Turkey Season
Contributors to this thread:Minnesota
From: MNRazorhead
06-Apr-17
Less than a week to go. Good luck everyone! Post any good stories and pics and we can all enjoy them.
From: Tonybear61
14-Apr-17
2017 Archery Turkey
2017 Archery Turkey
Here is a pic of a early season jake. Granted not a big tom but will be good eating. Came in with 5 others in a tight ball , just like the little kids playing soccer.
From: Tonybear61
14-Apr-17
Close shot off just slightly.
Four blade Muzzy cut on contact did the job just fine. Bird went less than 20 yds.
From: Butternut40
14-Apr-17
Congrats on a fine bird.
From: Dwayne
16-Apr-17
Way to go Tony!
From: MNRazorhead
17-Apr-17
Wow! Good opener to say the least, Tony!
From: Tonybear61
17-Apr-17
I saw a flock in front of the Forest Lake Gander Mountain last week. Way to taunt all the hunters...
From: MNRazorhead
19-Apr-17
Tony, there is a flock that frequent the Eden Prairie Home Depot parking lot and I think you could feed them corn out of your hand (and kill one with a hammer if you wanted to...). JK. I would never take my turkey hunting frustrations out on those poor parking lot pets. 8^))
From: Tonybear61
19-Apr-17
One standing guard at the NSP Ace Hardware last year...
From: MNRazorhead
24-Apr-17
Well, I came this II close on Sunday to shooting the biggest bodied turkey I have ever seen - Had good beard and well over 1" spurs, too. It started when I got in my blind and realized there was a gobbler roosted only 25 yards away instead of their usual spot that is about 100 yards. Here he is cutting loose with a gobble from the roost
From: MNRazorhead
24-Apr-17
The debacle started at about 5:45 am. I had a hen decoy down in front of my blind, which would be directly between me and the previous picture of him up in the tree. Over the next six+ HOURS he flew down to a spot about 50 yards away and slowly, VERY VERY SLOWLY, made his way over to me and the decoy, continuously fanning, gobbling and occasionally feeding. Right at about 12 noon he was finally just on the edge of my shooting window, although he still needed to take a few steps to actually be in the spot where I could take a shot. Care to guess what he did next? Here is the last picture I took of him.
From: MNRazorhead
24-Apr-17
He stopped, fanned out and gobbling trying to get the hen to come to him, and eventually turned around and walked away. Go figure. I hadn't sat down or relaxed for over 6 hours. It took him another hour to meander away and go out of sight so I could leave the blind. Had this exact (although it didn't last nearly as long as this encounter) same thing happen a number of years ago with a gobbler getting just about to shooting position, stopping and gobbling trying to get the hen to come to him and then finally turning around and just leaving. Two more steps is all that was needed... The spot in the photo above is as far as he made it. I wonder how old this bird is as it was the most cautious and persistent approach I have ever seen and combined with his body and spur size makes me wonder.
It still was FUN!
From: MNRazorhead
29-Apr-17
Filled my tag today at 1:30 pm. It ran into the nearby creek and died in the middle of it, so it looked like a drowned rat when I pulled it out. First pic is after I pulled it out, second is after it partially dried off. Third pic is at home after it fully dried
From: snapcrackpop
04-May-17
Yea, those birds sure like river bottoms here in MN. Funny how such a "dumb bird" can be so hard to hunt at times and then so easy.... Congratulations!
Here was an easy one: .
From: MNRazorhead
04-May-17
Yowza! Those are the wickedest looking hooks I have ever seen! What's the story and length of those babies? Any other close-ups of them-would love to see that.
Looks like your bird went for a swim, too! Funny!
Hope more pics and any good stories get posted. C'mon guys! Let's see 'em.
From: snapcrackpop
04-May-17
Big hooks from my 17yoa "reapin" behind the turkey-fan. Crawled up to 10 yards & shot it! 1 1/4 & 1 1/8 spurs, 9" beard, 20 pounds.
The "wet bird" story is in the turkey section under 6 arrow bird.
From: MNRazorhead
25-May-17
Last weekend coming up - good luck to everyone still chasing them this weekend. I'll be out helping my buddy fill his tag.
