2021 Wild Turkey thread
- Thread starter 1963beretta
- Start date
Some days it just works ...
My dad and I set up on the edge of a thick fencerow between two fields this afternoon at about 3:30 PM. I sent out the first volley of calls on my crystal friction call and didn’t have to wait but a few minutes to have a longbeard gobble thunderously just behind us in the adjacent field.
We had oriented the blind for my dad to shoot the field in front, complete with jake and hen decoys. The longbeard would have to come through the 10 meter fencerow and out into the field in order to present a shot - problem was I was sitting directly in that path.
Some soft purrs and clucks on my slate call had him on a string. With me frozen in position the bird walked past me at a distance of 5 feet. The blue X in the second photo is where I was sitting, the orange track was the bird’s path.
He walked within mere feet of my dad’s blind and into the decoy set. My dad made the 10 meter shot to tag his second longbeard in as many years - not bad for 69 years old!
My dad and I set up on the edge of a thick fencerow between two fields this afternoon at about 3:30 PM. I sent out the first volley of calls on my crystal friction call and didn’t have to wait but a few minutes to have a longbeard gobble thunderously just behind us in the adjacent field.
We had oriented the blind for my dad to shoot the field in front, complete with jake and hen decoys. The longbeard would have to come through the 10 meter fencerow and out into the field in order to present a shot - problem was I was sitting directly in that path.
Some soft purrs and clucks on my slate call had him on a string. With me frozen in position the bird walked past me at a distance of 5 feet. The blue X in the second photo is where I was sitting, the orange track was the bird’s path.
He walked within mere feet of my dad’s blind and into the decoy set. My dad made the 10 meter shot to tag his second longbeard in as many years - not bad for 69 years old!
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Well I tagged out yesterday and managed to bag this unique tom with my Mathews. This is the 3rd bird I’ve take with a compound bow but the first tom so I was pretty amped!
I hunted this spot yesterday morning and had a hot gobbler behind me in the woods off the roost but with all of the yelping going on back there I knew the hens had me beat for the early morning. Late morning I caught a gobble deep in the woods and managed to bring him close but he wouldn’t come out (I don’t have permission in the woods behind me where he was pacing and gobbling) - he clearly expected my decoys to follow him. Just as he was sounding just frustrated enough to enter the field, the farm equipment showed up to harvest the rye. Once they showed up he kept gobbling deeper and deeper into the woods and my morning hunt was over. I spoke to the farmer and he said they expected to have the field done by 2pm so I made plans to come back around 4pm.
4pm I arrive only to find they have had some mechanical issues and they still have an hours worth of work in the field. I figure no problem, it’s a beautiful day to sit in my blind and that still gives me 2 hours of hunting. As I get settled into my blind, they break down about 200 yds from me and spend the next hour or so trying to fix it and then they leave. I’m not sure if they will be back but know that once they do, the hunt will be over because their last 4 rows are right in front of my position.
At a little before 6pm I see a lone gobbler about 300yds to my right, gobbling to get my lone hen decoy’s attention. Over the course of about 40 minutes he makes a wide circle around the decoy and finally gets to within bow range. And literally not more than 2 minutes after I shot him the farm equipment showed back up - if they had got things running 2 minutes sooner my hunt would have been busted for sure!
A couple notes about the video. The decoy was at 15 yards and the bird at about 12 yards when I shot him. I can’t believe how after I hit him he walked back to the edge of the field like he was just going to walk the shot off! I honestly wondered if I just hit feathers until I saw my arrow. Found him just inside the tree line about 15yds up from my position.
He had a peculiar fan for a tom, never seen one with a fan like this before. You can see it in the video but here’s a clearer pic.
I hunted this spot yesterday morning and had a hot gobbler behind me in the woods off the roost but with all of the yelping going on back there I knew the hens had me beat for the early morning. Late morning I caught a gobble deep in the woods and managed to bring him close but he wouldn’t come out (I don’t have permission in the woods behind me where he was pacing and gobbling) - he clearly expected my decoys to follow him. Just as he was sounding just frustrated enough to enter the field, the farm equipment showed up to harvest the rye. Once they showed up he kept gobbling deeper and deeper into the woods and my morning hunt was over. I spoke to the farmer and he said they expected to have the field done by 2pm so I made plans to come back around 4pm.
