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Post by osprey on Apr 21, 2007 18:23:42 GMT -5
Oh geez, not tips from Doug!!! Why do you think it took me 14 years to get the first one!!! ;D
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Post by busco on Apr 21, 2007 19:33:15 GMT -5
My wife and i went from 6-8 didnt see anytihng i think i heard one or mayne two.. but not sure if i just wanted tooo soooooooooooooo bad i imagined it. well will try my nanjemoy property next...
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Post by davep on Apr 21, 2007 20:18:00 GMT -5
Heard one gobbling at 0545 when I walked out the door. Got down in the creek bottom by 0600.He was gobbling once every 4-5 minutes.Set up and softly yelped a time or two,then quit.I THOUGHT he was 100-150 yds further up the creek,but saw one come down out of the trees about 80 yds out,and hit the ground behind a slight ridge.I gave one series of yelps,then shut up.No response.15 minutes later,I see one strutting across an open pasture 200 yards away.Back and forth and back and forth.Slight,eroded cut he WOULD NOT cross.He finally quartered down towards the creek(opposite side from me),and gobbled a few times.He's answer IF I got aggressive,but otherwise not.Then I heard some hens,and that was it.Went the other direction.Wondering if the one I saw come down was a hen?
Anyway,glad to see/hear something for a change.C'mon Monday!
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Post by deerslayer on Apr 21, 2007 20:55:56 GMT -5
Didnt get to hunt today but went to my farm on the way back from getting my deer scored and talked to the guy who lives on the farm and he said they have been talking alot so guess I have to take a day off this week and see whats up. Got the bug today, while at the taxidermy shop 3 were brought in, one being a 24 1/2 lb hoss. Man was that a big bird. Mike Travis took him down. Was the first bird I ever saw get skined and ready for a mount and that was neat. Speaking of Mike... if noone has been to Travis's shop in Chestertown Md. ....You should go and see the show rm, that place was nice. Those boys know how to mount. I have never seen so my animals in all my life. One wall has about 30-35 deer on it that Don and his wife have killed, the biggest being shot by Dons wife. That place is great. My next mount will be done @ Travis's.
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Post by sikaseducer on Apr 22, 2007 9:07:36 GMT -5
Dave: It took me 14 years of answering your turkey huntin questions before I realized that when I suggested using two decoys that you were using full bodied, goose decoys. Gravey ever since, huhhhhhhhh? Oh geez, not tips from Doug!!! Why do you think it took me 14 years to get the first one!!! ;D
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Post by Hardcorehunter on Apr 22, 2007 19:53:47 GMT -5
I can't wait to try those tips. Still early in the season, no need to rush a shot. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Post by Huntin'Fever on Apr 22, 2007 20:51:45 GMT -5
Saturday morning was a good show....
Like most of you, I heard my first gobble at 5:45 am. Luckily there were two others that answered him. Unfortunately they're on the other side of a ravine and I can't move closer because it's not our property.
After thinking about it, I come up with two options.....500+ yards away on the bird side of the ravine or 150 yards away on the opposite side of the ravine. I decided to go with the later and was hoping that I might be able to convince them to "fly down" to my side of the ravine. If they didn't come across, I'd change gears.
I get set up, do some soft yelps, and the closest bird answers. I wait awhile and then do a fly-down-cackle. The closest bird answers again but the other two are more or less gobbling for the sake of making noise. Once they get off the roast, my fears come true. They're on the other side of the ravine going the wrong direction and aren't really responding to my calls. To make it worse, my backup plan across the ravine would now be 700+ yards away so I'm pretty much stuck in my spot with no other birds gobbling.
Do I get aggressive or just play it cool? I decide to run two aggressive series of cutting (remind him what he's leaving behind) and then I did loud yelps every 15 min or so. I start to wonder as they didn't answer at all for the next 45 min. But, I remind myself that it's early!
