2023 turkey season

[Hawkj]

Called this one in around 2:20 this afternoon. 15 yard shot or so. Browning Maxus 8.5 shot Apex Ninja TSS. I also had a bobcat come by within 10 yards of me. I’m guessing it heard my calls.

 

[Mgderf]

Turkey season snuck up on me this year.
Not just too many irons in the fire, I've got too many fires going...
Anyway, I just figured out today that the season was here! What!?!
I was ready, other than knowing the date...
Headed out in the morning.
That's one of the perks of self employment.
I can pretty much play hookie any time I choose.

Wish me luck tomorrow.

 

[yetti462]

Turkey season snuck up on me this year.
Not just too many irons in the fire, I've got too many fires going...
Anyway, I just figured out today that the season was here! What!?!
I was ready, other than knowing the date...
Headed out in the morning.
That's one of the perks of self employment.
I can pretty much play hookie any time I choose.

Wish me luck tomorrow.

I had too much going on last year during season, every day I hunted, I was thinking I need to be doing this or that. Not this year, put all honey dos aside, that is what summer is for.

 

[brdhntr37]

Doubled in Tennessee with a buddy of mine on opening day, but I'm starting to eat my words about tss. I still can't bring myself to spend $15 for a single tss round, but I've been seeing more and more what they are capable of from others that I hunt with and I must say that they are impressive on how far out they will take a turkey down. It is just that much more painful when you miss

 

[MikeHoncho]

23 lbs 9" beard 1-1/8" spurs.

If all turkey hunts were like this one I'd be fine with it. Called him in from a couple hundred out and he put on a show when he hit the field.

I'll never use anything but TSS again.

 

[42769vette]

23 lbs 9" beard 1-1/8" spurs.

If all turkey hunts were like this one I'd be fine with it. Called him in from a couple hundred out and he put on a show when he hit the field.

I'll never use anything but TSS again.

Only time you will hate TSS shells is when you pay for them.

 

[phylodog]

I put a solid hit on a long beard this afternoon, looked and sounded solid and flipped him *** over teakettle. Watched him stumble about 40 yards and into the woods (we were in an elevated blind) and thought he laid down there. Gave him a little time and never saw him again unfortunately.

 

[JimH]

I put a solid hit on a long beard this afternoon, looked and sounded solid and flipped him *** over teakettle. Watched him stumble about 40 yards and into the woods (we were in an elevated blind) and thought he laid down there. Gave him a little time and never saw him again unfortunately.

Look very carefully under briars, brush piles,tree tops etc. They can make themselves really small. Good luck!!

 

[tcecil88]

I found one I shot in a rotted stump. I saw his tail feathers sticking out about the same time he saw me. He busted out of there and I hit him again straight running away at about 10 yards. That ended that...

 

[phylodog]

Look very carefully under briars, brush piles,tree tops etc. They can make themselves really small. Good luck!!

I’m very familiar, I’ve pulled more than one kicking and screaming out of some thick stuff. We searched every bush and thicket for hours.

 

[zoglog]

I love turkey season. They were gobbling before sunrise. First bird off the roost came straight for my decoys. Easy shot, even though I get so excited that I shake like a first time hunter.

He drops in my decoys and three of his buddy’s rush in. They attack my decoy Tom. Then one tries to breed the Tom I shot. After a few minutes with him. That same horny Tom tried to breed my hen decoys. Total duration of him humping decoys was one hour.

I got some great footage and had a blast.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Youngest son came home from college to hunt this weekend. Wasn't out 30 minutes and called this guy in.

 

[ed1838]

I went out Friday morning and this morning, no luck for me but on way home saw over a dozen all on property that that dont let anybody hunt. I think the birds know it. I have to get in better shape today was not sure if was going to make the walk back to truck.

