Spring turkey season on the horizon

[JR]

Ok , who's getting that itch to get after those long beards?? With the crazy weather we've had this winter so far, what is in store for the turkey season?? I've been out predator hunting/ scouting for birds and there have been groups already strutting and gobbling and then there's groups that have no interest in the hens yet!!! Birds are scattered in some areas and in others they are chasin hens like its April .. Just curious of anyone else seeing the same.

 

[Devlin]

Haven't been out yet, but I got the itch, I want to get my 9 year old grandson a bird this year.

 

[elkmtngear]

Yeah JR, I'm starting to feel it.

I'm especially looking forward to the Junior Opener, got my Son his first bird last Year. This was taken on the Junior Opener...warm weather and beautiful conditions with vocal birds!

Best of Luck,
Jeff
http://elkmtngear.com

 

[bullskin]

I'm not seeing much yet at 2000' elevation, but I have noticed the black oak beginning to leaf out on some of the exposed hillsides. Ordinarily I would not expect this until late March at the earliest, and sometimes weeks into April. The onset of breeding season appears correlated with the amount of vitamin A in the bird's diet, so, if warm weather continues and the plants come up early, then they ought to be rocking soon.

 

[sageman]

>Yeah JR, I'm starting to feel
>it.
>
>I'm especially looking forward to the
>Junior Opener, got my Son
>his first bird last Year.
>This was taken on the
>Junior Opener...warm weather and beautiful
>conditions with vocal birds!
>
>

>
>Best of Luck,
>Jeff
>http://elkmtngear.com


No way would I be behind that umbrella on public land!

 

[elkmtngear]

I wouldn't sit behind it on PRIVATE land. It was used as a freestanding decoy.


Best of Luck,
Jeff
http://elkmtngear.com

 

[nocal]

this rain really slowed things down! That's good, they were starting to strut with the sunny days. Something tells me we are in for some extended rain now and the March 29 opener may be WET! The north end of the valley here has been looking real good for the birds.....big winter flocks, easy weather and everyone has been pounding the predators.

Good luck all & be safe.

 

[JR]

I've been out hitting the predators pretty hard myself and in that pursuit I'm seeing great numbers of birds. They are just starting to get birdie so to speak but the bigger groups are still not separating just yet. I can't get enough of the turkey shows on tv and have two new decoys headed to the house. The only thing boogering this up is the rain because I've had to move my practice inside the shop ( archery shooting) but I'll take the rain.. It's incredible how it greened up so fast once the clouds finally broke loose. Bought a new bow this year and it's all or nothing for the season on long beards ..my bowtech experience needs to eat and turkey is on the menu!!!!

 

[LIK2HNT]

Well have fun.
I really enjoy taking my kids out turkey hunting.
May have to start scouting this weekend.

Bill

 

[nocal]

Ok everyone......been raining, rain stops, sun's out for a couple of days. Watch the fields 'cause the toms are gonna be strutting! Hopefully we will get some more rain to slow them down for a couple of weeks.

In the meantime.......yoti hunting!

 

[Jingow]

As I type, there are 3 toms and 6 hens 10 yards in front of my house. I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And yes the toms are a strutting.

 

[JR]

They are starting to sound off and shock gobble just down the road from my work and behind the house but the big groups I'm planning to hunt are still pretty quiet. Suppose to be 75 today and tomorrow and then rain again so who knows what's going to happen lol

A couple crossing the road today I ended up between them and the hens so they were pretty vocal...

Behind my house a week ago in the rain!!!

 

[elkmtngear]

Cool pics JR...nice!

Best of Luck,
Jeff
http://elkmtngear.com

 

[Devlin]

Cool pictures JR, Is that in Oroville?

 

[JR]

No offense but Hell no!! I'm on the west side of the valley ... No where near that hole they call Oroville lol...jking if anyone is from there but I like the west side better than any east side country just sayin....

 

[sageadvice]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-10-14 AT 01:52AM (MST)[p]JR said, "No where near that hole they call Oroville lol...jking if anyone is from there but I like the west side better than any east side country just sayin...."

RELH is going to LOVE this???

JR, you seemed like a heck of a guy, might be a hell of a hunter, but now you got ass-hat stuck to you to go along with it! lol, J/k just saying...

Joey



"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[JR]

Lmao Joey, if it fits I'll wear it well. I'm referring to turkey ground when I say west side versus east side.. And if you really look at it Oroville sits in a hole just sayin ..;-)

 

[Devlin]

All those Olive trees made me think it was in Oroville. I don't live there I live in Paradise which is a lot cooler.

 

[JR]

That's Cool Delvin, I went out today to my hotspots and put up some gain cams to get some more info on a big flock I've been watching , I ran into 6 long beards on the way out and 2 of them are pushing 10 to 12 inches and both are paintbrush beards ( big fatties) so I'm getting jacked up to try and get one of those busters to come to the call... Just received my submissive hen and jake from avian x and man are they realistic!!! Can't wait to get to callin...counting down the days!!!

