Post by: Houndhunter on January 14, 2009, 09:31:58 AM
Post by: NWTFhunter on January 14, 2009, 10:50:06 AM
They just disapear on you when your searching for them from the back end of your gun.
There was a great number of them out around Pe Elle not long ago, and one day poof... I couldnt find one to save my life... Found sign from time to time, but couldt put my eyes on a bird !
Post by: Houndhunter on January 14, 2009, 10:53:50 AM
Post by: strutnrut1984 on January 14, 2009, 10:56:06 AM
Post by: Curly on January 14, 2009, 11:00:36 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 14, 2009, 02:42:41 PM
I've seen them up there on a few occasions. The first time was about 10 years ago and the last time was 2 years ago. I suspect that WDFW planted some in CF, but I don't know for sure. There are quite a few in the Lincoln unit as well.
WDFW released easterns throughout the Capitol Forest back in the late 90's to 2000. Couple hundred birds total over a span of 2-3 years. Releases were also occuring in other areas....i.e. Mason County, Kennedy Creek etc.
Hard to find ...but remember 90,000 plus acres in the Capitol Forest and even with reproduction....not many birds per sq. mile, density wise. Also where you have people and traffic, these areas will be avoided by these birds. Great sighting though......fun birds to hunt....tuff but fun. Get good at taking westside easterns and you'll find hunting Rio's and Merriams on the eastside is about as difficult as buying a bird at Safeway.
Post by: yelp on January 14, 2009, 02:47:20 PM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on January 14, 2009, 03:02:24 PM
Post by: Rowdy on January 14, 2009, 03:23:42 PM
Jake
Post by: Curly on January 14, 2009, 04:39:51 PM
(It's probably those damn turkeys eating all the grouse food. :o) ;)
Post by: yelp on January 14, 2009, 04:49:20 PM
Post by: bow4elk on January 14, 2009, 04:58:13 PM
Post by: KillBilly on January 14, 2009, 05:15:45 PM
Post by: bow4elk on January 14, 2009, 05:19:12 PM
Post by: yelp on January 14, 2009, 05:26:37 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on January 14, 2009, 06:42:37 PM
Don't mean to hi-jack the thread but how often do you guys see grouse in the CF?
Jake
I saw more grouse up there this year then in the past 5 or 6 years. Not many dumb/slow ones, most flushed very fast.
Post by: billythekidrock on January 14, 2009, 06:45:21 PM
when I spoke with the WDFW years ago, they said they didn't know they were in CF. They said they released them 20 some odd miles from where I saw them. Glad to know they are taking root, as they usually do.
BTKR chased an Emu around up there one day. Tasty it was.... :chuckle: :chuckle: not really.
Someone at F&G knows about the turkeys. Eight years ago I chased an Emu with my car up in the CF and when I called F&G to let them know and to ask some questions they didn't believe me and told me it was probably a turkey. They told me that since there were turkeys up there that there was no way I saw an emu.
I went down to talk with a bio and I finally convinced him it was not a turkey. They were not concerned about the emu and told me that it wouldn't make it through the winter but if it did a cougar would probably get it.
Post by: Hacksaw on January 14, 2009, 08:06:06 PM
I have no idea what the real truth is, but a guy I work with claims he ran into a bio up there who told him they did not plant any turkeys in Capitol Forest. Rather, he said some bands of birds had crossed the Chehalis from the Independence Valley side between Rochester and Oakville and that is why they were being spotted up around the E-line. I know residents living just east of the Chehalis Reservation have reported seeing turkeys on the Capitol Forest side of the Chehalis River right next to Hwy 12. That might lend a little credibility to the theory this bio supposedly gave.
For anyone who doesn't know, they released Turkeys long ago at the end of Lincoln Creek (among other places) and these birds eventually spread out all over the place, including on the Independence Valley and Garrard Creek side. The first wild turkeys I ever saw were actually up Bunker Creek in either '86 or '87. I was only 10 or 11 years old riding with the old man and a flock of about 8 walked right in front of us heading into a clearcut.
