Team #5 "TOM COMMANDERS" Official Site

[Scoot]

Anymore updates to be had from you fellow Tom Commanders? I was out on Saturday, but couldn't hunt on Sunday because of a Godchild's confirmation. It was another fun, frustrating day out chasing turkeys. We went to an area we haven't been at all this year and we found a bunch of turkeys. By and large, they just didn't want to come in to our deeks through. We had a couple cool interactions with birds, but man are those dang things cagey! ...and who says jakes are dumb and easy as heck to call in? I got the impression that every jake within ear shot of my calls would come blindly running in to my decoys? Nope, that sure hasn't been the case!

I'll get an update as soon as I get a little more time at work. I've take some fun pics this season and I missed some great ones too. In total, it should make for a fun little write up to this point. Our season closes the 19th, so we need to try get a bird into the decoys between now and then...

[Archerysniper]

Scoot it sounds like you may want to keep the decoys in your vest. Some times the best thing is them hearing the ladies but can't see them.

[PFUNK]

I've only been doing the turkey thing two years, but if there is one thing I can say I know about turkeys (at least from my experience) is that they are unpredictable at best. What works one day won't work the next. What works on one bird wont work on his buddy. I find myself trying to call less and less though it seems like. Might be the elk hunter in me, but I've been having my best luck trying to get where I think they are heading and then getting set up and waiting for them. I've tried calling them in so much early on in the AM when they are gobbling and i'm all fired up.... But most often it sends the hen the other way from me. So i've been calling just enough early on to keep them gobbling so I can monitor where they are headed towards. Then I make a move and head to where I think they are going and wait. Saturday I called as a last ditch effort and the toms did break away from the hens, but this was midday and not early AM. Sunday late in the morning the birds came into my decoys and I never made a peep. Toms came in on a run to a jake decoy set up behind my hen which I have been putting on the ground and not staking up. I have been hunting on public ground that joins private though, and they are always on the private in the morning so I can't get in on the roost or morning "strut zone". I have no choice but to try to intercept them as I can't go onto the private, but it's been working pretty dang well for me as of late. For me, the birds have been working towards an old, isolated road and I am thinking they are headed there to pick gravel before heading into timber during the heat of the day. The morning has become a "listen and learn" time for me, and the afternoon is the time to get the vulnerable toms. Just some food for thought from an amateur who is still learning how to get good at this turkey thing!

[bmc]

I struck out guys. Never heard more gobbling than I did this season, but I just couldn't get it done.

I'll post up a little re-cap tomorrow, after beating my head against a tree trying to figure these "stupid" turkeys out, I gotta ice down the dent in my head with a few Captain 7's.

I need some expert advice to help me w/ my sanity after this weeks hunt. LOL

My wife was a trooper though and stuck it out, which was great. We had a great time, even though neither of us took a shot. I was happy to share her 1st hunting experience with her.

Brian

[IlliniWalli]

well, guys, put another one on the board for the tom commanders!

scored a nice tom yesterday morning that may be my best ever.

dagger 1 3/4 inch hooks, 11 1/4 beard and weighed 25 1/2!!!

and, yeah, i know, its all a just a bunch of B S (big story ) without the pictures.

but ... after doing the measurements and pics, computer wouldnt boot up when i logged on today.

computer guy had to take it with him and i am now on a loaner. hopefully the pics can be recovered from my hard drive; if not, i think they are still on the wife's email.

so ... it may take a few days to get him officially entered.

[benbosh]

Nice work! Sounds like a good bird!

[Scoot]

Sweet! Congrats on a great bird!

[rundrave]

congrats on the big bird!

[IlliniWalli]

hey rundrave, are you gonna enter one of them birds you got in SD or are you still hunting?

the way team 7 is knockin em dead, we need all the points we can get

[rundrave]

hey rundrave, are you gonna enter one of them birds you got in SD or are you still hunting?

the way team 7 is knockin em dead, we need all the points we can get

My plans to hunt the black hills never happened, went fishing instead

I don't know if I should enter my "little bird" into the mix unless there is a smallest bird taken award.

It was certainly better eating then turkey tag soup I had the last couple years though.