Colville a Bust

[bronczilla]

No problems here. Tagged out on opening day on public land.  Did notice they were a little quieter than other years but had no trouble getting into birds.  If I may ask, are you hunting in the National Forrest or on Refuge land?

Nice work! I hunted both and then some. Lots of driving around.

[TommyH]

 


Birds have been fired up for awhile now, lots of birds near the house that gobble every day, seen a nice tom today with a solo hen. Think I interrupted them!

[Hangfire]

The lack of success isn't always due to being lazy , stupid or any other thing like that. It takes a while to learn how to hunt turkeys. They can go from being very vocal to quite in a day. It takes time to work out a area and find if there are huntable birds in it. I would expect if I am to try a area that I spend at least 3-4 hours minimum working it, walking from spot to spot, looking at sign, listening etc. I haven't been out yet this year, but I have not heard a gobbler from my house which is abnormal. The only flocks I have seen are very small with only one gobbler for flock. The birds are here, it is a matter of finding them. I hope to get out one day this week. I have not had time to scout out a area so I will spend at least 6 hours in the location where I go, where ever that may be. This appears to be a unusual year. It is 22 degrees out now, much cooler than normal. This I would expect to affect birds.

[turkeydancer]

   Nicely said !

[turkeyspark]

The lack of success isn't always due to being lazy , stupid or any other thing like that. It takes a while to learn how to hunt turkeys. They can go from being very vocal to quite in a day. It takes time to work out a area and find if there are huntable birds in it. I would expect if I am to try a area that I spend at least 3-4 hours minimum working it, walking from spot to spot, looking at sign, listening etc. I haven't been out yet this year, but I have not heard a gobbler from my house which is abnormal. The only flocks I have seen are very small with only one gobbler for flock. The birds are here, it is a matter of finding them. I hope to get out one day this week. I have not had time to scout out a area so I will spend at least 6 hours in the location where I go, where ever that may be. This appears to be a unusual year. It is 22 degrees out now, much cooler than normal. This I would expect to affect birds.

Well put sir.

[wonder]

Thanks for the tips guys that's what this site is supposed to be all about.  Some of us have been successful and some work very hard and still haven't been successful and granted there is always some that are lazy.  We only have 6 million acres to locate birds and I think we've only covered a million (speaking of my own experience).  So, my hunting partners and I have work to do.

Good luck guys, we still have a lot of season to go 

[Big game archer]

Birds seem to be more spread out this year... l

[littletoes]

To be honest, a couple of areas I hunt, that have had quite a few birds in the past, have been devastated by coyotes this year. I haven't had time to get out after the dogs over there either....in the past we have kept the 'yotes under control, and the game did much better, but for the last two years, we haven't been hitting the dogs, and now we are paying the price...

[Quackwhacker]

My hunting partner and I also noticed an increase of predators. Should have brought our coyote guns I stead of the turkey guns.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[hobbes]

I've never set foot near Colville, but I've seen a number of yote and cat kills through the years in various places but never have noticed them being capable of drastically reducing numbers.  Smaller varmits destroying nests/eggs usually kill more birds than larger predators, and wet cold springs during/after hatching is more devastating than anything breathing.  I'm not saying yotes may not be part of the problem though.

I would suspect its a combination of the current nasty weather affecting winter flock break up and gobbling activity and previous cold wet springs affecting the hatch.  If your 2011 spring was similar to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, etc. then the hatch got hammered.  A bad 2011 hatch would reduce the # of 2 year olds which are typically the blabber mouths in the woods, and the most likely to run to the call.

I hope its just the weather and they are on fire for you guys soon.  This weekend looks good here in MT.  I've made reservations for the family in Kettle Falls over Memorial Day weekend, so I'll be trying out some of the late season action in WA for the first time this spring.

[Hangfire]

Both 2011 and 2012 were very wet springs. We had birds smaller than grouse during the earliest fall season last year.

[bearpaw]

I cleaned this up, I'm sorry that anyone has to make such classless comments. 

Hope this helps!
I have been watching birds strutting for 2 months, our spring broke early in the NE and the brush is even leafing out early. The cold first few days of season were misleading, we actually had 76 degrees in Colville for a couple days about a week before season opened. There are lots of single hens being seen that I think are laying, it's quite possible some are already setting because they disappear very quickly, this is also earlier than usual.

In my experience it's normal for the birds to get real quiet from about Apr 28ish to May 8ish. I think we are ahead of schedule this year, birds broke up at all the farms we hunt before season even started and I think we have already been in the quiet period, I expect birds to talk more very soon.

We've been killing lots of birds but only because we are hunting nearly every day and know where birds are at even if they aren't talking much. Sounds like guys are doing what they have to do to find birds, that is the best method when they aren't calling, keep at it and don't give up. 

I've heard less gobbling since season opened than before season opened and fewer birds are coming to calls this season thus far. Yes I would rather call than anything else but if you can't find a bird that will gobble it only makes sense to sit silently in known feeding areas or cover ground looking for birds. A successful hunter does what is needed to be successful, I see nothing wrong with alternate methods as long as they are legal, and neither will the game wardens.

Those who like to hike miles so they feel like they are hunting should be happy that not everyone is doing that. They should also understand that many hunters are simply physically unable to hike miles to hunt. That doesn't make them any less of a hunter, it means they must be a smarter hunter to make up for lack of physical ability. One of the best whitetail hunters I knew in the NE weighed well over 400 pounds and he rarely got far from his vehicle, yet he always killed big bucks and knew where more big bucks lived than 99% of hunters. Success is often achieved in how wisely you hunt, not how far you can hike. 

Good Luck to everyone, no matter how you like to hunt. 

[bearpaw]

Don't get the wrong idea from one or two sour apples, hunters from anywhere are welcome here in Colville and surrounding towns, you will see signs around town welcoming hunters, our economy is dependent on you coming here, having a good time, and returning in the future.

 

[WaltAlpine]

Thanks Dale. All of Washington is the best place to live. I have seen it all and love it all.

[washingtonmuley]

I didn't know that the word "knucklehead" was banned from the site.