| Author | Message | ||
| MTNMAN
|
WHAT A GREAT HUNT!! RAINEY DAY GOBBLER 20 POUNDS 9 INCH BEARD 3/4 SPURS. 7:30 A.M MTNMAN | ||
| pirate |
Came home empty!!! Well, its was my first time out so I guess I shouldn't expect too much. | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Congrats MTNMAN! Great bird! | ||
| Shooter
|
Congrads MTNMAN, glad to see someone score on opening day. My day started out great. Weather was perfect.I had a bunch of gobblers all around me but so were the hens. I had one gobbler and 2 jakes about 75 yards away. They came out of the tree and never showed up, seems those hens caught up with them. Something strange, the turkies never pitched out of the tree till 7.45. After they hit the ground, the gobbling stopped. Well that was till 8.30 then it opened up again for about 10 minutes. Seem like every turkey was gobbling. Not sure what happened after 9, I had to leave and go to class. Well guess next Sat will be my next hunt. Good luck to all. | ||
| Turkey576 |
Hear Gobblers all morning. I worked a bird for about a Hr 1/2 and he just faded off I guess he was intersepted by a hen. Heard a gobble around 10:45 and I called some to him. Two jakes showed up and I was going to take one of them but the brush was to thick to shoot tru. Maybe Monday. When I got home I heard my Grandma had passed away, she has been sick for some time. Today started as a happy day and ends in a sad one. Maybe my luck will change in the comming weeks. Jon | ||
| TScottW99
|
Well the Craig Gobbler was right where I hoped he would be. First turkey gobbled at 6:17a.m. but the Craig Gobbler didn't sound off until 6:43a.m. He had a second gobbler with him and several hens. Coming in at total darknes I really messed up my setup this morning, of course the Craig Gobbler was roosted right where I had origanlly wanted to be setup but since he wouldn't sound off until 6:43a.m. i played it safe. Needless to say he hit the deck with his gobbler buddy in tow and hens and went the other way. I had no time to try and work around him but am off on MONDAY  I did try to work another gobbler that was pretty hot to trot and managed to call in two jakes instead. Very pretty and nice this morning, enjoyed every second and hated going home so early. | ||
| TScottW99
|
Jon, I just read your post, Sorry to hear about your Grandmother passing away. Scott | ||
| knight_va
|
I am also very Sorry about ur Grandmother....U are in my prayers......Mtnman Congrads!!..... .....Well......As Ole Will Primos says "Roosted aint Roasted".......but sometimes God smiles down & things pan out......roosted 2 birds last eve....daybreak was rainy & foggy in Highland....setup on the birds (were together... they pitched down & headed away......gave them 45min & headed after them.....caught up with them 2 hollows over... setup on ridge top & talked them away from their ladys with some REAL hard cutts & cackles... they hung up just out of site at 75 yrds.....spitting & drumming..along with double, triple & quad (yeah 4 of them)gobbles....I decided to stand on the throttle again & here they came....I dropped what looked to be the best bird...19.5lbs....1" spurs....9.5" beard (will recheck all measurements later)......I wish my Nephew could have made it... we could have doubled or got some good video.......I prayed... tagged the bird.... then hooked up with one of my camp buddies....ended up working another hot bird for him....hens won that one but hey......I had a blast!!......heard a total of 5 different birds this am.......Congrads to all who scored... & good luck to those that I know will soon!....God Bless! | ||
| Dale
|
What a soggy morning. Started off my morning in the national forest in Montgomery County. Gobbler I heard last Sunday was still in the same roost area. First gobble was at 6:30 a.m. It poured rain from the time I stepped out of the truck to the time I got back to the truck. Well, after I worked as close as I dare get to that bird, and got set up, he hit the ground and double gobbled. Then I heard hens clucking and the show was over. The ladies towed my big boy away. I decided to sit it out for awhile and blind call. Called in 3 hens, but they didn't stay around long. I repositioned and setup again. This time, got a hen all fired up yelping and purring and clucking. She would never show her face though. Well, at about 10:30 I ended up back at the truck. I ate lunch, then drove back to Roanoke via the back roads. Ended up by some familiar ground in Craig County national forest around 11:00 a.m. I remembered seeing a small flock of birds near a field not a 5 minute drive off 311 back during grouse season. I thought I would stalk to the field for the last hour. I arrived at 11:30 a.m. No birds in sight. Decided to blind call for the last half hour. On my first yelp, a bird gobbled on the other side of the field up on a ridge about 500-700 yards away. I looked at my watch and it said 11:39 a.m. By the way, it was still raining and hard. I decided to really let some aggressive calls go. I hit that slate with several very loud yelps and a few clucks. No response. I sat quietly until 11:50 and let go with a series of loud yelps again. This time, the bird responded from what sounded like the field which was about 150 yards away. I again waited quietly. At 11:54, I clucked. He gobbled right below me. Then I saw him strutting. Another cluck and I hunkered down. He folded up and walked right to me. One shot at 12 yards at 11:58 a.m. brought down my first bird of the year. A jake with a 3 inch beard and 1 spur 3/4" the other 1". Not a contender for the contest, but a great hunt none the less. Lesson I learned today...never...never give up. Hope everyone had a safe hunt today. | ||
