Birds a Struttin
Minnesota
Traffic jam due to fresh snow
Traffic jam due to fresh snow
Can buy your turkey lisc. starting March 1st.
Birds are already strutting now that is not -5 degrees for a daily high.
Saw five long beards this morning. Several were all fanned out. And some were screaming their heads off.
The season is getting closer..they climb through fly over fences, attack people walking, driving vehicles. It will be pay back time soon
Did some scouting north of the TC two days ago. Head some gobbling at about 9am.
Finally heard my first gobble of the year this am. Excited for the season to begin. Good luck to all.
They're out and about, some big flocks yet, should start breaking up soon.
This one was right outside the vehicle on the way to the 3-D shoot this morning
This one was right outside the vehicle on the way to the 3-D shoot this morning
I can't wait for the season to start!!!
Sat in a blind near Taylor’s Falls pre dawn to 11 am this morn. Heard zero gobbles. Saw one bearded hen at 60 yards.
Saw two toms just outside the Marsden Lake archery range in Shoreview. A visitor to the park showed me pics of birds mating two days ago.
Sat in blind 9am till 5pm on Thursday, near Taylor’s Falls. Saw and heard nothing.
Couple dozen on a private farm this morning. The lead hen took the folk away from me shortly after fly down. Two jakes swung back to check on the location of the calls, came within 10-15 yds but I don't want a jake this year. I head seven shots (one guy shot three times) on adjoining properties 3-4 different directions. So basically, if the tom left the farm they got shot. Was playing with one on another set-up after all the shooting so there is at least one eft.
How much better can a decoy be??
How much better can a decoy be??
So I am in the blind watching a hen cozy up to my decoy while three toms look on from about 65-70yds away. They won't come over to check things out. Then I see the old narly hen peek her head out over the bump in the field. I guess they wouldn't come to the decoy and forend because they felt they would be hen pecked??
Tonybear, did you have a jake decoy out, or just a hen?
I’ve been out six mornings and stayed in my blind pre dawn till about noon. I’ve seen one gobbler that just stayed out of range, and two hens. Most likely, I’m done for the year. Not worth the effort with my poor sightings.
I typically use a wide variety of decoys depending on the mood of the birds. On the private farm I hunt they are very decoy shy so generally a lone hen or a hen and a jake, sometimes none at all. On some tougher to access public land I use 4-5 five of them including an enhanced chicken on a stick (real wings, tail feathers). I also enhance my decoys with copper and purple nail polish to get that glow the turkey feathers have.
Yesterday I had 4-5 gobblers in the AM. I hear a blast about 7 AM right by the farmers house. Wasn't him but a close neighbor. I thought that was it for the day but 2 showed up in front of the blind about 20 minutes later gobbling the whole way. That was after I was busted by a big tom 6 AM laying in a field deciding which blind I was going to sit in based on the gobbles. Totally silent til I heard him chirp a few times about 20 yds away.. Saw me as I tried to raise up. So I used my reaping decoy to sneak back to a different blind back along the field edge. I am starting to get too old for crawling 75 yds in the dirt. But what else is a guy to do? stay home and watch Utube videos of one someone else shot??
Middle of back or head shot??
Middle of back or head shot??
Saw this guy trying so, so hard to get the hens attention this morning. She wasn't all too interested but was fun to watch.
They're still struttin, anybody still out there chasing? I've hunted all but 8 days but it's getting old getting up at 3:45 every morning. Tomorrow morning I'll sleep in . I've had chances but bird numbers are definitely down around here.
Had this hen come in and chew out my jake for not courting her this morning
Hoping for this angle at about 15 yds...
Hoping for this angle at about 15 yds...
Didn't go out in the heat this week. Looking forward to the last weekend of the season
Well, it's over for this hunt, went out the last afternoon and saw a couple of hens. How did everyone else do?
Went out with my daugheter Sat. AM;
Back went out putting my camo on but limped to the blond for a sit anyway.
No gobbling close by. About 7 AM a doe almost walks up to the blind then smelled or heard us whispering. Prances away snorting, and head waggling to alert everyone in the area.
Another doe came by after she left but was less vocal.
Stayed as long as my back could hack it then walked back to the truck. Got some Advil, talked about where to go for breakfast. Drive down the farmer's driveway and NWTF there they were. Some creative metaphors out of both our mouths followed by a laugh.
My daughter promises to hunt more with me next year. Moving up North for school so need to check out some spots in Bemidji area.
My daughter heading back to the truck with Jerry the decoy
My daughter heading back to the truck with Jerry the decoy
I was out about six times, in the Taylor’s falls area. I saw exactly three hens and one gobbler. Saw the gobbler on my last hunt, mid May. He was with a hen and showed little interest in my decoys or calling. I’ve been very successful on this property in the past, but the farmer got Covid last spring and din not plant corn or soybeans. So there was little food to hold birds on this property. I did arrow one in Nebraska.
