Turkey hunting 2016

[Hookeye]

The ol lady crashed n burned at work this morning, surgery on her broken arm tomorrow.
Gotta burn my last vac day (saved to take off Friday to go turkey hunting next weekend).
Oh well, kinda nice not having to permethrin my clothes or feed the gnats this yr.

 

[phylodog]

The ol lady crashed n burned at work this morning, surgery on her broken arm tomorrow.
Gotta burn my last vac day (saved to take off Friday to go turkey hunting next weekend).
Oh well, kinda nice not having to permethrin my clothes or feed the gnats this yr.

Sorry to hear about that, my wife did something similar a few years ago.

Silver lining is that if there was ever a year to miss a day in the turkey woods, this is it. The birds are largely finished with their business. I did manage seven days of hunting between KY & IN without a single bug bite or tick though in spite of how bad some have reported them being. I was pretty religious about spraying down with Off before leaving the truck.

 

[Hookeye]

When I go, I use OFF, but my clothes are already done in Permethrin.

No ticks in several yrs now, hunting around Bloomington. Did see one on my pants, once............but he was jacked up and I've not had any on skin.

Yrs ago went to Orange County, topo map showed "tick ridge".............understatement. Have NEVER seen anything so bad. Was in early 90s after the big T storms flooded everything. Also saw a bazillion massive yellow sponge that weekend.............and toothless folks with red Ford trucks swarming the woods.

Never been back

 

[Hookeye]

When I hunted up north I had a tick, in 6 yrs...........and I never used any repellent. Wood tick, not those reddish brown/dotted ones like down south.
He was on pants too. Not hide.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Congrats BossHoss and Phylodog!

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

My son and I nearly doubled Saturday morning, but he was obscured from the shot, the birds were nervous, I had to drop the hammer or watch them go. My first multi-beard bird! Pretty excited about that. Sunday morning we "earned" a bird for Casey, but he couldn't take the iffy shot even though it was in range - too much debris in the way.

For those who think 2 3/4" shells won't kill birds - bologna. The Rem 1100 you see in that pic has killed a pickup truck load of birds over the years. This bird was taken with plain old 2 3/4" #4 shot at 40 yards. I've shot this gun for 25 + years, patterns like a dream, never failed me in the field. I will admit 40yds is the end of a comfortable shot for this set up, but only because I've patterned it and know it like my own hand.

What a fun morning to be in the woods with my son. We beat the rain and came up with fine table fare and a great memory.

 

[Hookeye]

The condemnation of 2 3/4" is a carryover from the regular full choke days, where patterns were big and more shot helped fill it in.
More shot isn't always better.......heavier charges fly slower.

With today's choketubes........as long as you get enough hits with speed, good enough.

Too many went with the "more is better" and had 3.5" rigs with over 2 oz of shot, in #6 and thought the higher pellet count meant it was superior.
Lost birds they did.

Think American Rifleman did a big article on the lighter is better/faster back around 2000. Some folks refused (refuse) to believe it.

Let them wound all the birds in their area, or go to Krogers.

 

[Hookeye]

BTW, I run 3" mag.
But my guns are 3 and 3.5", with choketubes.
WW HV #4, or Hevi Shot Magnum Blend.

A 3" mag or 2 3/4" mag.........they all whop ya in turkey loads.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

The condemnation of 2 3/4" is a carryover from the regular full choke days, where patterns were big and more shot helped fill it in.
More shot isn't always better.......heavier charges fly slower.

With today's choketubes........as long as you get enough hits with speed, good enough.

Too many went with the "more is better" and had 3.5" rigs with over 2 oz of shot, in #6 and thought the higher pellet count meant it was superior.
Lost birds they did.

Think American Rifleman did a big article on the lighter is better/faster back around 2000. Some folks refused (refuse) to believe it.

Let them wound all the birds in their area, or go to Krogers.

You are correct sir, I have used an extra full choke for a number of years (as you can tell by the photo)...don't even remember which brand, but it moved my effective range from 30 yards to 40. My standard (remembering back) was at least 7 pellets in the kill (using a turkey silhouette) or more. I shot a box with the extra full and never missed having at least 7 in the neck bone or head at 40yds and it has never failed to kill a bird.

