7 replies to this topic

[BlackBoarDown]

I have been out three seperate times this spring season with no luck. I have to set the picture: I work at a private airport north of Austin , it is about 140 acres in size and has alot of areas that are overgrown. We get lots of deer activity grazing on the grass runways. I have seen sign of turkey on the property but never laid eye or ear on any this season. I was driving in after taking a lunch break in town and driving up my gravel drive that's about 1/4 mile long three hens and two toms ran across the road in front of me.

I drove on to the shop and got my crossbow out and cocked it , grabed an arrow from the quiver and took off. I found them in a thicket of juniper and other brush. I knelt down and looked for a shot but they were soo deep in the brush I could only tell a movement once in a while. I circled around them and they just kept the brush between me and them. I never got a clear shot. I'm wearing shorts , tennis shoes and an old white tee shirt. I spent the next hour plucking the cactus thorns from my legs and arms. Got me excited and pumped up .

Here I have been driving hours to a hunting plot with no luck and right in my back yard I have birds. Tomorrow I'm going to bring my call and sit in the brush and eat lunch.

[Lscha]

'Lunch n hunt'. Doesn't get any better than that!! Good Luck!

[Hunter2]

Sounds like a plan. Hunter2

[Guide Girl]

Got tweezers? LOL. Maybe I can offer some help to you to be successful if you would like some. This time of year, they are more easily patterned so if you figure out their daily routine, you don't need a call (yet) and ambush them! Everyday, they get off the roost, and go through the same traveling areas, and then back the same areas on the way back to the roost. Then, the hens once they're setting the eggs, will ditch the Gobblers in the morning and that's when you want to call. When they're with hens, they will rarely leave them to go find the lonely hen calling them where they can't see her. Normally, a hen will go to the Gobbler, not the Gobbler to the hen. But, when the hens ditch them, they are full game on! They will talk to you, so that is a great way to try and pattern them at certain times of the day, and make a plan of an ambush area. Don't worry about wind. With birds, it's the eyes you have to worry about. Once they see and recognize you, your hunt is over that day for that group. Now, not to say another group can show up later.
Good Luck and hopefully, you can finish this story and have a great picture to share with us of your success! I'm excited for you.

[BlackBoarDown]

I sat up a pop up blind and waited about an hour before and an hour after the time I saw the birds stroll thru . Had six hens come by but no sign of a tom. I watched the hens go to the same thicket as the other day and they just hung there for the hour I watched them . I played with a call a few times but got no response from a tom so i had to get back in the shop and try and earn a living. Thunderstorms today so I didn't sit in the blind. If hens were legal in spring I would be showing ya a pic, BUTTTTTTT .

It's relaxing just to be able to sit and watch for a few hours anyway.


Keeping the faith:

[Joey]

Me and my hunting buddies have AWAYS killed our birds after 10 am here in NC. SOmetimes they come in talking..but most of the time not!

[Guide Girl]

BlackBoarDown said:

I sat up a pop up blind and waited about an hour before and an hour after the time I saw the birds stroll thru . Had six hens come by but no sign of a tom. I watched the hens go to the same thicket as the other day and they just hung there for the hour I watched them . I played with a call a few times but got no response from a tom so i had to get back in the shop and try and earn a living. Thunderstorms today so I didn't sit in the blind. If hens were legal in spring I would be showing ya a pic, BUTTTTTTT .

It's relaxing just to be able to sit and watch for a few hours anyway.


Keeping the faith:

You're right at that time where the hens will be separate. If there's a Tom with them, he's hanging behind them not with them. Don't call just yet, just watch the hens pass and be ready. It takes 5 or 10 minutes sometimes for the Gobbs to follow.

[Guide Girl]

Oh! I thought of a better way to explain this. Calling too early is equivilent to taking a set of Rattling horns out during early deer season. If you rattle for deer way too early, you won't see one, because it's not normal at that time, so the deer will avoid you and that area. They don't explain that on turkey hunting shows, they just show someone calling,( to be more intense and dramatic) so someone that is new to turkey hunting isn't provided that bit of info. I hope this helps. Go get that Gobbler!  I'll wish you some good luck. Big Bird Down!