2023 spring turkey!

i found one set of tracks this morning.

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i proceeded to hike 2 miles beyond the tracks, thinking that's how you kill turkeys.

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i sat above some private meadows that finger onto public. i crow called, i turkey called, i glassed, i enjoyed the views, i shivered in the cold wind.

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found a sweet rub. may or may not have illegally picked up an elk shed.

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i enjoyed myself.
So I've never heard of illegally picking up an illegal elk shed. How can that be? In informed easterner.
 
So I've never heard of illegally picking up an illegal elk shed. How can that be? In informed easterner.

Illegal to shed hunt west of i25 on public land until may 1.

Intent is to protect still wintering and sensitive wildlife on winter range from the shed hunting hordes.

Not a bad law honestly. But for a turkey hunter who happens to step on an antler? It’s ridiculously dumb.
 
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Finally came together here in Missouri this morning. Had a few close calls since the youngest got his, but today was a gobble fest despite the temps being in the 30’s. Gonna take the middle son tomorrow.
 

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No dice in Arkansas. I had a blast though. Currently sitting at a Subway between home and the only National Forest in Louisiana. It’s the last weekend on there and I am gonna hunt this afternoon and tomorrow morning to close the season out. This will probably be my last night in a tent until fall as well. Pretty bummed about that.
 
Been cold, windy, raining or snowing, dense fog and 6 to 10 inches of snow in the woods, flooded riverbottoms.When coupled with a cold blooded wife with short legs you don't get much hunting in.
 
Missed a running Tom @ 7:30. So went back to finishing my coffee. About 9:15 did some yelps got a gobble, next time I heard him he'd shortened the distance. Couple purs and next time he's drumming in the thickets and pops out 20 yards. 2nd bird off the farm. Will leave it till next season. I did give them a little something to e joy.fresh tilled.
Little thing I finally got through my thick skull, do not us robo Jake decoys when Tom are searching.
 

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I'm tagged out in NC now, will focus on my oldest getting tagged out next. He was with me this morning hoping to get a double, unfortunately turkeys went to the wrong side of the swamp and we heard the gunshot that ended that hunt. Drove around looking for other turkeys and pulled into a friends yard that is tucked down a path with a field that has a hedge row of trees. Turkey was 80 yards on the tree line, backed out 10 yards got out of the truck went to the corner of the trees and 2 minutes late he walks out at 30 yards..... was way too easy.
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Also was technically a double bearded bird which is my first. 10" beard with a 1/8" nub as the second.


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Finally made some time to get out yesterday for the first time this season. Arrived at a promising new spot under the cover of darkness. Was more than happy to hear some distant gobbles as I got into the woods.

Came over the rise to a field where I expected to see turkeys and saw elk instead. Gobbles were all coming from the other side of them.

Turns out it’s damn hard to sneak past a herd of elk. Tried to follow a creek bottom and go around. They’d spot me, dash off, then almost immediately start heading back to the good grass.

After a few rounds of that noise the turkeys shut up for the day and I took the dog on a nice long walk instead.

Crappy still from video I shot of a small portion of the elk.

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Have to head out of town this week then move house once we’re back. Should still have a solid two weeks left of the season after all that to go give it another go.
 
I'm going to be heading out this weekend for youth opener here in UT. Have some areas that I've hunted deer in that I have seen a good number of birds. Hoping we can get on them.
 