I tell guys here I use standard #4 shot and 2 3/4" shells and they chuckle...to which I follow up, "I've never lost a bird - not one". The chuckling usually stops or they just don't believe me. I have no reason to lie - I save those for the big stuff. LOL.

 

[Hookeye]

I run a Superfull, in testing about a dozen yrs ago, it did a little better than extra full.
Forget what loads we tried.........duplex and reg, plus HV stuff.
Also tried a few hundred bucks worth of then "premium" choke tubes (buddy caught the fever and bought all sorts of stuff).
Turns out the cheap HS Strut and Remchoke Superfull were so consistently good, nearly what the others were at their best........just couldn't see dropping 80-120 for a "better" tube.
My farthest bird is only 42 yards.
Consider HV4 and Superfull a 45 yard rig. Reg full is 35. Maybe conservative, maybe not.
Been reading of guys using lead 8's to drop toms at 40.
Dunno if FOS or not.

There used to be Tungsten 8's guys used. All 8's aint the same.
Plus the keyboard is known to stretch yardage.

Thankfully there's no need to mess with that here, we have a shot size limit.

I wouldn't run less than #5 in lead. Think 4's better.

 

[Hookeye]

You are correct sir, I have used an extra full choke for a number of years (as you can tell by the photo)...don't even remember which brand, but it moved my effective range from 30 yards to 40. My standard (remembering back) was at least 7 pellets in the kill (using a turkey silhouette) or more. I shot a box with the extra full and never missed having at least 7 in the neck bone or head at 40yds and it has never failed to kill a bird.

I tell guys here I use standard #4 shot and 2 3/4" shells and they chuckle...to which I follow up, "I've never lost a bird - not one". The chuckling usually stops or they just don't believe me. I have no reason to lie - I save those for the big stuff. LOL.

Hey if those folks want to try to argue about a dead bird.............

The guy with the choketubes, he popped an elk, nice 5x5..............not small, not huge..............just a good looking elk, esp for a first.
His idiot hunting buddy gave him some sheite, for having hit it slightly above center.

1 shot, double lung, the elk made it maybe 25 yards and fell dead.

And the "critic" was busting his b*lls over it. Critic never got a shot that trip.

Hmmmmmmm.

The two bowhunters, rifle hunting...........the only 2 that got their elk (6x6 and 5x5). Some people just want to argue.

Eph them.

 

[Hookeye]

My first bird was quite a few yrs ago.
Had a guy smoke it.
Fantastic.

Maybe I can get out next week.
The ol' lady hasn't even gotten into a surgeon today.
Could have gone this morning

 

[Leadeye]

So far I've brought in two different jakes, the same one twice. I think he's taken up residence around the house, gobbles all day, so he must not be too popular with the ladies. He hangs around with these two crows in the front yard.

 

[Hookeye]

I called in a jake at my bud's yrs ago.
12 yards.
Let him leave and called him back even closer.
Was pretty entertaining.
He then left a different direction and went over the ridge.............KABOOM!

Private ground.

Some SOB blasted him! I yelled out and the guy ran off with the bird into the CRP.
That's when I saw it.

B*stard had been there before, this opening day. There were feathers about 40 yards over, where somebody had nuked one the night before.

Guy was on foot, so had to be neighbor, or somebody that was dropped off.

 

[canamscott]

Last Monday was my day. At sunrise I heard a great horned owl and moments later a gobble answered. At flydown he tried to head where the hens were roosted, but I called him back by alternating a box call and push button call. He took his time to cross the field to my decoys and strutted right in front of me as he tried to get Spring Fling's attention (Montana Decoy). 6:55 my hunt was over, 21 pounds, 9.75 inch beard, one spur.

 

[phylodog]

Congrats!

 

[Leadeye]

Nice looking bird!

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

I got lucky this evening. Came home from work and mowed my yard and my wife's grandmother's. I headed out about 5:45 and shot at 5:55. I walked up a ravine to a top field. As I was getting ready to find a spot to sit I spotted a head in the weeds. Then another head popped up. I made a couple of yelps and a third appeared and was strutting. He got to the woods and started to circle around and I was able to shoot at 30 yds. Just a two year old but when it comes to turkeys all long beards are the same to me!!!

 

[phylodog]

2 year olds eat just fine in my experience, congrats!

 

[Leadeye]

Nice looking bird.

Heard nothing this morning went back and ate breakfast, I'm liking this light weight ghillie.