Post by: wadu1 on January 14, 2009, 08:28:08 PM
Post by: coastalghost on January 14, 2009, 08:44:02 PM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi135.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq155%2Fcovrlovr%2F100_0225.jpg&hash=0130cc0dfc06816c87db0eac3402d27e8f420a12)
Post by: yelp on January 14, 2009, 09:44:59 PM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 15, 2009, 05:03:59 AM
Post by: ICEMAN on January 15, 2009, 05:37:13 AM
Capitol forest is the place to kill a eastern go get em boys. :chuckle: :chuckle:
You just want us turkey hunters to stay away from your haunts...
I am thinking of hitting the woods around Castle Rock for turkey this year.... :chuckle:
Post by: Turkeyman on January 15, 2009, 05:41:08 AM
Post by: ICEMAN on January 15, 2009, 05:45:40 AM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 16, 2009, 12:55:16 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 16, 2009, 07:02:45 AM
Heres one that I found a few years back...my biggest tom ever. Neared the 24.lb mark and had 1.5 inch spurs. He was the most vocal bird I have ever witnessed...drumming etc. Since then I have tried to find them to no avail. Last spring I tried and found some fresh droppings but never heard a peep. I do think they are on the constant move and finding a roosting area is very tough compared to rio's or merriams. You really have to do quite a bit of prescouting. Think the yotes are tough on em too.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi135.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq155%2Fcovrlovr%2F100_0225.jpg&hash=0130cc0dfc06816c87db0eac3402d27e8f420a12)
Coyotes do not pose a problem to adult birds.....I've seen a gobbler face off an eventually chase off a coyote. Also seen hens play with them....fly off 40 yards or so and when the coyote goes for her again...flys in other direction for 40 yards or so. A game the coyote eventually tires off.
An old friend of mine from the midwest, a turkey biologist, once told me....if a predator takes an adult turkey....there was something wrong with it. An over simplication....but you get the drift.
Post by: Wacenturion on January 16, 2009, 07:05:48 AM
I have also seen several turkeys in the CF, starting in 2000. Most were hanging out below the main E-line between Gate and Bordeaux. A few years back, I went to open a gate one morning on some private land adjoining the CF and had one roosting in a tree above me. I didn’t notice it and when it flew out of that tree it scared the living s#@t right out of me. It was like 20 grouse flushing at once. I have seen four single turkeys at different occasions and twice I have seen a pair. Like I said, most were hanging real low near bordering private land, but I did spook a Jake and a nice Tom together in the fall of ’03 way up high in a clearcut on the D-line. They were nice looking birds and I was very surprised to see them up that high.
I have no idea what the real truth is, but a guy I work with claims he ran into a bio up there who told him they did not plant any turkeys in Capitol Forest. Rather, he said some bands of birds had crossed the Chehalis from the Independence Valley side between Rochester and Oakville and that is why they were being spotted up around the E-line. I know residents living just east of the Chehalis Reservation have reported seeing turkeys on the Capitol Forest side of the Chehalis River right next to Hwy 12. That might lend a little credibility to the theory this bio supposedly gave.
For anyone who doesn't know, they released Turkeys long ago at the end of Lincoln Creek (among other places) and these birds eventually spread out all over the place, including on the Independence Valley and Garrard Creek side. The first wild turkeys I ever saw were actually up Bunker Creek in either '86 or '87. I was only 10 or 11 years old riding with the old man and a flock of about 8 walked right in front of us heading into a clearcut.
The biologist who told your friend turkeys were not planted in the CF is an idiot. Probably wouldn't know a turkey from an Emu either. See my previous post regarding bird plants.......that is fact!!!!
Post by: Wacenturion on January 16, 2009, 07:08:19 AM
There out there you need to work hard for them.
Got that right......and finding them, understanding them and how to hunt these ghosts.....priceless!
Post by: yelp on January 16, 2009, 07:10:05 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 16, 2009, 07:13:59 AM
ghost hunter....I smell a new license plate...wacent. GSTHNTR ...I prefer DAMBIRD...LOL
5MINBRD....after the last one I took....lol. Yeah...been a few DAMBIRDs too.
