1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
As long as you git’r done, thats what counts!
2021 Wild Turkey thread
- Thread starter 1963beretta
- Start date
As long as you git’r done, thats what counts!
Amazing how much more green we have on the landscape this spring in the Ottawa Valley vs a typical opener.
Bird populations look pretty good overall. I spend much of my season helping others (taking them to properties I have permission, calling, etc). It’s very social and a great way to give back a bit. Of course, still pretty focused on filling my two tags as well ...
Good luck to all. The 2021 hunting year is about to kick off.
Bird populations look pretty good overall. I spend much of my season helping others (taking them to properties I have permission, calling, etc). It’s very social and a great way to give back a bit. Of course, still pretty focused on filling my two tags as well ...
Good luck to all. The 2021 hunting year is about to kick off.
Having over 30 guns legal for sport that have never failed me makes it a tough choice
The turkey population here is way down so ill be stepping up shot size and hoping for coyotes as well
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Things certainly are green around my area as well. The rate the rye is growing, I’m anticipating I only have about two weeks before the birds become all but invisible in front of my blind.
What I’m most excited about for this season is that my youngest daughter, who’s interest in turkey hunting dropped off dramatically the last 2 seasons, is excited to get out again! So my season will be successful regardless of whether I cut a tag or not.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Things certainly are green around my area as well. The rate the rye is growing, I’m anticipating I only have about two weeks before the birds become all but invisible in front of my blind.
What I’m most excited about for this season is that my youngest daughter, who’s interest in turkey hunting dropped off dramatically the last 2 seasons, is excited to get out again! So my season will be successful regardless of whether I cut a tag or not.
Right on Runningfool! I cant wait until I can take my daughter out hunting. And you are right.....the season is already successful regardless if you cut a tag
My daughter just turned 3 but i cant wait to take her out. Likely next season. How old are your daughters if you dont mind my asking? How do they do hunting? I doubt ive seen my kid sit still for more than 32 seconds at a time and thats only if she has ice cream
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
The youngest one is the hunter and she just turned 18. She’s been going out and sitting with me since I started hunting, did her cfsc at 12 as well as her Ontario Hunter Education Program course, and has been hunting every year since. My oldest is 21, did her cfsc but is not interested in hunting herself; she enjoys coming out with me and observing. I love being out in the field with both of them.
A couple of things I would recommend:
1) Get a blind. If your youngster has trouble sitting still, a blind helps hide their movement and a bit of sound as well. True story, when my youngest was 13 we were turkey hunting behind a little camouflage skirt and had a few hens in front of us. She never moved a muscle. After we packed up she told me there was a spider that was dropping down from her face covering and she was going to bite it if it crawled on her face instead of swatting it with her hand and spooking the hens. That’s when I knew I had a committed hunter on my hands
2) I would recommend making a rule against devices (phone/tablet) while hunting. I know it keeps young ones occupied and quiet, especially during those stretches where nothing is happening. But kids these days never get a chance to just observe the natural world anymore. I’d rather see my kid asleep next to me (happened more times than I can count) than to see the glow of an electronic device on their face as I nudge them to watch the deer walk in front of us. Spending a few hours without being entertained by electronic devices is good practice for young and old alike.
3) Just get them out. Even if it means every critter within 10 square miles is spooked by them opening that granola-bar wrapper, do it! You will have decades to hunt seriously by yourself but only a few years to hunt with your children while they are children.
I wish my dad hunted....maybe we would be closer now if he did, I don’t know. But I know I’m closer with my own kids because of hunting and I’m thankful for that.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Good luck to all of you who are heading out today!
Runningfool. I got a blind already and i get her out along creeks and erieau rondeau bay area to watch the ducks and geese. Shes excellent in the kayaks so i hope shell enjoy hunting. Her new love is snakes always looking for them now since i let her hold one
Anybody tagged out yet?
Good luck, have fun, be safe.
Had a guy come in right at legal light and spook a couple roosted toms. Pretty sure he screwed my morning
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
I’ve got at least half a dozen toms orchestrating a symphony all around me. But nothing has come on yet. Sounds like they are getting closer though
Quite a few gun shots heard at first light
Quite a few gun shots heard at first light
- Location
- Newmarket,Ontario
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1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Checking my game cam footage while waiting for sunrise, I captured a man snooping around my blind. It didn't appear that he messed with anything, but he did notice the camera on the way out. He was probably glad he didn't tamper with anything once he realized he was on camera. He certainly had a surprised look on his face when he first saw the camera, but he simply waved and left. Glad he was an honest fellow and left everything as is
I pack my blind in and out each hunt when I use one. I use the ameristep brickhouse. I can set it up and take down in under 5min. Such a valuable piece of kit that I bought a 2nd one for when the first one breaks. They go on sale pretty often.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
To my surprise, I have a guy set up directly in front of me about 100 yards away. I cant believe how stupid people can be. Not sure if its the guy from the game cam footage, but he clearly knows I was here and he set up anyway. Its a good thing that I decided to go check out the side field or I wouldn't have known he was there. Now I cant even take a shot out of my main shooting lane with this @sshole where he is
Nothing more frustrating than that, sorry about your luck.
Only I got this morning was cold and wet.
Heard Gobbles from a few directions at day break, then had a decent flock about 150 yards away but walking parallel to me and knew where they were going.
Have to work this afternoon so I'll head out in the morning and hope they take the same route tomorrow I'll be waiting for them.
JJ
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Well, my day was a bust. I spent about 40 mins chattering with a Tom only to watch him strut around in circles at 15 yards.....on the wrong side of the fence. It wasn’t the biggest Tom around, but it had real nice spurs and a real long thick beard. Oh well, it gets to live another day. I’ll be after him again in the morning
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
My daughter and I had an amazing morning! Heard our first gobble while she was getting set in the blind and I was putting out the decoys. Could hear 4 gobblers in the woods behind us and another far off in the woods opposite us. By 9 am we still hadn’t seen a single bird and I was starting to wonder if we would. But not much after 9 we had two hens pop out a hundred yards away or so and we watched them walk across to the next fence row. The rye grass was knee height in spots, so if they didn’t have their heads up to look around they vanished from view.
At about 9:30am two birds show up on our right at about 30 yards; big birds but not strutting and no beards that I could see. They approached the decoys and as they came to about our 12 o’clock position the wind caught their beards! Turns out they were toms but the wet grass not only obscured our view, it also matted the beards to their bodies while they were walking into the wind! I quickly turned on the go pro and you can watch what happened next.
At about 9:30am two birds show up on our right at about 30 yards; big birds but not strutting and no beards that I could see. They approached the decoys and as they came to about our 12 o’clock position the wind caught their beards! Turns out they were toms but the wet grass not only obscured our view, it also matted the beards to their bodies while they were walking into the wind! I quickly turned on the go pro and you can watch what happened next.
