Giving them bass a break. Time to harass a turkey.

[Darth-Baiter]

Friend has never lined up on a wild bird.  I have land access thick with birds.  He inherited the best turkey gun IMHO. 
 

Nice to change up activity.  I can use a break from bass fishing.   Anyone get a bird?  I have to find my calls!!!  Been a minute sounded I’ve scratched out a love call for a turkey. 

[TnRiver46]

Two of my friends got one this weekend. I also saw some folks get one where I was on a mini vacation. Boats were used on 2 out of the 3 successful hunts . Turkey in the morning, crappie and listening for gobbles in the evening. Cast n blast 

[gim]

I’ll be going during season B here in MN which is April 20-25. Just received permission at 3 properties where there is a flock of about 40 living.

 

Problem is, I’ve been hunting this flock for 3 years now. It’s become very difficult to get one close enough. Last season I saw over 50 turkeys in 4.5 days and not a single legal bearded male turkey would come within 50 yards.

[Bird]

Gobblers every morning here, got lots of them.

Turkeys on back burner though for prespawn bass. Lol

Good luck ?

[Bird]

Just setup in my driveway. Lol

[MN Fisher]

36 minutes ago, Bird said:

Just setup in my driveway. Lol

Or my backyard.

[Smells like fish]

What gun did he inherit D-B

[Bluebasser86]

I heard some gobbling Sunday while I was fishing. Hopefully they'll lure some people off the water next weekend so it won't be as crowded. 

[gim]

I've got some in my neighborhood too.  The urban turkeys are pretty tolerant of people, dogs, and cars.  The ones that live in traditional turkey habitat are nothing like those.  They are wary and have natural predators to worry about, plus hunters in the spring.

 

@Bird @MN Fisher those are hens and they are not legal to harvest.

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, gimruis said:

@MN Fisher those are hens and they are not legal to harvest.

Now I'm confused - you can harvest the females of any other species (ya, you need a special license for does, but still)

 

What makes turkey females so special?

[gim]

15 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Now I'm confused - you can harvest the females of any other species (ya, you need a special license for does, but still)

 

What makes turkey females so special?

I may have misspoke in @Bird case.  I am not sure if hens are legal in Virginia where he is.  They are not legal in MN or WI though.

 

Hens keep the population going.  Male turkeys mate with as many hens as possible so harvesting them really has no impact on the population.  You can't harvest hens when pheasant hunting either - roosters only.  Same concept.  Hens keep the reproductive cycle going.  It only takes a minimal amount of roosters to make it work and they are easy to identify from a visible stand point.

 

The beard must visibly be at least 1 inch long for it to be a legal turkey.  Its very similar to deer hunting.  A buck must have at least one visible antler that is 3 inches long for it to be a legal buck.

[GaryH]

Pa. Is gobblers only in spring. Hens are legal in the fall. Although a bearded hen is legal.
 

 

[newriverfisherman1953]

Virginia is also gobblers only in the spring. Fall season both hens and toms are legal. 

[Darth-Baiter]

11 hours ago, Smells like fish said:

What gun did he inherit D-B

Benelli black eagle according to him.  I’ll see it Saturday. I instructed him to go buy ammo.  He got 10 shellls at $11 each!   Haha.  
 

I hope they are sold out when I drop by at lunch.  I only have three shells left, but that probably enough. 

I have not purchased my hunting license yet for this yet.  I’ll probably go as his guide only.  My luck one scratch of my call Ann’s we get surrounded. Haha.  (Maybe I should buy a tag to prevent ever seeing a bird:))

[Smells like fish]

Nice!! I’ve bagged a bunch of gobblers with Benelli w/ .655 choke and Hevi 13 #7’s. Patterns pretty out to 60 yards.

[gim]

45 minutes ago, newriverfisherman1953 said:

Fall season both hens and toms are legal.

Do people regularly target them in the fall there?  There is a limited fall season here too but I don't know a single person who targets turkeys in the fall.  Its all spring hunters.  I really have no interest in hunting them in the fall with all the other game and bird seasons open and I have to imagine others here share that sentiment.

[newriverfisherman1953]

29 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Do people regularly target them in the fall there?  

Oh yes!  

[Darth-Baiter]

My brother bought that .410 savage dedicated turkey gun.  He’s taken some good birds with a tiny turkey load. 

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, GaryH said:

Pa. Is gobblers only in spring. Hens are legal in the fall. Although a bearded hen is legal.
 

 

Ditto in TN

[12poundbass]

Bearded hens are legal here in Michigan too. Now that I’m no longer working weekends I’m going to try and get a bird during the month long hunt. The only issue with the month long hunt is it’s the month of may and by the second week of May they’re usually henned up and nearly impossible to pull them away from their girls.
 

I prefer turkey hunting over deer hunting since I quit going to Nebraska deer hunting. Going out west for a Merriam turkey is on my bucket list. 

[bigbassin']

So far I’ve made it out once this season. Tried hunting a new section of a WMA I frequent, covered almost 10 miles and only saw a single hen track.

 

Three weekends left in season down here, I’ll probably try to get out Friday and Saturday during Easter. 

[Darth-Baiter]

1 hour ago, 12poundbass said:

Bearded hens are legal here in Michigan too. Now that I’m no longer working weekends I’m going to try and get a bird during the month long hunt. The only issue with the month long hunt is it’s the month of may and by the second week of May they’re usually henned up and nearly impossible to pull them away from their girls.
 

I prefer turkey hunting over deer hunting since I quit going to Nebraska deer hunting. Going out west for a Merriam turkey is on my bucket list. 

 We have RioGrande birds here in CA.  I heard there is a small group of Merriams in the sierras but I’ve never laid eyes on them.  You have Easterns?

[gim]

54 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I heard there is a small group of Merriams in the sierras but I’ve never laid eyes on them.

The nearest reproducing population of Merriams from here in Minnesota is in the Black Hills of western South Dakota. I would like to go hunt one someday.

[TnRiver46]

Here’s the one my buddy got, they fixed my leaking toilet in exchange for using the lake house as turkey hunting HQ haha 

[A-Jay]

49 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Here’s the one my buddy got, they fixed my leaking toilet in exchange for using the lake house as turkey hunting HQ haha 

Nice - so it was a Blast for a Blast then ? 

A-Jay