I'm going out on my first ever turkey hunt tomorrow! I can't wait! I was doing some scouting yesterday and I walk up on a good size tom! I'm pumped! I will post my results good or bad!

Hey Jim good luck ! I have never been turkey hunting either . Never really did anything for me . I have herd people talking about it and and decided I wanted to give it a try but , with work now no way I can get out to do it .

Good Luck .

Don

Day 1) No turkey....saw 4 or 5 deer early in the dark and a couple of squirrels. Didn't see or hear any turkeys. I still have 4 more mornings to go so we will see what happens! It was great to get back out in the woods again!

Watch for ticks . I pulled a couple off of me setting out cams yesterday !

Good Luck .

Don

DAY 2) Much more action but still no kill! I saw 5 turkeys and at one point had 3 gobbling at the same time but I couldn't get them to come in. I had 1 tom about 50 yards away 2 Jakes came within shooting range but I was holding out for one of the gobblers. I also had 2 hens walk within 10 yards of me...All in all it was a great morning to be in the woods. It was a lot more fun to have some action going on around me....

Day 3) One word.."WET"! No turkey yet but I still have 2 days left!

Keep at it Jim . Sounds liek you are hooked .

Double I never thought I would say it but I love turkey hunting!!!! I am going on Friday to pick up 2 more permits for the next two weeks! It's kind of cool. I hunt until 9 or 10 then go to work.... I'm hooked!

Day 4) Again no turkey! I heard one gobbling from 5:30 until 6:30 then nothing! Tomorrow is my last day on this permit so I'm going out for the full morning or until I kill a bird! I have been hunting from 5 until 9 or 10am. Tomorrow I will stay until noon If I need to. After that I will be heading to Pequest to buy a permit for next week! LOL! I'm hooked for sure!

Well , the week ended without a turkey kill but it ended with a good story.
Day 5) My buddy and I set up about 100 yards apart between a steep mountain and some houses where the turkeys have been cutting through just about every morning. At 5:37 I heard the first gobble. I heard 3 more gobbles until about 5:45 then nothing. Then at about 6:45 I finally hear another gobble but it's pretty far away. As I am listening for more gobbles I suddenly hear a mans voice and then what sounded like to me a tree falling! The comotion was coming from my buddies area so I really started listening hard....We are set up about 200-250 yards from some houses so in my minds eye I'm picturing someone yelling at my buddy for hunting there and I have no idea what the tree falling sound was. I can hear something moving through the woods just on the other side of the hill I'm hunting. All the sudden my phone (which is clipped to my vest just under my neck) starts vibrating and scares the living crap out of me! I answer it and it's my buddy who is babbling about a bear heading my way and something about a vanishing turkey! He's talking so fast I can barely understand him but I did catch the word BEAR! Suddenly the noises I heard made sense.... I took out my camera but the bruin stayed just below the hill top and I never did get to see him.
The bear walked within 15 yards of my buddy and he decided that was close enough so he stood up and yelled at him. The bear turned and bolted through the woods. It was loud! He said he couldn't believe how fast they can run!
Every time I think about what happened that morning I get a huge smile on my face. To hear my buddies voice all excited and to see the glow on his face while telling me what had happened was just awesome! Thats what hunting is all about to me. It's not about the kill as much as it is about the experiences you have and share along the way. It was an awesome day and an awesome week of hunting! If you have never tried turkey hunting I strongly recommend you give it a shot! It is a blast!

You'll get them next time Jim . I would have loved to see the bear . Sounds like a great week and a time you will remember for a long long time !

Did you do your own calling ?

Don

I did do my own calling. I bought a slate call, a box call and a mouth call. I'm good with scratching the slate. Thats my favorite call. I can make all the different calls real well with that and thats the call I was getting gobblers to answer! (It's a very cool feeling when you hear a gobbler answer your call!) I'm OK with the box call but limited on different calls and the mouth call I need a whole lot of practice with!!!! I didn't even bring the mouth call into the woods!
I also bought a crow call which is used as a locater call! The sound startles the turkey and he gobbles! This doesn't bring them in but it lets you know where they are with a natural noise that wont spook them away! I noticed a lot of things make the gobblers shock gobble. I heard one gobbler gobble every time a dog barked! One everytime a goose honked and one even gobbled back at a blue jay! It was an interesting week! I'm thinking about heading out to Pequest to buy a permit for next week or maybe the following week! OR BOTH! LOL!!!

AAAAAAAAH Yes - Welcome to the biggest thrill in the woods (in my opinion)

SPRING TURKEY HUNTING

I must admit Antler man... It is a huge thrill to hear that gobbler answering the calls! I'm going in the morning to buy another permit for this and next week! I am so hooked on turkey hunting!

Jim,

Wow what a story....... I had a bear come into me and I stood up and screamed so loud it cocked it's head at me and pawed the gorund with swipes ( Off I went like a whitetail with buckshot in it's a$$ ) After that I laughed it off.. Hey but the thought is always in your head " Hey you never know"

Awesome story though. Spring Turkey is just as good as huntign the RUT ! It's a limited time and your chances are good. !!

Good luck there buddy. Wish you the best for a good turkey dinner.

Thanks SwampBuck
I'm going out again next week to see if I can get a nice turkey dinner!
As far as the bears go I see them a lot! My yard backs up to a lot of woods and the bears pay us quite a few visits during the year! Some of them are huge and they have no real fear of coming around the houses! If they have a season this year I will be getting a permit!