TM 13 Cuttin & Struttin

[laxin]

Welcome Team,

I am looking forward to the season. My name is Ryan and I am in Logistics Engineering in Northeastern Ohio. I will be hunting Portage and Geauga Counties. Any thoughts on a team name?

Ryan

[bluedog]

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just a TEENY bit excited about turkey season. I'll be hunting Ashtabula County. I do have a goal of helping a youth hunter get a turkey this year so I'll be spending some of my season working on that. Early season is going to be very weird for me because the farm next door still has standing corn. Yes, you heard that right, standing corn! Normally the turks range all over our two farms, but they have been sticking tight to the corn all spring. Will be interesting for sure.

Oh and don't tell anyone, but I am a girl. Ok a little older (I think I am old enough to be all of your mothers, :rolleyes: ). Anyway, my name is Diane and I am a veterinarian. This will be my 12th ( I think?) season hunting turkeys. Here is a link to a picture of me with last year's gobbler (very wet turkey): http://s217.photobucket.com/albums/cc133/bluedog_photos/various%20pictures/?action=view&current=20080518_IMG_0009.jpg

I'll think about the name thing, but I'm confident you boys can come up with a good name.

GO TEAM #13!!!!!!!!!!!

[laxin]

Great looking bird! Hopefully we will all be able to achieve that success this year.

[bluedog]

Was out this evening searching for the groundhog that's been tearing up the tile lines. Didn't see the groundhog, but watched 6 deer in the field and the TURKEYS WERE YACKING IT UP over at the neighbors. Man, I love to listen to that.

I'll throw out a couple of names.
Team Cutt'n and Strutt'n (Ok I stole this from the Hunter Specialties video series, but I always thought that was a catchy name)

Team Snood Stoppers (who the heck names a body part "snood" :p )

Still waiting for our other two teamies to check in.

[laxin]

I agree Cutt'n and Strutt'n is catchy! I like it.

Good to hear you have a couple birds running around between yours and your neighbors place. :D I will be back out this weekend to try and figure the patterns of a few more flocks out/checking another small piece of Private land that I haven't scouted for turkeys yet.

Hopefully our last two teamates are busy figuring out some birds :mischeif:

[laxin]

PM has been sent to MaS19 and Grasshopper.

[oxmos]

Don't know that I can check in for Grasshopper (he's my cuz) but I've talked with him and he should be checking in shortly. From what I hear, it should be a good year for him.

[Grasshopper]

Hi guys, sorry I've taken so long to respond. Went scoutin yesterday morning and heard between 5&6 birds on my farm and several others on surrounding lands that I hunt. Im taken a friends 10yr old son out in the morning for the youth hunt. Theres loads of birds for the taking. Should be another great season.

[laxin]

Welcome Grasshopper! Great to hear you have birds around your land. ;)

Any thoughts on a team name? What do you think about the names Diane has suggested?

[jr21]

Hey guys, Jeremy here. I am your substitute for Mas19. I am up for any name. I will be hunting in Coshocton County.

I am ready for the season to start!

[laxin]

Glad to have you Jeremy. If no one objects I vote for Diane's Cutt'n and Strutt'n.

[jr21]

no objection here.

[bluedog]

Good to see you grasshopper and jr.

I was out on my farm this morning searching for a pesky groundhog. No luck there. Saw some deer, but no turkey. Did see some turkey about an hour ago in the field behind the house. Seems like they are mostly staying over on the neighbor's until afternoon. Hopefully one will wonder my way on Monday before noon.

I went out this afternoon and did a little scouting on the farm where I am taking my friend's son hunting tomorrow. Hunted there a couple times last year. I have a pretty good feel for the farm and what the turkeys do, but no where near as familiar as I am with my own farm. Well, at least we have all day tomorrow.

Looks like Monday's weather in the northeastern corner where I am will be positively miserable. Oh well, won't be the first or the last time that I've hunted in those conditions.

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Saturday weather!

