Skychief
69 Cal.
Which hour would you choose to hunt, if only one hour was available?
I would take 10-11.
I would take 10-11.
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One hour to bag your Gobbler........
- Thread starter Skychief
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Man...giving up that magic crack of dawn experience would be tough!Skychief said:
The first week early in the season I'd probably go with the first hour...but a little later in the season when he's got a harem, is done breeding them for the morning, they go to nest, and he's looking for love, I'd take the 10-11am slot.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Hmmm.... :hmm:
Your right Roundball.
Maybe I should have posed the question as simply as....."if you desperately had to bag a gobbler, which hour would you choose early, mid and late season"?
Your right Roundball.
Maybe I should have posed the question as simply as....."if you desperately had to bag a gobbler, which hour would you choose early, mid and late season"?
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Not me boy's. They are more vocal at the crack of dawn and yes who does not want to hear that music BUT if any hens is not sitting then they will go to him an spoil the party. That mid day hour is where flint meets frizzen cause he is lonely an hunting some warm feather's. I always try to be there then an be the only hen he thinks is available. :hatsoff:
I'll admit there is a huge attraction of the late morning hunt...not having to deal with a 4:00am alarm clock, LOL...but we all have to deal with our history, and the first week, very often opening days have been good to me so I'm afraid to change early in the season.Skychief said:
Last year's opening morning was beautiful, crisp and chilly at first light, just barely getting to the point of being able to see my sights, made a couple soft yelps and a longbeard erupted in a tree just 30-40 yards behind me. Heard him hit the ground then running through the leaves to the clearing I set up on...tagged him before I poured a cup of coffee...my kind of turkey hunt !
Patocazador
54 Cal.
Late hunting is out here if you hunt public land. No hunting after 1:00. After the first 4 days I see more birds about 10-11. That doesn't mean they're killable though.
Skychief
69 Cal.
So that no one is mistaking me, you can bet your favorite muzzleloader that dear ol' Skychief will be after them before the crack of dawn. I wouldn't miss it for anything under my control. :thumbsup:
I have two weeks of vacation to use before June, and I am taking the first and last weeks of our turkey season off.
If I am lucky enough to take a Tom, I will then be calling for friends.
And, rest assured, I WILL be seeing the sun rise and set many days with my back nestled against the trees! :wink:
Skychief.
I have two weeks of vacation to use before June, and I am taking the first and last weeks of our turkey season off.
If I am lucky enough to take a Tom, I will then be calling for friends.
And, rest assured, I WILL be seeing the sun rise and set many days with my back nestled against the trees! :wink:
Skychief.
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This hour looks like a good time ... :rotf: No I have more luck later in the morning..I like to be their all day if possible.
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
The first week, the first hour, after that the gobblers are surely going to be "henned up" so I prefer later in the day, after they have bred their first and looking for another...
I would guess that my most productive hour after the first week would be 2:30-3:30...
I would guess that my most productive hour after the first week would be 2:30-3:30...
I decided to take you guys advice and not get up at 4:30am and go turkey hunting today.
I slept in until 6:30, ate breakfast, played on the computer read the newspaper and headed to the woods at 8:30.
My first set up was a bust so I moved across the property to a blind I built out of logs on a high ridge and started calling.
On my second sequence a gobbler answered me back about a quarter mile down the ridge. About an hour later at 11:30 he gobbled about 75 yards away, then 50 but I couldn't see him because of the crest of the hill to my right. I heard him walking in the leaves about 30 yards away but he wouldn't crest the hill. If he had I would have had a 15 yard shot.
He moved off on private land, gobbled his head off but wouldn't come back.
I slipped around parallel to the ridge he was strutting on and tried to lure him back on our property but he wasn't buying it.
I had shoulder rehab at 2:30 so I had to let him go and drive back home. Nothing like a gobbler hammering 30 yards away to makes things exciting.
I slept in until 6:30, ate breakfast, played on the computer read the newspaper and headed to the woods at 8:30.
My first set up was a bust so I moved across the property to a blind I built out of logs on a high ridge and started calling.
On my second sequence a gobbler answered me back about a quarter mile down the ridge. About an hour later at 11:30 he gobbled about 75 yards away, then 50 but I couldn't see him because of the crest of the hill to my right. I heard him walking in the leaves about 30 yards away but he wouldn't crest the hill. If he had I would have had a 15 yard shot.
He moved off on private land, gobbled his head off but wouldn't come back.
I slipped around parallel to the ridge he was strutting on and tried to lure him back on our property but he wasn't buying it.
