Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 309 Location: Baltimore/Cambridge, MD Karma: 6
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #2 on May 13, 2009, 10:00am »
Don't feel bad, I've yet to even see one as well. I'm not even sure I'll venture out again. I'm in traditional turkey spots, but they just don't seem to be there this year.
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 89 Location: Front Royal, VA Karma: 1
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #3 on May 13, 2009, 10:42am »
Guys it has been tough this year and what has worked for me has been soft calling and moving to the bird and closing the gap when he does respond. I wouldn't recommend this tactic on public land for safety reasons but it has worked for me on the private properties I hunt. A double hen/jake decoy has also worked for me and I have set this up in strutting zones with success. The weather hasn't helped at all with this wet, cold and windy spring but these last few days should be good hunting as allot of hens have been bred and are on the nests and the Tom's will be much more aggressive to the calls looking for that last hen to breed. I recommend some soft calling at first, moving to the birds if possible and hunting over known strut zones with a decoy set-up.
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 277 Location: charles county Karma: 2
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #4 on May 13, 2009, 5:13pm »
I have been going a lot and they are gobbling early then stopping when they fly down till about 8:30-9:00 then with the leaf cover you almost have to be on top of them to hear them. I have taken a nice bird already and have passed on similar birds trying to get a monster bird I saw but he is kickin my a** We have taken 5 so far between 18-23 lb's and 9-1/4 to 11-1/2 in beards so a good year so far. Also since I have been letting birds pass they are very reluctant to come into the spread with my jake or tom decoy out when I remove them and just have hens they walk right into the decoy's...
Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 998 Location: Mechanicsville Karma: 10
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #5 on May 16, 2009, 9:59am »
What are the birds doing?
Eluding me!
Haven't hardly been out for myself this year, and hadn't had a worked a bird since Youth day!
Slipped out this am, and couldn't get a rise out of any and didn't hear anything.
Then a bunch of crows were harrassing something down in a little swampy bottom, and GOBBLE,GOBBLE,GOBBLE!
I worked my way down there and when he fired off again, another one answered back from up on the other side!
I got into position, as close as I dared, and gave a few soft yelps.
Nothing. Crows started back up, and GOBBLE,GOBBLE,GOBBLE again on the far side. I eased forward a little more and set up again.
Wasn't reallly sure exactly WHERE they were-hard to tell as cover was so thick, and sounded muffled, but since it's a narrow neck, they HAD to be close.
Few soft yelps. Nothing. Tried a louder cackle and GOBBLE,GOBBLE,GOBBLE!
Ok, this might work. Except there's a small, steep stream, and a fence between us.
I work a little closer and scope things out. There's a series of wooded,little finger ridges running down to the creek bottom. I THINK he's in the one straight ahead so I work to the creek edge and set up. I can see it's pretty open for 30 yds on the other side, and a field edge runs down to it. He's GOT to be right there somewhere.
Few soft yelps, and FLAP,FLAP,FLAP!
What the hell??
I look straight up, only opening around and away goes a NICE tom, beard aswaying!
Getting on to 0700 and the lazy SOB was still on the roost!
Then the one across the creek gobbles again, and I realize that the first bird I heard was WAY closer than I thought. Just figured he was on the damn ground!
I played with the one across there for a bit, but he was on a little field ridge, just off a spit of woods. HE'd answer me if I called aggressively, but that was it. Wouldn't come in,and no good way to get closer to him.
So I fed a lot of mosquitos for a while, then backed out. Hopefully, I can get my daughter on them this last week.
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 830 Location: mechanicsville,MD Karma: 3
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #7 on May 17, 2009, 9:13am »
Man Dave, your season sounds like mine. I took my son with me yesterday. I had my blind set up where a longbeard has been roosting on other occasions this year. At day break ,one starts gobbling across the power line. This went on for at least 45 minutes. I decided that it was time for us to move in on him. When we got to the power line , i let off some yelps off my 4 1/2 reed charlie Messina diaghpram call. H e hammered off up the ridge about 150 yards away. we headed up the logging road to get on the same elevation as him. I look up in the woods and there was a buck staring at us. M y son got nervous because the deer didn,t run. Any how i hit the call again and he bucked off about 100 yards. W e backed up against a large oak tree and waited. 10 minutes later my son says to me there is a deer close to my right. I slowly turn to look and busted ,Ole tom 30 yards to my right lookin at me with 2 little alarm putts to follow and just like that he was gone in the wind! Oh well it was definetly exciting and a great time hunting with my son!!
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 277 Location: charles county Karma: 2
Re: What are the birds doing? « Reply #8 on May 17, 2009, 2:53pm »
I know not the best picture but I saw this hen when leaving the farm sat around noon walking in some pine's heading to a field with about 8-10 very tiny poult's . They are very small and hard to see but they are just under her feet.. My friend killed a big bird sat. morning by the time I got out he had already cut it up no pic. 23 lb's 10-1/2 beard 1-1/2 spurs
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