Turkey

[salmonchaser]

So I walked up the ridge this morning to listen for thunder chickens and practice my calling. I've never been properly educated on calling turkey, but how hard could it be, right. So I give a little gobble and all hell breaks loose loose below me. Three big toms and 13 hens run down the hill and fly across the river, going away from me. Apparently I've got a little to learn before spring turkey opens

 

[DrMike]

Happens to me quite frequently when I'm calling elk. I think I'm saying, "Hey, Big Boy, wanna' have some fun?" However, he hears, "Com'ere, I wanna eat you!"

 

[salmonchaser]

I'm thinking that's what they were hearing. Once they got out in the neighbors field they just strutted around laughing at me.

 

[truck driver]

A gobble call will generally spook them along with a short sharp putt. I always start out with nice soft putts.

 

[salmonchaser]

This will be my first year hunting turkey, just never got around to it. I'll try soft puts in the morning. Close to a month to practice. We're going to give it a go this year.

 

[truck driver]

An owl hoot before sun up will tell you where the gobblers are roosted and will gobble when you hoot. I use to put them to bed at night since we can only hunt them till noun. Last time I hunted turkeys around here I almost got shot. Some idiot who didn't even have a call saw my truck parked and figured it would be a good place to hunt. I was calling a bird in when he heard me and was hunting me when he saw the bird I was calling and shot it from behind me. I make it a habit to have some heavy cover behind me so I wouldn't get shot in the back. As he walked past the tree I was hid behind I said thanks a lot A$#&^% Hole what were you hunting? he said he was hunting the bird that was calling from some where close and that I should have seen it. That's when I told him it was me that was calling and to get the bird and get out of the woods. I haven't hunted turkey since and won't around here even though I have seen them this winter in my yard feeding.

 

[salmonchaser]

Holy cow, that is spooky. I'll be hunting private ground, shouldn't have too much trouble with trespassing poachers.

 

[Thankful Otter]

truck driver, one of the poachers from our area was from b.C. and a First Nation individual. He would cross the B.C., Yukon border to hunt--with others. we have had others from B.C. illegally hunt in the yukon and the Sanctuary =, but I am pleased to tell you that none of them were named Dr Mike or Gerry or Gil LOL

truck driver and salmon chaser , what is a turkey ? LOL Best of luck to you both when the season opens for you

 

[wisconsinteacher]

Remember when calling, you what to sound like the cute quiet girl not the loud mouth snot that no one wants to dance with.

 

[DrMike]

Whew! Cheyenne, I'm sure pleased that the individual crossing the BC/YT border wasn't me! I thought I'd been found out for a moment! :shock: Haven't hunted YT--yet. It is on my bucket list however.

 

[truck driver]

truck driver, one of the poachers from our area was from b.C. and a First Nation individual. He would cross the B.C., Yukon border to hunt--with others. we have had others from B.C. illegally hunt in the yukon and the Sanctuary =, but I am pleased to tell you that none of them were named Dr Mike or Gerry or Gil LOL

truck driver and salmon chaser , what is a turkey ? LOL Best of luck to you both when the season opens for you

YH, I can't believe you've never ate turkey which is a large bird which can get up to 30#. It was almost selected as the USA national bird but the fore fathers voted against it since it was a food staple and choose the Bald Eagle instead. They can be very smart and very dumb all at the same time. They've been known to drown themselves in a rain storm from looking up and the rain water running in their nostrils.( no joke )

 

[Thankful Otter]

truck driver, thank you and yes I do/did know what a turkey was but we don't have any up here and therefore I have never hunted them, but I have seen pictures lol there is a fellow over on LEL that is going for the Grand Slam in turkeys and I think but may be wrong the only one left that he needs to get are the ones that are only around Cancun Mexico. And again thank you as I did not know the story about the turkey as the possible national bird for the USA.

Dr Mike--I HAVE GOT TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU---when I read wisconsinteachers post, which came right after mine, I ask my husband if he thought he was talking about me being the loud mouth snot and he said----if the shoe fits! )-:

 

[DrMike]

Wow, Cheyenne, and I thought to myself, "Well, I'm not inviting elk to dance! I thought we could move to something else more quickly!"

Now, be careful there! I am inviting him to dinner! :mrgreen:

 

[truck driver]

Cheyenne, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. :lol:

 

[BretN]

Be careful salmonchaser, turkey hunting is very addictive. Learn to use multiple calls, you never know which call will set a gobbler off on any given day. Mouth calls are probably hardest to learn, but you can practice in the car. Box calls are easiest to use, and can be very loud which can be useful if it's windy. But previous advice to start softly is usually best. Have fun with it

 

[salmonchaser]

Been seeing them almost every day, mostly on the neighbors ranch. The trick will be getting them to cross the river. Now that we're done hunting pheasant and chukar things will quiet down up here so I'm hoping they start coming up to feed in the food plots.

 

[truck driver]

The average turkey will travel a 5 mi radius when feeding and for the most part return to the same roosting area. Find the roosting area and you will be successful. They can be hard to call threw obstacles and over ditches or threw thickets they are very weary of ambush points where a coyote or bobcat can pick them off and would rather run than fly but they will fly when they have to. I doubt if they will cross the river but it depends on the food supply.

 

[salmonchaser]

I know where they roost, but it's the neighbors property. I don't have an owl call, can't pull it off on my own. The birds were in there this morning. Right now they are about 200 yards from me, across the river. They are scratching around right under where the neighbors have a feeder set up. Definitely going to be tough to pull them over.

 

[truck driver]

If he's feeding them you can almost forget it with the river between you.

 

[Thankful Otter]

salmon chaser, your making this harder than it needs to be

buy a bottle of good scotch and go visit your neighbor (-: