How bad can opening weekend of spring turkey season get?

[TNDave]

Ridge Runner, since new rookie at turkey hunting, so far I’ve only hunted a small parcel of private land. Tried a piece of public land and was falling over hunters! Also have a lease in Fentress county but haven’t been able to get there this spring due to work and covid...

Always looking for new places, it’s not the easiest in her NE TN if you know what I mean!

 

[Mort Hill]

Just excited to be able to go for the first time this weekend. Heading up North of Nashville to a friends farm. We both plan to social distance ourselves from a couple of old gobblers. Just glad to get out in the woods. Turkey season is always special. But this year it has a whole new meaning.

 

[Qwatali]

Good job guy’s !
I was in Florida couple weeks back social distancing.

My South Dakota trip got postponed due to all this craziness. But I still have on two more turkey hunts left, home state of Texas on Monday and Missouri on the 30th.

 

[Ridge Runner]

A couple of pics from yesterday's hunt.

Depending on who's side your on the turkeys were doing their part on social distancing by not coming into range of my muzzle loading shotgun.

What was once visible is now hidden as sapplings and brush turn green with leaves.

Pic 1, has an overgrown game trail to my left.

Pic 2, over my right shoulder through all that greenery, are 6-8 (oak and pine) trees downed by this years stroms.

 

[leslie hetrick]

i.m going to try this new to me remington 12ga 3" mag 870. it shows it will shoot with the right choke and federal TSS 1-3/4 oz #9, shot at 35 yards, i will try 40 yards later.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

I went to Tennessee for the opener. 4 days later and not a gobble heard. I went back home to SC.

 

[Mort Hill]

I went to Tennessee for the opener. 4 days later and not a gobble heard. I went back home to SC.

Don’t feel alone JW. Birds been lip locked. Not sure if funny weather, hot and cold, or what. Not seeing or hearing birds like usual. I was in KY for their opener a couple of weekends ago. 35 degrees opening morning and plenty of wind. Saw a couple of birds strutting far off, but not a gobble all weekend. 41 on Sunday morning. Same story again. Oh well, why we do it I guess.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

Yea. I hunted public mostly and the atv and utv riders were everywhere! Apparently everyone in Tennessee was riding around. Saw no gobblers. Heard no gobblers.

 

[WAB]

Fanned this guy in the field below the house tonight. 3rd bird I’ve fanned in that same spot over the years. Old bird. Spurs were worn down round but still 1”. Never seen one like it.

 

[leslie hetrick]

the mountain birds around here just about all have rounded worn spurs, hard to find them with spurs much over a inch.

 

[WAB]

the mountain birds around here just about all have rounded worn spurs, hard to find them with spurs much over a inch.

Interesting. Do you know what they’re doing to wear them down? I was under the impression that they are primarily for fighting but I’m no expert.

 

[Bearbait1]

My turkey area in Oregon used to be crawling with turkeys but wolves have moved in and have made a huge dent in the turkeys. I really have to work to hear a gobble.

 

[leslie hetrick]

they wear them down going up and down the rocks on their way to feed, i have shot quite a few ambushing them on the way. turkeys don,t fly very much, if in dire danger from fox-coyote-man, but mostly to roost. other that that they walk or run.

 

[WAB]

they wear them down going up and down the rocks on their way to feed, i have shot quite a few ambushing them on the way. turkeys don,t fly very much, if in dire danger from fox-coyote-man, but mostly to roost. other that that they walk or run.

Very interesting. Many birds fly down off the ridge above our farm into the fields when they come off roost. I actually had 40+ fly right over me coming off rosy one morning. Total flight distance probably 600 yds steep downhill. However, others walk off the rocky ridge. That must have been the story with the old boy I just harvested.

I spent the afternoon mounting a pile of fans/beards/spurs that’s been piling up in the garage. Good to finally get them off the shelves!

 

[Joedad]

I was scheduled to be hunting in South Africa this week which was obviously canceled so all I had to look forward to was our opening week of turkey season. Not having much time for preseason scouting I planned to return to a spot where I had success before and was only a few miles from home. So on opening morning I got to spot where I had shot a large gobbler two years earlier. I went in very early long before sunrise. I always have my binoculars when hunting and after 15 minutes or so I started scanning nearby trees in the dark and discover I had at least six sleeping turkeys less than 30 yards of my setup. About 10 minutes later I hear a gobble about what I guess is about 60 yards away so I figure great I’m between him and his ladies. Then the hens start stirring, tree calling and I answer them very quietly. All of the sudden 3 other gobblers start calling even closer than the first one including one not more than 25 yards away. I can see him and his beard on a limb 3 trees away. I decide I should be the first hen on the ground and flap my hat to imitate a hen leaving her roost. I saw 3 gobblers fly down and start going crazy. Even though they were close I couldn’t see them. After a few clucks and purrs 4 gobblers walked in to view at 25 yards. I sent 2 oz of #5 shot at a nice one and was back at the truck at 7:00am. It’s good to be lucky. 22lbs 5 oz, 10 1/2” beard, 1 1/8” spurs. This bird was the 40th notch in my power crystal call.

 

[TNDave]

Nice bird @Joedad! Congrats

 

[Ridge Runner]

Congrats to all of you on getting a nice birds and for posting your hunt reports.

And for those of you, like me, still trying to put a bird down, depending on when your season ends, there's still time, the fall, or next year.

 

[BRICKBURN]

@Joedad Very cool that you crawled in to the middle of those roosting birds.
Congratulations!

 

[leslie hetrick]

t-3 rd day , called two in at 6:38 am, they were a little skittesh and it took a little purring get them to come on in. i shot this one at 37 yards, stone dead with the tss-#9. 20 lbs 10 ' beard.

 

[WAB]

Very nice sir!