Post by: yelp on January 16, 2009, 07:20:35 AM
Post by: ICEMAN on January 16, 2009, 07:24:57 AM
Post by: coastalghost on January 16, 2009, 08:14:08 PM
Heres one that I found a few years back...my biggest tom ever. Neared the 24.lb mark and had 1.5 inch spurs. He was the most vocal bird I have ever witnessed...drumming etc. Since then I have tried to find them to no avail. Last spring I tried and found some fresh droppings but never heard a peep. I do think they are on the constant move and finding a roosting area is very tough compared to rio's or merriams. You really have to do quite a bit of prescouting. Think the yotes are tough on em too.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi135.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq155%2Fcovrlovr%2F100_0225.jpg&hash=0130cc0dfc06816c87db0eac3402d27e8f420a12)
Coyotes do not pose a problem to adult birds.....I've seen a gobbler face off an eventually chase off a coyote. Also seen hens play with them....fly off 40 yards or so and when the coyote goes for her again...flys in other direction for 40 yards or so. A game the coyote eventually tires off.
An old friend of mine from the midwest, a turkey biologist, once told me....if a predator takes an adult turkey....there was something wrong with it. An over simplication....but you get the drift.
Well....Ive seen coyotes laying in wait for turkeys walking the logging roads. Called em in with turkey call. That doesnt mean they predate them though. Found fresh piles of feathers and wings in the woods....bobcat, cougar, ? How bout the young?
Post by: ICEMAN on January 16, 2009, 08:23:18 PM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 17, 2009, 03:36:54 AM
Heres one that I found a few years back...my biggest tom ever. Neared the 24.lb mark and had 1.5 inch spurs. He was the most vocal bird I have ever witnessed...drumming etc. Since then I have tried to find them to no avail. Last spring I tried and found some fresh droppings but never heard a peep. I do think they are on the constant move and finding a roosting area is very tough compared to rio's or merriams. You really have to do quite a bit of prescouting. Think the yotes are tough on em too.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi135.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq155%2Fcovrlovr%2F100_0225.jpg&hash=0130cc0dfc06816c87db0eac3402d27e8f420a12)
Coyotes do not pose a problem to adult birds.....I've seen a gobbler face off an eventually chase off a coyote. Also seen hens play with them....fly off 40 yards or so and when the coyote goes for her again...flys in other direction for 40 yards or so. A game the coyote eventually tires off.
An old friend of mine from the midwest, a turkey biologist, once told me....if a predator takes an adult turkey....there was something wrong with it. An over simplication....but you get the drift.
Well....Ive seen coyotes laying in wait for turkeys walking the logging roads. Called em in with turkey call. That doesnt mean they predate them though. Found fresh piles of feathers and wings in the woods....bobcat, cougar, ? How bout the young?
Predators will take turkeys.......risk is greatest from egg in the nest stage through the first two weeks after hatching before they can fly enough to roost in lower limbs with the hen. After that point their chance of survival goes up. Obviously adult turkeys are taken by predators, but not easily........insignificant population loss at the adult stage.
Post by: Turkeyman on January 17, 2009, 09:24:33 AM
Post by: NWTFhunter on January 18, 2009, 11:54:08 PM
One of the biggest predators is squirels !! They knock the hell out of eggs.
Post by: Wacenturion on January 19, 2009, 08:06:58 AM
Tell your bio friend he is mistaken ! Yotes do take adult turkeys ! The number isnt high, but they do get em esp hens nesting.
One of the biggest predators is squirels !! They knock the hell out of eggs.
What I said was..........
"An old friend of mine from the midwest, a turkey biologist, once told me....if a predator takes an adult turkey....there was something wrong with it. An over simplification....but you get the drift."
Did you read where I said....that statement is an over simplification. That means somewhat of an exaggeration..... for the most part coyotes don't take enough adult turkeys to be of concern. I also referenced egg stage to roosting after two weeks in another post as the most vulnerable for turkeys....never said predators didn't take eggs.
and.....that reply I gave was in regards to the following.......
