* Let's talk spring TURKEY * >>>------->
Pennsylvania
Well last night I got out for the first time to do a little spring turkey scouting.. And boy was it a good night.. On my way to my spot that I was just going to sit and watch and listen I saw a ton of deer on my drive.. It's about 6 miles from my house and i saw 50/60, some groups as large as 14.. I also saw 2 gobbles out strutting and with a bunch of hens and 2 others out by them self. Got to my parking spot, and didn't make 25 steps and there were bird out in the field I was going to sit at and watch. Getting pumped for the season... Next weekend I my take a ride up to Ny state and check out some old stomping grounds that I use to hunt. It's only about a 45 minute drive from my house.. That place has been very good to me over the years that I hunted there. Plan on getting out tomorrow morning at first light to listen at an other spot. Then cut some fire wood and go the the Disabled Hunter Banquet in the afternoon. Ed
They have been a strutting and a gobbling all around. The other morning when we got the 6" of snow they kept standing on the salted roads. In about 3 weeks they will have gotten alot smarter! ;)
Well did a little scouting over the weekend. Hitting 2 of my spots, didn't get there early am but more early afternoon. Didn't see it hear any, but did find fresh scratching. This dam weather up here in the Susquehanna county has kept me from getting out after work in the evenings. The weather over the next week looks poor for scouting also. Hope the weekend weather is better. Only 2 weeks away.
I can’t wait, been getting lots of pics!
I scouted last Sat. with a buddy for the youth day. We covered about 3 miles on a SGL without seeing or hearing a turkey. (Lots of coyote scat though) Then we drove down a SGL road and had one cross right in front of us. Saw a hen in the same area on the way back out.
"Our turkey season starts too late in PA. Good thing is my land is being torn up by turkeys. Excited to get out there."
Got that right. Especially in the warmer corners of the state. This year seems to be an anomaly. Generally, it is pretty darn green by now in this corner.
Who here supports a three day archery only hunt the week before the youth opener? During the week to limit pressure and impact.
We got snow over on the other side of the state.. Wish I could of got out and looked for tracks and strut dags.
Been under the weather the last 3 days. I will check the cameras during the sunny afternoon tomorrow.
Sun whats,, that dat??? The first 12 days of April we had same form of snow. Only one day so far above 60 I think. That was last Saturday. Snow last nite and the nite before that covered the ground.
It was 31 and snowing when I left the house yesterday morning. When I got home after work it was 36 and sleeting. Woke up to snow flurries and 28 this morning. Is this April or JAN 20th???!!!
It snowed here again last night. And can't get out a scout. No snow tonight and tomorrow I'm going scouting. :(
Relax.
Breathe. whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
And it will come.
We're about a week, maybe two and a half at the most from that smell. You know the smell?
I love season change. That's when magic happens.
Mushrooms are beginning to fruit from their mycelium, can't see them here yet, but like a winter-roused turtle, slow, winter-cold-reptilian-like, but instinctively pushing upwards from the pond's soft, swamp stinky bottom toward its seasonally black surface. Entirely alone.... cold like we'll never know. Unsure. Moving... moving... barely moving. For its first breath in 6 months.... and spring arrives!!!
Birds flying north of the center of the globe to find their birth place again. Slow. Sure. Somehow. For millennia. Earth still wobbles a bit to our-their benefit. We'd do well to relish this natural interlude. It's a cool thing. They don't see it as we do :^) Don't rush the heat and stagnation, and endurance of summer for silly, self-serving reasons. Grass mowing? Fruit trees? Gardens? Food plots? A rush into the next 'hunting season'? For a certain buck? or class of... Pfff. They hunt, kill, evade, and die every... single... day, by the millions, all year long. They do, on a second to second basis, every day of their waking lives, what we pretend to do for a few minutes of a few weeks in the fall, at our convenience, of ours. We're players. All of us.
Keep it real. Be sportsmen.
Got out Saturday morning and heard birds at spot #1 Also saw 6 hens and 2 toms in the fields.. Spot #2, Sunday morning this place is mostly all woods,, bird were a talking here.. Looking forward to Saturday. Got to order my second tag later , almost forgot..
Well its 5:15am, going out and listen before work. Trying to pin point where he is roosting. Saturday can't come quick enough.
LOL! One of my buddies had a bear tear up his blind on multiple occasions in archery season. He finally gave up and moved to a different area.