My saving grace....one of the birds finally sounds off after a series of yelps and he's about 250 yards away. I answer with some more yelps, he responds, and then I follow-up with some loud clucks. Sweet! 5 minutes go by and I yelp again. Now all three birds answer and they are getting closer. Over the next 15 mins I probably called about 4 series of yelps and they responded to about two of them. Although they weren't real vocal, they're closing the distance and sound like they could be in the bottom of the ravine. Not to mention, a fourth bird joins in and adds to the racket. I shut up and hope they gobble and come "looking" for me.
Next I hear strutting, drumming, and wings flapping; the show begins. My gun is on the knee and I have my mouth call in. Next I see 4 white heads and I'm eager to see what kind of beards are coming over the ridge. Oddly enough, they seem to be preoccupied and only "half-way" respond to some clucks and purrs. Come to find out, they're trying to establish dominance and are chasing each other around in circles. One and sometimes two birds would be in the middle fanned out...the others are running around in a "duck duck goose fashion." The strutting birds are spinning also and it makes me dizzy to watch. Then they break up in pairs and start spurring at each other, locking heads, and really going at it. It was awesome and I really couldn't bellieve it was happening!
Long story short....it ended up being 4 Jakes and they strutted, gobbled, and fought for like 45 minutes. What a show! They never really came closer than 55/60 yards and I think they really didn't care about the hen and jake I had set up. They were likely pre-occupied but could have been scared of a Tom in the area. What a morning to be in the woods!
I'm jealous of you guys who are taking off work tomorrow. (And others liike Osprey who is going trippin') I think I might take some time next week and try my luck again in MD. This Saturday I'll likely head to VA again! Maybe I'll see the big tom who has a few tail feathers missing!
Till next time...Fever.
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Post by nybuckstalker on Apr 23, 2007 16:26:55 GMT -5
I didn't hear my first gobble until 11:20! There was just too much thick brush between us for me to get in close in order to set up. I just decided to put out the deeks and see what would happen. He closed the distance considerably by 11:30 but then went silent. I waited until exactly noon and got up. As soon as I hit the old road the deeks were on, I saw a turkey about 100yds up. IT saw me and walked off. I don't know if it was the gobbler or not. I will be back there in the morning.
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Post by nybuckstalker on Apr 25, 2007 11:16:30 GMT -5
Nothing yesterday either boys! Not even a courtesy gobble. Sure was hot too. I did end up picking off four ticks that had attached themselves to me in the two over the course of the two days. I killed at least 20 more that were on my clothes and in my truck! I miss the north when it comes to that. We would rarely even see a tick!
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Post by THE DEER HUNTER on Apr 25, 2007 11:40:32 GMT -5
I had a bird gobbling pretty early & I set up on him with my bow/blind, but he never showed up. As the morning went on, I heard probably a hundred gobbles across a creek about 500 yards away, but with my bow/blind I couldn't get over there to them. I know where to start tomorrow morning!
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Post by THE DEER HUNTER on Apr 26, 2007 8:07:22 GMT -5
Well, I saw a bird today. Too bad it was roosted in a tree right by where I park my truck. Not sure what it was, but when I walked by I found out it was there & it flew away pretty quickly. I walked another 5 or 6 hundred yards & set up on 2 that were gobbling in the roost, but at 6:15 they shut up & I didn't hear them again. I hunted until about 8 & heard constant gobbling from every direction, just not where I was. Guess tomorrow is another day!
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Post by BuckMaster on Apr 26, 2007 8:38:42 GMT -5
Wow. Sounds like you had fun. Did you hunt your club prop?
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Post by osprey on Apr 26, 2007 16:31:12 GMT -5
Hunted public yesterday and never heard a gobble, even though it was s beautiful, warm, calm morning. Hunted my place today, heard one single gobble across the road on another property (1/4 - 1/2 mile??), saw one hen. I think she's got a beard, too, but at 100 yards across a field of grass I wasn't sure, even with binoculars.
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Post by osprey on Apr 27, 2007 7:44:40 GMT -5
One gobble across the river at home this morning, nothing else. Going back out in a bit to one of the spots I took Fox last week, going to set the pop-up blind and call softly in the rain until noon. Maybe one will sneak in, can't imagine I'll see many other hunters out today in the rain...
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Post by BIG FOX on Apr 27, 2007 8:18:07 GMT -5
good luck
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