"Since then I have tried to find them to no avail. Last spring I tried and found some fresh droppings but never heard a peep. I do think they are on the constant move and finding a roosting area is very tough compared to rio's or merriams. You really have to do quite a bit of prescouting. Think the yotes are tough on em too."
He was asking about easterns in the Capital Forest. The biologist quote I used was from the midwest in regards to easterns also.
I see you are in the SE....Rio country...........coyotes are probably going to be somewhat more successful working on that subspecies since they, like Merriams flock in large numbers. However.....still not a significant problem for Rio or Merriam populations either. But I can assure you....easterns, especially in western Washington are a tough bird to take, irregardless of your life form.
Post by: coastalghost on January 19, 2009, 11:03:25 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 19, 2009, 11:40:48 AM
Western Washington eastern areas are not more mountainous than typical eastern habitat. They were not released in the Cascades, rather areas from Mason County south to Vancouver.....typical western Washington flat lands or hills....i.e. Black Hills, Doty Hills, Willapa Hills etc.
Post by: yelp on January 19, 2009, 11:54:45 AM
Post by: NWTFhunter on January 19, 2009, 01:28:12 PM
Post by: yelp on January 19, 2009, 02:12:06 PM
Post by: coastalghost on January 19, 2009, 05:21:37 PM
Post by: bow4elk on January 19, 2009, 05:46:58 PM
Easterns are a better fit for Western WA. They seem to take the precip better than other subspecies. There once was a idea floating around.... :) to get some florida "Osceola" strain and release around Port Angeles area...were temps were a little more "tropical" ...I think we need to concentrate efforts to manage what we have.
And easterns just love the thick crap a lot more than Merriams and Rios...
Post by: Wacenturion on January 20, 2009, 06:54:54 AM
Easterns are a better fit for Western WA. They seem to take the precip better than other subspecies. There once was a idea floating around.... :) to get some florida "Osceola" strain and release around Port Angeles area...were temps were a little more "tropical" ...I think we need to concentrate efforts to manage what we have.
And easterns just love the thick crap a lot more than Merriams and Rios...
The eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)........ L.J.P. Vieillot first described and named the eastern subspecies in
1817 using the word silvestris,
meaning "forest" turkey
This subspecies spends most of it's time in the woods as compared to the other two subspecies...Merriam's a more open forest bird and the Rio, more open county habitat with roosting tree areas.
Post by: Turkeyman on January 21, 2009, 05:40:18 AM
Post by: Houndhunter on January 21, 2009, 10:12:11 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 21, 2009, 11:30:28 AM
well i plan to do a lil scouting where i saw them maybe i can find a pattern :dunno:. also gonna look into the ones a kennedy creek, i know exactly where there at
Plan on scouting from Feb. up to opener if you want to increase you chances of finding birds. Focus on sign, especially droppings.....as unless you get lucky and catch em in the open it likely all you might see. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear them. Unless you close with the dense woods....you won't. Droppings are your best friend....believe me. When you find sign, stay with it ...it will likely move somewhat the closer to the opener. Won't be far, but you got 360 to deal with as far as direction and dense cover.
Oh.....do not.....I repeat, do not use turkey calls while scouting or patterning these easterns prior to the opener. Use locator calls like owl, crow, woodpecker etc. If you do and can't resist yelping and using all the other unneccessary turkey calls people use prior to opener.......you loose with these guys.....not always....but most the time. :bdid:
These are the hardest turkeys in the state to kill.....and they are also the easiest turkey in the state to kill. Only successful westside eastern hunters will actually understand what I just said. Hopefully you to will in time. GOOD LUCK! ;)
Post by: Houndhunter on January 21, 2009, 11:45:02 AM
well i plan to do a lil scouting where i saw them maybe i can find a pattern :dunno:. also gonna look into the ones a kennedy creek, i know exactly where there at
Plan on scouting from Feb. up to opener if you want to increase you chances of finding birds. Focus on sign, especially droppings.....as unless you get lucky and catch em in the open it likely all you might see. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear them. Unless you close with the dense woods....you won't. Droppings are your best friend....believe me. When you find sign, stay with it ...it will likely move somewhat the closer to the opener. Won't be far, but you got 360 to deal with as far as direction and dense cover.