[MaS19]

Sorry for not checking in. Ive been down in nelsonville for the last 2 days doing some scouting. Monday morning i should have a nice picture for everyone as long as the rain doesnt get to heavy.

[laxin]

Everyone planning on getting out tomorrow?

Wish the forecast was more favorable, but I will be out before work regardless. Gonna try my luck at some public land first and save some smaller private land tracts for later.

Good luck and safe hunting to all!

[bluedog]

I have pretty much every Monday off work. :bouncy: :bouncy:

Weather up here looks "interesting". Pouring rain and 20-25 mph winds. So now all I have to do is figure out how to get flocked up turkeys hanging out in the neighbor's still standing corn in the wind and rain to come close enough for my 20 gauge. (I actually have a plan A, B and C ready to go.)

On the plus side, I have brand new bomb-proof rain gear that I bought last week. Good day to try it out.

Good luck to all!!!!!

[Grasshopper]

I know this doesn't count, but, I called in a dandy 22.78lb tom for my friends 10yr old son chasehttp://www.ohiosportsman.com/photopost/data/525/Chase_RayHunting_019.jpgse. Had an 11inch Beard and 1 1/4 inch spurs.

[bluedog]

That has got to be one of the happiest faces ever! :D

[CritterGitter]

Sorry for not checking in. Ive been down in nelsonville for the last 2 days doing some scouting. Monday morning i should have a nice picture for everyone as long as the rain doesnt get to heavy.

Mas19,

I have re-assigned you to Team 15. They are still short one person as the alternate has not checked in. You have checked-in so you are definately in the contest, but please check-in on Team 15 so we can complete that team which will fill them all. Thanks and sorry for the confusion.

[laxin]

Gave it a try before work this morning where I had previously found some birds over the last month. Nothing this morning though. Hoping it was just the wind & rain that had them shut-up this morning and not pressure from the weekend.

[jr21]

I won't be out until this weekend, hopefully it will be a little nicer then. sure wish we could count that turkey! Nice Bird!

[bluedog]

Stayed out until noon. Felt like some kind of torture. Wind. Sideways rain. Mostly I was trying to get some more info on what the turks have been doing in the morning. Did see one gobbler with three hens motoring across the field to the neighbor's corn. That was at 7:30am. Never heard a gobble and only one yelp all morning. Had a dog cruising the field at 10:30am. Saw a hen sneaking through some thick stuff at 11:30am. That's about it.

Tomorrow is the only day this week that I can sneak out for an hour and a half before work. Not sure if I can handle going out in similar conditions to this morning. I'll see how I feel in the morning. Then I have to work all week including Saturday so it will be Sunday before I can hunt again.

[jr21]

Just decided that Friday is going to be too nice not to be out looking for a bird. Going to take Friday off and start my turkey season a day early!

[Grasshopper]

http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/cooperclanpics/rayandterrysturkey20090011.jpg?t=1240341071
My friend and I had a great morning with my 21lb tom and his 16lb "Smoke or Grey" phased Jake. Called in 5 total. Both birds shot at 15yds. Thank God for the Pretty Boy Decoy.

[laxin]

Congrats on another great bird Grasshopper!!!

You certainly delivered on what both you and your cousin had said :biggrin:

"From what I hear, it should be a good year for him."
"Theres loads of birds for the taking."

Congrats again on the birds. Hopefully I can come to the table with a nice one as you have.

[jr21]

Congrats! Nice bird!

[bluedog]

All right Grasshopper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go!!!! :D :D :D :D :D



I snuck out until 7:30 this morning. This is my spot on the neighbor's that I like to hunt when I have to go to work because I can sneak out of there without disrupting things too badly when I have to go. I'm not surprised because it is like this every year since they moved the season up a week earlier a few years back, BUT the birds are still flocked up bad! Large groups of 30-40 birds. Gobble a little on the roost and then not a peep once they hit the ground. They roost here one day and there the next. This spot is where they roost 9 out of 10 mornings once the flocks break up and guess what. They weren't there. But I could hear them WAY far away. I knew there were other hunters out so I didn't want to go after them and ruin someone else's hunt. Not to worry. The flocks should start breaking up this weekend. Then it will be GOOD! Just shows you how different things are up north here in the tundra. Well I'm done until Sunday. Don't know if I can go 4 days without going out. :irked:


