First Gobbler of the season

[Ninering62]

I didn't see or hear anything yesterday either.

The turkeys were 100% on “ silent mode “ yesterday.
That’s turkey hunting isn’t it.
There’s been 2 days in 3wks that I haven’t seen multiple turkeys in the yard or field where our brush blind is. But it seems when we use the field blind, there is usually not a bird or a single sound from one. Opening day & Sunday were very pleasant exceptions. Then back to a big NUTHIN yesterday.
There are turkey everywhere here today, but all jakes & hens. I’m watching 7 jakes with 5 hens right now.
There were 17 earlier, no shooters though.
Good luck, keep at it.

 

[Ninering62]

It was funny when I came to the realization at how I look at the days this time of yr.
I can see the brush blind in the field from the fam rm door. Its 125yds away.
I start watching for birds at first light to see if they fly down into the field & I check periodically throughout day until dark for turkey activity.
So, I'm either looking at the day in the perspective of " damn glad we didn't sit out there for nuthin all day " or damnit we really should be out there right now ". I had to lol at myself over that. A true hunter at heart.

 

[smokepolehall]

I used to hunt for them. Have not done it for many years

 

[bronko220002]

Nothing better than smoked wild turkey breast. I smoke mine with a combination of apple and hickory.
Our season doesn't open until May in PA. Birds start gobbling late March through April and by May a lot of the birds go silent.

 

[bronko220002]

I used to hunt for them. Have not done it for many years

Nothing like the rush of working a big tom in and getting him in range of your shotgun.

 

[Ninering62]

I was sittin on the couch drinkin coffee & waiting for my breakfast to get done cookin , when the monster 12” beard 25lb gobbler with 2 hens walks out into the field & right by our blind & starts strutting 40yds from the blind.
I couldn’t resist & I turned breakfast off, camo’d up in double time & grabbed the TK & my cushion seat & snuck out the front of the house for the “ stalk “. I forgot my utility belt with my calls & the ThermaCell & paid for that immediately.
Friggin skeeters were terrible!
But once again ( that’s twice now ) the wise old Tom eluded me.
That’s the biggest bird that I’ve seen since I moved here. I’ve seen a whooole lotta turkeys in 10yrs & this one surpasses them all.
Me wants the precious
Me needs the precious
He will be mine

 

[Ninering62]

I just let this guy walk thru the field & thru the front yard.
He’s a nice bird, but small in comparison to the bird I was after earlier.
I told AC that if we were in the blind & this bird came into range, I’d tell him to shoot it.

 

[Slingingslugs]

Hell yeah! What did you take that picture with? Awesome quality

 

[Ninering62]

Hell yeah! What did you take that picture with? Awesome quality

Thanks, I took the pic with my IPhone 12 thru a dirty window.

 

[Slingingslugs]

Lol didn't think you were going to say an old iPhone...

 

[Hanshi]

One of the few things I like about Florida is we have 2 long turkey seasons, we can harvest 2 birds each season, even both in the same day & we can hunt dawn to dusk.
Where I’m from had a decent amount of turkeys by the 90’s but the seasons were short, only 1 bird per & had to stop hunting at noon.
I’ve got 17 turkey in the yard & field this morn, but all are Jakes & hens. That’s 15 more than we saw all day yesterday.

Surprisingly, here in Maine there seem to be turkeys everywhere. Limit is 2 (may be more now) and I've seen big flocks near roads.

Back in late summer we were with some friends and had a big, outdoor dinner table set up in the host's front yard. All through the meal we had turkeys all around us with some coming as close as the table and seemed unconcerned with our presence. I think that's about the most unusual experience I've had with those rascals. I don't hunt any longer and retired from hunting 6 or 7 years ago.

 

[Ninering62]

Lol didn't think you were going to say an old iPhone...

Yeah, I’m surprised at the nice pics this phone takes. I worry about the window distorting the image, but it doesn’t seem to interfere does it

 

[Slingingslugs]

Not at all, zoomed right in and counted beard hairs lol

 

[Dieselden454]

Yeah, I’m surprised at the nice pics this phone takes. I worry about the window distorting the image, but it doesn’t seem to interfere does it

Nice clear picture & nice gobbler !

 

[Shorty]

I would be happy to kill that bird here in NY, the snow and ice break the long hairs off our beards here, sometimes you’ll see them with ice balls hanging from their beards.

 

[Ninering62]

I would be happy to kill that bird here in NY, the snow and ice break the long hairs off our beards here, sometimes you’ll see them with ice balls hanging from their beards.

I understand bro, in most circumstances I’d be damn happy to shoot that bird myself.
It’s a shame about the snow & ice trashing the longbeards up there like that.