Oh.....do not.....I repeat, do not use turkey calls while scouting or patterning these easterns prior to the opener. Use locator calls like owl, crow, woodpecker etc. If you do and can't resist yelping and using all the other unneccessary turkey calls people use prior to opener.......you loose with these guys.....not always....but most the time. :bdid:
These are the hardest turkeys in the state to kill.....and they are also the easiest turkey in the state to kill. Only successful westside eastern hunters will actually understand what I just said. Hopefully you to will in time. GOOD LUCK! ;)
thanks for the advice, i am by no means a turkey hunter but might get into it since theres a few close by
Post by: NWTFhunter on January 21, 2009, 02:08:35 PM
Post by: coastalghost on January 21, 2009, 10:28:00 PM
well i plan to do a lil scouting where i saw them maybe i can find a pattern :dunno:. also gonna look into the ones a kennedy creek, i know exactly where there at
Plan on scouting from Feb. up to opener if you want to increase you chances of finding birds. Focus on sign, especially droppings.....as unless you get lucky and catch em in the open it likely all you might see. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear them. Unless you close with the dense woods....you won't. Droppings are your best friend....believe me. When you find sign, stay with it ...it will likely move somewhat the closer to the opener. Won't be far, but you got 360 to deal with as far as direction and dense cover.
Oh.....do not.....I repeat, do not use turkey calls while scouting or patterning these easterns prior to the opener. Use locator calls like owl, crow, woodpecker etc. If you do and can't resist yelping and using all the other unneccessary turkey calls people use prior to opener.......you loose with these guys.....not always....but most the time. :bdid:
These are the hardest turkeys in the state to kill.....and they are also the easiest turkey in the state to kill. Only successful westside eastern hunters will actually understand what I just said. Hopefully you to will in time. GOOD LUCK! ;)
thanks for the advice, i am by no means a turkey hunter but might get into it since theres a few close by
I tried looking into past forums but couldnt find any pics of some of these western eastern birds that you guys have taken. Would love to see em....
Post by: Aneoakleaf on January 21, 2009, 10:37:56 PM
Post by: coastalghost on January 21, 2009, 10:53:49 PM
Post by: Aneoakleaf on January 21, 2009, 11:08:24 PM
Post by: yelp on January 23, 2009, 08:40:35 AM
Post by: BrushChimp on January 23, 2009, 09:53:25 AM
Something was mentioned about turkeys out near Pe Ell and how one day poof they were gone. Yes, there WERE turkeys out here. I watched my buddy kill the last one 'round here about 4 years ago. I was sitting right beside him with my shotgun shouldered and had hunted this turkey for a couple years. It was the first day of turkey season and he had never hunted turkey before. So another friend and I decided to let him have the first crack. We had hunted this bird before and knew he was not like the easy-to-kill Merriam types. Well, we were wrong that morning. That tom gobbled his head off at every call and flew across a draw from his roost and jogged into our setup. I was tempted to shoot the bird out from underneath my friend. I resisted the temptation and he blasted the old bird. If I would've shot, I would've had a Washington Slam that year as I ended up killing and Merriam and Rio at the age of 16. After that I haven't heard, seen, or seen sign of a turkey around here.
Worst part about hunting the west side of the state is you can scout one area all spring. Listen to the bird gobble, find where he roosts, and not see another soul. But on the first day of turkey season so SOB is out right at your spot at 3:30 in the morning and you never hear that turkey gobble the rest of the season.
Good luck. You'll need it.