 

[Devlin]

Just got my new leafy wear from Cabela's today and I can't wait to try it out. It fits me real good and I was a little worried on the size when I ordered it. Good luck to every one on the hunt.

 

[RELH]

Joey I am probably further from Oroville then Jr. is. About a 35 mile drive from my house. As for the turkeys, they are out and moving around in my area. Just driving to Brownsville from my house I counted 12-14 in two groups.
I have a large group just below my house near Dry creek. I have had as many as 40 birds in my back yard in the past year. Fish and Game did their original plantings of turkeys near my home many years ago. I talked to the game biologist who was in charged of the program and he told me that it far surpassed their expectations on the rapid growth of the flocks and survival. Maybe one of the programs that CA. got right for once.

RELH

 

[sageadvice]

Here's the deal. We seem to already have a north vs south thing going on here and i winced when it seemed like there was reference to one side, east vs west, going on too.

If i was king, all of us calif guys would have a seat at the round table and we would all stand up to altercation or sit together at lunchtime!

Yea, there is some joking that goes on but sometimes, if we know it at the time or not, those words can hurt.

It is what it is but i really wish we as Calif outdoorsmen, could all feel comfortable about where we live and drop the petty prestigious and games over being from the north, south, east, or west part of our State.

JR, my apologies for calling you a asshat!! Guys from your part of the state aren't likely to know any better! lol j/k

Joey




"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[JR]

Joey Joey Joey , I never took it as anything more than just good ole fun..I hunt all over the state and even out of state, I've read your many post and enjoy reading about your adventures right along with many others here on this site. That being said I don't work with feelings and have been called way worse than ass hat lmao so don't sweat it.... We can still be friends and to clarify I do live more than 35 miles away from the big O and just don't know the area as well as I do my own back yard , which by the way is in Tehama county so there... ;-) haha oh ya and my grandparents raised my mom and her syblings in Chester for a while before they came down off the hill to the valley so there really is no east side west side , as you said we are all in this thing together...
Stay tuned in a couple weeks I'm going to blow this post up with a west side long beard and then maybe a southern long beard and then cap it off up around Ishi a east side bird !!!!! ;-)

 

[sageadvice]

JR, no offense but my post wasn't just directed at or towards you, just something i've been wanting to vent here for awhile now. Also, the Joey Joey Joey thing, Really? lol

Good luck in your hunts, i hear they can be quite a challenge. Times have changed. We used to kill them with baseball bats in our yards, they were a nuisance back then so my local buds and i never really got into hunting for them.

There are a few birds around the East side of Almanor, over towards Westwood and on down towards Greenville. Maybe someday they will take off in numbers like they did in my home town.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"

 

[RELH]

Jr in your forays to find the long beard, you make darn sure you stay out of my backyard. You pop ole gobbler here and my wife will make sure you are ducking lead as you flee the area. Bad thing about it is she is a darn good shot. The reason I do not
p!ss her off.

RELH

 

[JR]

RELH, don't worry about that I've got plenty of birds scouted to keep me busy and their no where near your neck of the woods I promise, besides I would not want to challenge your better halfs marksmen ship nor get you in trouble with her if she is a good shot.... ;-) no need to temp fate for a long beard when there's plenty to go around!!!!

 

[Califelkslayer]

Some funny sh!t on here. I really want to get my wife on some of those valley gobblers. (Joey, Valley isn't a geographical area, is it?) I don't care East or West Valley.

I saw a young gobbler (jake?) up on top of the mountain between Susanville and Taylorsville 2 years ago. I had run my bird dogs while looking for fire wood. Stopped to walk them to a creek for water when I heard him go off. After a few gobbles, I loaded the dogs up and drove in that direction. I saw him next to the road, strutting, at about 25 yards and thought, "Is this the turkey hunting everyone talks about?"

Hunting the turkeys around here would be frustrating based on the few, scattered flocks. I could do it but the wife would get discouraged quickly thus a valley hunt is in order this spring.

 

[JR]

Found two potential targets come turkey season, as long as their hens don't drag them over to the neighbors place lol

 

[RELH]

Darn Jr. At that angle you could get two with one shot. Both of those birds would be trophy long beards in anybodies book.

RELH

 

[JR]

With a scatter gun it would be too easy huh, but I hunt them with a bow so I would have to wait for the front one to move to sink an arrow in the back one he's sporting a better beard .... That's the plan anyways ....

 

[JR]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-28-14 AT 10:37PM (MST)[p]'Twas the night before turkey season and all through the woods the Frickin wind was a howling and the clouds were the color of black!! I'm thinking if this doesn't blow over by morning it's gonna be a tough one!!!! Good luck to my turkey hunting brothers and hopefully the big long beard finds you in this storm!!!