# So who is going turkey hunting



## ropensaddle (Apr 10, 2009)

Tomorrow season opens here I got my Excalibur sighted in and ready did not have time to scout I have been busy but in the am game on I will probably go where I called in three gobblers last year and see if they survived may listen from a high point then stalk close and set up to call!


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## 2000ssm6 (Apr 11, 2009)

Freaking stormed here all morning, didn't get to go.

Get anything Rope??


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## tree md (Apr 11, 2009)

I haven't been in years. Used to love to hunt them but I don't really know where to go around here. I've got a 4200 acre lease but no turkeys on it. We started to get a few a couple years back but the yotes and eagles killed them off.

Looking forward to seeing a bird pic on this thread!

Here's a pic of my first gobbler. Killed it in 77 or 78.


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## tree md (Apr 11, 2009)

Ha, I just realized that the tree off to the right of my dad in the background, the one that is limbed up is the first tree I ever climbed and took down with a chainsaw! My dad had me climb it and take it down in halves with an old Homelite when I was like 14. No gear, just a little hillbilly doing what his dad asked him too in Tennessee.


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## ShoerFast (Apr 11, 2009)

The season is a week old here, no time afield yet. 

Got a few more days of 'working bender' to go, then time should free up a little. 

Got permission to hunt an 11,000 acre ranch, that has maybe a couple dozen birds on it. Spent an afternoon with friends at the DOW last week to plan Elk hunts, picked there brain a little. They had a couple leads for some public land. 

The way it's looking, I might not get a much chance to shoot my new choke tube. 

It has been a gloomy spring so far, no real warm spells yet, so my unplaned timing might be right?


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## tree md (Apr 11, 2009)

Hey what shotgun do you guys use for turkey? I killed that bird in the pic with a 1930's Model 12, 16 gaug,e Winchester pump that my papaw hunted with. My dad has it now but I can hunt with it anytime I want. 30 inch full choke!


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## ropensaddle (Apr 11, 2009)

tree md said:


> Hey what shotgun do you guys use for turkey? I killed that bird in the pic with a 1930's Model 12, 16 gaug,e Winchester pump that my papaw hunted with. My dad has it now but I can hunt with it anytime I want. 30 inch full choke!



Well call me silly but I use a bow I have had many missed shots but have bagged three and there is nothing like it. I opted to buy a crossbow this year so I don't have to wag the blind too tiring for me now walking five to ten miles carrying a suitcase stinks lol.


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## rob206 (Apr 13, 2009)

Season doesn't start until May for me. This will be my 5th season and I love it. I have only done a little scouting so far, and it seems that there aren't as many birds in the area this year. We had a cold winter and deep snow, so that may have killed off some birds. I use my trusty 870 Express with reloads of #5.


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## Blazin (Apr 13, 2009)

Opens May 1st here. Got the 870 pattern'd with 4's, and ready to hit em!


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## stihl sawing (Apr 13, 2009)

ropensaddle said:


> Tomorrow season opens here I got my Excalibur sighted in and ready did not have time to scout I have been busy but in the am game on I will probably go where I called in three gobblers last year and see if they survived may listen from a high point then stalk close and set up to call!


You got one of them nice crossbows. Looked at one in bass pro magazine, Really nice unit.


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## ropensaddle (Apr 13, 2009)

stihl sawing said:


> You got one of them nice crossbows. Looked at one in bass pro magazine, Really nice unit.



Yeah I am getting to darn old to wag the blind and compound bow all over hello and tarnation anymore I have kill three nice gobs with my mathews but carrying the blind take too much of the fun out of it. I bought the exocet 200 pound draw 340 ftps retical scope I can nail an apple at fifty yards four out of five times nice!


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## mercer_me (Apr 14, 2009)

I got a small one last fall but I don't think I'm going to hunt this spring.


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## ShoerFast (Apr 16, 2009)

tree md said:


> Hey what shotgun do you guys use for turkey? I killed that bird in the pic with a 1930's Model 12, 16 gaug,e Winchester pump that my papaw hunted with. My dad has it now but I can hunt with it anytime I want. 30 inch full choke!



Benelli Nova, with a .040 under extended choke-tube, but I have never shot a turkey, yet.


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## tree md (Apr 16, 2009)

ShoerFast said:


> Benelli Nova, with a .040 under extended choke-tube, but I have never shot a turkey, yet.



Sweet gun. Those Benelli Novas rock. My cousin got one a few years back. I haven't turkey hunted in years either. 

I'd like to get me one of those double bull blinds and try to stick one with my bow too. I've even got the broadheads for turkeys but no place to hunt them...


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## deerhunter1 (Apr 20, 2009)

I just happened to look out my window this morning and saw we had some visitors in our front yard. Hunters were out in the woods this morning but due to the rain did not stay out very long.


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## rob206 (Apr 27, 2009)

May 4th is opening day for me, I'm pretty amped. You know you got it bad when you wake up in the middle of the night and you say to yourself, "was that a gobble?"


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## ropensaddle (Apr 27, 2009)

rob206 said:


> May 4th is opening day for me, I'm pretty amped. You know you got it bad when you wake up in the middle of the night and you say to yourself, "was that a gobble?"



Who Who Who Who gobble gobble then the little chicken chit gobbles his head off all mourning about two hundred yards from you location so you make a move on him and yep can you say lockjaw :hmm3grin2orange: that is public turkey hunting!


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## sbhooper (Apr 29, 2009)

I have been so busy that I was not going to hunt them this year. I usually use a bow and our season opens in March for archery. I see the turkeys virtually every day around my house. It was driving me crazy seeing them and not hunting them. My kid got a shotgun permit and blew a couple chances. I finally broke down and lowered my standards by buying two shotgun permits in lieu of archery. 