My trip to OK started pretty rough for the first 3 days but ended up turning out great for us after all!
After combing through piles of jakes we finally found a couple of adult toms that had buried themselves in a hidden draw 1.5 miles from the closest open road and far away from people. Yesterday morning we were able to get my friend, Ryan, his first Rio. It came strutting right to us 30 minutes after daylight and I got it all on film for him. Beautiful bird with a 9.5 beard and 7/8 spurs.
48DA6C57-B7B2-4BB3-B122-876F4EB41A2B.jpegWe tried for a while to make a play on the other bird we knew was there but after a few hours it seemed he had changed zip codes and it was time to call it a day and go pack up camp to head home. I had resigned myself to going home birdless, and was wishing I’d have shot a Jake earlier in the week. As we were driving back to camp to pack up leave we ended up finding a flock of 17 turkeys hanging out on a private block right down by a barnyard, but directly across the county road was a piece of property we could hunt. Trying to give it one last ditch effort I figured I would try and call one of the toms away from the flock of hens across the road onto our block of property. Having dealt with hened up field birds in other areas I figured I’d was an almost impossible scenario. I knew my normal calling wouldn’t make anything happen so I started wailing on the call like a psycho Karen who was in bad need of some medication. I bet I yelped and cutted more in those few minutes than I do in an entire season of calling back home! I’ve never been so obnoxious with a turkey call in my life. After a few minutes they finally started gobbling at my calls and for the next 20 minutes it was a beautiful strut and gobble show. As I was packing up to leave thinking any further effort was pointless one broke off and headed my way, then another and another! 6 long beards total, some that I hadn’t even seen yet, came strutting and gobbling across the pasture leaving a dozen hens behind, heading right to me. At 100 yards away they started losing interest and by the time they got to the fence there were only 2. One finally committed and crossed through the fence, and came across the county road, then through a second fence, and I shot him about 20 feet on to the property. It was my lucky day apparently, I’ve never been successful calling toms totally away of flocks of hens, but now I’ll never forget the one time that it worked! I find it funny how after walking about 8 miles a day on this trip I ended up calling one in less than 100 yards from the truck. Beard was 8 3/4, spurs 1 1/8.
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My trip to OK started pretty rough for the first 3 days but ended up turning out great for us after all!
After combing through piles of jakes we finally found a couple of adult toms that had buried themselves in a hidden draw 1.5 miles from the closest open road and far away from people. Yesterday morning we were able to get my friend, Ryan, his first Rio. It came strutting right to us 30 minutes after daylight and I got it all on film for him. Beautiful bird with a 9.5 beard and 7/8 spurs.
View attachment 273303We tried for a while to make a play on the other bird we knew was there but after a few hours it seemed he had changed zip codes and it was time to call it a day and go pack up camp to head home. I had resigned myself to going home birdless, and was wishing I’d have shot a Jake earlier in the week. As we were driving back to camp to pack up leave we ended up finding a flock of 17 turkeys hanging out on a private block right down by a barnyard, but directly across the county road was a piece of property we could hunt. Trying to give it one last ditch effort I figured I would try and call one of the toms away from the flock of hens across the road onto our block of property. Having dealt with hened up field birds in other areas I figured I’d was an almost impossible scenario. I knew my normal calling wouldn’t make anything happen so I started wailing on the call like a psycho Karen who was in bad need of some medication. I bet I yelped and cutted more in those few minutes than I do in an entire season of calling back home! I’ve never been so obnoxious with a turkey call in my life. After a few minutes they finally started gobbling at my calls and for the next 20 minutes it was a beautiful strut and gobble show. As I was packing up to leave thinking any further effort was pointless one broke off and headed my way, then another and another! 6 long beards total, some that I hadn’t even seen yet, came strutting and gobbling across the pasture leaving a dozen hens behind, heading right to me. At 100 yards away they started losing interest and by the time they got to the fence there were only 2. One finally committed and crossed through the fence, and came across the county road, then through a second fence, and I shot him about 20 feet on to the property. It was my lucky day apparently, I’ve never been successful calling toms totally away of flocks of hens, but now I’ll never forget the one time that it worked! I find it funny how after walking about 8 miles a day on this trip I ended up calling one in less than 100 yards from the truck. Beard was 8 3/4, spurs 1 1/8.
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Congratulations! Sometime they will play if the hens are not receptive. Pretty Bird. Friends tell me all the time I'm obnoxious LOL
 
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