Oh, and I am STILL grinning about Grasshopper's picture! :bouncy: :bouncy: :bouncy:

[Grasshopper]

Smashed a Jake this morn. 13.78lbs 5inch beard 3/8 spurs. I wouldn't have shot a jake, but it was suppose to be a double. I called in a long beard and my jake within 30 yds, and gave member Mac-a-Licious a crack at the Biggin. Mack missed!!!! True to my word, I unleashed to big 10, and leveled the Jake for a would be double. Still a find bird and a great day to be in the woods.
http://s438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/cooperclanpics/th_Grasshopperjake.jpg:o:o:o

[laxin]

Nice work non the less grasshopper...too bad the double didn't work out. I went to a spot briefly before work today but didn't hear a thing.:mad: Trying a different spot tomorrow morning...hopefully will get something going.

[Grasshopper]

Hitting multiple farms per morning has been paid off HUGE for me this year. So far I've had 6 Long Beards and 7 jakes within gun range this season, with 5 of them harvested by friends and family. In other news, a local Pharmacist and avid hunter here in Waverly killed a 29 pound 6 ounce Tom in Kentucky this week. Not often you here of birds that big being taken. Good Luck to ya

[bluedog]

Good luck to everyone this weekend! I have to work today then I am off for 2 days. After a 10 and two 12 hour days, plus a couple regular days, I am ready. Got home early enough last night to go out and do some scouting. Man the birds are hushed mouthed right now. I heard not one turkey sound and saw one turkey the whole evening. My husband hunted yesterday morning and heard one gobble. In the morning while out doing chores, I can usually hear gobbling from 3 different flocks that are in the surrounding wooded blocks around the farm. Not a single gobble heard this morning. Well I'll be out tomorrow and give a go. Both of us having been running into other hunters too. We hunt the next door neighbor's farm some and it is like public hunting ground over there. But we have had success in the past. Pressure should ease off by the end of the season.

[laxin]

Been real slow for me!!! Haven't heard a gobble since season started :irked: Places I had scouted and found birds (all public) have been getting ridiculous pressure. Tried to get in a place deep this morning (where I believe birds are roosting) and just hope they come down in range, but apparently showing up at 4:50am wasn’t early enough as someone else beat me there :yikes:. I went somewhere else, worked my way in a ways and just grabbed a seat to wait for sunrise. Never heard a gobbler or hen but did see one hen fly out of the roost about 200 yrds away. After waiting a while and doing some light calling just hoping they would move through (I was sitting in a runway of scratching) I tried some other spots and checked fields the remainder of the morning with no success.

Will be back after them with hopefully some better luck tomorrow! Hopefully the pressure starts to fade quickly and the birds start gobbling again…

[jr21]

Went out on Friday and Saturday. Even though there have been groups of birds in the area in the evenings, I only heard one gobble on Friday and didn't hear any today. Seems like they are still in big groups. Hopefully they will start to break up and I can firgure out where they are roosting.

[laxin]

Took a Jake this morning! :D I know it will not equal much value towards the Team Score, but it was many 1st for me and I will get back out there and try and get a longbeard for us...

http://www.ohiosportsman.com/photopost/data/525/medium/P4260617.JPG

http://www.ohiosportsman.com/photopost/data/525/medium/P4260620.JPG

[bluedog]

Congratulations again Ryan!!!!! That is so cool!!!!

