2020 turkey Opener
Went with my dad, chose not to do the blind since i still have to go in to work each day so i didnt want to take a chance with me being so close to him in a blind. Got to the property a little after 6am. We positioned ourselves on a side of the atv trail through the property in a small clearing. did some calling and heard a few gobbles. We figured we can try here even if its not a big clearing. Set up 3/4 jake, standup hen, laydown hen on the other side of the atv trail (i say trail but its just an opening in the clearing that we drive our atvs to the back of the property). Im in some cedars and my dad is about 10yrds to my right in some more cedars, decoys are 15yrds from us.
Got a couple of close gobbles from the property next door (close to our border) and knew they were heading towards us.
Setup
So i am covering the right side and my dad is covering the left, we dont hear any gobbles but they were just over the other side of the fenceline way in behind some cedars, there are two openings along the property they can come through in that area as well as the atv trail itself. From my vantage point i can see one area near an opening and one direction of the atv trail. My dad can see to my left and down further to the back of the clearing.
As luck would have it, 2 turkeys walk out from the right side, coming right at the decoys but i am directly behind the decoys so i cant move. There are trees blocking my dad from seeing them.
So while i am frozen i am trying my best to see a beard on either one. Neither are strutting and just kinda walking really carefully, im sure they see me behind the decoys in the cedars but i am not moving, it was cold so im thinking they might see my breath in the air. Either way, they hang just behind the cedars to where my dad cant get a shot yet. One has a blue head while the other is red, i still cant see any beards and i cant signal to my dad that there are two just behind the trees.
So i wait for what seems like forever, i cant pull the gun up and use my scope to see a beard cuz they will surely see that. Luckily they slowly approach and study the scene. My dad eventually shoots and drops the one with the blue head. The other flies off and i dont get a shot off, but again i couldnt see a beard so i figure it mightve been a hen.
Dad got him at about 20yrds
So my dad calls a bit while the bird is flopping, and i hear clucking towards where the other turkey flew off. They chat back and forth as i ready myself incase it comes back i can make sure with the scope if its bearded.... nothing, it wonders off. We wait a bit and i say screw it, we got one lets go check it out lol
It was a jake! My dad could see from his angle that it had a beard, and when the 2nd one flew off he saw it had a beard when it turned around and clucked a bit before leaving. I never got a chance at the 2nd one but i didnt really care. Id rather get a bigger one and i was just happy my dad got one and we did it together since he missed out on mine last year (he showed up 15mins after i nailed one lol)
Not a big guy, small beard and just bumps for spurs but he will make a nice turkey breast dinner for my parents.
I stuck around and tried a couple different spots but didnt hear anything else. My dad got that one at about 730am, i stayed till 830 then went back to help him get his atv battery in and change the front wheel.
Super happy with my day, got some feathers for my daughter and i will try again sometime soon on my own or if dad wants to get another tag we can go together.
May 2 Solo
I knew it was going to be a good day.
Woke up at 330am to a pitch black house. Power was out. I didnt have to be up for another hour so i went back to sleep hoping it was just a quick glitch.
Alarm hits 430.... still black. Great, getting ready in the dark and no coffee for the drive out.
I get about halfway through my hour and a half long drive and remember that i forgot to bring cold packs for the cooler! Well at least i made sure i had everything else before i left so its not the end of the world.
Arrive for 7 again, hear lots more gobbles than the week before when i went with my dad.
Get my gear on and load up for the walk in.
Decided to set up in main field where i got my last turkey last year. Hear some gobbles next door but nothing closing in. Decide around 745 to move to back field.
Hear gobbles close to back field as i walk, decide i am close enough to those gobbles so i set up the decoys in a clearing just before the back and hide against a tree near some fallen birch.
Do some calling and hear a bigger and closer gobble. I call back with my simple push call and wait. I see through some cedars a big fan and blue head making his way to my setup. He struts over to my decoys at 28yrds. He gets to my stand up hen and stares down the wimpy funky chicken i decided to try instead of my usual 3/4 jake. The funky chicken is set up behind a lay down hen and i thought this tom was going to start laying the smackdown on it but he doesnt. He stops between the decoys and moves his fan around then starts to mount the stand up hen! Hes all over her so i get his head in my crosshair and i pull the trigger.....CLICK!!! Are you kidding me, wtf is going on?? I know i loaded this thing and the safety was off when i saw the turkey coming near the cedars. So i wait a few seconds hoping its just a delay but nothing, meanhwhile this guy is now bent my hen to the ground and is going to town. So i decide to chamber another round, and i will tell you there is no quiet way to pump a shotgun in the woods lol especially 30yrds from a turkey with nothing between us but a few sticks.
I manage to slowly get a new round chambered and see the tom has perked his head up and is looking my way. I stop and let him get back to it, and he does lol so i line hin up again and pull the trigger. This time it worked lol
My hen decoy was okay, the plastic joint for the stake was a bit bent but nothing some heat and cold quenching wont fix.
Tag him (forgot my knife in the truck so i had to pierce the paper with toms beak), take a few pics and head back. I had told the wife i would be home by lunch, turns out i was true to my word, shot the bird at 830 and was home just after 10am.
Breasted him and took one leg (my daughter wanted one leg) even tho i still have the legs from last year.
He ended up being 19.5lbs so my biggest so far (18.2 and 17.8 previous ones).
Beard was 8.75" with 3/4" spurs.
