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1st or 2nd week
- Thread starter poorhunter
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TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
:mrgreen:Roost 1":6z9u0jlm said:
Yea, you remind me of smiling Chuck Adams asking for permission to hunt, and saying,
"I only bowhunt." :tu:
Yep, ole Roost doesn't even have anything to hunt with but those little 20 gauges.
TheLBLman":lxfb2vrs said:
LMAO... you are killing me friend!!! :rotf: :rotf:
Actually I'll be done to a little ol .410 this season...
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I think you should level the playing field a bit more with the turkeys
and ONLY turkey hunt with a simple recurve bow. :tu:
and ONLY turkey hunt with a simple recurve bow. :tu:
Hate to hi-jack Poorhunters thread but I'm considering using my crossbow some because I kno some bow only areas I'd like to hunt....
On my lease 80 per cent of the turkeys killed will be killed in the first 9 days.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
That is possibly true in my main areas as well,muddyboots":3bq0kgdp said:
BUT
it may be mainly because 80% of the season's turkey hunting will also be during those first 9 days!
I commonly have the woods less crowded everywhere after the 2nd weekend,
meaning that 2nd "week" is often more enjoyable hunting, as is the 3rd and 4th.
In particular, all those KY hunters have moved on :tu:
Last year statewide, 50% of all turkeys killed in the state were killed the first 9 days of the season. I'd wager a bet that the majority of the adult male birds were 2 year olds, and most likely the majority of the 3+ year olds killed in that time frame were killed with a strutter decoy (pulling mature birds off hens).muddyboots":qn5uxf16 said:
I'm usually tagged out by the 15 the 2nd and 3rd weeks are usually best here in the far north east of the state
I've always read/heard that, which is interesting. Here in the extreme SW corner, we are much like mddyboots area in that the first week, if not the week before, is prime. We are more in line with north Mississippi, where you guys are probably more in line with southern Virginia. That is why I always stress geographic location is needed when answering questions on here.knightrider":1bvr5c56 said:
In my experience in northern to central middle TN, the areas I hunt, a lot of times the first week the gobblers are not with hens yet or if they are, the hens are not receptive and you can call those gobblers away from the hens. On very few occasions I haven't had any luck or very little luck the first week calling gobblers, in those instances I have to resort to other methods. Seems to me the weather conditions in late Feb/March play a huge roll in what the birds are doing.
However the last of March, first of April are absolutely my most favorite times to hunt.
However the last of March, first of April are absolutely my most favorite times to hunt.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Most of us have a different take on "how" we turkey hunt, what's best about it, what's bad, etc.
As Andy and others have pointed out, peak turkey activity varies greatly from county to county,
as do the various different ways they can be hunted vary from person to person.
A guy with thousands of acres to hunt has a better opportunity for the more traditional "run & gun" style of turkey hunting. Most have this opportunity on public lands but not so much on private lands. "Run & Gun" (traditional turkey hunting) may have little opportunity for many hunting near their homes on only a few acres they have permission to hunt. Just saying, there is merit in being slow to criticise another hunter's method of hunting, as it might be your choice if you were in his situation.
But how much would we enjoy turkey hunting if we never heard a gobble?
Many hunters in large part measure their turkey hunting enjoyment by the amount of gobbling they hear.
IMO, the most significant aspect regarding the amount of gobbling we hear during the season has a direct correlation to the number of 2-yr-old Toms.
Nesting success is often the biggest factor regarding whatever happens over the coming two years, but by not killing jakes, we do a lot to insure more 2-yr-old birds in the future, which yields more gobbling heard in the turkey woods. Some hunters enjoy taking that a step further in avoiding killing those 2-yr-olds, seeking the challenge of the older Toms. And it can be a heck of a challenge.
So just me, but I'll typically avoid killing a longbeard when I think he's a 2-yr-old old. Typically, most years, most of the longbeards are going to be 2-yr-olds. That typically means I give a pass to more than I choose to kill. I do often put other hunters on those birds I've located.
Regarding early season, one thing no one has mentioned, most jakes will not have visible beards yet. I like the fact that this offers them protection when the most hunters are afield. But many hunters are simply wanting to kill their first turkey. So keep this in mind, most years, the largest number of male birds wherever you hunt are going to be jakes. Their beards become more visible later in the season, making them legal birds in TN.
It's not uncommon to see a flock of jakes, all with no visible beards on opening weekend.
Yet a week or two later, visible beards may be seen on the same group.