What a BEAUTIFUL morning to be out in the woods! I was somewhat encouraged when the first gobbler sounded off this morning. I heard more gobbling on the roost than I have in almost 2 weeks. I thought they might head my way at first since the closest bird was answering my call, but when they flew down, they all gathered together and drifted away. So I started the patiently waiting game with sporadic calling. I was sitting on a field edge with a couple hens and one jake deke out. Finally at 9:00am a couple of hens popped into the far side of the field. Then a longbeard and I think a jake. They saw the dekes, but just glanced my way and went into the field. At one point they were blocked from view. Then a jake went running toward the woods. Next thing I saw was about a group of 15 turkeys milling around. Mostly hens and jakes with two longbeards in tow. All of them looked at the dekes and then ignored them. Then three deer came in the field and ran off the turkeys. The deer left and two hens came back with one longbeard. The hens spent about 10 minutes taking a dust bath in the field. They all glanced at the dekes one more time before leaving. Never heard a gobble or yelp out of any of them. Never saw them the rest of the morning.

I think tomorrow I will plan to be on that other side of the field after flydown. :D :D

[bluedog]

Another day, another dollar and no turkey. :cheeky-smiley-022: Mr. Bluedog and I decided to hunt together today. We have never doubled and thought since I saw 2 longbeards back there yesterday, we would see what happens. Our first set up was too far away so we scurried around the edge of the field and into the woods. Could hear a bird gobbling like a fool about 150-200 yards away in the neighbor's woods. Got set up in the perfect intercept zone. Hadn't even made a call yet and about 6:15 ...... BOOM! Gunshot from the neighbor's woods.. Well that kind of made our hearts sank, but I guess other people are allowed to hunt turkeys too. ;) ;)

So we sat there for a bit to let things calm down. About 20 minutes later two hens make their way across the field with no gobbler in tow. :( Perfect shooting distance. Like I said we WERE in perfect intercept position. Oh well. Not 5 minute later a deer comes flying out of the woods across the field from us and runs 200 yards across the field and jumps the fence only 20 yards from where we were sitting. Then I heard all sorts of turkeys putting where the deer had come from. Then three farm dogs come running across the field and right past us. That was about 7am. Not a good morning so far.

mr. bluedog decided to go back to the house. Finally a gobbler came into the field around 8am, but he was following a hen and wouldn't listen. At 9am he came back but again too far away to shoot. He crossed the field at set up strutting again about 200 yards away. Well to make this long story short, I went around and tried to get him to come the other way. Played with him until I finally lost track of him at 11:30. I was hot and sweaty and decided to pack it in.

[jr21]

Nice Bird Congrats!

I am hoping that in the next week or two the action will pick up in my area. Birds aren't being vocal at all at any of the farms we hunt.

[Grasshopper]

Called this long beard in for my father today. Heard a LOT of gobbling this morning, and had the tom worked into gun range in 30mins. It was only a 17.5 lb bird, but it had 1 3/8 spurs and an 11.5 inch beard. "The longest beard he had ever seen." Might be a three yr old tom.
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/cooperclanpics/Dadstom.jpg?t=1240865864

[laxin]

Grasshopper, how many successful turkey harvest have you been apart of so far?!?!?! You have some awesome turkey woods around you. Congrats to you and your Dad on another awesome bird.

[bluedog]

Congratulations Grasshopper!!!!! That is so cool that you and your dad can share hunting like that. Very VERY nice bird too!!!!!!

Tuesdays are my "hunt until 7:30am" days. So out I went. I mostly use mornings like this to continue to gather information on my secondary hunting spot across the road on the neighbors. I figure if I get lucky and something happens ok, but mostly I am trying to get a feel for what the birds are doing. I know they are not roosting in the spot where they have roosted for the past 10 years. I am starting to get a handle on what they are doing, I think. Lots of good gobbling on the roost, but as typical, shutting up on the ground. I did have 4 hens come strolling by at 20 yards this morning. No boyfriend anywhere in sight, but it's only a matter of time. ;)

Seems like I am getting birds to respond a little after 10am, but still tough in the early morning until I get to know their pattern. The pattern they had in March and early April is not the same one they have now. Every year, I have to relearn the pattern because it is never exactly the same from year to year. It is fun though.

