Anybody Still After Them?

[DonBo]

Still chasing them with my bow. I gotta tell ya, I'm looking fwd to this season coming to an end.

For me, the last few weeks have been TOUGH. 4 am wakeup calls day after day really takes it's toll on real life. If the occasional opportunity would come around once in a while it would be easier to deal with, but that has not happened. There's been days I haven't even heard a gobble. The birds I do see have no intetest in what I'm offering.

Don't get me wrong, I've had a great season. Six birds have been taken from my blind, a couple were even mine. Sad part is, I've taken 3 other people out since mine were tagged and hardly a bird has even been seen.

I'm in my blind right now, hoping against hope for a miracle, but seriously happy to trade my blind for my boat this weekend.

Tue, Wed, Thur. next week and I can finally put this season to bed. Can't wait for next year to do it all over again!

[bobbymalone]

Yeah I would think it would be pretty over by now. I know we are more north but Missouri's season has been over for a while now. I tagged out a month ago there. I don't hunt MN but my turkey spots in the cities that were filled with strutters a couple weeks ago might have one Jake poking around now.

I gotta ask... You've already tagged out multiple birds and seen a bunch more get tagged and now your pretending like youre forced to turkey hunt until the bitter end with your bow? I'd hang it up. Sounds like you've had a great year already.

[sticknstring]

Nope, after chasing them around until the end of May last year, I made sure to get out early this spring. Haven't seen a bird behind the house in 10 days now. My wife has a tag, but it's not looking very good. She had her opportunity though... poor blind. Good luck Don!

[bigbucks]

Turkey hunting's a blast, but a couple of those early mornings in a row is enough for me. Got to give you credit DonBo, you're pretty hardcore.

[Hoyt4]

Know how you feel Don these critters can drive you crazy. When they go silent sure makes it tough and then not being able to glass them and make a plan does not help.

Keep going Don hope one happens to come by.

[Wallydog]

Been on them 11 days so far this spring and watched 10 birds tip over. I still have my second Idaho tag in my pocket and all my gear in the truck.......I'll give them at least one more go in Lewiston, Idaho this weekend. Have a nice honey hole that does not get hunted so my son in law and I have a legit chance on a double tomorrow morning.

[DonBo]

Nope, after chasing them around until the end of May last year, I made sure to get out early this spring. Haven't seen a bird behind the house in 10 days now. My wife has a tag, but it's not looking very good. She had her opportunity though... poor blind. Good luck Don!

Looks like maybe she had THREE opportunities?

[sticknstring]

Plus one more after that that cleared the blind! 4 shots at one bird in a few minutes... I count that as one opportunity! Lol Talk about a tom locked onto the decoy!

[bigbucks]

Wallydog is that multiple states or how many can you take out there? I would go more if I could get my kids or my wife to go, but they don't want to.

[Borch]

Still seeing birds strutting for the ladies around here. Haven't hunted for a while though so can't comment on responsiveness.

[Scoot]

We hunted this morning and a couple gobblers were going bonkers from the roost and gobbling a lot when they hit the ground. The closer one was 150 yards away or closer and he only gobbled in response to our calling occasionally. I told Ryan today was the end of it for us. I hate to quit with season left but our only possible day left to hunt would be Thursday- the last day of the season. I assume it's typically very tough sledding that late, correct? I may stick to my word and just go fishing...

[Archerysniper]

I'm still at it and will be till the bitter end. It has been a rough archery season,even if I dont get a bird my season was a success after my 9 year old daughter took a huge tom.

[monstermoose78]

I am still seeing strutting birds, but they want nothing to do with me. I figure at some point a jake would be willing to come in and help me out. I will try few more times to get a turkey yet this year. This morning provided some gobbling, but they were on the other side of the brook. I had to get home to take care of a few things this morning. I will be headed back out shortly.

[Archerysniper]

Had a big one strutting and gobbling for 2.5 hours this morning between 80 and 100 yards,just couldnt convince him to come take a look.

