Gobbler season
West Virginia
Rare picture 2 strutting gobblers with a bearded hen in front
Great picture.
I had this entertainment behind the house a week or so ago.
My grandson says he has dibbs on one of these.
Saw some strutting yesterday.
Guys there is no more fun than hunting them with my recurve. Try it, you’ll love it.
Won't be able to do that until next spring. Lord willing. I have killed 3 with my recurve. Missed a lot more. LOL
How is your shoulder doing JR?
Doing better. I come out of my sling on the 18th
Im going to have to learn to shoot again. I have only shot 2 arrows since last sept.
You will do fine, just follow instructions and start out with really light weight poundage. Go slow And cautious.
JR...I had an 80 % torn rotator cuff repaired 3 years ago, in late Feb. I was bear hunting in May with a 56# Recurve. I started out with a 40# bow in late April of that spring . You'll be back to normal in no time.
Looking forward to chasing them with the recurve. I know what you mean Hookman! Been hearing a lot of gobbling...
Was out this morning listening and had several cutting loose. Looking forward to next week. Good luck to everyone and be careful.
Hookman, Birds where hammering out on Sassafras Rd this morning , 2 neighbor boys took nice birds this morning . Should be good next week .
Lots of birds out that way, I’m not too far as the crow flies.
Anyone that will save their wings I will make some beautiful fletching for you. Just stick them in a plastic bag and stick them in freezer . That will kill any pests on them.
I saw 3 gobblers and 8 hens today but the wind and rain had them a little nervous. Had one about 30 yards but not close enough for me.
That is awesome. Hang in there that will come in.
Wow, what a miserable first day. 40* with 15 mpg winds. Heard 3 gobbles and had a hen at 5 yards.
Change your handle Wayne? :o)
David, Thought I did but realized I have two handles on two different devices. Have no idea how I did that! Lol
Have you gone into the witness protection program? LOL
No, but I'm beginning to think the gobblers have! Seen two hens today... heard a few gobbles way off. Hope the rest of you are having better luck.
Saw 5 gobblers and 7 hens today. 3 hens and 3 gobblers was coming right to me, the hens walked right past me a yard away right to my decoys and the gobblers split off and went through the field 40 yards away. One of the hens was bearded. Had to leave at 10:00 today and more were gobbling as I was leaving.
"...Hope the rest of you are having better luck."
Not me. :^(
Never heard a gobble close by and never saw a bird yesterday; never heard or saw a bird today.
Well as luck would have it I can't hunt this spring and I have a stupid gobbler right here by my house. He struts all day long and does not leave one field. Yesterday he was in that field all day. I think he knows I can not hunt. He struts all the time but does not gobble.
Beautiful morning here... haven’t heard one single gobble! I’m getting to hate these turkeys. I agree with you Jack, that gobbler is just rubbing it in. (I’ll kill him for you if you want.). 8>)
I killed one of my biggest gobblers yesterday but I won’t post it because it wasn’t a bow kill . He died of acute poisoning of 2 1/4 ounces of TSS to the head.
My best day was yesterday. Probably heard 50 gobbles. Called in 2 toms and 2 hens. The toms stayed out of my shooting “lane” about 20 yards out. The hens put on a show with one of them leading the toms off. Got some great video.
Back out this morning (4/20). Heard one gobble at 6:30.
Good luck everyone.
Behind the house this afternoon... taunting me again... and again...
Where have you been the last several mornings--you rascal?
:^)
Wow what a great picture. I think that is almost as good as killing one getting a pic that good. I have one behind my house doing the same. They are beautiful
Great pic. Keep after him!
Great pic. Keep after him!
Gee Whiz! Picked right up where I left off last spring. Missed him clean at 15 yards. Gee Whiz!
Been there done that. They are not an easy target. Hang in there and good luck
Got lucky today. Nothing happening early off roost, saw a couple hens. A few gobbles a long way off . About 8:00 one started gobbling way off down the hollow and I called to him and he started coming fast, kept talking to him and he came up on my ridge in the field. A little while later he gobbled just under the bank in the woods, or so I thought it was him. Apparently it was another one because here came the one through the field. Here he came up to my decoys strutting all the way. When he got to 10 yards broadsided I introduced him to one of my wood arrows tipped with a 155 grain single bevel grizzly. I was using a string tracker but he never got out of the field. My 47# back widow did the trick. He weighed 21.5 lbs. with a 10 inch beard and inch spurs. He had really been fighting, lots of feathers missing.
Great Hookman. That is awesome. I know you work hard at it. Congrats
Great Hookman. That is awesome. I know you work hard at it. Congrats. That is a purdy bow too.