Well I've got to be at work early for the next 2 days, then I'm taking Friday morning off to hunt! :biggrin: Suppose to rain though. :( As long as it isn't pouring, it will be doable. :) Hopefully mr. bluedog will be out hunting the next two days and get that pesky gobbler I chased the other morning!

[bluedog]

Latest report.

Thursday. Birds gobbling their little heads off! I had to work so all I could do was listen to them across the road as I fed and watered the chickens. Meanwhile, mr. bluedog was set up perfectly, BUT he watched as 8 hens filed past with the gobbler in tow. With the gobbler behind a tree and the 8 hens safely past, he made one small adjust in the position of his gun. Unfortunately the previously unknown hen #9 was right behind mr. bluedog and busted him. Too many eyes. Gobbler turned around and went the other way. Would have been a 25 yard shot when the gobbler stepped out from behind the tree. :irked:

Friday. I hunted at the neighbor's. Still trying to figure out their travel pattern since it has for some reason changed from what they have been doing the past 5 years. I'm trying to find out exactly where they are roosting. Snuck in early. Not a gobble to be had. Anywhere. At all. Blah! Caught up with a flock of 10+ birds in a field around 8am. Didn't see a strutter. Just saw jakes and hens, but I didn't have a great view either. Messed with them a little and then left to find more cooperative birds. At 10:30am, I met up with flock #2. They came by within minutes of me starting to call. Mostly hen chatter. Only heard one gobble. First 3 hens stepped out. Then the whole flock went behind me through some thick nasty stuff. Probably 15-20 birds. Lots of jakes, hens and I think one or two long beards. Hard to see. Wouldn't have had a shot anyway as they were all bunched up together. That was all she wrote. I could not buy a gobble if I had a million dollars today.

Working tomorrow and then I'll be out Sunday and Monday.

[bluedog]

So sorry mates, but I'm not doing very good. Here's the report from the past two days.

Sunday: Got out to the field just before shooting time and set up on a fenceline corner trying to intercept the birds as they are milling around in the neighbor's standing corn. Who the heck has 60 acres of standing corn this time of year anyway? I knew this was going to make this season a challenge. Anyway, the birds have been passing this corner anywhere from 7:30am to 9:30am. Set up a blind so I would be nice and hidden. Brushed it in. It was a beautiful sight to not be able to see. LOL! So I waited and waited and waited. Just a little tiny bit of soft calling. One feeding hen decoy out. FINALLY, at 10:30am, here comes the group. It's big. Probably 12-15 birds. The lead two hens pop out of the corn and spy the decoy. They don't like it at all and turn around and head the other way and the whole group goes with them. DOH! Sometimes I just hate decoys! Well, I got up and moved to a location where I've been seeing turkeys late morning and finished out the morning there without seeing another turkey.

Monday: Went to my spot across the road where I ran into those turkeys mid-morning last Friday. Got into the woods early and when daylight came there was a gobbler not 50 yards away, but a little behind me. I couldn't see him. Must have gobbled at every single sound he heard. Probably 30 times or more. I was set up perfect in between the bird and the direction they always want to travel. Then hens started yelping way back into the woods behind me. Then I swear I hear a dog behind me although I didn't see it. All the birds shut up and the next I heard them they were moving way way far away where I don't have permission to hunt. I moved to where I saw them on Friday, but they never came that way. Spent the last hour runnin' and gunnin' trying to get something to gobble, but no luck.

Got home on Monday and there were at least 6 birds in the field behind the house. Guess I should have hunted the home farm today!

Anyone else out there hunting??????? What's happening??????

[jr21]

Good to hear that you are seeing some. I didn't get a chance to go this weekend, but my brother and dad went out. Saturday they only heard one gobble. Sunday they finally got a bird that would respond to calling but didn't get him in. Hopefully, the birds are responsive next weekend, it still seems like they are together in big groups.

