Turkey season

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I took my son back to school down in Va yesterday and we stopped to check the sign out on one of the farms we are going to hunt Saturday morning coming up. a 10 acre hard wood stand was cut last year and the birds are making there way along the back edge so Jake and I built a ground blind between to large oaks and cleared out all around the bases. I think we will be in for an awesome morning. The dog woods are beginning to blossom so the time is right.
 
I've got to have at least 3 dozen of them strutting through my yard every day.
I keep picturing in my mind how they would look sitting on my serving plate filled with sausage and oyster stuffing. :)
Never have eaten a wild one before. Heard they are tough.
 
Good luck with the hunt Dave. I bought a license for the last 3 weeks of May. I may visit a few farms to see if I can work out permission. (although I can hunt many good places and rarely have trouble finding a good bird)

The deer population is real high in some areas. I hunt a farm where the farmer calls them "corn rats" :D I have earned his trust to the point where we are family. (I always shoot and butcher a few for him) I have been thinking about a 'new ' name for turkeys. Something to help get permission, like "flying corn rats" or "walking bean cutters" maybe feathered bean and corn mowing machines" I Talked to a big corporate farm owner a few years ago to see about permission and he declined, blaming crop damage on the deer. One of my good friends now has permission to hunt his lands and bring any kids along. He now understands the extent of the damage turkeys can do. We do spend time shooting woodchucks for farmers so that helps.
 
We have them in ample numbers around my place. Oddly, statewide hunters are complaining of low numbers and the seasons have been shortened. Equally odd is how hard it is to pattern their habits. Sometimes I don't see any for weeks the, suddenly, they are everywhere for days then vanish again. Predators like fox and raccoons keep the turkey numbers down. I have been tempted to harvest some from my yard for eating. Never have.
 
Dave, around here they go right around it and move to the fresh new growth. Once it all has been turned over, then they change again. might have something to do with the type of fertilizer the local use. Turkey crap.
 
I started gobbler hunting in 1982, and it was different then. today, the toms don't gobble as much, and that's a common report from across the east and south. 2 yrs ago, my buddy and I had stopped in a restaurant to have our ritual after-hunt Tukey Breakfast, when we struck up a conversation with 2 other turkey hunters from Ga. who were hunting WV for the 1st time. they said they hunted in about all southern states from Fla/Ala to NC and Va... and they said the gobbling activity, overall, had been steadidly decreasing over the past 5 yrs or so. I know that when I started, it was NO problem to haer 15 different gobblers from 1 listening point.. AND, you could hunt half of 'em w/o hunter interference. not so today... the most I heard last spring was 3 birds from that same listening spot. 3 birds... and I KNOW that the turkeys are there... some blame heavy hunting pressure pre-season.... some blame predation from an ever-growing coyote population... some say that they've evolved into a quiter turkey, talking less, and looking more... I dunno. all I know is,I'm still able to get out every spring morning and enjoy the birthing of a new day, with or w/o gobbles( altho I still find that sound to be the best in the woods). I cannot force match the mouintains as I once did, and don't really need to kill to enjoy the hunt... I have enough beards and fans up at the hunting camp. I hope my grandson gets the fever to chase 'em,and plan on leaving(or giving) him my old camo-painted 1100 to use... it's been a faithful partner over the past 28 years.
Good luck to those you go out this spring....:thumb:
 
Turkeys came back yesterday. Hadn't seen any for about a month. Bunch of hens and three toms. The toms were strutting. A car of kids went by with loud music. Those toms took attention and started heading for the car. Real strange behavior. One of the toms was huge, if shotgun wasn't locked up, I woulda been tempted....
 
Turkeys came back yesterday. Hadn't seen any for about a month. Bunch of hens and three toms. The toms were strutting. A car of kids went by with loud music. Those toms took attention and started heading for the car. Real strange behavior. One of the toms was huge, if shotgun wasn't locked up, I woulda been tempted....


Heck Frank why did you not unlock it and teach the gobbler a lesson.:D I aint ever been turkey hunting but its on the to do list. Trouble is the list is just getting longer.:D:thumb:
 
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