4pm I arrive only to find they have had some mechanical issues and they still have an hours worth of work in the field. I figure no problem, it’s a beautiful day to sit in my blind and that still gives me 2 hours of hunting. As I get settled into my blind, they break down about 200 yds from me and spend the next hour or so trying to fix it and then they leave. I’m not sure if they will be back but know that once they do, the hunt will be over because their last 4 rows are right in front of my position.
At a little before 6pm I see a lone gobbler about 300yds to my right, gobbling to get my lone hen decoy’s attention. Over the course of about 40 minutes he makes a wide circle around the decoy and finally gets to within bow range. And literally not more than 2 minutes after I shot him the farm equipment showed back up - if they had got things running 2 minutes sooner my hunt would have been busted for sure!
A couple notes about the video. The decoy was at 15 yards and the bird at about 12 yards when I shot him. I can’t believe how after I hit him he walked back to the edge of the field like he was just going to walk the shot off! I honestly wondered if I just hit feathers until I saw my arrow. Found him just inside the tree line about 15yds up from my position.
He had a peculiar fan for a tom, never seen one with a fan like this before. You can see it in the video but here’s a clearer pic.
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1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
I went out to the the farm this morning to pick up all my gear that I left behind as it looks like I won’t be taking anyone out before the season closes. As I was breaking down my blind, I heard two gobbles come from the neighbours property. So I walked over to the fence line to see if I could see anything. Nothing was visible. The gobbles sounded awfully close, so as I stood there in regular cloths, I tried to mimic a call as best as possible by whistling. I didn’t take much to get a response and the two birds started sounding off. Within minutes, I saw something moving to the right. To my surprise, I had a big Tom coming toward me on a string. I couldn’t believe I was able to call in a bird in by whistling. Goes to show how desperate a Tom can get when there aren’t many breeding hens left. Standing next to a tree on the fence line, I managed to stay hidden enough to get the Tom within 10 yards of me. Unfortunately I didn’t have my phone with me so I couldn't even get it on video. That was pretty unbelievable! Too bad I didn't have someone with me with a tag they needed to fill. That was one dandy Tom
The provinces first turkey hunt has wrapped and I was unsuccessful in killing a turkey although I did learn a lot and had one moderately hair raising morning.
Firstly my lack of success I acknowledge stems mostly from not dedicating enough time to scouting. Working nights and only having 2 Saturdays and the occasional few hours in a morning after work certainly my odds of success were reduced. No tags were offered in my home WMZ where I have a few flocks well patterned and often practice my calling to turkeys coffee in hand on my deck.
Opening morning found me driving an hour and a half from home, I chose a WMZ I am familiar with and had permission on some private property in, unfortunately NB Power decided to clear under brush off the Hydro lines on the property and busted the roost just before opening day and the turkeys had relocated to property I couldn't access. I did locate a few birds in a huntable location.
Friday morning I set up about 15 yards in from the field edge where toms had been strutting and hens and jakes feeding. Birds flew down shortly after dawn and began calling and going about their routines. I had a couple birds responding to my calls when everything went silent and the birds I could see out in the field began heading further away, disappointment was quickly replaced by anticipation as I caught black moving hard to my left along the field edge I very slowly turned my head only to see exactly what you don't want to a black bear sow and cub about 80 yards out and headed in my general direction. When they cut my tracks she put the run to the cub and it scrambled up a poplar closer to me than I was happy about all while I was doing my best to convince them I was not a threat and just wanted to be left alone. Discretion being the better part of valor, once she made her way around me and got between me and her cub, I decided it was time to relocate and she followed me for a ways expressing her displeasure.
Saturday I was back but set up closer to where the birds had entered the field the previous morning. An hour and a half or so after daylight just as I had begun to day dream about fishing and question if I should be pursuing trout instead, two turkeys made their appearance about 50 yards from me headed to the field edge. A hen and what I was 90% sure at the time was a jake. A couple clucks and a soft purr got the hen's attention and she began making her way towards the intruder with her companion trailing behind 10 yards or so. Neither bird has called and I hadn't heard a turkey all morning so I remained silent and as still as possible waiting behind the old model 12, hoping to introduce an ounce and three eighths of copper plated 4's to a turkey noggin. 40 yards is where I was confident in my ability to make a good killing shot began, but the birds were coming and I hadn't been able to verify a beard yet. At what I later ranged to be 20 yards she stopped stretched her head up and spent a minute trying to decide where she had heard the intruder, her companion was hanging around about 30 yards and no matter how hard I tried I could not see a beard it certainly had the colouring of male turkeys I had seen before but didn't seem to make the regulation of a visible beard. The pair turned away and made their way to the field edge allowing me to get my binoculars up and as I observed them feeding about 35 yards from me I became certain that there was no visible beard. As the morning moved to midday I had to make my way back home to prepare for a socially distanced gathering of friends and family. Returning to my car feeling slightly disappointed but having gained some confidence, I heard 3 gobblers strike up away from the field. I returned home to pictures of my yellow lab having a stare down with 3 jakes in the back yard.