What kind of decoys do you use?
I use avian x decoys and I called him in with a Lonnie Sneed Sr. Slate pot call. None better.
Fantastic Don. Congratulations.
Do you use a jake and a hen?
Yes and another hen standing off by herself.
Congrats Don!
That there is a trophy!!!
My first with the recurve. Wood county, 10” beard, 1 1/8” spurs. 8 yard shot, 10 yard recovery. 44# Hummingbird Kingfisher, GT carbons, 175 grain Simmons Tigersharks.
First one with the recurve is a BIG deal. Good for you. Don's old hat at it. I think he's collected 10 or so. :^)
A big congratulations to both of you.
Congrats to all those successful so far! I'm still trying for my first with a shotgun but admittedly I haven't been trying very long. I do have an old hat...maybe I should try wearing that for luck.
Way to go Wayne. I was rooting for you. You have to stay after it to get one that way.
Thank you Wayne, I have worked as harder turkey hunting than most any animal. I am sure glad they can’t smell.
That's awesome , congratulations!
Wayne,
You rascal!!!! Since you wouldn't tell us the story, I figured I'd just steal it from TradGang.
:^)
"Well... About 6 years ago I decided I had killed plenty of turkeys with the shotgun. I decided to totally go to Trad bow only. I had lots of ups and downs, but had never taken one with the bow.
This year I felt I was as ready as I could be. My trailcams had 3 or 4 longboards strutting at the edge of a pasture field. This was nearly everyday during the week before season opened on April 15th. I figured they would continue to use this area.
The first day of season was cold, windy and wet. 40 degrees with 15-20 mph winds and light rain. That first day, and nearly every day I got out last week, I called in hens. I couldn’t believe there were no gobblers hanging with them. Finally, last Friday, I heard gobbling a ways off, but on the property. I got excited as two toms started my way, answering every call I made.
At 50 yards, they hung up. Then a hen began cutting. She was on the opposite side of my blind as the toms. This couldn’t be better... I thought. However, one of two hens on my left, went running directly to the toms and led them away. The other hen came in and spent the next 45 minutes with my decoys.
So went Monday of this week. Hens passing by regularly. (I’ve never called in so many hens.)
This morning was my second morning I could hunt this week. It didn’t look good. Overcast and cooler. When I reached the blind it began to rain lightly. It got light very slowly... and not one gobble was heard. It was still quite dim inside the blind at 7am, and it started raining harder. I hit the slate with some tree yelps, figuring with these conditions, they may still be on the roost.
Then a few yelps from the right of the blind alerted me of a close by hen. I purred and yelped softly on my diaphram call. She answered and was closing fast.
Within a couple minutes she appeared to my right... with a Tom in tow! I had to watch him for about 5 minutes as the hen walked back and forth directly in front of my shooting window. When he finally stepped into my shooting spot, I remember worrying that the sound of the rain hitting my my blind. I picked a spot... THE spot... above the leg and just slightly forward. The string slipped out of my fingers and the bird stumbled directly away from me.
I stood up and strained to peer out the very top of the shooting window. I could see him flopping, but he was just over a high spot in the pines that line the pasture field. I grabbed my back up arrow and unzipped the blind’s door. I eased up to the top of the mound and seen that he was still moving. I put another arrow through him to make sure he was anchored. It really wasn’t necessary, but I wanted to make sure this bird didn’t escape.
It was about an 8 yard shot, 10 yard recovery. Then it hit me... I finally got it done!"
That is awesome., that is a great story. I'm kind of like you. The only way to kill anything with your trad bow is to hunt with it. You won't go back now. What kind od blind and how do you set up your decoys? I've never used a decoy and am interested to learn
JR: I haven’t had lots of luck with decoys. Others, like Hookman (Don) have. I have a couple blinds. Hunting out of a Primos Predator ground max right now. I usually open only one window to shoot out of, but open “peek holes” in others windows as needed. I rely heavily on calling and picking a good ambush site. As for sticking with Trad, I plan to. I did shoot one last year with a firearm... only out of frustration. I couldn’t seem to get them close enough for a bow shot. Heal up and get back out there!
Thanks. I've never tried the decoys either. Might try em. Can't wait til next year. Good luck
Guys decoys really do help. Make sure they are placed so the live turkeys can easily spot them and make sure they are secured so they don’t spin around and move a bunch in the wind. You would think a little movement would help but movement of the decoys scare them. I also set them close so you get a close shot.
Wow my turkey woods and fields was really quiet this morning. No gobbling , no sightings, and very windy. Hope someone else had better luck.
