WOW

[crooketarrow]

  I had 17 gobblers 5 long beards and 12 jakes in front and around me from fly down to 9:30. 2 times I had jakes 8 yards the second time 4 jakes. Had all 12 under 20 but the long beards were 30 and 40 yards in the back ground. Heard 100's, littely 100's of gobbles. And had all the jakes yelping and fighting purring at once. After they left hour later had 2 more long beards go by 50 Yards But like the others they would'nt bat and eye at LUDALE AND ESIE. 19 Gobblers my personal best. I n91 I called up 8 at one time 6 long beards and  2 jakes. Me and my cousin got a doubble.

  Went back this morning who would'nt. 5 LONG BEARDS AND 4 JAKES WHEN RIGHT ON BY IN 1'S AND 2'S. Again never gave my decoys a look and put a deff ear to my yelps,clucks gobbles. I heard a gobble 200 yards behind me. He did'nt answer my yelps but was'nt long he gobbled again this time 75 yards behind me. This time he did doubble gobbled at my purrs.
  He hit the field 30 yards to my right. Eyed LUDALE AND TOOK HIM ABOUT 3 SECONDS TO LET THE AIR OUT OF LUDALE. Littlerly he's a blow up. I drew at the same time but he saw it. So I do what I always do when I'm seen. I purred as I drew. This always causes them to resatate a second or two. I've even had them stand and look stupit at me.
   My dog wood shalf with OSIDIAN head 61# OSAGE. Hit him inch low and inch back from his wing butt pentrated 8 inchs. He went 30 yards  I did'nt weigh him but I'd say 17,18 pounds 8 1/2 inch beard with 3/4 spurrs a 2 year old. I was happy to just hit the 29 gobbler in 2 days while hunting. I ve never seen 29 in a season, my best is 21 in a season. 13'th gobbler with a self bow 3'nd with knapped heads. Not bad from walking distance of the house. Let me say I've hunted there 5 other times this season and have only seen 2,3 a day. Knew there were more there seen them scouting. Even saw a flock of 16 jakes before break up.
   I MAY TAKE MONDAY OFF. NOT

[gstoneberg]

Wow, sounds like some great hunts!!  Good shooting.

George

[sailordad]

sounds like an awesome hunt
but with out pics its like that fish i caught that was this big 

just kidding,but i realy would love to see pics
as i am a turkey hunting fanatic
my season starts next friday and i could use the boost

[chasing crow]

Yahoo....now you're having fun!! That is so cool.  Enjoy the hunt!

[crooketarrow]

   Can't post pic's the kid left and so did my camra. Never was into lieing. Im also a turkey nut and hunt every day. But I can ad a little advice. USE A DECOY, ALWAYS SET UP WITH YOUR BACK TO THE TURKEYS OR SET UP WHERE HE HAS TO GO PAST YOU TO SHOOT, ALWAYS I MEAN ALWAYS BE READY TO PURR IF SEEN WHEN DRAWING. This will always by you a couple seconds. My granddad taught me this and he killed over 300 gobblers. O f corsr he hunted 86 springs and 4 or 5  states each spring These are musts when bow hunting.

[sailordad]

CA, not calling you a liar
just wanted to see pics,you know how it is with the turkey addiction
just gotta see the dead bird 

i dont worry about sitting with my back against a tree,or setting up for them to come from behind
back home here most all my hunting is done on field edges(lots of farm fields to hunt,not much woods)
so i use a double bull ground blind.if they can see me draw in there they deserve to walk away 
as far as decoys go,our bow season is just starting.its the last two weeks of our 8 week gun season.
so a decoy can be your best friend or worst enemy.all depends on how hard pressured the birds your hunting have been before you got out there with a bow.
i had one season where the birds were so pressured.if they seen your truck parked near the trail,they would turn and run the other direction.
if they seen a blind or decoy,they would trun and run the other way.if they hear you call,they would turn and run the other way.
i keep an assortment of decoys with my in my pack,same with calls.
i usually play it by ear from day to day to see what the birds are liking at that particular time.
theres been times when i have set up blind with decoys and just left it sit.take my little ground stake blind and sit 60-70 yds away from my double bull.
this has been somewhat productive with heavily pressured birds from time to time.