[x1957x]

PART ONE::::

I am doing o.k..... took my sons out last weekend and sat up. We had previously been seeing a few strutting in the area. We hit the road last weekend at 4;10 am and got there sat up the blind and decoys(Jake decoy and a feeder and upright hen. Thinking all the time we were actually a bit late. Waited appx'ly 20 minutes and my son Matt did a few soft yelps etc. NOTHING at all. By 6:20 we seen our first hen and started talking to her. She was interested a bit but didnt come to check us out. 5 minutes later 2 more came out and they were both Tom's and good Toms at that. They never talked at all allthe way into the decoys. Got some awesome video on the handycam. My son never had hunted them before and couldnt wait long enough for me to get them tearing apart the Jake decoy. The rest is history and here is a picture of his with 1.25" spurs and a 11" beard weighing 22 pounds.

[x1957x]

part two:::: took my son's wife to be with him and my other son this morning and she NEVER HUNTED before. Hooked now though. Got setup LATE again but still very optimistic. Got everything set up and waited maybe 5 minutes before my son Matt started to do some soft calls. Right off the bat we had one answer to the west of us. He calls again and he fires right back only this time we had another 2 birds call back to the north and east of us. He called again and they all cut him off. He waited maybe 7-8 minutes and called agaion the one to the north and the one to the west fired off and were getting closer to us. I looked to the north and I could see one running across the been stubble at about 250 yards coming right at us. The one at the west was close to but we couldnt see him. This one did not stop until he got to about 30yards and started strutting. He was definately commited. He jogs in to about 20 yards and the rest is history. Heather had her first ever tom. All on video also. ALL DONE and starting to do pictures all before 6 am. Thats the quickest ever I have seen one get shot. Awesome day and a good bird with 3/4" spurs and a 8.50" beard weighing 19.5lbs...

[bobbymalone]

They were gobbling like crazy in the mn river valley in burnsville this morning. I hit them with the call for a while but didn't get any response. You don't even need a license to suburban turkey hunt your backyard with a camera rather than a shotgun LOL.

DonBo I wasn't trying to be a Richard with my post but after I reread it it does kinda sound that way.

Your post reads like youre not really having a good time any more. Just wondering what the motivation is. I'd be more inclined to punish myself if I didn't have much luck already. I feel ya on doing it just because you only get so much turkey hunting every year, but like I said, you're post reads like your not even having a good time anymore and just want it over.

[DonBo]

 

 

Your post reads like you're not really having a good time any more. Just wondering what the motivation is.

​Good or bad, I just can't get enough.  If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

 

Had 4 jakes come in this morning and I promptly removed a couple feathers from one.  Oh well, two more days....

[monstermoose78]

I put away the decoys and call for the year. Hunted a fair amount all weekend and did not see any toms. Hens where around from time to time. I have to call this springs turkey hunt one to remember. Crazy things happened and I was not able to put in as much time in as I would have liked. Good thing I am better fisherman than a hunter. 

[bobbymalone]

​Good or bad, I just can't get enough.  If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

 

Maybe you should be posting that I'm sad I only have a few days left, rather than I can finally put this season to bed

[Borch]

It's not over until it's over.  I've killed a couple birds on the last day, (in fact the last few minutes) of my season and several of those were the late seasons.  Sometimes you just have to convince yourself that it can happen.

[brittman]

Drove down to Des Moines on Friday morning (early).  We saw three Toms in strut.  One had a hen about 10 yards away, the other two were by themselves.  All were in the middle of smaller sized fields that had woods on one or more side.   All three were seen clearly from I-35 (two in MN and one in IA).

 

 

[1eyeReD]

They're still doing their thing. Was out in the Annandale area fishing on Sat morning and saw a hefty tom in full strut in a field that kept my attention away from the fish for a half hour.

[DonBo]

Oh yeah, it's still going on. I've seen a bunch of birds the last few days and they are still strutting and gobbling and chasing hens. Unfortunately non of them want to play with me. 

[rundrave]

I almost ran over a hen just outside of mankato coming through on 169 friday afternoon. as I was keeping my eye on her standing on the shoulder there was a big tom all fanned out about 30yards off the road.

nothing frustrates me more than hunting them hard in the woods, and then seeing some of them doing their thing along the shoulder of a busy highway mid afternoon in the rain out in the wide open clear of any cover lol

Edited June 1, 2015 by rundrave