Nothing going on here in Boone Co. either, but no wind till 11am.
JR , I use a Primos club XL blind. It is tall and plenty roomy and the windows are easy to put up and down. All black inside.
Good luck everyone! I’m done
Hookman: Same here. It's been quiet now for a few days. Stay at it!
Read my post above... stay at it I said... then decided to sleep in yesterday. Well... here is what was at my blind while I slept in. 8>(
Wow Wayne that is a tough one. good luck
Spent over 6 hours in that blind today... never seen a turkey! Had one fired up over on the next ridge though. (Too long of a shot.).
8>\
You could have taken a sound shot.
I have yet to hear my first gobble of the year. Been 4 times.
There are lots of them out there. Just have to hunt harder and get deeper in the woods
I had a gobbler about 50 yards today gobbling. Live hens all around, they went to him. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
SMDH. I find it ironic and insulting that my post were deleted but, the loud mouthed commissioner's that started the mud slinging gets to stay. What is going on here? If there is one ounce of dignity in your body Greg, you will tell everyone who and why you contacted the person that deleted my posts.
Mountaineer, I have NO idea why any post was deleted? I didn’t call, ask, or send any message to anybody about deleting a post. I don’t even know what post u r talking about.
I’m sick and tired of you accusing me of stuff I didn’t do. If you have any dignity will you tell me why you are accusing me of doing stuff I didn’t do. I don’t even know where to click to report something. I used to see a tab but iDK where it is.
Maybe, just maybe your posts violated some bowsite policy and some moderator somewhere deleted it ? I DON’T KNOW what happened to it. I don’t even know what post you are talking about !!!
If I'm recalling the "discussion" correctly, you guys had a little rhubarb about feeders, slander and such. Looks to me like both of you had some of your posts deleted.
Been a lot of that going on lately.
Listen, I owe you an apology. I'm better then the way I've acted with you at times. You are correct. I have taken task with you. While I haven't given anything that I haven't gotten, I'm simply better then this. And, so are you. There doesn't have to be arguments every time something is said. Cheap shots are exactly that. It shows nothing but a lack in judgement no matter who is saying it to whom.
So, let me apologize. I'm sorry for accusing you incorrectly. I'm sorry to have stooped to the same level in the reply that got deleted. And, as much as you'd like it, I don't want to argue every time we post.
As the post that was left proves, in order to make the not arguing happen, it is going to require an effort on your part as well. Quit with the defamation, the smears, the smart guy pop offs and, I promise to quit the retaliations. We can disagree and still have civil discourse. For that failure, I'm as guilty as you are in this. We need to act like men and not little boys. Because once the can is open, nothing appears to be off the table.
I give you my word that I'll do my part to act like a decent man if you will. My past history has shown that as much as your very recent history has shown it. We can do this if we are both willing to do it.
The staff at Bowsite reserves the right to remove any post , topic ,or person for any reason they see fit.
hoppies - not being smart here are you part of the staff at Bowsite? Are you like a moderator or something - if so thanks for doing it.
Mountaineer, I’ll accept your apology. And , I’ll apologize to you too. I agree , we both can be hard headed. I hope we can agree to disagree on some issues, recognize that and move on. I just tend to get defensive when accused of things I didn’t do. I also can be sarcastic , and I’ll work on that too.
Hopefully we both can move forward , recognize we are both are allowed opinions and go from there.
????
Sorry about the questions - I tried to post a thumbs up! And the question marks came up instead - So this is an edit disregard the ?’s
How did this turkey hunting post go haywire?
Don,
Seems all threads get hijacked along the way. I'm thinking, given what's been going on the last several days, this my prove to be a good kind of hijack. :^) Maybe some good can come of the moderators taking more control. The members may be more "civil".
Now.... back to our regularly scheduled program.
Only three days to go.
I agree Greg. I don't like that either. I want to say that I am once again sorry for being the way I have been. It hurts my soul to act like that. I know we both feel the other has the right to their own opinion. Even though it doesn't always come out that way. Take care and God Bless
Heard some gobbles a loooong way off this morning. Never saw anything.
Went out to cut the grass at about 3 p.m. and my resident Tom was gobbling his head off up on the ridge. Sounded like he was in the middle of my blind.
Two days to go.
Went out this morning for the last hurrah but it was dead as a mackerel. Not one gobble all morning, not even a hen sighting. With a good year under my belt I packed up my blind and gathered my decoy flock and said adios until next year, hopefully. God bless all you fellow hunters.
