I'll tell you what...alot of guys here in southern/midcoastal Maine aren't seeing the turkeys as much this week and so they're having a hard time connecting. The past two years I had similar issues, combined with not enough time to hunt so I decided to put the old woodsmanship skills to the grindstone this year and scout hard. For those of you who have off-seasons when you just aren't seeing the birds, take a few tips and learn from my past mistakes.
A couple things have happened that are defining the way this season is going; last fall we had a good mast crop, this past winter was extremely mild, and spring came unusually early here, and drier than expected. What's happened, (in my opinion and in a nutshell), is that the hens began nesting earlier, are spending more time on the nest at the start of our season than we, as hunters, are used to experiencing, and the gobblers have more time on their hands. Though still looking for love, they are apparently spending a great deal more time wandering and foraging for food....and finding it in the woods this spring more than in the fields. I got out as much as I possibly could before season and started listening for gobbles at daybreak, rather than evening. That told me where they were and from there I snuck in a few times to observe what they were doing and where they were traveling, by watching the birds and simply looking for fresh tracks, scratchings & other sign. Knowing my areas well, also helped me form a mental picture on what they might be doing. High pressure hunting is hard on turkeys & turkey hunters both here, too, so you'll also have to figure where hunters normally stack up and hunt around them if you have similar pressures. Just be safety conscious at all times.
I set up my Ameristep Doghouse blind in one area, and hand-clipped out some other spots so I could bounce around in areas I knew turkeys were using in the mornings. Youth Day found my son Ryan & I in the blind and though it didn't unfold quite the way I expected, I managed to call in a bird and Ryan took him at 12 yards while he was mounting the hen decoy at 5:27am. The next day was Opening Day for the rest of us and I snuck in on some gobbling between 3 birds in a 400 yard radius, parking myself in the middle. That tidbit of woodsmanship combined with some very specific calls had me filling my first tag at 6:10am. On day 2 of the hunt, I snuck around some more, (in the woods, not in the fields), and struck some more gobblers. I swear, the best thing a hunter can do when conditions are tough is to slip in between any gobbles you hear, (and I mean early early morning!), and set up because one is bound to come in if you play your cards right. I had my first shot opportunity at 5:40am but missed the bird clean at 25 yards! At 10:15am I filled my 2nd and final tag but patience was the key to that harvest.
That bird came to the calling from the woods and popped into a field edge, only to hang up at 50+ yards. He didn't like the wind moving my decoy either but he was interested in hanging around for a full hour and 15 minutes, most of which I was in the "gun up and ready" position, unable to move. I was backed against a wide pine and while I was still trying to figure out if I should just quit, two more toms popped out to the calls at 30 yards but pegged me instantly. It was just enough to drive the first gobbler closer to me in the confusion and I finally dropped the hammer on him at 37 steps. Had I not decided to be patient and wait him out, I would have lost that opportunity. He fed off twice and twice I called him back but he hung up each time.
Three days out and three tags filled so far. My son has one more and I'm supposed to take out some friends who have never been. I love turkey season and the past 2 years experienced less than average results, due mostly to being lazy in my efforts. This year I made the firm decision to get back to basics and put in the necessary time to not only find the birds but figure them out and devise some strategies to make things happen. That, and having the Lord of the Harvest with me made all the difference. Hopefully, with 4 more weeks of hunting left, I'll be able to help my friends fill some of their tags, too.
My sons bird was a 2 year old, 17 lbs and an 8" beard. Both mine were 3 year olds, 20 lbs and 18 lbs respectively, both sporting 9" beards.
-Blaine Cardilli/ Ameristep Prostaff
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