| Piedmont gobbler |
Strutstopper and I were out in Augusta County the night before and opening morning. Didn't hear anything the night before but did notice the woods were really torn up a great deal since 3 weeks ago when we previously scouted. Heard our first gobbler at about 6:30. He was about 150 yards away and gobbled about 4 times. At about 6:40 we heard a shot from the same place. Not sure but the guy might have shot him off the roost. Heard 2 more shots about 15 minutes later from same general area. That is all she wrote for us. We didn't hear a single thing the rest of the day. Really disappointing. Area is torn up with fresh sign, but no birds. We flushed a small jake on the way out of the woods but that is about it. Not sure what the problem is or where the birds were/are. We had perfect weather in Greenville this a.m. No breeze, no rain, and warm. Weatherwise, it couldnt have been better. Congrats to the guys who got theirs. We are still on the hunt. PG | ||
| turkeypicker |
Dale: How much did your bird weigh? I have never seen a jake with 3/4" or 1" spurs. Did the bird have a full tail fan? I've killed several mature birds that had "jake-length" beards. I think the beards get pulled out fighting, etc. sometimes. Congrats. | ||
| Dale |
Turkeypicker: The bird only weighed 13 pounds. The beard had a tan band at the bottom of it. Didn't look to be ragged or torn. His fan was small. I've only killed three other birds in my life, all mature gobblers, so I don't have another jake to my credit to compare too. It's possible this wasn't just a jake, just a small bearded bird. Compared to the 19-21 lbs birds I've taken in the past, I assumed this was a jake based upon the weight. | ||
| VA Hen
|
Congratulations to all of you guys on a great opening day. As you probably have read in another thread Freddy and I had a blast! It was great. Going to try and go before work on Monday and try to call one up for me. Jon, Sorry to hear about your grandmother...you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers. Amy | ||
| hnt4bucks |
Had a great morning. Took my dad to try to video one. Had a really big gobbler at 100 yds but got with hens and went the other way. Got about 10 minutes of good video though. Appx. 20 minutes later I was using light yelps and clucks and 2 jakes came in. Got the camera in perfect position and told dad to shoot when ready. At the shot one dropped and the other flew to a tree. All was perfect for the video except I FORGOT to pres the record button. Only video I got was the turkey flopping on the ground. Great morning heard 3, saw 3, and saw 10 hens. Congrats to all that scored and to all that just got to be in the woods. | ||
| turkey576 |
Everybody thank you so much. You people are like a second family to me may God bless each one of you. If people in the world were all like you ladies and gentelmen then the world would be a better place. Hope you all continue to have a productive and fun spring season. Jon and Family | ||
| HODY |
Jon, Sorry to hear about your loss. Congrats to every one of you that scored. MAX, AWESOME MAN!!!!!! My day was OK. No kills but good action. Heard 5 birds total. Worked a bird in the am, but the hens won out, and then it got foggy. Worked two more birds hanging together, I had to chase em dowm and circle. They were on the boundary of our land and I could not pull them over. I had a lot of fun calling them, and I gave them everything from the silent tratment, to two different hens at the same time. They loved it as they double gobbled, but would not close the last 70 yards. They just went away after a while on the other land. OH well I will be back out no later than Fri a.m. | ||
| turkeypicker |
Jon: Think of how beautiful the Spring woods are: the turkeys, wildflowers, sunrises, songbirds, etc. Well, the Lord said that he was going to prepare a place for us. If God was going back to especially prepare a place for us...I'm certain it is even more incredible than the Spring turkey woods we so enjoy on this earth!! Loving God's unbelievable creation the way we all do, we know better than most that when God prepares a place, he doesn't cut corners! If we follow the bible carefully, we should rejoice when someone passes on, and cry when a baby is born. I know that seems so backwards, but just remember your Grandma is much better off in that place God prepared than we are here. One Mother's Day Sunday while in church I was struggling mightily with grief because my mother had died young. The Lord revealed to me in a thought/voice that heaven would be unlike anything I had ever imagined! I know without a doubt there will be wild turkey gobblers and crystal clear trout streams in the hereafter! I know it's difficult losing your Grandma, but while you're in the woods this Spring...thinking... take comfort in God's promise for our future. God bless. | ||
| daddyjan |
Opening day forme was spent with 8 boy scouts at a scout show in suffolk va.Man was i jonesing at daybreak.My opening day will be MOn. at dawn boss felt sorry for me gave me half the day off. Ill let you know how it goes.JMF |