Turkey Hunt '10 results.

[NataSS]

As you can tell i am not leading this off with multiple photos of large, feathered birds. So that should set the tone of this post.

Day 1) We arrived on station at 0230 and got camp set up. 0430 and a 5 hour energy bottle to get all of us going we hit the hills. Within 1 hour we had gobbles all around us. Being the first time i had ever heard a wild tukey talk back to me, my heart was racing. And since i was the only one in the group that had never taken a wild turkey I was first on the list to drop one. We get the quick blinds put up, decoys out and continue clucking away to keep the Toms interested.

Shooting time hits and we still havent seen anything move into our area. We can hear them gobbling for all they are worth and then out of no where the freaking hens start clucking over our calls to drown us out. These birds were no further than 50 yrds away.......Then they fell silent. ALL day, nothing, no response, no gobble, nothing. They would go nuts all morning and then go silent all day.

Day 2 and 3) Rinse and repeat day 1.

Come to find out the early heat this year caused mating season to start ALOT earlier than normal. Fish & Game said that all the birds had already paired off and the Toms would respond to you but had no interest in moving from where they were.

Talking with some DIE HARD tukey hunters at camp that always limit out said it was the toughest year they had seen becuase the last 2 years the winter was so bad the coyotes killed a trainload of them and this year was the first year of rebounding.

We did come across 22 birds in a very clearly posted "NO HUNTING, NO TRESSPASSING". But hey, isnt that how it always works?

No, didnt bring anything home, but i learned ALOT and WILL be back out next year

[Machias]

Season still has 5+ weeks, lots of time.

[NataSS]

Not for me.

I lost my job april 1st and the money spent on fuel to get to the other side of the state was my last bit of "fun" money.  I'll be lucky to get out for the rest of the season for anything even though all my tags have already been paid for. 

You win some, you loose some.

[ST_C5]

As you can tell i am not leading this off with multiple photos of large, feathered birds. So that should set the tone of this post.

Day 1) We arrived on station at 0230 and got camp set up. 0430 and a 5 hour energy bottle to get all of us going we hit the hills. Within 1 hour we had gobbles all around us. Being the first time i had ever heard a wild tukey talk back to me, my heart was racing. And since i was the only one in the group that had never taken a wild turkey I was first on the list to drop one. We get the quick blinds put up, decoys out and continue clucking away to keep the Toms interested.

Shooting time hits and we still havent seen anything move into our area. We can hear them gobbling for all they are worth and then out of no where the freaking hens start clucking over our calls to drown us out. These birds were no further than 50 yrds away.......Then they fell silent. ALL day, nothing, no response, no gobble, nothing. They would go nuts all morning and then go silent all day.

Day 2 and 3) Rinse and repeat day 1.

Come to find out the early heat this year caused mating season to start ALOT earlier than normal. Fish & Game said that all the birds had already paired off and the Toms would respond to you but had no interest in moving from where they were.

Talking with some DIE HARD tukey hunters at camp that always limit out said it was the toughest year they had seen becuase the last 2 years the winter was so bad the coyotes killed a trainload of them and this year was the first year of rebounding.

We did come across 22 birds in a very clearly posted "NO HUNTING, NO TRESSPASSING". But hey, isnt that how it always works?

No, didnt bring anything home, but i learned ALOT and WILL be back out next year

Do not feel bad i was over north of Spokane in an area where it suppose to be really good, we never saw anything and only heard one tom gobbling. I did see 7 toms taken but 21 on pvt land posted. So what the fish and game said makes sense. So good luck on any future hunts.

[NataSS]

Sounds like you were in my neck of the woods.  The field where you saw the 21, would that have happened to have been a auto repair place with a home on it?

[nw_bowhunter]

I didn't see or hear a turkey over in the Tenaway but I don't worry to much. I was outside hiking in the woods and having fun with my brother-in-law. Saw lots of deer and elk sigh which is a plus Had some cold Blue Moon beer at camp, smoked chicken wings and a lot of laughs. Although with the price of diesel over the weekend I think my next turkey trip this month will be in the Honda. save a few bucks and go for the day.

[PA BEN]

It's been 2 years since I went home to hunt. The numbers were down, but there is still plenty of turkeys to hunt. It seemed like a normal opener. Toms were henned up. I had to set up close to there roost, about 75 yds. It's the first time I used full strutter tom decoys, man what a difference. As soon as they spot them it's game on, they also pull hens from the flock too. And those hens will bring a tom. 3 tom opening day, 1 jake Saturday, 1 tom Sunday and 1 tom witch was 20 lbs Monday.