From: RD
31-May-17
It's been a long season, this morning I had 4 gobblers and 4 jakes 15 yds BEHIND my blind following 1 hen, it's been a long season, one more afternoon try.
From: RD
31-May-17
Have Faith! 4:51 last afternoon hen comes in and lays down, Gobbler shows up and low and behold I made the shot! 20 lbs 10 inch beard and 1inch spurs
From: MNRazorhead
02-Jun-17
Randy, Way to pull it out of the hat at the end! Nice bird! I've never had much luck hunting afternoons. What do you do for calling and set-up in the afternoon?
From: RD
05-Jun-17
Since I've retired I've got a lot of time to chase. I didn't write it down but I'm sure I hunted at least 30 mornings and about as many afternoons this year. I should have been done the first day I went as I missed a really good bird that day. In the afternoons I go to areas where I know the hens like to dust, maybe call VERY LIGHTYLY every hour or so with clucks and purrs, softly. I had 2 fields that were really tore up and so that's where I concentrated. My pictures are of a hen just getting out of a bowl and the second is in the other field with a hen I called in everytime I was there.
From: RD
05-Jun-17
I called this one memer-x
From: arlone
05-Jun-17
Some nice birds. I didn't get to go this spring, but should be ready for the fall season, or more likely have a tag just in case one walks by the deer stand.
From: VogieMN
12-Jun-17
It wasn't with a bow but I got one the first season with a shotgun. Broke my 10 year bad luck streak!!! 22 lbs, nice bird. He came in spitting and strutting, never heard a turkey spit before.
From: MNRazorhead
14-Jun-17
I'll add one additional turkey story from this season. The day after I got my bird above, I was driving out to Cabin Fever in Victoria to do some shooting and as I was going by Paisley Park (Prince's recording studio in Chan, and where he died) doing about 50-60 mph, a turkey hen runs out in front of me with no warning and I wallop her with the front-end passenger side. Talk about a feather explosion... I quickly pull over and she is still alive, unbelievably. So, I put her out of her misery and look at my truck. She broke the mounting/adjustment bracket on my passenger head light, but no other apparent damage. I'm glad she hit the front end and didn't fly up and hit the windshield as I have seen what a full-grown turkey can do to them at highway speeds. I've gone into hiding, too, because I found a picture of my truck under her wing with turkey scratchings underneath it. I don't speak turkey, but I think they have put out a hit on me for the one I killed this year... Be safe out there, guys, and watch your back.
And just to put the cherry on top, I dropped a shaving-sharp broadhead arrow (old-style Bear Razorhead) onto my foot last weekend as I was putting away my TURKEY hunting arrows. The arrow went about 1/2 way through my foot and embedded solidly enough that it stood straight up out of my foot. Luckily, it went between the tendons going to my toes and didn't damage any nerves or major blood vessels, although it bled for about 36 hours off and on, even after stitches were in. The pic is what this looks like just in case you get a hankering to do this to yourself for fun. There was absolutely no pain when it happened and no adrenaline to mask it if there was. Felt like someone just poked me with their finger. However, I now have three toes starting to turn black and blue and three stitches holding the cut together. I hope next year is as exciting as this one, or maybe not after I think about it.
Vogie, congratulations on breaking the bad-luck streak! Doesn't matter if it is bow or gun, post a picture if you can.
From: VogieMN
21-Jun-17
22 lbs, spurs were almost an inch, beard was 8.5 inches
22 lbs, spurs were almost an inch, beard was 8.5 inches
From: MNRazorhead
03-Jul-17
Vogie, nice bird! Love those early season birds with nice feathers not yet beat up from dragging on the ground strutting!
From: Tonybear61
03-Jul-17
Thawing out my son's bird now as we are expecting company for the 4th.
Great way to celebrate the holiday and the successful season.
Reminder to everyone we live in a great state and country where I don't need govt permission to own a weapon, hunt, just buy a lisc. Lots of public land (not just for the elite or rich) and game isn't that hard to find if you are willing to work for it.
God Bless America!!!