[laxin]

I was hunting out of state with my father-in-law and brother-in-law this past weekend. We have a good bird population and they consistently roost in a few different spots along a ravine that runs through our property. Saturday morning there wasn't a bird in the woods. No gobbles, no hens yelping/cutting, no fly-downs, nothing...I roosted them Saturday night though in one spot, but it is a gamble as to which side of the ravine they will fly-down to in the morning. Sunday morning I took one side, my father-in-law the other and my brother-in-law skipped out. The only way we didn't have covered is the way the one longbeard went. I had a hen and jake going crazy for about an hour and had the jake at 15 yards but let him go. Drinking coffee on the deck at 9ish heard a gobble outback of the house. Grabbed the gun and had him coming right in but there is a low lying wet area that I couldn't get him to cross, never saw him.

Went back out at about 10:30 for late morning and had a big old black bear moving through the woods that put an end to hunting with about 45 min left in the day. He passed my father-in-law at about 50 yards, heading my way. I got the phone call to be looking out for him, but never saw him. Just started to ease my way back to the house while carefully watching around :D.

Back to hunting OH in the mornings before work. I will get at least 1 or 2 more weekends in chassing them around here. I have some longbeards located, but I cannot get access to the land:irked:

[jr21]

I am ready to get out again this weekend...Hopefully we will find a few that are fired up.

Also, I put a post on the "Sound Off" board about the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance. If you get a chance please check it out!

[Grasshopper]

My momma's bird 19 lbs 10 inch beard 1 inch spurs. I think we are done for the year. "I'm tired!"
http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq102/cooperclanpics/MOMSBIRD.jpg?t=1241762831

[laxin]

Safe to say I think you deserve some rest! Congrats one what appears to be an awesome season for yourself, family and friends.

[bluedog]

My momma's bird 19 lbs 10 inch beard 1 inch spurs. I think we are done for the year. "I'm tired!"


Congratulations! Go MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bluedog]

OK guys, I had an AWESOME day hunting! No turkey and now I REALLY HATE TURKEYS! ;) ;) :biggrin: ;) ;) I accomplished a 1st for me. I called a gobbler away from 6 hens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, so by the time he got to me it was 12:07pm. And instead of heading to his strutting area which was 20 yards to my right, he cut into the thick stuff 20 yards to my left. I'm so glad he passed me in that thick stuff where I didn't have a shot because it would have been so tempting! That would have been bad me. But I didn't have to choose right vs wrong so it all worked out. Of course then he proceded to stand in open spot 40 yards behind me and gobble non-stop for 10 minutes before rejoining the hens. Meanwhile, while I was trying to figure out how I was going to get out of the woods without spooking the gobbler because I had to go to work, when 11, yes, 11 jakes popped out into the field in front of me. Fortunately the gobbler and the jakes moved to where I could leave by 12:30pm so all was good.

I also called the gang of jakes by me first thing in the morning off the roost. That was fun too! Didn't see the gobbler with them that time. Then I spent the rest of the morning unsuccessfully getting a gobbler to play. Gave it one last shot at 11:30am. That's when I spied the gobbler across the field. Him and his hens didn't start my way until 11:45am and then I gave it all I had to try and get him to me by noon. Fell just short. Oh well.

I knew we had a good hatch last year, but seeing 11 jakes was great. If one gives me a good show I may just have to try a shot. I'm hunting with a brand new ML shotgun for the first time and I think even a jake would be cool for my first muzzleloader turkey.

Good luck to everyone this weekend! I get to hunt the next 3 days! :biggrin:

[laxin]

I should have had a good one this morning. Was about 70 yards from him in the roost. When he and the hens hit the ground I called them in. I couldn't see any of them coming through the underbrush. Was set up for them to cut to my left and sure enough that is what they did. 6 hens lead the way and I could hear him spitting & drumming as he was coming. When he finally came into my opening (working right to left) I had hens a few yards to my left and behind me and he was at 15 yards. He was in full strut but just as if I had asked, he came out of strut as soon as he hit my opening. Bead was on him, safety off and I start to squeeze and he pulls his head higher and backward so I didn't shoot. He turned around and walked back behind the thick stuff and circled in front of me and went to my right at no more than 20 yards but I couldn't flinch cause the hens were right in my lap :irked:...