Went with my dad, chose not to do the blind since i still have to go in to work each day so i didnt want to take a chance with me being so close to him in a blind. Got to the property a little after 6am. We positioned ourselves on a side of the atv trail through the property in a small clearing. did some calling and heard a few gobbles. We figured we can try here even if its not a big clearing. Set up 3/4 jake, standup hen, laydown hen on the other side of the atv trail (i say trail but its just an opening in the clearing that we drive our atvs to the back of the property). Im in some cedars and my dad is about 10yrds to my right in some more cedars, decoys are 15yrds from us.
Got a couple of close gobbles from the property next door (close to our border) and knew they were heading towards us.
Setup
So i am covering the right side and my dad is covering the left, we dont hear any gobbles but they were just over the other side of the fenceline way in behind some cedars, there are two openings along the property they can come through in that area as well as the atv trail itself. From my vantage point i can see one area near an opening and one direction of the atv trail. My dad can see to my left and down further to the back of the clearing.
As luck would have it, 2 turkeys walk out from the right side, coming right at the decoys but i am directly behind the decoys so i cant move. There are trees blocking my dad from seeing them.
So while i am frozen i am trying my best to see a beard on either one. Neither are strutting and just kinda walking really carefully, im sure they see me behind the decoys in the cedars but i am not moving, it was cold so im thinking they might see my breath in the air. Either way, they hang just behind the cedars to where my dad cant get a shot yet. One has a blue head while the other is red, i still cant see any beards and i cant signal to my dad that there are two just behind the trees.
So i wait for what seems like forever, i cant pull the gun up and use my scope to see a beard cuz they will surely see that. Luckily they slowly approach and study the scene. My dad eventually shoots and drops the one with the blue head. The other flies off and i dont get a shot off, but again i couldnt see a beard so i figure it mightve been a hen.
Dad got him at about 20yrds
So my dad calls a bit while the bird is flopping, and i hear clucking towards where the other turkey flew off. They chat back and forth as i ready myself incase it comes back i can make sure with the scope if its bearded.... nothing, it wonders off. We wait a bit and i say screw it, we got one lets go check it out lol
It was a jake! My dad could see from his angle that it had a beard, and when the 2nd one flew off he saw it had a beard when it turned around and clucked a bit before leaving. I never got a chance at the 2nd one but i didnt really care. Id rather get a bigger one and i was just happy my dad got one and we did it together since he missed out on mine last year (he showed up 15mins after i nailed one lol)
Not a big guy, small beard and just bumps for spurs but he will make a nice turkey breast dinner for my parents.
I stuck around and tried a couple different spots but didnt hear anything else. My dad got that one at about 730am, i stayed till 830 then went back to help him get his atv battery in and change the front wheel.
Super happy with my day, got some feathers for my daughter and i will try again sometime soon on my own or if dad wants to get another tag we can go together.
May 2 Solo
I knew it was going to be a good day.
Woke up at 330am to a pitch black house. Power was out. I didnt have to be up for another hour so i went back to sleep hoping it was just a quick glitch.
Alarm hits 430.... still black. Great, getting ready in the dark and no coffee for the drive out.
I get about halfway through my hour and a half long drive and remember that i forgot to bring cold packs for the cooler! Well at least i made sure i had everything else before i left so its not the end of the world.
Arrive for 7 again, hear lots more gobbles than the week before when i went with my dad.
Get my gear on and load up for the walk in.
Decided to set up in main field where i got my last turkey last year. Hear some gobbles next door but nothing closing in. Decide around 745 to move to back field.
Hear gobbles close to back field as i walk, decide i am close enough to those gobbles so i set up the decoys in a clearing just before the back and hide against a tree near some fallen birch.
Do some calling and hear a bigger and closer gobble. I call back with my simple push call and wait. I see through some cedars a big fan and blue head making his way to my setup. He struts over to my decoys at 28yrds. He gets to my stand up hen and stares down the wimpy funky chicken i decided to try instead of my usual 3/4 jake. The funky chicken is set up behind a lay down hen and i thought this tom was going to start laying the smackdown on it but he doesnt. He stops between the decoys and moves his fan around then starts to mount the stand up hen! Hes all over her so i get his head in my crosshair and i pull the trigger.....CLICK!!! Are you kidding me, wtf is going on?? I know i loaded this thing and the safety was off when i saw the turkey coming near the cedars. So i wait a few seconds hoping its just a delay but nothing, meanhwhile this guy is now bent my hen to the ground and is going to town. So i decide to chamber another round, and i will tell you there is no quiet way to pump a shotgun in the woods lol especially 30yrds from a turkey with nothing between us but a few sticks.
I manage to slowly get a new round chambered and see the tom has perked his head up and is looking my way. I stop and let him get back to it, and he does lol so i line hin up again and pull the trigger. This time it worked lol
My hen decoy was okay, the plastic joint for the stake was a bit bent but nothing some heat and cold quenching wont fix.
Tag him (forgot my knife in the truck so i had to pierce the paper with toms beak), take a few pics and head back. I had told the wife i would be home by lunch, turns out i was true to my word, shot the bird at 830 and was home just after 10am.
Breasted him and took one leg (my daughter wanted one leg) even tho i still have the legs from last year.
He ended up being 19.5lbs so my biggest so far (18.2 and 17.8 previous ones).
Beard was 8.75" with 3/4" spurs.
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