JBLM turkey's?

[Wacenturion]

I've shoot plenty of Easterns what are the other subspecies and where they can be found I'd like one of those.

JM.....plan to go to the NE area...Colville...Stevens and Ferry counties for Merriam's.  The state's highest turkey densities occur there.

South from there in Lincoln county there are Rio's.  However you will not find the abundance of public land in Lincoln like you have in Stevens and Ferry.  There is some...you'll need maps.

Lots of birds in Lincoln also, although not as many as the Merriam's areas to the north.

[mtnseth]

If you're from Iowa, I recommend heading to the NE part of the state as others have suggested.  Chasing those crazy gobbling Merriams in the dry pine and more open country will give you a true Western US turkey hunting experience.  If I was going to introduce someone to Washington turkey hunting, that's where I would go.  Birds are thick and vocal, there's an abundance of public or publicly-accessible land, and you'll get the chance to hunt in the sunshine, which doesn't happen too often chasing wet-side Easterns. 

I don't want to discourage you from exploring around the base for birds.  Get out and have fun, just be prepared to do a lot of hiking and not a lot of killing.  Listen to Wacent, he knows what he's talking about.  There are definitely birds around, but it's a completely different type of hunting, more akin to torture than those gobble-filled mornings listening to Merriams on the roost.  I put in many hours before seeing my first Eastern droppings, many more before seeing my first bird, and many, many more before carrying one back to the truck over my shoulder. 

[JMTaylor]

Sounds like a fun challenge to me. Hopefully game on.

[turkeydancer]

    
 For these ghosts, you will spend tons of shoe leather just locating your honeyhole.  They also are not as vocal or prevalent as the other 2 subspecies we have in the state, but as said it's well worth spending some time getting after them.  I always say even a blind man can find turkeys in the NE corner of the state ... I like to go over and nail the 2 birds allowed over there, and then come back to Western Wa. to regain my humility. 

 

[gasman]

I would not waste my time with turkey on JBLM.
15 years ago, sure I knew where they were, but the yotes out there have increased and the birds have decrease.

There never was a huge population out there but there was a few planted but they never took off in population growth 


Im hoping to head NE this spring.

[Wacenturion]

Not necessarily so...As I said earlier, they change their locations every several years.  Where one may have seen birds for years, eventually is void of birds due to habitat changes.

Turkey harvest (1996-2010) P50 (Southwest): All 500 GMUs EXCEPT 568, 572, 574, PLUS GMUs 633-681

The Tenio, Rainer and neighboring JBLM areas are in Units 666 Deshutes and 667 Skookumchuck.  If the coyotes got them all and they didn't take off after releases beginning in 1987 in that general area, then explain the following.  They should be non-existent after 26 years.  Part of the P50 harvest comes from the areas in and around and in all directions from the Johnson Creek area where initial releases were made. 


PMU 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
P50    26    36     40    46     48    47     54    52    54     53    77     62    50    65     89


Certainly not going to compete with harvest elsewhere in the state, but those increases over time in the P50 harvest suggest a couple things.

1.  Birds are there and expanding, otherwise there would be no birds to support those increases in harvest numbers.

2.  Turkey hunters willing to spend the huge amount of time necessary to learn how to hunt these "Ghost" birds are becoming more proficient and therefore harvesting more birds.

Its tuff locating and hunting for sure due to a lack of seeing and hearing birds.  However for the hard core hunter who like a challenge, there is nothing to rival it.  Getting one of these wetside gobblers in your sights at point blank range after all the effort, is like nothing else in the turkey world as far as I'm concerned.   

 

[gasman]

I am specifically talking about JBLM.

There are tons of turkey out Johnson Creek road and around Vail. See them often when Im out there, but as for turkeys on JBLM, i have not seen one in many years. Not saying there are none but I spend lots of time out there, more then any place else and have not come across any turkey sign in years out there.

 

[Wacenturion]

That could pretty well be.  Could be some other factors out there influencing numbers, like tank movements..... maneuvers.... war games....drones....

[Mudman]

Ok, Waldrick rd/Old Military RD.  area of jblm behind Ran./Ten is a good spot to start.  Buddies property real close to there and sometimes we have some turkey there.  Thats all I know and I hope it helps ya guys.

[gasman]

Yeah, them drones play hell on all the hears out there 

Except the yotes 

[Dan-o]

Go check out the pic board at the WAC.

You'll see deer, bear, even elk, lots of ducks.  I bet you don't see a single gobbler pic.

I'm with Gasman on this one.   Most of those P50 turkeys are killed on private land an hour south of JBLM.

[JMTaylor]

I just know that the birds back home are easy and stupid. Maybe I need to try a wet side bird to prove that I am the turkey slayer I think I am. 

[Wacenturion]

Another thing I forgot to mention in regards to the lack of sightings, mention or pictures.  With all the work involved with locating these Eastern's, most hunters that are successful, including myself, are super secretive about drawing attention to our areas.  No better yet...paranoid is a better descriptive word.

Not sure what picture album you are referring to, but I certainly would not post a picture of a bird.  Eastside bird...perhaps.  Westside bird....no way.  Someone might recognize a fern or two, piece of a stump, or a rock in the photo and my honey hole is toast.  

Let me put it to you this way.  If you want to be successful in finding these birds, you better plan on starting in earnest to scout for sign, primarily droppings, by early February, and stick with it at least once a week minimum until the opener.  Walk into as many areas as you can behind gates.  Use a owl or crow call or airhorn early in the a.m, you might get lucky. 

If you hear one, he is most likely within a 100 to 200 yards or so.  Much further and you won't hear them.  If you don't believe me take a buddy, go out into the typical understory and while you stay put, have your friend go away from you 50 yards or so at a time, where upon he will stop and both of you call loudly to each other.  Then repeat the process.  Eventually at about 200 plus yards, more or less depending on vegetation, you won't hear each other.  That is part of the problem when hunting these birds.  You can be near and never know it unless you find sign.  Once you locate droppings, you have to have the patience and fortitude to stick with it when you start hunting.

Hunting them is another education in itself.  Personally I go prepared to be comfortable for extended periods of at least a minimum of two hours to a potential maximum of all day in one or two spots.  The reason is I believe due to the droppings I've located, birds are in and around me somewhere.  I'm basically hunting the droppings for lack of a better description.   

When I say a minimum of two hours, it is due to the way I hunt these birds.  I call softly like a content hen feeding every 15 minutes or so.  I try to think like hen and vocalize as a hen would normally.  I try to avoid PMS hens and loud continued non stop calling.  After two hours in my mind, I have now convinced any bird within hearing distance, that I'm a real turkey.  Now the game actually begins.  Make take an hour, may take all day, but sooner or later I fully expect to see two dark sticks (gobbler's legs) coming though the understory toward me.

If I do get responses from a gobbler then at least my odds improve.  I now know approximately where he is.  If he above me, chances are he'll tease me and nothing more.  If this does happen, I relocate.  If I take an hour or two off to get above his position by going around the long way, then sit up, he generally will commit suicide by committing to my soft calling.  Of course anything can happen, it's turkey hunting.  Have had hens walk over me.

Believe me when i tell you these birds know to the square foot where you call is coming from.  Oh, and watch out for big putty tats....they are super quiet when they come in looking for what they perceive is a turkey dinner.

 

[JMTaylor]

I've thought about that beofe with the big cats. I don't think I will be able to nap in the woods as easily as I do back home. And I love my timber naps. 

[Mudman]

NO Naps!!! :chuckle:Seen several.  Creepy.