I circled way around to get ahead of where they were going and ended up belly-crawling about 100 yards to get into a hedge row boarding the field they went into. Had him for over 2 hours between 60-100 yards but he wouldn't come any closer. Every time I tried calling I would end up with a hen 4-5 yards in front of me looking for me :D. Oh well, you know where I will be tomorrow!!!

Looking back I should have just moved my gun to follow his head and pulled the trigger to drop him. I had no idea that he would turn back (obviously he could sense something wasn't right). I thought I will be patient and get a good shot. Nothing got spooked, the one hen turned around watching him as if she were saying, "hey, where you going :confused:". Great morning of action non the less:D

[bluedog]

Ryan, I did that EXACT same thing on a hunt last year. Good lesson! Sounds like a great hunt though.

I had a turkey hunting lesson this morning. Went to my across the road spot with mr. bluedog. NOTHING happening first thing. Didn't hear a gobble or a yelp or anything but song birds. I had one hen cross in front of me at 20 yards, but no boyfriend. mr. bluedog decided to pack it up around 7:30am and go back to our farm where the turks have been showing up mid-morning. I decided to stick it out where I was since I KNEW there were birds around.

I just kind of did some blind calling every 15 minutes. Mostly quiet stuff, but about once an hour I let loose with some aggressive calls. 9am I made a series of aggressive calls. About 10 minutes later I hear a gobble but it sounds like it is behind me. I can't really swing around the other side of the tree I am on and the only tree that puts me facing the gobbler is a little sapling. Then I hear him gobble again and I think he is swinging around to my right so I decide to stay put. Well I was right the first time and he was behind me. I could look over my left shoulder and watch him come in. Could not turn because of how open it was behind me. He strutted. He double gobbled. I just sat there quiet as a mouse. As he got closer I started squinting so he couldn't see my eyes move. It was one of the prettiest scenes I have ever witnessed. All the gobbler had to do was strut down the open grassy strip to my left. All he needed to do was walk 20 more feet and he would be on the other side of a big tree and I could move my gun. But NO. He knew exactly where that hen was and walked directly to me behind me and over my left shoulder. He got to around 15-20 feet away and busted me. Putted and ran away. Don't really know what he saw since there was a squirrel 10 feet behind me milling around without a care in the world. It was exciting though. Dang, I should have turned around. Another mistake by me. Turkeys can be so humbling.

Back at it tomorrow. I may try to go after that gobbler again with a different set up. Tomorrow is my second to last day to hunt a full morning. The birds are just starting to work good this past week. Same thing every year. Our season starts too early in northern Ohio and that's a fact!

[bluedog]

Nothin' doin' this morning. Went back after yesterday's gobbler. Heard one gobble on the roost. Saw one hen at 6:30am. That was about it. Sat in the area I have been seeing birds until 10am (they have been showing between 9-10am everyday I've been there). Nothing. Run and gun the long way home (takes a little over an hour). Nothing. Had to come in early to get ready for to go to a funeral. When I got back to the house (at 11:30) I checked our field behind the house and wouldn't you know there was a strutter back there. DOH!

On the plus side I had a pileated woodpecker showering me with chunks of bark as he fed on the trunk of the next tree over. I saw a Veery for the first time (I hear them, but this is a first sighting). Saw a Scarlet Tanager (always cool). Had a pair of Louisiana Waterthrushes feeding in the wet marshy ground in front of me (new bird for me).

Time is dwindling. I can go out for a couple hours before work tomorrow, then Sunday and that is all she wrote.

