Team 4: "Beard Busters"

[DonBo]

HSO Team 4

FrontenacPike........MN, April 16 - 20 SCORED!

Danomite19...........MN, April 26 - 30

adndoc Jr - Y.........WS, April 30 - May 6 ????

deets22................WS, April 30 - May 6

rbs......................MN Archery, May 1 - 29

DonBo..................MN Archery, May 1 - 29; WS, May 7 - 14 SCORED!

[DonBo]

Hey gang, sign in here: Tell us a little about yourself and your turkey hunting experience. When, where you'll be hunting, weapon of choice, whatever you want to share with the team. Looking fwd to meeting you all, this has been a ton of fun in the past.

I'm mostly concentrating on taking my 90 year old Dad out again. He's scored the last two years with me, and if he wants to keep going, I'm going to keep taking him. He has B season, here in MN.

I'm hunting late this year. Archery season here in the MN metro and May 7-14 over in WS. Was a tough season last year with all the horrible weather, let's hope this will be brighter this year.

[rbs]

Hi all! Hunting archery only the last 4 seasons again. Been doing that for the last 4 years I think. I have had chances at Jakes every year but have chosen to pass because I had plenty of time to go yet. I am thinking I need to get my bird this year so I will be slinging a arrow right away when I get a chance! Good Luck to you all!

[DanOmite19]

Hey fellas, I will be hunting the south metro here in MN this year. I will be out scouting as well as helping my 10yr old jack try and bag his third bird during the A season, and I will be out hunting the C season. Haven't decided what the equipment will be, but can't wait....

[Abndoc]

Abndoc Jr-- Cole will check-in tonight, but he is hunting c season(wisconsin) menomonie area!!

[deets22]

Hey boys,

I will be hunting in Wisconsin season C around the Hudson/River Falls area. Finally scored my first spring bird last year, as I had been on a spring season hiatus for a few years. I'm on the fence right now about using my bow or my shotgun. I think I need to score a solid bird before i try the bow but who knows.

Anyway it sounds like the birds have been showing up on the main property I hunt. Will be getting out in a couple weeks to do some homework.

[DonBo]

Awesome, welcome all! Just one more to check in and we'll have a full house. Let's try to keep up-to-date on scouting, birds seen, permission granted, new properties etc. Can't wait for spring to get here.

[Abndoc]

It's Cole's(abndoc jr) 11th birthday today, he will receiving his new mission craze tonight which I'm sure he will want to use in a few weeks. We will be out all this weekend scouting, secured some new property last night with 2 big toms on it!! He is very excited for turkey season.

[sticknstring]

Congrats to Cole - that's sweet! Hope he gets to break it in right on a nice tom this spring!

[DonBo]

Come on guys, FIRE UP! What's going on in your areas? Any team name ideas? I know it's still weeks before most of us get to hunt, but come on, let's hear from you.

DanOmite 19, your son Jack is able to hunt the ENTIRE season in MN this year. He's not stuck with choosing just one time period.

Name, Hooksters?

[rbs]

Haven't really been looking yet, but I happened upon a nice group of hens and a single big strutter the other day. I got permission to hunt again on the same stuff I hunted last year. I will be in setting a couple blinds up in the next couple weeks. Also have some trail cams out hoping to catch a "pattern". My wife will be going 5th season so she is top priority at that time since she has been hunting 3 years and not even a Jake for her time.

I like the name Jellyheads...altho I won't be making a Jelly Head myself since I am hunting with the bow. What ever name you guys want I am game!

[FrontenacPike]

Hey guys sorry for the late check in....Work is interfering with my free time :-)

I'm hunting Season A near Lake City Mn. I've got several spots lined up and plan on bouncing around till I find some active gobblers. Hopefully this weird spring doesn't effect the birds.

Hooksters sounds good to me, but I'm just the new guy!!!

[DonBo]

Welcome Pike! Looks like you're first up with that "A" tag. Just a week from tomorrow morning, bet you're excited, I would be!

Now that we're all signed in, I posted on our front page when everyone hunts, in order, so we can keep track of who's out after 'em.