I saw three toms west of the house with no hens and decided to give them a go. It took me less than an hour to call in two of them. I killed them both with one shot. I guess it is back to the bow next year! One bird was 20 pounds with a 9 1/2 inch beard and the other was a jake.


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

Here are the birds I got last spring, a 23 lb tom and a 16 lb bearded hen. 




Season opened last monday here. I took monday and tuesday off work to hunt. Saw lots of hens and jakes and had a few nice toms working in, but no toms would commit (suicide) and were getting hung up at about 70 yards. A friend that I hunt with got a 21 lb tom opening morning in the same area I was hunting.

No hunting this weekend for me due to the fact that I am holding a chainsaw certification course at my place all weekend. Maybe next weekend I will get out.

Good luck to all, may the big toms strut your way.


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

One more pic of the same 2 birds


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

tree md said:


> Hey what shotgun do you guys use for turkey? I killed that bird in the pic with a 1930's Model 12, 16 gaug,e Winchester pump that my papaw hunted with. My dad has it now but I can hunt with it anytime I want. 30 inch full choke!



I use a remington 12 ga. 1187 with a gobbler stopper choke. This year I am using Federal Mag-Shok 3" #5's with 1 5/8 oz shot, it is the first time I have tried heavy shot for turkey hunting. It seems to pattern very well in my gun, and I was told it retains its downrange energy better than lead.


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## ropensaddle (May 1, 2009)

Turkeyslayer said:


> One more pic of the same 2 birds



Good going I got busy hunted hard a week had hangups and strutters that would not allow an arrow to be placed but fun anyway now back to work.


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## stihl sawing (May 1, 2009)

Turkeyslayer said:


> Here are the birds I got last spring, a 23 lb tom and a 16 lb bearded hen.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well i guess you really do live up to your name.


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## stihl sawing (May 1, 2009)

ropensaddle said:


> Good going I got busy hunted hard a week had hangups and strutters that would not allow an arrow to be placed but fun anyway now back to work.


When you gonna kill a bird rope, you can't be lettin these foreigners kill more than you.lol You know anyone not an arky native is a foreigner.


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

stihl sawing said:


> When you gonna kill a bird rope, you can't be lettin these foreigners kill more than you.lol You know anyone not an arky native is a foreigner.



Dont you Arky's have something like 200 000 birds, we in Ontario only have a measly 70 000. I'm jealous the duck and deer hunting sounds pretty good down there aswell


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## ropensaddle (May 1, 2009)

stihl sawing said:


> When you gonna kill a bird rope, you can't be lettin these foreigners kill more than you.lol You know anyone not an arky native is a foreigner.



Here is to next year, don't sweat it though I would have tagged out if I used a shotgun. Bowhunting turkey=huge challenge.


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## stihl sawing (May 1, 2009)

Turkeyslayer said:


> Dont you Arky's have something like 200 000 birds, we in Ontario only have a measly 70 000. I'm jealous the duck and deer hunting sounds pretty good down there aswell


Yeah were overloaded with em. I sat on my deerstand this year and counted 76 birds in one wad. Gobblers, jakes and hens. Most of them were decent size birds. I like to hunt them but haven't had time the last couple of years.


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## ropensaddle (May 1, 2009)

Turkeyslayer said:


> Dont you Arky's have something like 200 000 birds, we in Ontario only have a measly 70 000. I'm jealous the duck and deer hunting sounds pretty good down there aswell



Yup but we have much more pressure I do believe but still pretty good forest hunting


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

ropensaddle said:


> Here is to next year, don't sweat it though I would have tagged out if I used a shotgun. Bowhunting turkey=huge challenge.



Do you use the guillotine and lop there heads off or do you go for the Texas heart shot through the rear.

Also have to say that excalibur crossbows are awsome, I have an older wolverine that has served me well for many years. And they are made not to far from here in Kitchener Ontario.


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## ropensaddle (May 1, 2009)

Turkeyslayer said:


> Do you use the guillotine and lop there heads off or do you go for the Texas heart shot through the rear.
> 
> Also have to say that excaliber crossbows are awsome, I have an older wolverine that has served me well for many years. And they are made not to far from here in Kitchener Ontario.



I wish I had brought the guillotine I have a couple left from last year when I blinded it with my mathews mq1 I am gettin too old to wag the blind calls and bow all over the mountains now a day. I bought the crossbow this year so could run the wood much more fun. I do like the quality of my Excalibur very accurate Two gobs gave me head only shots and I thought I would get a better shot but they had other plans.


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## Turkeyslayer (May 1, 2009)

ropensaddle said:


> Yup but we have much more pressure I do believe but still pretty good forest hunting



So far I have been pretty lucky in that I have got a good tom every year. I mostly hunt a dry ridge in a large swamp (forest). I dont use decoys and try not to call very much. Mostly I will use a plunger call (yelper) at fly down then soft mouth calls to bring them in close. The only problem I have found with my spot is depending on the direction they are coming, they will get hung by the swamp (dont want to cross boggy sections). But like they say "A bad day of hunting is better than a good day at work".


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## sbhooper (May 2, 2009)

Here is bird number three for the year. My picture taker was home this time. The first two I killed with one shot. It took me a total of less than three hours total hunting to kill all three-the quickest hunt that I have ever done. I think it will be back to the bow next year if I even hunt them. The shotgun is too easy!


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## Blazin (May 4, 2009)

Great Bird..Congrats! No luck here in NY yet, the boyz are henned up hard. I gotta get in place for the fly down I suppose.


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