Team Jellyheads

[rkhinrichs]

Ok Teammates! My dad scouted my hunting ground in the metro and saw no birds or tracks in the mud on Saturday morning! I hope that does not mean much. Kind of like seeing deer Friday night before opener.... bad mojo!

I live up north now, so friday I am taking a half day and will be scouting/hunting around 5!

[featherslayer 1]

All the scouting paid off, SHoT a nice Tom at 7 this morning. He has a 10" beard and weighed 23.5 # will post pictures later. Anybody else have success this morning. Good luck Jellyheads

[bluehat28]

Good Job! Cant wait to see the Pics.

[ANYFISH2]

Congrats featherslayer!! Sounds like an awsome bird.

[rkhinrichs]

nice work!!! We are on the board!!!

[Wallydog]

On the board in Idaho.............fine mountain bird. 21# 7 oz 9.5 " beard, 1" spurs. Photos to follow

WD

[featherslayer 1]

CONGRATS Wallydog !!! I do believe that will put us in first place. First team to have 2 birds down. Now only 2 more nice birds and we will be doing just fine. Happy Hunting

[featherslayer 1]

Well this is the one I got opening

morning

[rkhinrichs]

Well great work guys. here is the ESPN turkey center break down for my MN hunt.

Friday. got to my hunting area around 530pm. I had a group of jakes and a couple hens i walked up on. I put out my tom decoy and had them come within 80 yards. One of the jakes was putting on a show but I decided to back out.

Saturday morning, I heard a lone gobble in the distance decided to go after the tom but when I got to where I thought the tom was.... I never saw him. I tried to do a locator call but nothing. I guess when he got of the roost he went silent. Around nine, I found where the jakes were again in pretty much the same area where I left them from the night before. I Heard all of them gobble once but that is it. They never came in to my calls or my decoys. Later that afternoon, I decided to put a blind up in an area i thought they were going to roost.

This morning it was crazy!!! I got into the blind and sure enough they roosted right ABOVE ME!!!!!! and could hear them for over half an hour. they never came into my decoys. i saw 4 jakes that skirted me but had no interest in my decoys or my calling. So, Minnesota did not produce.... off to Wisconsin on the 28!!! to hunt 5 days! hopefully i can get it done their!

[rkhinrichs]

OK question. This weekend i used a tom and hen decoy or just a lone hen for most of my set-up with really no luck. Were my tactics to aggressive by using a Tom with a hen decoy or just a lone hen? What do you guys do when the birds do not seem to respond to your decoys or calling? Should I have gone to a Tom with two hen decoys or just a Tom decoy?

[123fish]

Had a JAKE and hen out this morning. The tom I shot came right in spitting and drumming.

[Wallydog]

Here are a few images of the opening week in the Clearwater River country of Idaho.

We had snow/rain wind Tuesday (day before opener) weather broke and got progressively nicer thru the week.

Birds were in good numbers everywhere we hunted. Jakes galore so next year looks very promising.

We both were using archery tackle for the first 2.5 days that did include several errant shots. I finally broke down and grabbed the smokepole Friday pm and called a nice longbeard to 40 yds and let fly. 2 things......it looked like I fired a muzzleloader with all the smoke from the barrel and the gobbler flew off. I am inclined to believe that I actually had a bad round of ammo (new Winchester longbeard XR).

Saturday we were in the gobbler vortex and at one point had 3 different gangs of jakes, 8, 4 & 4 plus 2 longbeards, plus 9 hens in shotgun range. My friend arrowed his first and I hosed the bird in the images below. One of the highlights was smoking 2 coyotes in one shot with my 22-250 in the snow on Tuesday!

Saw plenty of elk, WT deer, 1 bear, quail, ruffed grouse and pheasants.

Nuther great trip.

Now 3 more kids to get birds for and Oregon & Washington for me!

[IlliniWalli]

some great pix, wallydog

sounds like a fantastic time

cool story and congrats

[hugonian1]

Good stuff Wallydog.

You are definitely in Gods country there.

[bigbucks]

Great stuff Wallydog, congrats. Where's the pics of the coyote double?

Sorry guys for not checking in here sooner, my bookmark went to the other site & I didn't realize I needed to come here. I guess that confirms I'm a true Jellyhead.

I'm hunting with the shotgun in 507G. Son's traveling BB team, fishing opener, etc. necessitated a later season for me. Glad I'm not hunting in this cold windy dump like today, hunted that in C last year & decided not to put in the lottery this year because of it.

[DonBo]

Always nice to hear your stories Wally, congrats on another great hunt!

[bluehat28]

Hey Jellyheads Tagged out today!23 plus pounds 10inch beard and7/8 x 3/8(broken)spurs. Pics and story later!blue

[rkhinrichs]

booyah!

[bigbucks]

Excellent

[rkhinrichs]

Hey team. tomorrow Im going to Wisconsin to hunt with my buddy for five days! Saturday my buddy shot one, then yesterday his sister shot one! so things are looking good! Make sure you throw some positive vibes my way!

[Wallydog]

Who's up next?

[rkhinrichs]

Hey team! I got one!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tonight at 5:30pm! After 4 days of hard hunting I got it done!! Post pic later!

[featherslayer 1]

rkhinricks: Good job, you get with bow or gun? how about alittle info on the bird. I still have to get ink for my printer but as soon as i do I'll get mine submitted.

[rkhinrichs]

ok team here is the story....

I hunted zone 4 season C! I took the whole season off. My goal was to float a river and shoot a bird with my bow! Which was public and I was also was going to hunt with a buddy's dad, that has some beautiful private property to hunt as well.

Wednesday, i floated the river with no gobbling what so ever after my morning sit. So the rest of the hunt, I focused on the the private which I could hunt. Let me tell you, gobbling in the morning was crazy! Hunted hard Thursday and mid morning, I missed a Tom, on some public land trotting away. Friday, was the same thing a cat and mouse game. running and gunning!

Saturday, I had a feeling, I put down the bow and picked up the gun! right from the start we were working them, but never came together. around 4:00pm. I went to a field, where we say a Tom with three Hens in the morning! My buddy dad went to another spot and my friend drove around roosting birds. I told myself call every half an hour. so at 5:30 it was time to call, sure enough, I look to the left and see a red head heading to my decoys. He is coming but kind of angling away from them. I figure it is time to shoot. I took the shot at 40 yards and drop him!!!!!!!!!! I was so pumped!!!!!!!!!!! FIRST TURKEY EVER....

AFTER 3 YEARS OF TRYING!!!

I called my buddy to celebrate and pick me up! at 5:40 we hear a shot!!! WE start get even more jacked up! My buddy's dad shot a nice tom as well!!!!! WE DOUBLED UP 10 minutes apart! Turkey hunting is the best!

[rkhinrichs]