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 10:00:30 AM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 10:17:08 AM
Post by: bow4elk on January 23, 2009, 10:19:40 AM
They are around...it's all about the sign on the ground - droppings, scratching, feathers. And no, I've never killed one. Just slowly going insane trying ;)
Post by: Wacenturion on January 23, 2009, 10:29:20 AM
Post by: Gobble on January 23, 2009, 10:31:32 AM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 10:49:32 AM
Post by: Gobble on January 23, 2009, 11:13:39 AM
:jacked: :jacked:
Arent we talking about Easterns? :chuckle:
Post by: BrushChimp on January 23, 2009, 12:31:21 PM
As previously posted, 100's a people will flock to one area if posted on this site or in a hunting magazine. If 100 hunters or even 10 hunters are hunting one bird then IMO there is not enough turkeys to support hunting.
Why not increase populations? Can't go without hunting them for a few years? I'm just looking at it from a management perspective. Of course, if the WDFW were to shut it down they may lose money because they wouldn't be able to market Washington Slam. And we all know all they want is money.
I still want to know why there are no more turkeys here then when they planted them. Does anyone have an answer?
Post by: BrushChimp on January 23, 2009, 12:32:38 PM
Post by: yelp on January 23, 2009, 12:34:14 PM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 23, 2009, 04:18:27 PM
I have hunted all over out here. Know every inch of it like the back of my hand. In recent years I've scouted in Pacific county towards Raymond. I know of one, maybe two responsive toms between the county line and Raymond. That's not a huntable population if you ask me. They've been here for twenty-some years or more. How come they aren't running around everywhere like on the eastside if these Eastern do so well in mountainous, rainy conditions? If you kill one every season, GREAT! You have an awesome spot, likely private land, and are one of probably not more than 10-20 people in the WORLD that can kill an eastern in Washington state every year. But for most others, it's a lifetime achievement. After the last bird in Pe Ell was taken, I gave up on the Washington slam and haven't hunted the west side much since.
As previously posted, 100's a people will flock to one area if posted on this site or in a hunting magazine. If 100 hunters or even 10 hunters are hunting one bird then IMO there is not enough turkeys to support hunting.
Why not increase populations? Can't go without hunting them for a few years? I'm just looking at it from a management perspective. Of course, if the WDFW were to shut it down they may lose money because they wouldn't be able to market Washington Slam. And we all know all they want is money.
I still want to know why there are no more turkeys here then when they planted them. Does anyone have an answer?
Lets look at the harvest data for PMU 50 Southwest General Turkey Season from 2001 to 2007. This PMU includes all of Region 5 and 6 , basically Thurston County south to Oregon and west to the coast , including the peninsula. Klickitat county is not included. It shows the harvest as follows:
2001.....47
2002.....54
2003.....52
2004.....54
2005.....56
2006.....77
2007.....86
Looking at the harvest it seems to indicate at least a stable population, if not one that is increasing over time. This harvest is obviously not driven by pressure like say the NE, where success rates are high.....40% maybe. Success rates on easterns run from approximately 8-19 percent, probably averaging 15%, which is about right for Easterns in many areas of the country. However those averages elsewhere probably are driven more by overall pressure than ours.
Not like everyone is running out there to hunt these guys.
Shutting down the season would have no impact on the population, except to have additional toms around that were not harvested. When the hens are bred.....every tom is expendable.....they are not necessary to carry on the population. Thats if you killed them all.....WHICH is not going to happen.
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 06:23:09 PM
Those of use that have worked hard to get easterns in this state starting turkey chapters and raising money to by them and really understand the eastern turkey will never let it happen sorry.
Post by: BrushChimp on January 23, 2009, 06:30:50 PM
As for those statistics, they are skewed. The WDFW says they are skewed in the harvest reports because people mark a turkey killed Lincoln GMU 501 when actually the turkey was killed in Lincoln. Whether that excuse has any merit or not I don't know. I do find it hard to believe that 33 turkeys were killed in 2007 in GMU 501.
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 06:47:14 PM
Post by: yelp on January 23, 2009, 06:49:22 PM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 23, 2009, 06:59:09 PM
Post by: BrushChimp on January 23, 2009, 07:04:27 PM
Sure there are easterns being killed. There probably always will be. But it won't be very many. My point exactly. The more turkeys the better.
