i think i am gonna try to go out and take a wild turkey.
 

i have cabin fever bad!

this weekend i did a lot of weeding. AT MY WORK OFFICE! that's right. i have zero weeds at my house now. i took to clearing an area my dog and i play fetch at my office. i am clearing his flight path to frisbee nirvana. i am that bored.

driving around for my essential work, i see the boy turkeys out and about working the ladies hard!!

i will pack 100% of my food, avoid my landowner friends, and i will need one fuel stop. i'll wear my mask and gloves. i will take a shotgun for the quick (hopefully) success. one and done.

anyone getting out this season? you all that have birds on your own farm properties..kudos to you. me, the city guy - i have to commute. :(

Interesting! I was thinking of hitting the liquor store too!

I haven't been out hunting them yet. I've scouted a few times but honestly if I want turkey I just drive down to my neighbor's house and grab one. He has 4 barns full of antibiotic and growth hormone free birds. Not quite like going out, doing some locating, setting up and calling them in though.

hahha..i imagine where you are at, you are covered with wild turkey. easterns!

Last time I was at the farm I found some pretty good sign of turkeys. Went the better part of last deer season without having one pop up on the cameras. I might go up later this week and do a little locating.

There are wild turkeys all over the area where I live.
I hit one with my Honda a few weeks back...left a smear from the bumper to the windshield.

Turkeys are taking over the Bay Area, but unfortunately so is suburban sprawl, so access hasn't gotten any easier.

Going in 2 weeks, local hobby ranch access. I hope we can shotgun them. Last year guy wanted bow only and that makes it a lot harder, especially considering my vintage bow and lack of practice.

G

The closest I've gotten to one is the weekly Cabela's mailers.

My friends and his 17yo daughter got one this weekend.

We have a flock right in our back yard. 2 weekends ago, I was up early, and there were 4 toms if full bloom, or whatever you call it, chasing the ladies around, and getting into fights with each other . I think I counted 13 birds all together . It was quite entertaining .
I could step off my back porch and get one with a .22 nearly any day of the week.
If this shutdown goes on too long, and we get hungry enough ....

Saturday out and about

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Is turkey hunting strictly a shotgun thing, or can you take them with a .22 as well?
Seems like a headshot or bust would be pretty sporting with a .22, and spoil no meat.

^^^ no rifles or pistols allowed in NC...

First and only turkey I got flew into the garage door and broke his neck. Nice bird too. This was in the Finger Lakes region of NY state at our house in a little town near Watkins Glen. I guess the school bus spooked him. One of the kids took my picture with the bird in one hand and my Deerslayer in the other, wearing my suit (I was just leaving for work). Naturally, I lost the picture.

We have them around here, but not like we used to. We might have 8 or 10 in a group where we'd have a couple of dozen some time ago. During turkey season, we have hunters going up & down our road wearing their camo outfits. They have to ask for permission to come onto your property. I never give them permission.

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Generally rifles are not allowed for turkey hunting. Check your state's regs. It isn't very sporting to snipe a turkey at 100+ yards with a rifle. The challenge and fun in turkey hunting is to call the turkey to you within shotgun range (<45 yards or so).

Here in CA you can use shotgun, archery and pellet gun. The pellet gun is also a rifle but requires a head shot to be deadly.

G

Please reconsider next time when you have a parent with their kid come ask. Some of the best memories and bonds formed with my children were turkey hunting. It teaches a lot about patience and perseverance. Note that after the first turkey goes in the bag, they will not just be sitting there like sheep, they are challenging to hunt.

Cheers,

G

I've hunted them with both, shooting one with a rifle is harder, IMHO. One hunting trip my buddy got one flying with a 30-06. They always came to drink at the troughs by the windmill powered well, and it was an ambush time.

I had one almost come through my windshield the other day. I actually ducked (no pun intended). Luckily it came across from the side of the road, lightly hitting my windshield and roof. No damage except perhaps to the Turkey. Good thing, my wind screen is original Signa

We re-introduced them five, six years ago...maybe more.