Good luck on Sat. Ed- sounds like you have a good setup!
So far it been a fair opening day of turkey season. 6:15 had a nice bird at 15 yds. Forgot to set my arrow all the way down on the rest. Right after the shot I remembered that I didn't set the arrow all the way down. A draw and a miss. :( Then had a guy walk right by me why working another bird. :( Can't blame the guy I sure he didnt know I was there. Then quite till 2 Jakes showed up (ones in the pic) at 8 yds from my blind. Gave them a pass this time. Half hour left to hunt. Maybe Monday????
Phone won't let me put pic up. :( Keep saying chrome stopped working. When I try to add the pic.
That’s why I love the Wisker Biscuit Ed! ;-)
Sounds like you had an eventful morning!
Rut it was the wb. Just bow was laying on ground of the blind. Arrow tip was touching something not letting it down all the way. I saw it was not down before I saw the bird. Picked up bow when I saw the bird and didnt push arrow down.. I took my time, drawing, lined up level, peep and settled pin on the full facing strutting tom. Touch it off,, arrow high and left and over the hill to be never seen again, I did look for it.
Oh, ok- gotcha! I have done that before, but fortunately noticed before the moment of truth.
This is one of the two Jakes I gave a pass to on opening morning.
This is one of the two Jakes I gave a pass to on opening morning.
Out for a ride this evening. Saw a ton of birds out in the fields. Tomorrow looks real good. Good luck everyone.
Ya can't eat the beard or spurs. Old birds are tuff eaten..
Which wingbones work better in calls? Which primaries work better for arrows? A good herbal rub and low and slow in the smoker makes em ALL great eatin.
Saturday 5-12-18 bring very overcast and rainy skys. Birds are gobbling, I hear what sounds like three different birds. None in the same spot. Saw two henso and then 3. All heading to the old corn field above me, it has a nob/high spot that they aways head to.. Ofen the gobblers are seen there string their stuff. I moved my blind about 60 yds from where it was the last 2 Saturdays because both times the birds came up and to the field passing out of range. This time I hope to be in the right spot.
Two hens came up from below and headed to the field.
You can see in the pic where the field above in starts.
Where's the link to turn the pic??
Rains letting up and a bird in gobbling about 100 yds below me. Can't see him. He's just over the rise.
He sounds closer but more to my east. I think on the gas pipe line.
Another bird just gobbled in the old corn field above me.
One in the field is gobbling alot.
These two came by following the hen. Out about 50 yds.
6 jakes and 1 hen out for a stroll in the rain.
Hers a pic of my bow on the floor of the blind.
This is a pic from last Saturday. He only came to 28 yards. I thought he was going to come closer but moved away. He was smart and would not move in towards the decoys. The decoys are 9 yards on the opposite side of my blind.
We today he must of been on the rebound after his girl friend left him. He let his small head do the thinking..
This is what happens when you think with the wrong head.
This was by far the biggest bird I've gotten. Just short of 22lbs. Now I'm planning to take some friends out. Tagged out. Both with bow and at the same farm. I saw 5 long beards one night all together. Also 2 jakes. So should be some good hunting there yet. Love to get out to my big mountain hunting spot one time. It's a big place and best to go up the night before. Try and roost a bird and have a camp on ur back. Move in, in dark as sleep in blinds..
I used to do that when I hunted Ny. Go up the evening before, roost a bird move in well after dark, pop the blind up, set up decoys put out sleeping pad and bag. Ready for morning. It was a 45 minute drive from my house to where I hunted in Ny. So that worked out well. I remember all the times I would drive up on a Friday or Saturday night scout drive home, only to get up a 330am to drive back up. Still can remember many of them over nighters, but don't remember many of the early morning drives dack up. Ed
Congratulations Ed.
Had a gobbler strutting around a hen today, right beside my 3D targets. Will they know if the regs change?
In the blind 10 minutes yesterday afternoon and two long beards walked by to pester my jake decoy. Didn’t even get a chance to call. Shot him in the back at 11 yards
I hunted SW PA the second week of season. Thinking of going back up on Wednesday since I didn’t connect. Are the birds still talking??
They where making all kinda noise this morning. Just when I thought I heard the worst caller ever, the caller pecked her way past me. I mean she was saying caack caack caack.
Sounds good Hawkeye! My family will be traveling with me for a few days up from the deep south.