The beards actually grow pretty quickly during April, often becoming around an inch long by season's end.
If you've never killed a turkey, don't let any of the above commentary discussing 1st & 2nd weeks deter you from hunting later. Much of the time, you will find later is a better opportunity to take either a 3-yr-old Tom or a jake.
As Andy and others have pointed out, peak turkey activity varies greatly from county to county,
as do the various different ways they can be hunted vary from person to person.
A guy with thousands of acres to hunt has a better opportunity for the more traditional "run & gun" style of turkey hunting. Most have this opportunity on public lands but not so much on private lands. "Run & Gun" (traditional turkey hunting) may have little opportunity for many hunting near their homes on only a few acres they have permission to hunt. Just saying, there is merit in being slow to criticise another hunter's method of hunting, as it might be your choice if you were in his situation.
But how much would we enjoy turkey hunting if we never heard a gobble?
Many hunters in large part measure their turkey hunting enjoyment by the amount of gobbling they hear.
IMO, the most significant aspect regarding the amount of gobbling we hear during the season has a direct correlation to the number of 2-yr-old Toms.
Nesting success is often the biggest factor regarding whatever happens over the coming two years, but by not killing jakes, we do a lot to insure more 2-yr-old birds in the future, which yields more gobbling heard in the turkey woods. Some hunters enjoy taking that a step further in avoiding killing those 2-yr-olds, seeking the challenge of the older Toms. And it can be a heck of a challenge.
So just me, but I'll typically avoid killing a longbeard when I think he's a 2-yr-old old. Typically, most years, most of the longbeards are going to be 2-yr-olds. That typically means I give a pass to more than I choose to kill. I do often put other hunters on those birds I've located.
Regarding early season, one thing no one has mentioned, most jakes will not have visible beards yet. I like the fact that this offers them protection when the most hunters are afield. But many hunters are simply wanting to kill their first turkey. So keep this in mind, most years, the largest number of male birds wherever you hunt are going to be jakes. Their beards become more visible later in the season, making them legal birds in TN.
It's not uncommon to see a flock of jakes, all with no visible beards on opening weekend.
Yet a week or two later, visible beards may be seen on the same group.
The beards actually grow pretty quickly during April, often becoming around an inch long by season's end.
If you've never killed a turkey, don't let any of the above commentary discussing 1st & 2nd weeks deter you from hunting later. Much of the time, you will find later is a better opportunity to take either a 3-yr-old Tom or a jake.
I agree with you LBL, and I've said for years lots of people would quit hunting if it were not for loud mouthed 2yr olds. Most people hunt the gobble, me included. I do like to find a big older birds and hunt them, last yr I killed one of best birds ever, it took several days. His only weakness was the fact he liked roosting on the same ridge above a creek. I really prolly got lucky to kill him in the fact it rained all night which allowed me to get close before daylight.
I found 2 more big old birds later in the season that i was not so successful with. Looking forward to hunting those guys this spring.
I found 2 more big old birds later in the season that i was not so successful with. Looking forward to hunting those guys this spring.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
poorhunter":1jljabbm said:
I hear everything, and nothing goes unnoticed
I like late season here in the mountains, but have had some stupidly easy hunting early. It just depends on the weather in March and especially if the weather early in the season is worth a damn.
catman529
Well-Known Member
I got the 2nd week off
Around the 10th of April is my favorite time to be out there.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
2nd week is the best for action, hands down....
That being said, I used to take off the 2nd week back in the early 90's when there were very few hunters competing for the same birds. Now that there are so many other hunters, and the majority of the entire statewide kill is frontloaded into the first week, I've found that there are significantly fewer birds left to hunt by the second week. So I now take my vacation/ trip up the first week of season. If I still have enough birds to justify a return trip, I'll occasionally make a second trip back up when they aren't henned up as bad.
That being said, I used to take off the 2nd week back in the early 90's when there were very few hunters competing for the same birds. Now that there are so many other hunters, and the majority of the entire statewide kill is frontloaded into the first week, I've found that there are significantly fewer birds left to hunt by the second week. So I now take my vacation/ trip up the first week of season. If I still have enough birds to justify a return trip, I'll occasionally make a second trip back up when they aren't henned up as bad.
cowhunter71
Well-Known Member
Any and every day and week of the season for me 
Couldn't imagine missing a single day of the six week season simply because someone said turkeys were not gobbling.
Couldn't imagine missing a single day of the six week season simply because someone said turkeys were not gobbling.
spoon
Well-Known Member
Had my best luck in the middle of April
