a few days of heavy rain. I ended up getting skunked. Off with the turkey barrel and on with the slug barrel, deer season is just around the corner. Congratulations to all who got a turkey this fall.

Vanimrod

Hadn't heard of a 221FB in a long time.

I hunt the PawPaw bends above Hancock, Md

Good luck to you.

buffalobob;

Remington and CZ have both revived the Fireball in new rifles. I got one of the 2004 runs of the Rem. 700 LS in .221 and absolutely love it. From what I understand, the CZ's in .221 are bug-hole shooters. The factory 50 gr. loads are devastating on groundhogs, and will likely work quite well on 'yotes and foxes. Now, if we could just get Rem. or Federal to put out some 40 gr. V-max or NBT loads, the .221 shooters would be in high cotton.

I hunt the central VA area near Charlottesville.

Good luck to you, and be sure to post re: success this fall. I'll reciprocate and hopefully have another rave review about the .221 at that time.

Rifles?!?!?! Thats not even fair. lol I didn't think it was legal here but I may be mistaken. My dad just bought a blind because I said it would be nice to have one and I guese that brought him to thinking about the advantages. It's a Double Bull Archery, but should work great for shotgun too. It's a two person blind. I am gonna practice getting it up fast and folding it tonight and test it out tomorrow.
Soccer season ends this weekend or Thursday depending on a loss or win, so I will be out a lot more. Today was our first snow fall and it is still coming down. It should all melt within a day or two and be back to fall weather.

Oops! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> This is the second time I have forgotten to log off my dad's name. This is keva not FVA. Sorry bout that.

^previous post was made by me^

Rifle is legal only in the Fall here, not in the Spring.
Check NY regs. Don't have a clue about NY.

Forecast has changed for Saturday and there will be no rain. What excuse will I use now?

keva,

Didn't know that you were FVA's son. Congrats on the 'yote, but try to stay back from the scope, huh? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Rifles are illegal for turkey hunting in NY; I just re-checked the regs.

As far as not being fair, well, you cover 30" + at 30-40 yards with a shotgun, and sent about 200 pellets out there to do it. My .221 FB bullet is only .224" in diameter at any range. Oh, and try hitting a turkey in the neck or neck/body juncture at 200 yards. Heck, try it at 100 yards.

Still, finding them and getting a clear shot is still 95% of turkey hunting; the rest is just minor differences.

I am his younger son. He has three. The one you are thinking of is in college. On our property for the most part it is easier with a shotgun. I am going out for a couple hours once I get home (I am currently at school). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Ah, my mistake; good good to make your acquaintence nonetheless. Your old man seems like quite the character...

Good hunting this afternoon.

looks like I will be getting my Thanksgiving turkey from Safeway. They did not come down to the River for a drink.

Yesterday I saw what appeared to be two big toms in our field with a bunch of hens. Both were fanning out and had bright blue heads, but I couldn't see there beards. They were in rifle range, about 250 yards out is my guese. This week I will go out 3 or 4 times probrably.

Thanks KEVA,

I really needed somebody to rub it in.

Seriously, If you get one post a picture, so I can refresh my memory on what a dead one looks like.

Sneaking out this p.m., methinks. If there's one within sniping range, the freezer gets full before Thanksgiving.

Hmmmmm. Turkey hunting? Never tried it. Doesn't sound like fun to me. There are so many turkeys here in Ohio
they have become a road hazard! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> And I really do
mean the bird and not people! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Actually, I don't know anyone who hunts them? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />
Too common here? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> I see 40-60 everyday just
off the roads, but then we are an agricultural area with plenty for them to eat. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Actually I never thought of harvesting one for Thanksgiving.
We have a local breeder/processor and they are relatively cheap. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> (the white ones, of course)

I finally got a turkey, it was an average hen. I'll post a pic once the camera is charged.

I wasn't planning on going turkey hunting today, but when I saw a group on the hill I decided that I should go out and try stalking them.

First I was going to set up in a field and hope they were heading there, but before doing that I decided to drive the fourwheeler through another field and check for them. Sure enough after traveling a short distance I looked up and saw some turkey.
I quickly turned the fourwheeler off and went in the woods to cut them off but never saw them. I then went back into the field and walk toward the corner where it drops off to see if they headed that way instead. At first I didn't see any turkey and almost turned around and headed back, but decided to be safe and get a good view of the whole drop off. I saw one turkey take off some others run to the woods then two heads stick up. I quickly raised my gun and aimed before they had a chance to run then shot. I thought I had missed but took a walkk down to check. Then I saw the turkey flopping around quickly got to it and choked it.