Finally broke the ice...

[gd357]

Well, after a terrible month of turkey hunting, I got lucky. Walking out from our usual set-up, and saw 2 birds out in a field along the edge of the woods at 250-300 yards. Snuck around through the woods, got within 30 or 35 yards, and shot the gobbler (the hen with him had a beard too). He ended up weighing 24 lbs with a 10 3/8" beard, and 1 1/2" spurs. Can't say I'm thrilled with the season up to this point, but you rarely get a chance to successfully stalk these birds, and I'll take it!

gd

[petey]

Good job!

Pretty sad how hunting has got with them around my neck of the woods too. You definitly have to hunt them differently. The days of hearing a bird and getting in on him and once he answered he was as good as dead are long gone.

I've been all over numerous states hunting these Easterns and it seems to be getting harder and harder every year in PA. Ohio used to be a place you could go and kill your bird in a day or so too, but I haven't been there in a while and I'm sure it's getting the same type of pressure as here. You never used to be constricted by posted signs either. If you heard a bird, you could go and kill it. More and more hunters out at all times of the year calling, coyotes, & tons of hens. That aggressive calling just doesn't do it this year. Best to just sit and ambush one, which isn't as exciting as calling one in on a rope. They need to open up a hen season as far as I'm concerned! Took me 4 days to kill one this year and all 3 days prior I worked birds and had hens take them away. This was the worst first day I've ever had too....never heard a bird. Youth season screwing things up?? Not sure as to the answer but they sure aren't as vocal as years in the past.

[gd357]

Here in Ohio we're allowed to take hens in the fall turkey season, but most don't bother because it's during bow season. Trouble around here is that there aren't any more turkeys than there were 5 years ago (locally numbers are down). There seems to be 5 times the hunters, and the birds that live through their first hunting encounter usually are darn tough to bag(either ambush 'em or forget it). I don't know how old this bird was, but he's been around for a long time, and it was just luck he was in a position to stalk. Youth season has screwed us up for the last couple of years, so I imagine it's the same everywhere else. Good luck to all of you still hunting - I've got one more weekend to go for #2.

gd

[Duffy]

Congrats, gd357! That's one more than I've been able to get so far.

Where in Ohio are you?

[gd357]

Columbus area. I've been hunting in the Mansfield/Ashland area, and that's where I got him.

gd

[fabsroman]

Petey,

We have a hen season in Maryland during the fall season and it is a week long. Never hunted turkey in the fall, but I did have the chance to kill one while waterfowl hunting. I saw them coming down a fence row. I was about 15 feet into the field so I put my facemask on and crouched down. The first hen stuck her head through the fence, looked at me, looked left, looked at me again, and then came through the fence. Two more of the 7 birds followed her through, but I didn't shoot because I thought the season had ended the day before and I was about to sit for the bar exam and couldn't afford to get in trouble. After we got back to the car, I found out that it was the last day. Oh well, stuff like that happens.

As far as DNR allowing serious hunting of huns, that probably will not happen until they have a serious over population like the do with deer and resident geese in certain areas. In some areas we can take unlimited does in any weapons season, whereas 15 years ago we were only allowed to kill a single antlered buck. Resident geese used to be 5 a day in the early season and 2 a day in the late season. Now, the season starts August 1 instead of Sept 1, and we can shoot 15 birds and have unplugged guns. Utterly insane. We can kill 5 birds during the rest of the season. I don't know what anybody would do with that many birds if they continue to limit out. That would be a lot of jerky for me.

[petey]

Took a ride last night and saw 7 different birds (5 gobblers) within 2 miles of the house. Called up Ol_spark and hopefully hooked him up this morning....He's taking out my secret weapon- "Tommy".....We'll see.

One neat thing was watching a black bird literaly chase a hen out of a field. It dive-bombed it to the point the that hen took off flying. Pretty comical to watch, and the 3 yr old got to see the whole show too. Birds were out everywhere with the rain.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

I think the cold snap we have had most of this month had lots to do with the birds just not being vocal....although I got mine on the first monday of the season and I first heard him so far off I didn't realize it was a turkey gobble at first..but 1/2 hr later and a few ridges...he is in the freezor..and gobbled the whole way..when with the kids, only thing that comes in are the hens..and they all been vocal..I figured maybe ole tom would follow them in like has happened in the past..I couldn't get the tom to leave the hens so I called the hens in...and he followed....another day in the woods for the second tag had 3 walkin a ridge about 100 yds away but wouldn't come over to me...I later found out there must have been a bad wind storm because a row of trees kind a made a fence so thick you couldn't even see through it..so the next day, I moved to the other side of the hill and never heard a peep all morning...even as far as I could hear..but that was a frosty morning..I still think they are there, just smarter and also due to the guys out playing with the calls before the season sure can't help things along..so to sum it all up, cold weather, too much playing before the season and every year we put up with the hens...that is all part of the game....I hope to fill my other tag yet...good luck to all ....they are there..just smarter...