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Can't wait for April 2

catman529

catman529

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Been turkey hunting once, back this past April. Almost had a gobbler in range but he shied away from the strutting decoy. Been deer hunting once, a week ago to be exact. Almost shot a deer then too but it wasn't close enough for me to feel comfortable shooting it. I hope I'll get a deer this season but I won't be turkey hunting till the spring because I'll be buying a 12 gauge most likely after the fall turkey season (because of money). I'm a freshman in college w/ a part time job so I'm a little tight on extra spending money.

But anyway, as much as I anticipate my next deer hunt, I'm really looking forward to turkey hunting again. You can call deer, lure them in, stalk them, watch them, shoot them and get a lot of thrill and good meat but then with turkeys, you can have a conversation with them and watch them strut and get all excited. I make my own tube calls that sound pretty decent too. Can't wait for April 2, if I do make it out on opening day...even if I don't, I'll still be turkey hunting for sure next spring. And you all can agree it's not too early to look forward to it, right?
 
Its never to early to look forward to turkey season, I have been hooked since I was 9, and have been hunting on my own for years, and nothing beats the arguments that you literally have with boss hens or the double gobble of a 2 yr old bird that just won't shut up, I keep my turkey hunting fire burning in the offseason by reading turkey hunting articles, watching videos of turkey hunts, and fine tuning my calling, " even though I do it outside and probably annoy half the neighbors" lol
 
Lol, annoying half the neighbors yes, except a turkey call isn't as loud as the Primos crow call I bought for calling crows, it's advertised for turkey locating but I want to hunt crows with it, and it's a really loud call and I already know people don't like the sound of crows, not to mention someone practicing and trying to figure out how to use a crow call. I can use it fine now but that just means neighbors could be annoyed at really loud "crows" in the backyard.

Gonna make some tube calls. Probably will use bamboo this time for the tube, and a piece of latex glove always makes a good reed. The gobble sound they make is only so-so but yelping, clucking, putting all sound great. Purring takes practice but I got into a purring conversation with some hens last year only 15 feet away from them through the bushes.
 
You will be surprised how many crows will come to a good sounding crow call, I live in the city and have had up to 10 circling my house just from me opening my back door and cawing at them, now arguing with boss hens is a totally different story, I have argued with several boss hens, mimicking every call she made twice as loud and twice as raspy, they can't stand it! And almost every time, I pissed her off enough to come in for a fight, and guess what is usually with a boss hen, big ol toms, had 4 huge toms come in full strut right behind her last season, if you ever call in some jakes pass on them, but try and keep them around by calling and making them gobble if you are on private land, I kept 3 jakes around me for an hour last year and that's all it took for 3 big toms to come in and whip those jakes, then come strutting right into to me, and those tube calls sounds pretty fancy, wouldn't mind trying one if you made a few extras, I personally have a handmade wingbone call my dad crafted a few years back, nothing can imitate a soft yelp that it can produce
 
Blount, yeah I've had crows circling overhead from my call and one almost landed in a tree in front of me once. The problem is getting them to land, because they don't. Maybe decoys will help. I'm trying to shoot them with an air rifle so I need one to be still for at least a few seconds to take a shot.

As for the tube calls, I could probably mail you one if you sent a buck or two thru paypal to cover shipping costs. (PM me). I can make one in 5 minutes easily so there's no reason for me to charge money for making one. I've never tried a wingbone call, seems they take practice to master, I'd love to hear one in person though.
 
The wingbone was hard for me to learn, I practiced on a straw for a long time and it really helped, and a straw can make a last minute call if needed, they don't sound bad if you know who to use them, but yea man id love to try one of your calls, I'm not familiar with paypal, but we could work something out like, me maybe send you a flat rate box or such, but getting the crows to land is very tricky, they will land sometimes right above you, but the key is not letting them see you
 
I have some flat rate boxes and I can just cover the cost myself, I'd like to see what someone else thinks of my calls anyway.

as for the crows, it's hard not being seen, because they're birds.
 
