Trad turkey Report

[Dry Bones]

Besides only shooting traditional bows for a few seasons now, I am totally inexperienced as a turkey hunter. Opening weekend I was invited out to go hunt them and had some good experiences but no shots. I am planning on going back this weekend (even if it does rain.. A LOT) Curious if the birds are still in their bigger flocks as I saw before (big to me as we saw as many as 20-25 birds together) or if they disband? Again totally new to the turkey deal so any information is appreciated.

[Hunter Todd]

Any luck this weekend? I had a gobbler coming in Saturday am but he hung up 100 yards out and would NOT commit! That's what makes in fun though. Not sure about your turkey question. I have noticed that they do disband to a certain degree during the breeding season.

[LAW]

Same here

[SwampRabbit]

The weekend before, they were hanging up as well. Would not come into the decoys. They responded to the calls, but wouldn't commit. Saw some strutting, but it seemed like they just outright avoided the decoys.

I know nothing about turkeys either... but based on what I had read on the Around the Campfire... it seemed like mating season kicked off really early this year due to the lack of a hard winter and plenty of rain. Seems like it could be that we missed the "rut."

[jerp]

This late in the season many of the hens have already been bred. After a hen gets bred she generally goes off by herself somewhere to find an isolated place to nest. Sometimes late season works great - if you are the only hen left in the woods calling for a mate, that dominant gobbler may just come running to mount the one in his territory he thinks he missed. I had long back and forth conversation with two gobblers on Saturday but they would not come in. I finally figured out I was closer to our property line than I realized and they were on the other side of our neighbors high fence. I watched them strut back and forth along that fence for a good 30 minutes.

[SwampRabbit]

I realized and they were on the other side of our neighbors high fence. I watched them strut back and forth along that fence for a good 30 minutes.

ouch!

[Dry Bones]

just getting in from a long wet one. Saw a lot of hens with out gobblers.. Sometimes two hens sometimes singles. I did manage to find a couple of gobblers before then end, but never got into range on them.
Turkeys are a lot more difficult then i had given credit for, especially on a spot and stalk style hunt. I believe their eyes work better then whitetails. I had some cool close encounters with deer this weekend though. :-)

[Hunter Todd]

Keep trying. For absolutely no apparent reason one morning a gobbler will run in to your decoys. They are so frustrating to hunt. Their eyes ARE better than a whitetail. To me, that's what makes hunting them so fun............about the time you're ready to give it up, everything works perfect and you get a shot. Killing one with trad gear is not an easy task, but it's fun trying! Good luck.

[SwampRabbit]

Here is something you can try to get a shooter in range. I've seen it work.

First, ditch the decoys and just sit where you've seen them moving around, traveling, feeding. Call, wait, call, etc. It's a good idea to throw out some corn on the ground too. Now, what you need to make this work is a unsuspecting squirrel (or maybe a rabbit, etc.) When the squirrel comes in, make a decision that you are going to shoot it. Take it very seriously. Get in the moment. But... before you take the shot, throw out a couple yelps to make sure there isn't some gobblers nearby. When you don't get an answer, pick up your bow and draw on the squirrel. Fling an arrow at it. Now, this might be counter intuitive, but I think it is important. You should miss your shot. But you need to miss in such a way that the squirrel comes back. The idea is to hit it with the last arrow in your quiver. Once the squirrel is down, let the adrenaline wear off and go out and claim your prize. You are a trad hunter, and by definition, an opportunistic hunter. Be proud! Take some pics for the harvest thread. It's okay to take your time here. Walk around in the open, clean your squirrel and head back into your blind and hang up your bow. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT nock an arrow on your bow. Just relax. In fact, it is a good idea to resolve to the fact that you will not see anything else the rest of the sit. Doing so sends out the appropriate vibe that the woods are now safe. It is important to commit to this bluff. Start fiddling with your pack, putting things away. If you are with a hunting partner... go ahead and talk in a normal voice. Whispering is a cue that you are not serious about wrapping up your hunt and the woods knows it. Now, if you are paying attention, this about the time a decent tom will walk by your shooting lane and probably inside 15 yards.

And that is how you get them in.

Now.... getting a shot off with an empty quiver and no arrow nocked and being forced to move slowly all within the 15 seconds or so that bird will hang out in your shooting lane... well, that is a different story and I can't help you there. But at least you know how to get them within range.

But hey... at least you killed a squirrel

[Dry Bones]

LOL, that unfortunately seems to accurate. I did manage to shoot a few skunks this weekend, but I did not take any pics of them. one was a walking away shot and it seemed to have a perfect "bulls-eye" marking from said direction. So I focused in the middle and let the blunt go.... and then left the scene rapidly. Guess that makes me an opportunistic as the next guy. Where we were hunting there is a VERY large population of skunks. If anyone has ever successfully skinned one let me know how. but in those shots, not toms came carelessly by.