well gotta get out in the woods today and try and scout some birds for next week end
i'll be chasing them with bow for two weeks,i have several bows to use and plan on switchng it up from day to day.even gonna take the wheelie bow with.
i learned last year to not leave the tack driver at home.i know folks on here dont much care for them.
but theres time when bow hunting turkeys where a wheelie tack drvier bow is a better choice than a stick bow
(sorry guys,but i like eating turkey and not turkey tags  ),but i always have a stick bow with when i hunt with the wheelie.just in case the right opportunity appears in front of me.

nice thing about being a turkey hunting fanatic here in minnesota,is we have a spring and fall season.the spring you get 5 days to hunt out of forty if you get drawn in the lottery.the fall you get all of october to hunt if you get drawn in the lottery.spring i average about 1 out of 4 years to get a gun tag,fall i get a gun tag every year.
i always take a bow with in gun season,along with my trusty 835 ultimag.
i have yet to bring home a bow killed bird,but if they taste like the gun killed birds,its gonns be good when it happens 

[crooketarrow]

   I stopped gun hunting in 05. I killed 31 with a shot gun never used a rifle or a pop up. My OLD GRANDAD WOULD COME BACK AND HAUNT BE if I'd shoot one with a rifle. He was a true turkey hunter. Back in the early 80's when I got my first decoy he would'nt hunt with it and never would. He said thats ambushing something he refused to do.
    I also only hunt farm land and deal with field gobblers everyday. I never used popups I do use a home made ghille I made in 82. I use bottle necks just like deer hunting. IF I CAN I DO SET UP WITH MY BACK TO THE GOBBLER. Hard to break those old shot gun tactics. If you can see him he can see you. But I only set up where the gobbler has to go past be. Plus your calling away dose 2 things 1 helps him to not pin point you and he always thinks your going away.This helps to hurry him along. And I don't use my decoys to call the gobblers.
     I set up and call the gobbller to my decoys. Meaning I don't set them up where they can be seen form long distances. Gobblers see this type of set up all the time. Uselly the gobbler is 50 to 75 yards before he see's my decoys. He's already comited to your calls them when he see's the decoys he'll use'lly run right in. He's not use to seeing this set up. He's use to see's them for along ways off and for a long time. Doing it this way stops amost all hang ups. Of corse you have to get him come first. I don't set up where I can watch them out in the field struting all morning. This is all right to go home and say I saw 1 struting out in the fieldthis morning. That don't kill turkeys. Unless of course you have a rifle.
  Pressured gobblers around here knows what a blind out in a fields with a couple of decoys that never move is. Jakes and maybe a 2 year old might fall for it on a good day.

  SAILORDAD never took it as if you were calling me a lier.

[JW_Halverson]

Sailordad and I are calling you out.  Anything to get a rise outa you and maybe get you to post some pics!

Congrats on this bird, hard work paid off sweetly!!!

[gstoneberg]

Crooketarrow, you know I'm not a big turkey hunter, but I have to say that anybody who consistently shoots turkeys with a bow and doesn't use a pop-up blind is an awesome hunter.  I've done it one time and I was very lucky.  I'm impressed my friend.

George

[JW_Halverson]

"Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while"  I killed a turkey once in the middle of a meadow while I was sitting in the open on an old pine stump, wasn't even wearing camo!  I wasn't wearing camo, I mean.  The stump was RealTree in the classic bark pattern.

But to consistently kill turkeys means you gotta understand the birds and their natural paranoia. 

[sailordad]

weve got alot of what you could call "field birds"
they roost in the large trees on the edge of fields
fly down to the middle of the fields and spend the whole day there
only chance youve realy got is to set a blind near their roost area
get i nthe blind before sunup and spend the whole day
then try and ambus them on their way back to the trees to roost at night
i can about guarantee you that you will not get a bird like that without a good ground blind

[crooketarrow]

  I totally agree with the blind thing. This is why if you bow hunt you got to set up either looking away from your gobbler or where he has to go past you. And the ghille dosn't hurt either. I know you all seen turkeys in a field how slow thet can move alot slow than the leanth you can set still. So if you got a turkey commited and your patience he'll move past you to your decoys. This way I catcc alot of silent gobblers that would see you other wish. It's 5 oclock I got to roll.