33 replies to this topic

[Pokey]

Hello all,I'm getting ready for my 1st Turkey hunt, I've been off scouting and practicing calls etc... So my question is..Opening day I heard was pretty crazy and crowded, so I know people dont really want to hear of another hunter out there, but I'd like to try. Now the place that I was told to go looks good, but I did notice the are only a few turnouts on the single lane dirt road (mountain one side and steep drop on another. So how ealry have people been known to show up to get a spot?? I would think showing up and 4 AM and it would be full? Do people camp out? etc...I have seen this up in Sacramento for Salmon fishing at Nimbus dam, you think you are showing up early, only to find out you pulled up to what looks like a tailgate party.Any thoughts/advice?Thanks

[jawbreaker]

Bring the BBQ and beer because there will be plenty of people up there

[Beretta]

Good Luck down there,,,,"Too Much Private Property" for me!!!!!

[neocone]

Have my 1/2 acre property where I will hunt... will probably hide in what used to be my basement with a bow and wait for a large pack to show up in the morning.

[jawbreaker]

I didn't know turkeys traveled in packs...

[ShooterJohn]

A group of turkeys is called a "rafter."

[ReconDoc242]

Hello all,I'm getting ready for my 1st Turkey hunt, I've been off scouting and practicing calls etc... So my question is..Opening day I heard was pretty crazy and crowded, so I know people dont really want to hear of another hunter out there, but I'd like to try. Now the place that I was told to go looks good, but I did notice the are only a few turnouts on the single lane dirt road (mountain one side and steep drop on another. So how ealry have people been known to show up to get a spot?? I would think showing up and 4 AM and it would be full? Do people camp out? etc...I have seen this up in Sacramento for Salmon fishing at Nimbus dam, you think you are showing up early, only to find out you pulled up to what looks like a tailgate party.Any thoughts/advice?Thanks

i feel you. This will be my first year and my daughters first year hunting turkey.

[Arise]

I would think showing up and 4 AM and it would be full?

Last year was my first go at public turkey hunting in San Diego and it was quite an experience. To answer you're question, 4 am is too late to get a spot off the road. My buddy and I arrived out to our blind (about a mile off any roads) at 3 am and by 4 am there was at least a half dozen hunters trying to get to our blind (nice meadow w/ a huge oak smack dab in the middle). We had to flash our head lamps at them as they were walking up. I'm tellin' you right now it's frigging bananas. My brother left camp at midnight to get to his spot and by dawn he had the same issues. By the way, our camp were all unsucessful.Talk to the folks who get a turkey down there every year on public land. If you seriously want to get a turkey on public land you seriously have to hump hills and get miles away from any roads and hunter activity (that makes the birds bug out). Buy a good map and start the day before the opener.Good Luck.

[Pokey]

Great info, thanks a bunch!! I went scouting this morning, I was out there 1 hr before grey light, I had a few gobbles back, and from the looks of the tracks we circled each other. LOLI also saw a huge mountain lion track with tons of deer tracks. I saw Turkey dropping and scratching as well. But the down side it was very easy to get to from the road. I'm not sure how much more time I have to go scout at a new spot, but the ranger suggested a spot that was about a 2 mile hike and said not many people go that spot just because of the hassle to get to it. Anyways thanks everyone for the tips. This is going to be challenging

[TheRoman1]

but the ranger suggested a spot that was about a 2 mile hike and said not many people go that spot just because of the hassle to get to it.

I humpped it all morning today and neither heard nor saw a thing. And I was in supposedly "choice" areas. Also, a ranger told me that turkeys are not too common out in the wilderness and are usually only around private land. How true do you all find this? "Pokey" says a ranger suggested a spot 2 miles into the wilderness: do such remote locations contain flocks in your experience?

[Arise]

My bro and I went out scouting last Tuesday on two different areas that were private. One area we saw some and the other we didn't see squat. Last year we did a bunch a scouting and saw a lot of turkeys on public land and that's how we decided the areas we were going to use for our blinds on the opener. Opening morning came around and they were gone. Like I said, I'm really new to this but it seems like the foot traffic starts to pick up w/ hunters and the Turkeys know something is up so they go to areas like private land where they won't be disturbed.

[Pokey]

I have no experience at this lol but i have been studying my butt off. but the more Im learning, I think the preasure from opening weekend will put them in hiding and mid by tuesday they would be nice and hungry and hopefuly less preasure from hunters will get them out of hiding??? but that is just a geuss, I could be wrong

[jawbreaker]

POKEY, Just be carefull out there, I've called in other hunters and had more stalk up on my decoy setup. you never know what kind of fool is out there with us. That's why I don't even hunt for turkeys here unless I get invited to private property. GOOD LUCK!! let us know how you do.Ron

[Arise]

My niece (10 years old) killed a nice Tom yesterday (Youth opener weekend) on private land. Good luck this weekend all....  1.jpg   28.69K   11 downloads

[Pokey]

Wow nice Tom!! Glad for your neice!! I will be ready and careful this weekend

[ShooterJohn]

That's great, she should be really proud of that one.

[mac]

Nice Thunder Chicken!!!

[Pokey]

Funny I went scouting this morning near Julian. Found some tracks abd scratching marks, then found a pile of turkey feathers??? No carcus, just feathers. Anyways on my way home through Julian. I see a Jake walking in the bike lane on 79 heading south!!! lol funny how you spend all this time looking for them crawling through poison oak etc... and they walk down a highway in a bike lane.

[socalkid]

I got my first turkey sunday. (youth season). I hunted near Julian in the Cleveland National Forest. I hunted in an area that gets a lot of pressure during the general season but because it was just a junior season we didn't see any other hunters. Lucky me! We saw some turkeys out away from the roads but ended up in a spot near private property, which is where I got my Jake.  1.jpg   31.63K   7 downloads

[mac]

awesome!!! Another gobbler bites the dust! Good job!

[jawbreaker]

[Arise]

Way to go socalkid!!!

[Pokey]

Nice, Job!!!I hope I can get my 1st Turkey this year

[rude robert]

Nice socalkid

[rude robert]

Arise, I think I know the spot you were at last year. I saw a lot of tracks there last year too. I am thinking about going there tuesday and wednesday comming up. It my days off. I shot a turkey in Idaho last november with my 06 in the neck, lucky shot though

[socalkid]

Thanks everyone, it was very exciting. Good luck Pokey, it really gets your heart pumping!!Robert, you can hunt with rifles for turkeys in Idaho? I didn't see that in the regs. Neck shot with a rifle saves the meat though, so if it's legal and i'm missing something nice shot.

[ShooterJohn]

Robert, you can hunt with rifles for turkeys in Idaho? I didn't see that in the regs. Neck shot with a rifle saves the meat though, so if it's legal and i'm missing something nice shot.

Using a rifle to take turkeys in Idaho is illegal don't do it.

[Pokey]

So excited!! sitting here at work with my truck loaded!! Best of luck to all that are going and thanks to everyone for the advice.May toms be in your sights

[Pokey]

Well we did not get get any today, but it was a good learning experience. I only heard 1 group of shots and that was it. when we packed up and started to drive we came up on 5 doe 1 buck and a really big tom struttin on the road. anyways heres a pick of my set up. (it was crowded and we did not get a real good spot like we hoped)

[jawbreaker]

Well you were out there tryin, the more you get out the better your odds get. Better luck next time( don't get discouraged) Ron.