Question
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: Jebediah
15-May-17
From all these great stories on here, it is probably only a matter of time until I take up turkeys. So I was reading the regulations. Is it true that there's no online option for checking turkeys?
From: Ungie01201
15-May-17
you can check online.. right on the harvest page http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/licensing/
From: Jebediah
15-May-17
Oh wow, thank you. Not sure how I missed that.
From: Jebediah
16-May-17
Ok. I took the five dollar plunge, and I'm out on the edge of a field with a 30-year-old box call that I barely know how to use, and no decoys, but I can hear birds in front of me and behind me. Well out of my sight in both cases, and showing no sign of coming my way. I think they're pretty safe. Regardless, lots of fun to listen and to get some fresh air.
From: Jebediah
16-May-17
See any turkeys?
From: Jebediah
16-May-17
Both turkeys seem to have accomplished whatever it was they'd set out to do, and both are now silent. Neither turkey moved even one inch toward me, apparently my shreiks from the box call weren't too seductive. Oh well. I'll give it a little while longer and then waddle off to work.
From: Ungie01201
16-May-17
you never know... wait em out!! or move in on them!
From: Jebediah
16-May-17
Moving in on them would involve interrupting somebody's breakfast here in eastern MA. Lots of fun, great to be outside. Coyote passed close behind me, I saw that guy a number of times in the fall, never offers a shot.
From: Will
16-May-17
Glad you got out Jeb!
From: spike78
16-May-17
I'm rooting for you Jeb!
From: DeanMan
16-May-17
Jeb the best part of Turkey hunting other than being in the woods is the gobble!! So it sounds to me you had a great day! Good luck!
From: Jebediah
16-May-17
It really was fun. Found myself wishing deer gobbled too.
From: Ungie01201
17-May-17
Other than bowhunting deer, my next favorite thing is chasing gobblers... Although I only gun hunt turkeys, I still love it and prefer it over gun hunting deer usually. BUT, bowhunting deer is where it's at for me... !
From: Will
17-May-17
Ungie - I'm with you. Archery deer is my favorite hunting activity, but turkey, with a SG is number 2. It's a blast. For some reason, the archery turkey thing just has never "taken" for me. With the gun, a blast!
From: Ungie01201
17-May-17
Exactly Will... I can't usually hunt turkeys like a deer... sit and wait. I love moving in and setting up... sometimes several times for a bird to make a mistake. Covering a lot of ground sometimes and actually getting some deer scouting in sometimes at the same time!~
From: Will
17-May-17
100% Ungie...
From: DeanMan
17-May-17
Ungie and Will add me to ur list! Love chasing birds with SG.. I have a hard enough time sitting still during deer archery. I have had some success with the bow in a blind but I prefer running and gunning. However getting up at 3/3:30 is starting to get to me.
From: Jebediah
17-May-17
Interesting. Sitting and doing nothing is one of my strengths.
From: Jebediah
19-May-17
Well I am out this morning and I know there's a bird maybe 150 yards in front of me, I think he came down and went in the wrong direction. Several days ago there had been a bird behind me but I haven't heard him since. So since ~6 I'm thinking I'm pretty much done, but I make a few more awful noises with my box call. Turns out the "behind me" bird is about 20 yards from me and he lets loose with a gobble nearly scares me to death. Some incredibly thick stuff between him and me, but I watched him milling around for awhile. He would have to come around 180 degrees for a shot, plus now I think he's wandered off in the opposite direction. Regardless, it was a lot of fun.
From: Moons22
19-May-17
Sounds like you're turning into quite the turkey hunter! Awesome keep at it!
From: DeanMan
19-May-17
Awesome Jeb! Nothing more exciting then a bird firing off right next to you when you don't know he was there.
From: Jebediah
20-May-17
I've been sitting under two small pine trees that make a sort of natural blind, but not a very good one. This has been neat because various small birds like to hop around in the branches just a few feet over my head, and I can look at them. Today there is a black and yellow striped finch sort of bird, very beautiful, never seen anything exactly like it. But with these birds above me it was only a question of when, and sure enough the finch just shat on me. Not a sound today from the turkeys, but a nice morning regardless. Crows are going nuts. I've heard that turkeys don't like owls. Wonder if they also don't like crows.
From: Moons22
20-May-17
They hate crows. Crow call is a great locator call for turkey.