April 18

[Slacker84]

Good luck to everybody going out tomarrow. hope we all see some type of action!!!

[hunt4food]

Thanks! This will be the first time I ever hunted season "A". I guess I am in for another sleepless night thinking about the perfect call, perfect approach, clothes, blind, the list goes on. It helps that I know exactly where they went to bed last night though!! Same spot they did when I was deer hunting last fall. It's going to be a bad day to be a big tom gobbler in Stillwater township tomorrow morning. Come on...I gotta think positive right?

[harvey lee]

I hope you guys dont shoot all the turkeys before season E.

Good luck to all and have a Safe hunt.

[cw642]

Gobble, gobble, I put a pair to bed tonight, tucked em in and said see you in the morning. The only problem was as I was driving away I saw a yote in my headlights. Hope he didn't spoke them. Only 8hr and 9 min till shooting time. might as well get camo'd up and head out. I won't sleep anyways. Good luck to all!

CW

[Ryan Becklund]

I am scouting for the youth turkey hunt that is this Sat and Sun and was out this morning. Saw 4 big toms and 7 hens in one spot the kids will be hunting and had 3 or 4 hammering away in another field that I checked that they will be hunting also. Looks like the kids may have some luck in at least seeing the birds anyways. BTW these kids are hunting 440 just NE of Morton (10 kids in all) TY to the DNR and NWTF for the experience!

Good Luck to all that are out hunting!

[Hotspotter]

Chris:

You'll have to let us know what direction they pitched off the branch. Hopefully it was headlong into your strut zone!

Joel

[hunt4food]

Well......they headed right off the branch down a deep ravine towards the St. croix river. i tried my best get them to come back up, but I finnaly gave up. I had to work so I was out of there by 8am. I will be under that tree this afternoon and hopefully ambush them before sunset. By the way...does anyone know why a jakes fan feathers are not all the same size like a toms? I was having that discussion today with a co-worker and I could not answer that question.

[Wallydog]

hunt4food,

A jakes center tail molts before the outside feathers, hence giving him the nickname "longtail". The long center feathers are adult feathers and the sides are juvenile feathers. A 2 yr old has obviously molted all of his juvenile feather and has the consistent tail length of an adult.

WD

[huntmup]

Slayer, I talked to Jim D. this morning out on Greg's land and I let Jim know that if you need more room for the kids to hunt you can setup a couple blinds on the 70 acers north of Greg's woods. I will not be out there. I am hunting between Morton and Franklin.

If you want, I can show you the land on Friday.

Call the farm and Audrey will give you my cell #

Dan

[cw642]

Both my birds were still there this morning. They were both nice jakes, but it was the first day so I passed. Not to much gobbbling up here the toms are roosting with hens and started breeding right away in the morning. I guess if I had the option I would skip the dancing too.

I did hear a 150+ was taken this morning in the area, but that came from the bar and we all know what thats worth.

CW

[Rebels75]

My friends and I head down to Ten Point Lodge, Caledonia Thursday to chase the gobblers around. Wish me luck, first ever turkey hunt!!! I'm not going to be able to sleep at all tonight.

[hunt4food]

Got him! Carefully made my way to the roosting tree yesterday afternoon. Waited there and only called a little bit, maybe 15 minutes and three decent toms came in like they were on a string. I let the best one have it. He was 22.87 pounds. 1 1/8 spurs and 10 3/4 beard. I am happy to have gotten him bud sad that my hunt is over after only the first day. good luck to the rest of you! Don't lose hope! it happens fast sometimes!

[Tippman]

Congrats hunt4food.

Who knows how well turkeys see at night? I have my blind a little closer than I would like it to a roosting area. I'm wondering if I get there when it's still completely dark out if it will help make sure I'm not detected. In my experience deer hunting they rarely spook out of the trees even if you walk right under them at night unless you have a flashlight on, then they fly from a distance away even.

[Hotspotter]

Tippman:

You bet, getting there earlier will definitely help. I've walked under roosted birds many times, but can't tell you much about what it did to them. Sometimes they seem willing to fly-down and come to your calling. Other times, I surely spooked them and they didn't gobble once, flying down the other direction.

As for hunting near roost trees, try and give those birds a bit of room, esp. when heading back to the trees at night. They're vulnerable then, esp. with this being the first year we can hunt until sunset. Let not a bird over your shoulder be the only objective you take away from this year's hunt!

Joel

[Ryan Becklund]

Thanks Dan.....I was east of Jim on the old Pits Farm site watchin....going out tonight to set a couple blinds up. Hopefully things will pick up over by the cemetary for Jim. He saw nothing and heard nothing again this morning. Good Luck with your turkey.

Ryan