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What did you do wrong today?

REN said:
slept through my alarm today. HOWEVER hunting the previous 5 days in a row, I was not to upset to be able to sleep till 6:30 this morning and take my kids to school instead lol.
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I took my kids to school today as well but reports were it was the quietest day of the season so far.
 
Simply chose the wrong location…
I plan to hunt silent gobblers, spent a lot of my youth chasing gobbles so when I set up its for the morning or afternoon. Locate and pattern lone gobblers, then get out there. Just don't forget that rain is a reset button in a turkey brain and his instinct has a new destination.
 
Rageman said:
Phil Sanchez man it's hard to sit sometimes but alot of times it's the best thing to do find some good scratch and maybe some good strut lines and wait Emm out it makes the turkey to be less pressured and Boogered up but by all means check his temperature to see might work for you it makes for a long season applying the run and gun tactics being patIent on good sign puts more on the truck bed for me👍
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Yeah some people say this is too much like deer hunting, but hey I like deer hunting. And if they aint talking I will deer hunt those turkeys!
 
Yesterday walked in the woods and called softly. Had two toms sound off instantly. I thought "dang they are already close" so instead of stopping for a second to look at the lay of the land I just found a tree to sit down at next to me. Well if I would have just looked down the ridge top I would have seen the open hardwood flat on it and all the scratch and strutting zone they had been using. So I was in the thick underbrush and yup you guessed it…. They went straight to the open flat area and strutted,spit, drum, and gobbled their heads off. We played back and forth for two hours. I'd call and they would explode, I'd shut up and they wouldn't move and would just strut. I'd scratch the leaves and they would explode. Back and forth but at 70 yards they wouldn't move. Lesson of that morning was when I hear them gobble if I'm not in a spot they feel "safe" or a spot that they can strut in then I will find the closest spot that looks like that and get in range of it. On a side note I had a guy at the gate when I was leaving ask me how it was this morning. I told him my morning and he asked what I was shooting. I replied 3" #9 tss and he said "hell son that would have killed them both dead at 70 yards" I told him when I pulled my gun up that the bead/barrel would be covering them up and I don't long range turkey hunt and it's ONE per day and not two. I said not only is that illegal but also the dumbest and most irresponsible thing to do and that it's a moron move to sling tss and pray for a clean kill. Needless to say we parted ways after that lol
 
Well first mistake I assumed those 2 would be roosted in same spot.. Buddy and I got in early and tight and had a good setup. 2 owls hit the tree right by them and started going off and nothing.. One of those where your jaw just drops and you think now what?

2nd mistake. Hear a far off gobble so we make a mad dash.. Never heard another roost gobble but hear him on the ground on the ridge top. Get setup and hear a gang of hens and I get them fired up. Gobbler is answering and the whole flock is getting closer, gun up and ready for him to pop up this little draw.. Then his gobbles angle left and I was worried he might be moving for the field... Boss hen still in front yakking and no more gobbles.. Wait a little bit longer and I tell my buddy I got to start heading and need to be on the road to work at 9am.. Stand up and there he is strutting behind us in the field in between us and the trucks... Its getting rough around here..
 
Well didn't hunt this morning but I was making a corner on the way to take the kids to school and a gobbler in full strut walks right out in front of my truck and I slammed on the brakes.... I definitely screwed up I need all the help I can get to fill a tag...
 
set up on a group of birds I knew were there in the dark. Ended up having a bird gobbling like crazy a few hundred yards behind me and the ones I set up on were pretty quiet and had a lot of hens. I knew I should have just got up and went after the active bird but got lazy and didnt. He hammered all morning till finally finding a hen. He would have been MUCH easier to call to, the ones I was on ended up all flying out in the field behind him giving me no chance at them
 
Yesterday I hesitated when my gut instinct told me to cut off these hard gobbling jakes and bump them.. They were right below me and I thought about to come right up the road too me but nope they blew by me and ran off both gobblers on the other side.... Didn't hear a peep after that...
 
Didn't hunt this morning because I thought it would be raining and of course saw strutters on every corner without hens... Maybe 25 driving around today..
 
Went out for my first Turkey hunt on Public on Sunday. Walked a few miles calling and didn't get any gobbles in return. Rounded a corner and found two hens walking out in the open. Soon as I rounded the corner they dipped into the tree line. I posted up making calls to see if I could find maybe a gobbler chasing them but had zero luck.

Later that day I was walking back to shed some layers at the car when I rounded a corner and found 4 hens out in a field. I figured a gobbler would be near so I posted up and started to call. Sat and waited and didn't get any gobbles so after about 15 min I got up to reposition and saw a gobbler. Unfortunately I wasn't expecting him and he was probably on the look out for me and immediately flew away.

Lots learned and I'll be going back to see if I can finally harvest a turkey by being a little more prepared.
 
Molonlabemike said:
Went out for my first Turkey hunt on Public on Sunday. Walked a few miles calling and didn't get any gobbles in return. Rounded a corner and found two hens walking out in the open. Soon as I rounded the corner they dipped into the tree line. I posted up making calls to see if I could find maybe a gobbler chasing them but had zero luck.

Later that day I was walking back to shed some layers at the car when I rounded a corner and found 4 hens out in a field. I figured a gobbler would be near so I posted up and started to call. Sat and waited and didn't get any gobbles so after about 15 min I got up to reposition and saw a gobbler. Unfortunately I wasn't expecting him and he was probably on the look out for me and immediately flew away.

Lots learned and I'll be going back to see if I can finally harvest a turkey by being a little more prepared.
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ive certainly been there friend. we all have.
 
philsanchez76 said:
ive certainly been there friend. we all have.
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I had a feeling it would happen with it being my first. I've done a ton more research to try and better my understanding of the bird and their habits. Going to go tomorrow and Friday AM to see if any of what I have learned will make a difference.
 
A little different situation for yall... i finally called in a bird I've been after since opening day and had two hens with him. He NEVER broke strut and I'm still old school in that I won't shoot one strutting. I normally would hit a hard cluck or two with a mouth call and seal the deal. I had a dip in and didn't have a chance to spit for 15 minutes and can't even open my mouth at this point. And obviously didnt have my mouth call in. I attempt to make a cluck with just my mouth which sounded more like a gargle than anything. He slips behind three big oaks and quitely drops off the back side of the steep ridge I'm on.


I'll never dip again when I'm set up calling. Maybe I'll use that as my excuse to quit all together.
 

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