I had shoulder rehab at 2:30 so I had to let him go and drive back home. Nothing like a gobbler hammering 30 yards away to makes things exciting.
Skychief
69 Cal.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Keep after them Eric, and, thanks for sharing!
Skychief.
Keep after them Eric, and, thanks for sharing!
Skychief.
Never turkey hunted in the afternoon before. After the the fun morning hunt I mentioned earlier I gave the afternoon a try, here is what happened;
I went turkey hunting yesterday afternoon, I could hear the same gobbler I encountered on the last trip hammering on the adjacent property. I settled into my log blind and started calling. The gobbler would come down the hollow across the fence, get pretty close then go back up the hollow away from me.
I decided to wait him out until dark, calling every now and then to see if he would come in.
Abut 3:30 I heard some light "peeps" coming from my right down the ridge. At first I thought it was a hen but it didn't sound right. This turkey was up the ridge, down in the hollow in a zig-zag pattern but getting closer with every zig. I finally saw it easing up to the logging road in front of me and could tell it was a jake. I was going to shoot it as I am not trophy hunting when I have my flintlock.
The bird was about 30 yards away, I couldn't see his head and expected him to walk the logging road toward my decoy. I was hunting big, open woods. He stepped out in the road, I could have shot but he was walking and at least 30 yards away which I felt was a little far for my flinter. I let him go. He peeped his way across the road, up the ridge and out of sight. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get out of view. I couldn't lure him in that last 5 yards I needed to be sure of my shot.
Then there was big boy hammering behind me; After about two hours I heard a gobble closer, directly behind me, then another and another. He was going to my left, the fence line was 20 yards away, I had to let him come through the fence before I could have him on our land for a shot.
I hit the dirt in my log blind, gun cocked, and only my gun barrel and eyeballs peeking over the logs in the direction I knew he would appear. Silence, my legs were getting cramped, still no turkey, then.......... he gobbled, dang, right behind me. I was facing left, he looped around and came in to my right at no more then 15 yards. I swung around to my right but he caught me and hauled butt over the rise and out of my life. I never saw him because he skedaddled when I tried to turn in his direction.
He had a hen with him that scattered when he did, but she came back, I called her right up to me. She hung around for a while making some really loud "lost hen" calls, she was trying to get the gobbler to come back but he was long gone.
A fun afternoon but no cigar.
I went turkey hunting yesterday afternoon, I could hear the same gobbler I encountered on the last trip hammering on the adjacent property. I settled into my log blind and started calling. The gobbler would come down the hollow across the fence, get pretty close then go back up the hollow away from me.
I decided to wait him out until dark, calling every now and then to see if he would come in.
Abut 3:30 I heard some light "peeps" coming from my right down the ridge. At first I thought it was a hen but it didn't sound right. This turkey was up the ridge, down in the hollow in a zig-zag pattern but getting closer with every zig. I finally saw it easing up to the logging road in front of me and could tell it was a jake. I was going to shoot it as I am not trophy hunting when I have my flintlock.
The bird was about 30 yards away, I couldn't see his head and expected him to walk the logging road toward my decoy. I was hunting big, open woods. He stepped out in the road, I could have shot but he was walking and at least 30 yards away which I felt was a little far for my flinter. I let him go. He peeped his way across the road, up the ridge and out of sight. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get out of view. I couldn't lure him in that last 5 yards I needed to be sure of my shot.
Then there was big boy hammering behind me; After about two hours I heard a gobble closer, directly behind me, then another and another. He was going to my left, the fence line was 20 yards away, I had to let him come through the fence before I could have him on our land for a shot.
I hit the dirt in my log blind, gun cocked, and only my gun barrel and eyeballs peeking over the logs in the direction I knew he would appear. Silence, my legs were getting cramped, still no turkey, then.......... he gobbled, dang, right behind me. I was facing left, he looped around and came in to my right at no more then 15 yards. I swung around to my right but he caught me and hauled butt over the rise and out of my life. I never saw him because he skedaddled when I tried to turn in his direction.
He had a hen with him that scattered when he did, but she came back, I called her right up to me. She hung around for a while making some really loud "lost hen" calls, she was trying to get the gobbler to come back but he was long gone.
A fun afternoon but no cigar.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Sounds like fun Eric.
I read recently that as a gobbler approaches, 10 things can happen.....
......and 9 of them are bad. :haha:
I enjoyed your hunt.
Continued good luck, Skychief.
I read recently that as a gobbler approaches, 10 things can happen.....
......and 9 of them are bad. :haha:
I enjoyed your hunt.
Continued good luck, Skychief.
