This Weather is TERRIBLE!

[pumper317]

Anyone else in season D bummed about the forcast? What the heck do you do in the rain and cold to get a bird???

[fivebucks]

Do just what season A & B did. I was in B and it was tough. The birds did not gobble after getting off the roost and my pop up and rain gear got a work out. I tried staying put as much as I could in a known area and tried to wait them out. It didn't work for me.

[Musky Buck]

I hear ya, but they won't go 5 days without some sort of nibblies, but I agree, the turkeys in my neck of the woods have been scarce and nearly impossible to pattern, if you can find where 1 likes to eat it may be as good as any calling etc. I'd forgo the pop up, plan to get wet, and try to cut one off somehow ? Really a tricky deal, glad I didn't apply this year so I can OTC if I can figure them out, there were well over 100 birds that wintered in the section I share with 3 others and it's like they vanished nearly, occassional tom on the treeline/woods so that would be my plan that tree-line and then hope. Maybe catch a day/break in the weather when they will be on the go, good luck.

[Cheetah]

Find fresh tracks in the mud that crisscross an area and set up there. If its raining, use the blind and you'll be more likely to stay out longer to tough it out. Or maybe sit in the car and use binoculars to watch some fields and if you see birds come out you can try to sneak them.

[rbs]

if it is raining hit a pasture if you have one in your area. They like to scratch thru the cow pies etc and they can't hear well in the woods when it rains so they like the open for the sight. Turkeys like the open in the rain. Good Luck!

[sticknstring]

I've seen much worse! They still have to eat and have the seasonal urges. Setup a blind in a promising location out of the wind and wait 'em out. Don't be afraid to set the blind up out in the open either.

[Borch]

My dad and daughter's fianance both smoked nice toms the last two days. I've had very good luck in the rain as birds seem to become even more predictable even though they may be less vocal. I'll be out there rain/snow or shine.

[pumper317]

I will be out, just bummed of the weather. The guy i go with is taking time out of his life to take me on private land. I plan to just sit in the open field and wait... I just dont have all the time in the world due to prior plans and such... on his side. I cant go ther alone, so thats all... Just seeing who else is with me.

[Borch]

Oh we'd all like hunting in 50-70 degree weather on nice windless and sunny days. But that's not what we usually get. The folks hunting "C" season definitely got the good weather for most of it.

Birds are starting to fire up a bit more. The weather probably isn't going to change that too much.

[nbadger23]

I'll be hunting no matter what but may change my vacation plans from Friday to Monday to try to catch some better weather. The 20MPH NNW wind bothers me more than the precipitation.

I've got two different spots in mind that would be wind protected for both roosting and in the morning and hopefully will narrow that down further with some scouting tonight. It makes you wonder how they get any sleep after a night like last night as we had lighting, thunder, and rain from 8 pm to 2 am. It was darn loud in the house so I can't imagine what it was like listening to it from a tree limb!

[pumper317]

Sounds like a plan badger. The place i am hunting, I can not go to myself. My buddy is nice enough to take me out there, but i am pretty in the dark until game time. He is going scouting for himself monday am, so i am SOL for the best day of my season. I think next year i have to find a place of my own.

[bigbucks]

I would find as many places as you can. I have 10+ farms that I can hunt on, some are adjoining farms, so it's still really one hunt. They all have birds some of the time, but they were really tough to locate this last week. I didn't hunt all of them, but some the landowners told me they weren't seeing them right now. I scouted all of them but one either myself or through a landowner or hunting buddy. It was very hard to scout with the deep snow even through Saturday. I feel for you guys that hunted A or B. I decided to avoid those because of weather & when then start or end several years ago. Although the guys that were on big wintering groups were in good shape as they were still in those groups.

Talked to a hunter I know that her husband saw tons of birds hunting B & shot a 24 lb bird. They had like 80 birds by they're house all winter. She's hunting like E or F & the birds are already completely gone.

[Musky Buck]

It has been strange some, last week nothing around, this week every morning toms are fluffed out and scattered in places like usual, tomorrow morning could be zip again. I have a 2.8 mile drive to work, I usually see anywhere from 10-100 birds, last week was bleak, this morning toms fluffed with hens all over and I drive same roads, same time same usual places so your hunt could follow suit, 1 day of oh great nothing cmon followed by here we go, what about this weather, alledgedly snowing here all day according to the map but we have sun and squat for precip ? Is it waiting for tomorrow to push through ? I'd hunt this evening for certain if I could.

[nbadger23]

I watched a group of 6 hens and one tom make a very quick, determined walk through a large field, to their roosting spot at around 7:00 tonight. There was no stopping to eat or anything like that... just get to the trees. It was spitting ice pellets at the time so I guess I'd want to find some cover if I was them at all but since the trees don't have any leaves they won't be much help.

We've got a blind setup that is positioned for this roosting spot. I've never hunted out of a blind before but given the weather forecast for the morning I will likely find myself in it and hope to coax them down near me. Odds are it won't work but there's always a chance!

[Archerysniper]

Good luck Ndbadger,the blind is the only way to go for me. If your confident in the spot and they are playing hard to get just sit back and take a nap.

[Meat-Run]

I'm up in the Brainerd area and I have 1 tom and 3 hens pinned down not far from the house This will be my boys first real turkey hunt and really good chance of getting a nice big tom, wish us luck.

MR

[ANYFISH2]

Good luck meat-run and nbadger.

[nbadger23]

This was the type of hunt that pushed the limits on the saying "a bad day hunting is better than a good day at work." I almost went in the ditch twice on the drive to my spot, despite only going 25 mph. When I got there, I quickly realized I wasn't going to get to the blind because the snow was too deep so I settled into a spot on the fence line where I hoped I had a chance. At 6:45 I had to call it quits. Branches were breaking and falling, I could see all of about 30 yards, and I was having a hard time keeping anything dry. I knew I had to leave by 7:30 because of work as it was so I just got the heck out of there with hopes t lets up tonight. It was just impossible w/o being in a blind.

Came home to a couple of trees across the driveway so I had to trudge another 200 yards back from the truck to the house with all my gear to get it in and dried out. Let's just hope the electricity stays on as it's hit and miss in the area right now.

[bigbucks]

nbadger23 those are some pretty tough conditions.

[LABS4ME]

15" by me this morning... over in Baldwin WI.

Absolutely brutal! Power out everywhere, dogs can hardly move around. Did not see one turkey on my 30 mile drive to work... I imagine many will just stay on the roost through today.

Good Luck!

Ken

[LABS4ME]

nice waking up to this on May 2nd...

Good Luck!

Ken

[sticknstring]

The good news is the ground is warm and this snow will melt extremely fast. Today will be tough, but by tomorrow the hunting conditions will improve dramatically. Good luck D season hunters!

[nbadger23]

I hope so Stick.. there's 9 inches now and they're calling for more. I'm only 5'1 so walking through that is a challenge to say the least. I'm asking around today for anyone I know that might have some snowshoes.

[sticknstring]

That would be an outstanding hero pic... snowshoes crossed in the snow besides a happy hunter holding up a big gobbler!

[theghost_03]

SE MN is in tough shape. I managed to have some great activity this morn near Winona even with the difficult conditions. Had a gobbler at 75 yds strutting and gobbling coming in but he aw something he didn't like and went back into the bush. Netherlands weather may slow them down a bit but they dealt with this stuff all winter, they gotta eat and the boys still wanna do their thing!