Still need a name, so far: Hooksters and Jellyheads (think this has been used before). Anyone else have an idea?

[deets22]

Beard busters!!! I'm good with whatever guys. Next weekend I'll be able to get out and put some time in searching for a prime candidate for a dirt nap. Have seen a couple birds struttin around the mankato/new ulm area. The flock I saw in town has busted up too. It's almost time to introduce a prime bird to a load of # 5s!!!!

[DonBo]

I'm going to start my scouting later today. Pretty excited about that. Anyone else been out looking around yet?

Still need a team name, so far: Hooksters, Jellyheads, Beard busters. Vote now and I'll get it changed.

[DonBo]

At LEAST 5 different longbeards in my #1 spot tonight. Two small groups of 8 or 10 birds total. First time I've seen them here this year. (not that I've been looking much)

Saw another small group of 3 or 4 toms just a few hundred yards down the road from my #2 spot. Hoping to gain permission on two other spots tomorrow. All in all a pretty promising evening.

Team name? Don't make me make an executive decision.

[DonBo]

OMG! 20+ birds on my #1 spot this morning. At least half were toms!

BEWARE everyone. Ticks are out.

[Archerysniper]

BEWARE everyone. Ticks are out.

I had them crawling all over after scouting yesterday. Awesome news about the birds,3 days and counting for your dad good luck Don.

[rbs]

Good Luck on season A! Beard Busters!

[DonBo]

2 votes for "Beard Busters" everyone okay with that?

Quote:

3 days and counting for your dad good luck Don.

He has "B'" season. A week yet...

[Archerysniper]

That will put even more birds on the property for him then.

[DonBo]

FrontenacPike is hunting today. Good luck!

Guess two votes for "Beard Busters" is all we're gonna get.

Anyone out there? Anyone?

[deets22]

Beard busters!!!! Every morning I see the same 3 toms on my way to work. Only problem is they live in the city!!! 3 really nice birds!!! I have the itch so bad only 2 more weeks

[FrontenacPike]

Well Team, we are officially on the board!!! I want to apologize for the lack of posts from me, hopefully this bird will mend any hard feelings :-)

Yesterday was a complete bust for me. I hunted a chunk of State Land that I've always had good luck on. I set up in the dark on a field point in a chopped corn field. The field runs north to south with a strip of grass about 50 yards wide surrounding the eastern side of the field edge. I had an active gobbler that was hot to trot on my calls but he refused to walk into the corn. He stayed somewhere on the south grass edge and gobbled at me for the whole morning. Around noon another hunter walked through and old loud mouth walked off in the woods. The other guy didn't realize what happened so I decided to make a move. I took my blind down and placed in the general area I thought loud mouth was hanging all morning. I also wasn't sure where the birds were roosting, so this morning I went to my blind in complete darkness. I waited silently in the dark until I heard a gobble from across the valley, probably 1 mile away pipe up. So not knowing where the local birds were roosting I let out 4 soft clucks at 06:00. To my underwear's surprise I had set up right under old Loud Mouth. He hammered back cutting my clucks off mid cadence. He continued to gobble at me for the next 10 minutes from the roost. At 06:10 a different turkey that hadn't said a word all morning was walking directly towards me aprox 80 yards out. Old Loud Mouth was still in the tree. The other bird let out a gobble after I did a small soft cadence of clucks. Old Loud mouth didn't like hearing another Gobbler closing in on his mysterious gal and quickly flew down inside the woods. He then ran into the field and met the other gobbler. The newly formed pair walked shoulder to shoulder towards my decoys. At this point they were both with in range but I needed a little separation so I didn't hit both. I got a lucky break right at the 45 yard mark and loud mouth speed up. I let out a home-made mouth cut and they both stopped and raised their heads. I let the Benelli rip that #5 and old Loud Mouth was silenced for good.

I noticed this pic when I got home...definitely my favorite

"Go to the light, my friend"

[DonBo]

Awesome! All is forgiven!!!! Way to get us started. Any specs on weight, spurs, beard for us?