[Grasshopper]

The wife had been after me this year to take her out turkey huntin, seeing all the sucess I've had thus far. Shes not new to turk huntin though. I called one in for her opening day last year, and she MISSED it. Well, history repeated itself this morning. I worked a call-shy tom in to the decoy setup after 2 1/2 hours of very light calling, and a hen showed up. At first she was a blessing, because she walked between our blind and the decoys. She scampered by us drawing the tom within 7yds, but at a "very" brisk walk. It was "do or die" time, and the wife missed cleanly. I did however get some of the finest video footage I've ever shot. I've concidered now replacing her youth 20ga on account of bad luck. Two missed two years in a row. Oh well, thats huntin.:)

[laxin]

Well Team, I am sorry to say I was never able to get that big ole Tom visable and within range again:irked:. I got him a few times to what had to be 40-50 yards just couldn't see him with the late season growth. Couldn't get him to close the distance in a field yesterday. He was between 70-120 yards for the better part of an hour, but just hung up.

Oh well, had a lot of action chasing this bird over the last 2 weeks and had a great time doing it. Called in 2 jakes that I let walk sense I already bagged a jake.

Hope you all enjoyed the Ohio season as much as I did even though I am still in search of my 1st longbeard:D

[bluedog]

No spring turkey for me this year. I had a fun last day hunting today though. Started out slow. Went to my across the road spot first thing. Saw one hen that strolled by at 25-30 yards. No gobbling. No anything else.

Packed it up at 9am and headed to my farm. Got to my homemade ground blind at 10am. By 10:10, I am hearing turkeys in the neighbor's standing corn. I start yelping and the turkeys start yacking it up big time. No gobbling, but I've been seeing a gang of jakes with a strutter in the field most every afternoon. Hopefully he is just being quiet. Next thing, I hear turkeys in the woods behind me to the left. Now all I have to do is wait while they come out into the field. Which they do. 6-7 jakes with the strutter along. :) Then two gobblers come into the field 10 yards to my right. The brush along the field edge is blocking my view. I need them to walk into my shooting lane. Hen starts yelping to my right. Gobblers and jakes to my left. Cool! Unfortunately the hen is mobile and she walks right through my shooting lane and then joins all the boys to the left. They are just milling around where I don't have a shot. I wait. The two gobblers closest to me are just standing there preening themselves. I wait. Then they walk out into the field more. The lead one only has to walk 3 more feet and he will be in my shooting lane. He lays down and starts to dust bathe. I wait. Way too many eyes for me to be shifting around moving (about 10 turkeys in the field). The lead gobbler finally stands and starts preening again. I wait. Finally he moves into the edge of my shooting lane, but he won't put his head up. I wait. When I think his head is up good I shoot, but he runs off. Actually I couldn't really see too good what happened because of the smoke from the muzzleloader. LOL! It is 11:00am. They were in the field for 50 minutes. Wow!

The birds run off so I reload and have a 50:50 shot at where they are headed. So I run around to where I think they are going and start calling. At 11:45am, a gobbler comes in silent from another direction. He is good and close. I wait until he goes behind a tree, get my gun up and shoot and he runs off. DOH!

That's all she wrote. Got back home and loaded the muzzleloader again and shot. The sites must have got bumped because it was shooting to the right.

I had a great season, well at least the last 2 weeks. My biggest frustration (as it has been every season for the last 4-5 years) is that the season really does open too soon up here in the northern tundra. Yeah, sometimes a person can get a lucky break the first two weeks, but in general, the mature gobblers are nearly unhuntable those first two weeks. I had 5 days in the last 10 days of the season that I hunted where I had a chance to work a gobbler (or least heard one) and 6 days in the early season of nothing but running into large groups of hens and gobblers together that wouldn't respond to a call. The season is reallly just getting good right now. Oh well, I guess I should feel fortunate that I can hunt at all.

So sorry I don't have a bird for the team, but I did have fun! Back to the shooting range with the muzzleloader and fix the sites. Maybe I can get a fall bird with it. Hope everyone else had fun too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great summer!

[jr21]

I struck out this season too. It was my toughest season so far, really only heard one gobble even though there were turkeys around. Still had a good time (even though it was a little frustrating at times). Hope everyone else had a good time this season, it was nice reading about everyones hunts.

[Grasshopper]

10TH Place wasn't bad. Good luck in the fall guys and Gals.