We still don't hunt them by mutual agreement. Tons of other stuff to legally shoot if so inclined.

It interesting to watch how they have gained purchase and move about the area....excellent growth.

Quail are next. That will be harder.

Did you re-populate with Rio's or Easterns? We only had Rio's where we hunted, 60-100 at one time would come in, daily. We had severe problems with anthrax, wiped out damned near all the deer twice in 6 years, so we hunted turkey quite a bit.

When I was a kid we had some pheasants and what were called ruffed grouse in the woods. Behind the house I grew up in was hundreds of acres of woods and of course we spent a ton of time back there. The grouse would sit still until you nearly stepped on them and then several of them on queue would explode up in the air, startling the crap out of me all the time. They’re all gone now, as most of their habitat is little pink houses for you and me. Getting one with a shotgun would have been an impressive feat in the thick woods. Even shouldering the 870 and getting a shot off in the general quadrant before they disappeared would be respectable.
Conversely back then I never ever saw a turkey or bald eagle. Today they’re fairly common sights.

I have hunted them a lot along the Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado borders. We have done both archery and shotgun. Smelliest things to clean, ugh.

One of the reasons I stopped was the ticks, damn they were so bad. We would get permission from some farmers to hunt their land and put my camper on one of the spots. I have hunted from blinds, walking around, stalking them, you name it. It is pretty fun.

Shotgun is a little more difficult now with the change from lead shot. You really need a head shot to drop them. I have hit a turkey and watched it roll then get up and take off.....

I know what you mean about the grouse Ken. I shot one with my bow a few years ago during elk archery season. We were camping way back in the boonies and I grilled the grouse and added it to my Mountain House or whichever brand meal I was eating. Was really good and added a lot to it.

You introduce them yourselves? I hope they are native to your area? :eek: - I guess you said "re-" - doing anything like that is a big no-no here in CA. Even Fish and Game has had second thoughts introducing turkeys here, they are non-native and were brought in by F&G. They are to the level of a pest now! Haha!

You can take toms all day long, it will not hurt the reproduction, another tom will gladly cover for the pal in the freezer.

G

Anyone ever see a turkey defend itself against an attacking dog?

Vicious. A dog will only try it once (unless it’s an Irish Setter). While the bird is shredding whatever with its toenails it’s beating the hell out of it with its wings, attacking with its beak and some how explodes into a six foot monster from hell!

I am not sure. I can ask.

The local Fish and Game Guy said we should do it, so I wrote a check to help, as did other farmers in the area. It was a private deal. I don't ask a lot of questions in case they ask me for specifics:cool:

Deer have had a great Winter here:

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Actually I did once when a guy I know wanted to bring his son to hunt with a bow. He got a really nice turkey and was really happy, but I felt bad for the turkey. I used to not be like that.

The picture below is an iPhone shot from my front door.

The Tom had his sights on a female hidden by the Barley. He put on a show.

Sorry for the bad pics:

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Kraap my wife got out of weekend work. So much for sneaking out.

She is a public health nurse so she is a strong advocate of sheltering in place for the greater good.

Turkey hunts don’t seem to qualify as a greater good.

They're so much fun to watch. I spent summers (1980s) in NW Michigan and they were scarce. I went back ten years ago ant they were everywhere, especially around the golf courses carved into the nort' woods and the orchards. You'd see a big tom with his girls hear another off in the distance and he'd go into full snot-kicking alert.

I wouldn't want to cross one of them barehanded, that's for sure!

...and now I'm wondering if I'll like Wild Turkey again - too carmeley and sweet the last time I tried it. Off to the essential gas station to find out!

Had 18 in the backyard yesterday, with one big "Long beard" tom strutting away trying to impress the ladies! Season opens up on May 1st, so will have to see if he is still around then.

Oh, cmon! Aren't you tired of each other yet!? You don't have to see anyone to go turkey hunting. She can fix you a nice lunch to take along. :) And in return, there will be fried turkey breast strips when you come home!

G

Here you go! Bingo!



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Thought of this Sunday morning. Just outside the window of the family "farm." Gobble gobble.