fishdaddy

I usually buy the F Farm batteries for my boat. I will be replacing my starting battery which also runs lights and finder. Got about 5 years out of it which seems longer than normal. I'm wondering if the more expensive ones like optima are that much better? The way I see it, it would have to last 3 times as long to make it worth the price. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Should have rotated the pics, sorry.

I made mine and my daughters for our first turkeys this spring. I think they turned out great. I like the idea of making my own. It was work and took time but in the end it is satisfying. And I'm sure I'll never see any that look the same as these. Made of mahogany with a clear gloss polyurethane. My daughter can mount 7 more beards on hers on each of the flat areas on the bottom part of the plaque .

Good luck guys! I hope Ryan gets one!

My daughter got hers an evening after school around 7:15 pm. I had 2 toms come in at 3:30pm one day just not close enough and got one in the same spot at 7:13am. So it can happen any time of day. Just get after him when you can. Good luck and take some pictures to share.

Thanks Borch, I did a fair amount of scouting. Talked to people who have experience. Read up on do and don'ts. Purchased a few calls and practiced. Watch turkey call. And most of all got real LUCKY! :-) I like your tag about fishing. I feel the same way. That's my other... Well one of my other obsessions.

Great job Hunter! Good luck sniper!

...and dad followed up 9 days later. Saturday of the D season. Hunted Thursday and nothing. Friday I had 2 toms and a hen come in. The hen was nice enough to play around with the decoys and talk back and forth with me while the toms stay 45-50 yards away for close to an hour. They didn't like something because the hen had past me at one point and was talking to her boys but they wouldn't follow her. They all eventually left the way they came. That was it for Friday. Saturday morning was beautiful! Around 7:15 a hen came out of some brush looking like she was in hurry. She past quickly and I watch to see if a tom would be following her. Sure enough he was. I see him and only had a small clearing to shoot. He was walking fast trying to keep up with the hen. I tried to stop him by making some bad bird like noises. He slows, put his head up to look and I let one go! Down he goes! My first turkey! So my daughter and I both got our first turkeys and couldn't be happier. Her bird had a longer beard but mine had longer spurs. Mine was just over 8" and her an inch longer. Her spur 3/4", mine 15/16". Great time! Good luck to everyone who's gets to hunt still and I enjoyed reading the stories and seeing the pics.

Way to go guys!

Thanks! She's hooked. She told me she would come sit in the blind on my hunt. She's a trooper with more patience than most adults and she only 12. Last year she sat in a blind for 2 days in row only leaving to grab lunch. I feel lucky and I'm very proud of her. Take a kid out and enjoy the outdoors. Create some memories!

She got him last week during an evening hunt after school. We had been out a few times without seeing much. For the first couple hours I called every so often without a response. Then finally some gobbles followed my call. It was not very close and could not hear it all to well. I waited a minute and let out some yelps. We hear more than one gobble, sweet more than one turkey. We hope they will come our way and I call again, multiple gobbles and they're closer! Call, gobble, closer yet! They're coming! They are answering every call as they get closer and in no time I see 2 red heads bobbing through the woods in our direction. First a jake appears then a tom. I call again and there's at least two more we can't see. The jake walks within 10 feet of the blind and the tom holds up back in some trees, of corse. Toms gobbles then walked back toward the other turkeys. Darn it! My daughter decides she is taking the jake because last year we past on 7 of them in hopes for a tom, it was early first day and had seen lots of turkeys that morning. Well that would be her only chance at a bird as it turned out. She wanted one under her belt and so did I, even though I wanted to be a tom. So she gets in position for a shot but jake keeps moving around us. Switch windows in the blind as he circles us being careful not make noise or let him see us moving. This went on for close to 20 minutes, he keeps circling and we can't get a shot when he stops. He walked off twice and was easily called back but just couldn't get a shot. It was intense, she was shaky and so was I and I'm not the one hunting. Jake then walks off in the same direction the tom had went with the others. I call to him and he response but he's only getting father away. She is disappointed now as am I. I told her at least we know they're around here and we'll get one eventually. About another 15 -20 minutes go by without a sound from a turkey. They quit answering my calls. I look over and see a tom in full strut walking our way. I say look there's a tom coming! She asked how do I know it's a tom? I tell her hens don't strut. Then behind him appears two more toms in strut, wow! Now the disappointment is gone and shaky adrenaline rush has returned! The first toms struts then closes in then strut then comes closer. I get her shooting stick ready and she takes aim. I ask if she sees him? Yes! He's running right down her barrel. He's really close, I ask, do you have a shot? BOOM!!! Ears ringing! (Oops forgot to put in ear plugs.) Tom does a back flip and and flops over backwards! Bird down! Cheers, hugs, hi fives and more hugs and hi fives! You got em, you did it! Daughters first turkey. I took many pics and some video of her walking to her trophy. No giant but a trophy to us. It was an experience never to be forgotten. What a roller coaster ride of emotion and excitement. She got her first and soon it will be my turn to get my first turkey. Yup she beat me to it and I wouldn't have any other way. If I had to guess those toms came back after they left and circled in from a different direction, silent not answering my calls. Tom had 3/4" spurs and a 9" beard. Deep fried him a couple days later and it tasted great, much better than I would have expected. I'm dong a fan, beard and feet mount for her on a mahogany plaque. Should look awesome on the wall. Can't wait for my turn. What a blast!

Good tips Don. Thanks for sharing.

Hawgman, look into the apprentice hunting validation on the dnr HSOforum. She can go with a turkey license, apprentice license and under supervision of a licensed adult hunter. My bro in law did it before he got his gun safety cert. it's a good program to get people into hunting. I'll be taking my 12 year old daughter for her 2nd season. I kind of blew for her last year, we saw so many turkeys in first 2 hours that when 7 jakes came into range I told her she could take one or wait for a tom. Regret!! She put the safety on and we watched those jakes walk. That was the last shot opportunity she had for the 2 days we had to hunt. We saw 35-40 birds that weekend, lots of hens and other birds off in the distance. This year she probably won't make that same decision. I won't suggest she pass if the same situation presents itself. I felt crappy for a long time after that. I'm glad they changed the season for youth. With school and activities trying to get her out during a 5 day season was tuff. Good luck!

My biggest crappies this ice season have been in 10' or less near weeds. Not as big as yours bbfenatic. I'd love to see a crappie that big without going to cabelas.

My daughter who is 11 wants to come duck and goose hunting. She has passed gun safety class. From what I can tell she doesn't need a small game license but does she need the stamps? I looked and it seems grey to me. Anybody know for sure? Thanks!