This past Friday arrived and after I finished my shift I indulged myself with a bit of a sleep in and woke up around 10 did a few chores and then headed back to my spot north east of St. Stephen. No birds but I did catch a few smallmouth. Rain and wind made Saturday unpleasant and kept birds very on edge and unresponsive to calls there were birds around including a few toms. Being the last day I made some bolder moves including attempting to crawl on a lone Tom. Ultimately I ate my tag but I did have fun and gained some experience, hopefully next year I'll have another chance to get myself or a friend/family a turkey.
Firstly my lack of success I acknowledge stems mostly from not dedicating enough time to scouting. Working nights and only having 2 Saturdays and the occasional few hours in a morning after work certainly my odds of success were reduced. No tags were offered in my home WMZ where I have a few flocks well patterned and often practice my calling to turkeys coffee in hand on my deck.
Opening morning found me driving an hour and a half from home, I chose a WMZ I am familiar with and had permission on some private property in, unfortunately NB Power decided to clear under brush off the Hydro lines on the property and busted the roost just before opening day and the turkeys had relocated to property I couldn't access. I did locate a few birds in a huntable location.
Friday morning I set up about 15 yards in from the field edge where toms had been strutting and hens and jakes feeding. Birds flew down shortly after dawn and began calling and going about their routines. I had a couple birds responding to my calls when everything went silent and the birds I could see out in the field began heading further away, disappointment was quickly replaced by anticipation as I caught black moving hard to my left along the field edge I very slowly turned my head only to see exactly what you don't want to a black bear sow and cub about 80 yards out and headed in my general direction. When they cut my tracks she put the run to the cub and it scrambled up a poplar closer to me than I was happy about all while I was doing my best to convince them I was not a threat and just wanted to be left alone. Discretion being the better part of valor, once she made her way around me and got between me and her cub, I decided it was time to relocate and she followed me for a ways expressing her displeasure.
Saturday I was back but set up closer to where the birds had entered the field the previous morning. An hour and a half or so after daylight just as I had begun to day dream about fishing and question if I should be pursuing trout instead, two turkeys made their appearance about 50 yards from me headed to the field edge. A hen and what I was 90% sure at the time was a jake. A couple clucks and a soft purr got the hen's attention and she began making her way towards the intruder with her companion trailing behind 10 yards or so. Neither bird has called and I hadn't heard a turkey all morning so I remained silent and as still as possible waiting behind the old model 12, hoping to introduce an ounce and three eighths of copper plated 4's to a turkey noggin. 40 yards is where I was confident in my ability to make a good killing shot began, but the birds were coming and I hadn't been able to verify a beard yet. At what I later ranged to be 20 yards she stopped stretched her head up and spent a minute trying to decide where she had heard the intruder, her companion was hanging around about 30 yards and no matter how hard I tried I could not see a beard it certainly had the colouring of male turkeys I had seen before but didn't seem to make the regulation of a visible beard. The pair turned away and made their way to the field edge allowing me to get my binoculars up and as I observed them feeding about 35 yards from me I became certain that there was no visible beard. As the morning moved to midday I had to make my way back home to prepare for a socially distanced gathering of friends and family. Returning to my car feeling slightly disappointed but having gained some confidence, I heard 3 gobblers strike up away from the field. I returned home to pictures of my yellow lab having a stare down with 3 jakes in the back yard.
This past Friday arrived and after I finished my shift I indulged myself with a bit of a sleep in and woke up around 10 did a few chores and then headed back to my spot north east of St. Stephen. No birds but I did catch a few smallmouth. Rain and wind made Saturday unpleasant and kept birds very on edge and unresponsive to calls there were birds around including a few toms. Being the last day I made some bolder moves including attempting to crawl on a lone Tom. Ultimately I ate my tag but I did have fun and gained some experience, hopefully next year I'll have another chance to get myself or a friend/family a turkey.