Ok man thanks so much, ill send you a pm with my address, and yes crows are birds, and as you know from turkey hunting, they can almost see 360 degrees around them at all times, especially when there is more than one together
 
yeah, and speaking of birds' vision, I once raised a pigeon squab after taking it from the nest. A few weeks in the cage and I decided he was ready to fly outside. He could hang around the backyard and I would put food out for him. I went in for a short nap, came out an hour later and a hawk was standing on the ground with feathers underneath him. He had seen through all the trees to this one little bird on our back deck. Dang, birds can see really well. I once moved just a few feet in the edge of the woods, with a flock of turkeys 200 yards across the field. Just moving a few feet too suddenly made heads pop up everywhere. But then I succeeded at sneaking around through the woods to end up 15 feet away from the flock through the bushes and had them thinking I was another turkey with my tube call.
 
catman529 said:
yeah, and speaking of birds' vision, I once raised a pigeon squab after taking it from the nest. A few weeks in the cage and I decided he was ready to fly outside. He could hang around the backyard and I would put food out for him. I went in for a short nap, came out an hour later and a hawk was standing on the ground with feathers underneath him. He had seen through all the trees to this one little bird on our back deck. Dang, birds can see really well. I once moved just a few feet in the edge of the woods, with a flock of turkeys 200 yards across the field. Just moving a few feet too suddenly made heads pop up everywhere. But then I succeeded at sneaking around through the woods to end up 15 feet away from the flock through the bushes and had them thinking I was another turkey with my tube call.
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Sorry to hear bout your pet pigeon, just part of nature, I remember my cousin get a few guineas for christmas, and a hawk(s) killed all of them lol, but yea I have spooked a lot of turkey, usually the silent toms that don't gobble and come from the exact opposite of where you expect one to show itself, most of the time I was just lifting my butt to get comfortable, and then the alarm putt sounds, and I turn around and see the tom or toms bobbing their heads going away from me
 
I love deer hunting, but there is no outdoor experience that compares to a big ol long beard gobbling down your gun barrell. Cant wait.
 
Im pumped about spring turkey as well! Last spring was the first time I had been and heard three gobblers within 40 yds of me but didn't get one, but I know thatg was still pretty good for my first time. Im trying to get good with a mouth call so I can free up my hands. Hopefully I can find some birds on yanahli next week for fall turkey. Told my father-in-law I would get him one to deep fry for christmas. :)
 
I've been to Yanahli twice...first time, saw a flock crossing Sowell Mill/Jordan road just east of Cheeks Bend. Second time there, was deer hunting and didn't see any turkeys but did see fresh tracks in the mud. They're out there now so good luck with your fall hunt. I heard kee-kee runs are good calls for the fall but then I'm not really sure the best way to hunt them in the fall.
 
The scatter method is usually the go to method in the fall, but it only works if you are within about 50 to 75 yds because the whole idea is getting them to scatter in all different directions and by running and shouting while flailing your arms and then go to the middle of where all of them went and try and act like a hen trying to regroup the flock, if you try and scatter them from to far away, they will fly off in a group
 
Oh yeah I've seen them fly off in a group...I guess you've got to be really close to get them to scatter. Does it really work trying to bring them back together afterwards? If you're going to get that close to them in the first place then why not shoot one right away?
 
Thanks for the tip catman, yeah, I heard that the scatter method is the best too. I think it would be extremely difficult to walk in on them close enough to get a shot of, but the yelling and screaming usually messes with their minds so much that they all fly of in all directions. In the fall, turkeys just want to be together, so u can do a gathering call or kee kees to get them to come back to u. I have seen videos of people killing one right after another this way from the same spot! Crazy.
 
catman529 said:
Oh yeah I've seen them fly off in a group...I guess you've got to be really close to get them to scatter. Does it really work trying to bring them back together afterwards? If you're going to get that close to them in the first place then why not shoot one right away?
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Yes, and it works very well if done right, 50-75 yds is way to far to be shooting at a turkeys head, even with an extra full choke and a 3 1\2 magnum, if done right, you will instantly start hearing hens making their long series of yelps and kee kees, I have heard hens yelp up to 100 times before stopping, you will hear them everywhere, the key is to imitate the same call the hen is using to round up the hens, and if you did it right, they will come back to you, the scatter method is used when the flock hangs up and won't come any closer, or else you would just wait them out if they are heading your way
 
Makes sense now. But at 50-75 yards, I would expect them to just run and take flight. Or does that happen more when they see you sneaking around? Maybe running and shouting scatters them while creeping up on them makes them fly? Haven't spent enough time with them in the woods to figure it all out yet.
 
They will most of the time get a running start before they fly and usually will go in the direction of which they are running, so the key is to get them to run in all directions
 

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