Turkey 2019

[Lakenut]

Got out and sat last night....beautiful evening! The birds were quiet but I managed to call in a group of jakes. They put on quiet a show. Left...and came back for an encore. Then left and kept coming back. Out of the blue a nice Tom came across the food plot charging the jakes. Stopped him at 25 yrds....dirt nap. In typical jake fashion, they just stood there looking confused.

 

[dennishoddy]

View attachment 134926 This one learned the hard way not to follow a lone, cranky hen past a hunter lol.

Nice bird!

 

[dennishoddy]

Got out and sat last night....beautiful evening! The birds were quiet but I managed to call in a group of jakes. They put on quiet a show. Left...and came back for an encore. Then left and kept coming back. Out of the blue a nice Tom came across the food plot charging the jakes. Stopped him at 25 yrds....dirt nap. In typical jake fashion, they just stood there looking confused.View attachment 134927

Congrats on a fine bird!

 

[dennishoddy]

If you would sit on your porch, you'd kill one.every.time.you.sit.there!

What's interesting about our yard birds is that when breeding season comes and consequently hunting season, they move east of us to the other side of the ridge. We don't see a bird until late breeding season when the hens move back to our west facing side of the ridge to nest so the evening sun keeps the eggs warm while they go out to eat. Eventually some lonesome Toms will come back to our side in search of more love, but I just can't make myself kill one that I've danged near hand fed.

 

[Aries]

We had a group of six or seven that would wander around our yard almost every day last summer from early spring until sometime in late summer. They suddenly all just disappeared. Haven't seen them at all this year. Any theories on why they all at once stopped showing up? Doesn't seem very likely that something killed ALL of them at once...

 

[Okie4570]

Got out and sat last night....beautiful evening! The birds were quiet but I managed to call in a group of jakes. They put on quiet a show. Left...and came back for an encore. Then left and kept coming back. Out of the blue a nice Tom came across the food plot charging the jakes. Stopped him at 25 yrds....dirt nap. In typical jake fashion, they just stood there looking confused.View attachment 134927

Congrats on the bird!

 

[Jcann]

I called this one in around 10:00 this morning for my son. He dusted him at about 30 yards. We tried for two others but didn’t have any luck pulling them away from their hens. We had this on our dinner plate at 6:30. We cut up the breast meat and fried it like chicken. Ate it with lasts years sweet corn, okra, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. I’m very great full for my dad and his garden.

 

[dennishoddy]

We had a group of six or seven that would wander around our yard almost every day last summer from early spring until sometime in late summer. They suddenly all just disappeared. Haven't seen them at all this year. Any theories on why they all at once stopped showing up? Doesn't seem very likely that something killed ALL of them at once...

You have to look at what changed in your area.
We used to have almost 50 turkey come through our yard daily and all of a sudden one year we had nothing. Logging companies came through the river bottom and surrounding ranches taking down all the mature hardwoods and cottonwood trees that are roost trees.
The flock moved on to greener pastures for many years. About 6 or so years ago we had a small group of Toms wander on to our place and start roosting in a giant white oak tree about 50 yards from the house. They have used that tree now since then and groups of hens have since joined them. Flock back up to about 15 now. Its fun watching them take the run and fly up every evening.
I have a place on the Salt Fork River that held a large flock of turkey that roosted in 100' tall cottonwoods and sycamore trees. Getting a turkey there was a no-brainer.
One spring about 4-5 years ago there was a wind storm that moved through that area with recorded winds of 90 mph that took down all the utility poles for 20 miles and took down the roost trees. I've posted a pic in the past of a buck I found that got killed when one of those trees fell on it.
No turkey on that place now.
Habitat is the key to keeping them around. Lose that and you lose the birds.

 

[dennishoddy]

I called this one in around 10:00 this morning for my son. He dusted him at about 30 yards. We tried for two others but didn’t have any luck pulling them away from their hens. We had this on our dinner plate at 6:30. We cut up the breast meat and fried it like chicken. Ate it with lasts years sweet corn, okra, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. I’m very great full for my dad and his garden.


View attachment 134930

Congrats on the Turkey!

 

[retrieverman]

Dang it boy! That’s a nice one!