Post by: yelp on January 23, 2009, 07:14:42 PM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 23, 2009, 08:49:29 PM
Haha.. I know every logger in this town and they DO NOT "see them all the time." It's true I don't see people miles behind lock gates in the spring. I also don't see any turkeys. I've seen sign several times but none in the last 4 years.
Sure there are easterns being killed. There probably always will be. But it won't be very many. My point exactly. The more turkeys the better.
As Yelp has stated.......more isn't always better. Considering all the trouble getting easterns into the westside, I tend to count my blessings. Huntable birds if someone wants to put in the effort. Oh....and seeing and hearing them isn't what I count on.....I hunt the sign and believe. Some hunts short...had one last 5 minutes, and others might be all day or several days. Most of the time all I see is two dark stick feet coming in through the brush.....no sound. Again...patience and believe the sign.
Consider easterns in western Washington to be unique in the turkey world......kinda like or compare to....Columbia Whitetail, Coues deer, or better yet Osceola and Goulds turkeys. Not alot of them, but unique.....and available to hunt right here in our own state.
Post by: coastalghost on January 23, 2009, 08:59:15 PM
Once again, would love to see some field pics of the Easterns you fellas have taken. ThanksHaha.. I know every logger in this town and they DO NOT "see them all the time." It's true I don't see people miles behind lock gates in the spring. I also don't see any turkeys. I've seen sign several times but none in the last 4 years.
Sure there are easterns being killed. There probably always will be. But it won't be very many. My point exactly. The more turkeys the better.
As Yelp has stated.......more isn't always better. Considering all the trouble getting easterns into the westside, I tend to count my blessings. Huntable birds if someone wants to put in the effort. Oh....and seeing and hearing them isn't what I count on.....I hunt the sign and believe. Some hunts short...had one last 5 minutes, and others might be all day or several days. Most of the time all I see is two dark stick feet coming in through the brush.....no sound. Again...patience and believe the sign.
Consider easterns in western Washington to be unique in the turkey world......kinda like or compare to....Columbia Whitetail, Coues deer, or better yet Osceola and Goulds turkeys. Not alot of them, but unique.....and available to hunt right here in our own state.
.
Post by: bow4elk on January 23, 2009, 09:08:47 PM
Like i said there is a huntable population when there is birds 10 to 20 miles back behind gates how many people are going to hunt them? I now of quit a few of those area's around here.
If you're 10-20 miles behind a locked gate, then you're only a mile or so from the next gated access :bash: My point is with logging road networks, you can't get too far from a gate before you start getting closer to another gate. I use fire protection maps to keep current on logging road construction/destruction.
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on January 24, 2009, 09:34:18 AM
I do find it hard to believe that 33 turkeys were killed in 2007 in GMU 501.
[/quote] I agree, I hunted 501 last spring and only saw (maybe) 5 parked vehicles at gates and no sign of anyone else hunting in the areas I was in (I started scouting in late Feb) and I drove EVERY road I could, and parked at gates and walked miles. The few vehicles I saw driving and the people I did talk to were not turkey hunting. I find it hard to believe there were 33 hunters let alone that many birds harvested.
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 09:38:05 AM
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 09:44:26 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on January 24, 2009, 09:51:50 AM
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 09:58:38 AM
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 10:23:27 AM
Post by: Wacenturion on January 24, 2009, 10:26:45 AM
Just because you don't see vehicles parked somewhere does not mean the area isn't getting hunted. One of my honey holes for years was on a main highway. If we could not conceal our vehicle on some obscure secondary spot, we would have someone drop us off, so as not to advertise our area. Took birds out of there for 4 years before they moved.
Post by: coastalghost on January 24, 2009, 10:33:00 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on January 24, 2009, 11:03:31 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on January 24, 2009, 12:06:02 PM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 24, 2009, 12:33:49 PM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 24, 2009, 12:45:01 PM
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 12:49:20 PM
Post by: Turkeyman on January 24, 2009, 12:52:44 PM
Post by: yelp on January 24, 2009, 01:02:27 PM
Post by: coastalghost on January 24, 2009, 01:06:04 PM