I thought about you today Hookman. I was driving back from the WVU graduation and saw at least 3 gobblers in fields strutting with a few hens around them. They seem to know when the season is over. You had a great year and once again congrats.
Good year for both of us Don. I never got a second shot. Sure enjoyed the season though. I planned to go out today, but my grandson wanted to go fishing. He couldn’t wait until evening. Priorities!
Stay safe all... and looking forward to the fall. Headed to Colorado for elk!
Good luck elk hunting ! I’ll be bowhunting rutting whitetails in Iowa this fall
Good luck to all this fall. Headed to Pipestem this coming weekend for the first leg of the Nationals triple crown with my cohort 1buckurout. We have a great time.
I’ll be there too Don. Good luck!
Good Wayne. I’ll call you when we decide when we are going.
DNR releases 2019 spring gobbler harvest figures
Mark Cook/Submitted By MetroNews Staff in Outdoors May 15, 2019 at 10:37AM DNR PRESS RELEASE:
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Preliminary data indicates spring turkey hunters harvested 11,210 gobblers this year, according to Mike Peters, Game Bird and Small Game Project Leader for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Although 9% less than last year, this year’s harvest is still 3% above the 5-year average and 9% above the 10-year average.
Districts 4 and 5, encompassing the southern and southwestern counties, reported slight increases above last year’s harvests with the remaining districts harvesting fewer birds than last year.
Hunters in District 1 in the northern part of the state harvested 656 fewer birds than last year, a 20% decrease. However, the counties in District 1 harvested the most birds again this year (2,762), followed by District 6 (2,362), District 5 (1,839), District 3 (1,659), District 4 (1,521) and District 2 (1,067).
The five counties with the highest harvest were Mason (464), Preston (455), Jackson (447), Wood (362), and Harrison (347).
Youth hunters harvested 357 turkeys during the one-day youth season April 13, which was 74 fewer than last year. Those numbers are included in the table below with county totals.
Spring harvest of wild turkeys in West Virginia, 2015-2019 County 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Barbour 127 165 204 250 202 Brooke 67 78 100 174 118 Hancock 89 98 106 87 109 Harrison 247 286 328 440 347 Marion 170 192 257 330 298 Marshall 174 207 256 417 311 Monongalia 199 197 267 346 263 Ohio 109 111 113 145 145 Preston 333 371 475 555 455 Taylor 72 101 135 189 142 Tucker 82 90 97 89 102 Wetzel 168 196 244 396 270 District 1 Subtotal 1,837 2,092 2,582 3,418 2,762 Berkeley 124 115 147 162 141 Grant 131 161 145 160 140 Hampshire 156 170 184 166 203 Hardy 116 132 132 151 142 Jefferson 82 79 115 115 125 Mineral 118 134 133 148 121 Morgan 64 54 64 65 83 Pendleton 94 88 112 112 112 District 2 Subtotal 885 933 1,032 1,079 1,067 Braxton 194 197 209 307 257 Clay 83 101 120 142 102 Lewis 194 211 249 289 232 Nicholas 213 330 311 287 260 Pocahontas 145 144 142 113 155 Randolph 225 250 247 207 258 Upshur 231 228 302 335 295 Webster 114 156 151 129 100 District 3 Subtotal 1,399 1,617 1,731 1,809 1,659 Fayette 239 292 278 247 257 Greenbrier 242 308 269 225 254 McDowell 218 200 177 132 105 Mercer 161 176 192 150 129 Monroe 181 184 192 183 231 Raleigh 231 283 280 213 205 Summers 199 219 209 170 158 Wyoming 257 320 262 197 182 District 4 Subtotal 1,728 1,982 1,859 1,517 1,521 Boone 138 157 157 125 132 Cabell 110 114 176 125 147 Kanawha 227 285 320 308 296 Lincoln 169 215 229 158 173 Logan 172 181 165 157 141 Mason 314 378 448 469 464 Mingo 91 131 143 106 118 Putnam 181 210 268 235 236 Wayne 108 139 186 129 132 District 5 Subtotal 1,510 1,810 2,092 1,812 1,839 Calhoun 128 145 164 190 164 Doddridge 118 137 160 216 178 Gilmer 124 132 143 170 142 Jackson 264 302 408 460 447 Pleasants 71 80 88 122 124 Ritchie 218 216 264 327 285 Roane 210 231 256 280 257 Tyler 144 182 181 250 217 Wirt 153 174 205 230 186 Wood 248 328 380 407 362 District 6 Subtotal 1,678 1,927 2,249 2,652 2,362 State Total 9,037 10,361 11,545 12,287 11,210
