Spring turkey 2023

bigben · May 02, 2023, 07:45:54 AM

Anyone been out? Our season came in this past saturday. Went to the happy hunting grounds on friday morn before the rain came and had 5 different birds gobblin within ear shot. A lot of green in the trees and everything is grown up. Spent the night at my parents with the camper since its closer to the hunting property. A little scouting in local state forest produced some gobbles but not much in the past few weeks. My parents had a couple pass through here and there and the plan was if it was raining post up in one of our deer blinds where it was dry and wait one out for a bit.

Woke up saturday morn to lite foggy drizzle. Went to hunting grounds and waited till I heard the first gobble. 6:05 I worked my way towards him and edged closer. I was within 200 yds of him. I settled in figured on hearing more. 6:25 a hen showed up and started yelping he never responded. She yelped again I cut her off and still nothing from him. I went quiet she moved off towards a distant gobble lower on the mountain. He gobbled then about every 20-30 minutes.

8:15 he gobbles again and she comes shortly after. This time she is right below him definitely within eyeshot of him. I yelped back he never gobbled to either of us. I left him slowly retreating back to my truck never hearing him fly down or respond back. Figured he was fat and happy on the limb.

Drove back to my parents and figured I would walk back and try quick. Got settled in and left out a series of yelps. Heard one respond way off. I sat for an hour and nothing showed up. Being wet i figured they would not respond well but alas turkeys are turkeys. Friday looks like a good morning coming and I am not sure where I am going yet. Thursday is our wedding anniversary. not sure if the wife would like it if I left and went to the cabin for an early friday morn hunt.

Hawks Feather · May 02, 2023, 09:00:54 AM

Good luck with your hunting. You never know when one will come within range.

bigben · May 02, 2023, 09:11:30 AM

two weeks ago I was working over at my parents in the shop. I walked back let out a few quick yelps and got out of there. Took that bird an hr to show up. He stood right were I was gobblin for ten minutes then moved off. Its never as much fun when you have to wait for em but I wonder how many I have walked off from and not gave them long enough to come check it out.

Todd Rahm · May 02, 2023, 02:40:01 PM

Called a nice blue head the yard, and the next day a group of jakes. I was doing projects so they all lived for another day. I'll probably get out this evening and tomorrow morning. I can shoot one mature and one Jake during the spring. Hope to get them in the next week before I head back to Alaska.

nastygunz · May 03, 2023, 09:03:27 AM

Been pouring rain and in the mid-30s all week here so far.

bigben · May 03, 2023, 11:57:46 AM

weather has made it rough no doubt. Weird being cold and wet and it looking like end of may around you. Friday is looking good and saturday as well. lets hope I can find one that wants to play nice.

bambam · May 03, 2023, 03:18:39 PM

Good luck Ben and everyone else.

I got 2 nice gobblers the first weekend of the North Carolina season hunting with my brother. My nephew got one with 1 3/4 inch spurs.

Here in West Virginia I have yet to hear the first gobble. Nasty weather, cold , rain, and high winds. Supposed to be better this weekend.

FinsnFur · May 03, 2023, 08:33:08 PM

I dont turkey hunt but boyeeee have I been seeing a lot of them on the way to work in the morning. All fanned out full strut

bigben · May 15, 2023, 02:05:54 PM

Friday I decided to try a piece of public. Never hunted it before and had a good friend with me. 5:30 a penned bird at the bottom of the hill fired off. about ten minutes later way across a field to the neighboring woods that was on public a bird fired off. I looked at my bud and we skirted the field appox a mile hike to get close to him. Once over there it sounded as if 2 birds were ahead of us across a very small creek and up a little bit of an incline. After two hours of messing with the one and him not wanting to close all the way we left him gobbling.

Stopped in to the property owner on sat morn and he did not grant permission but told me about another spot that typically has birds close by on public. By god there were two gobblers out in the field doing there thing. SO Friday this week i am not sure which ones I am going after. The one would be an easy hunt if they come in. Certainly no mile walk. I guess we will see. Thursday I might go roost the close set.

coyote101 · May 26, 2023, 09:09:07 AM

Quote from: bigben on May 15, 2023, 02:05:54 PMStopped in to the property owner on sat morn and he did not grant permission but told me about another spot that typically has birds close by on public. By god there were two gobblers out in the field doing there thing. SO Friday this week i am not sure which ones I am going after. The one would be an easy hunt if they come in. Certainly no mile walk. I guess we will see. Thursday I might go roost the close set.

Did you get back after them, Ben?

Pat

bigben · May 30, 2023, 02:16:36 PM

So I decided to go to our cabin property that Friday morning and try it. heard one gobble far off but no dice for the 5 hours I sat trying to be patient. Saturday morning that weekend I tried closer to home for an hour figuring if nothing showed in the first hour Id stop hunting and do some work around outside the house. If I heard something respond while working Id grab the gun and go after him. Our season ends today and I did not hunt this past weekend as I did not have any pinned down and I was camping most of the weekend at a traditional only archery shoot. So they won this year. No birds sighted at all while hunting.

Snake hunting starts in two weekends. Gonna do some stuff around the house this weekend and maybe go to a 3d archery shoot. see how the weather acts.

FinsnFur · June 01, 2023, 09:57:44 PM

Dont invite me snake hunting

I aint, I say I aint a going.

bigben · June 05, 2023, 06:16:58 AM

so to add on to this some more. My Father in law is an avid turkey hunter as well and his season went similar to mine. Saturday morn he was sitting in his living room to find two hens peckin at the window one was bearded. He wouldn't kill her even if he had the chance but seems funny they show up a week out of season. When I went over to my parents to do some work as well on Saturday morning I opened up my laptop to do some business quick before I started working and there was a tom hammering right behind the house. He gobbled all morning between 10-20mins between gobbles. I drove down in the slate bank to see where he might be and spooked a heard of baby red foxes.

bigben · June 05, 2023, 06:20:17 AM

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iOG0YTwcjirM84anldXVZXgrSjGjJCPl/view?usp=sharing