 

[Mgderf]

Decided late last night to get up early and give today a try
Alarm went off at 3:30am, up, start the coffee and breakfast
Out the door at 4:30 for the 1 hour drive to my property.
Arrived right at 5:40 am ( not pushing it) and snuck into my shoot house
At 7:15 I saw 2 doe come into my shooting area.
Watched them for around 30 minutes before they went into a ravine and I lost sight.
The does returned minutes later and one disappeared in the ravine again.
The other bedded down 60 yards in front of me and facing away
I watched her for 20 minutes or so through a set of binoculars before it looked like she fell asleep.
All of a sudden she jerked her head around to look over her shoulder.
I dropped the binoculars to see what she was looking at, expecting to see the other doe.
No, only 35 yards out, straight in front of me, I see 2 toms and a Jake!
I raised my faithful Mossberg 500 12ga loaded with 3" Remington Nitro Magnum #4 shot and squeezed the trigger
My Tom dropped and starting flopping, but didn't go more than 2' either direction.
What shocked me was that both of the other two turkeys stuck around for 20 minutes!
I stuck my head out of the front of my shack and coughed loudly a couple of times.
The two stayed there.
I stomped on the floor of my shack and they still wouldn't leave!
Finally I got tired of waiting and just left my shack to claim my prize.
My first turkey, and it's not bad at all...
Just over 14 lbs
10" beard!
1-1/8" spurs

I've had a couple of people, who know more about turkeys than I do, tell me that my Tom looks bigger than 14 lbs.
I thought it was MUCH more than that carrying it out but the only scale I had was the one I use to weigh deer.
It maxes out at 350 lbs, so I wonder if it's not off quite a bit on the low end.
Should have used the bathroom scale.

 

[deanald2pt0]

I’ve been out a couple times now but no luck. I haven’t heard much or seen anything.

I had never gone out until a year or two ago and at 45 I’m pretty much a newb at turkeys. I think sitting around during Covid made me decide to give it a try because I always see turkeys when I’m out in firearms season for deer.

Anybody want to help show a new guy the ropes? Im pretty much just sitting under a tree with some camouflage, a shotgun, and a box call.

 

[42769vette]

Me and a buddy doubled up this morning on a pair of Tom's. Pics to follow.

Cloud cover made them pretty quiet. They were going to be one of two places (east/west). We didn't want to wait on gobbles, so we guessed east. Got to the spot just in time to hear gobbles 500 yards west. There is a long thin property I don't have permission on between the 2 spots, so 500 yards west was about a 1 mile walk. I put the reaper decoy up, and started belly crawling towards the field they were in, with my buddy right on my tail.

Got to the field edge, stayed in cover, and reached the reaper out and stuck it in the ground with the birds about 90 yds away and closing. As they got closer, what we thought was 2 Tom's turned into 3 Tom's. I had first shot this year, and with my buddy on my right, left bird is me. My bird got to 30, I dropped him, my buddy drops the far right bird at 40, and the middle bird lived to tell the tale.

I didn't measure either beard, but both were around 10 inches. All and all, beautiful day, beautiful birds, beautiful hunt, and a day in the woods with a 30+ year friend = a good hunt in my book.

 

[42769vette]

Me and a buddy doubled up this morning on a pair of Tom's. Pics to follow.

Cloud cover made them pretty quiet. They were going to be one of two places (east/west). We didn't want to wait on gobbles, so we guessed east. Got to the spot just in time to hear gobbles 500 yards west. There is a long thin property I don't have permission on between the 2 spots, so 500 yards west was about a 1 mile walk. I put the reaper decoy up, and started belly crawling towards the field they were in, with my buddy right on my tail.

Got to the field edge, stayed in cover, and reached the reaper out and stuck it in the ground with the birds about 90 yds away and closing. As they got closer, what we thought was 2 Tom's turned into 3 Tom's. I had first shot this year, and with my buddy on my right, left bird is me. My bird got to 30, I dropped him, my buddy drops the far right bird at 40, and the middle bird lived to tell the tale.

I didn't measure either beard, but both were around 10 inches. All and all, beautiful day, beautiful birds, beautiful hunt, and a day in the woods with a 30+ year friend = a good hunt in my book.

 

[tcecil88]

So far we have seen more coyotes than turkeys. They are thick here this year.

 

[Mgderf]

So far we have seen more coyotes than turkeys. They are thick here this year.

No limit on coyotes...

 

[tcecil88]

Yep, gotta get them close enough for a shot first.