Markster Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Who’s planning on going out this year? Davidp16 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingking Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 1 hour ago, Markster said: Who’s planning on going out this year? Count me in lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 Seeing turkeys everywhere. Can tell it’s not hunting season yet. Bubba14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 25, 2023 Report Share Posted March 25, 2023 16 minutes ago, Tyler0420 said: Seeing turkeys everywhere. Can tell it’s not hunting season yet. I saw two big turkeys in Ottawa yesterday ..... ----------------------------- Bubba14 and Markster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 Intend to get out for sure! i lost out on my spring hunt last year because I came down with Covid 3 days before the opener, then brother-in-law from B.C came for a visit so I missed the final 2weeks of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 I missed out on turkey hunting . Back in the days of my youth I hunted bunnies, jacks , grouse , woodies ,ducks , geese, quail , grouse and pheasants . None of them had the size of a big turkey ....or the smarts ! Nothing better than a wild turkey dinner ! I traded my 20 gauge for a Remington 30-06 for moose until I gave up hunting to put more time into fishing trips . Hunting has changed so much as more use arrows now . Wishing you guys lots of luck ( in this crazy weather) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markster Posted March 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 I took a walk yesterday during the gap in the weather and counted more than 50 turkeys in farmers fields. They seem to have made it through the winter with no problems. i’m looking forward to the hunt this year! Bubba14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba14 Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 I'm hoping to get out but I'm also hoping to get on the water in my boat that hasn't seen the water in two years! Darryl L 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl L Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 16 minutes ago, Bubba14 said: I'm hoping to get out but I'm also hoping to get on the water in my boat that hasn't seen the water in two years! Mechanical issues or just no time? This wind had definitely postponed perch at least another week. Will be mud again for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingking Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 3 hours ago, Darryl L said: Mechanical issues or just no time? This wind had definitely postponed perch at least another week. Will be mud again for a while For sure ....I was working beside erie today there was 4 to 5 from white caps and really brown water ....hopefully stays calm this week and it should be good next weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl L Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 44 minutes ago, fishingking said: For sure ....I was working beside erie today there was 4 to 5 from white caps and really brown water ....hopefully stays calm this week and it should be good next weekend Doesn't look good lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 4 hours ago, Bubba14 said: I'm hoping to get out but I'm also hoping to get on the water in my boat that hasn't seen the water in two years! My boat hasn't moved from the driveway for 3 years due to the covid issues and doggie issues . She only get wet at our trailer park in Deseronto . We have a new pup , hoping to get him in the boat this summer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 26, 2023 Report Share Posted March 26, 2023 3 minutes ago, Darryl L said: Doesn't look good lol Erie must have been wild yesterday ! We had some big SW wind here in west St.Catharines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 Back to the topic of turkeys - a neighbour across the street from me here in Welland showed me a photo today of a big jake turkey in his back yard yesterday, and we are inside Welland at least 3/4 mile from any open rural area! No idea how that bird ended up here in a subdivision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl L Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 24 minutes ago, genec said: Back to the topic of turkeys - a neighbour across the street from me here in Welland showed me a photo today of a big jake turkey in his back yard yesterday, and we are inside Welland at least 3/4 mile from any open rural area! No idea how that bird ended up here in a subdivision. That's an easy hunt ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba14 Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 10 hours ago, Darryl L said: Mechanical issues or just no time? This wind had definitely postponed perch at least another week. Will be mud again for a while No time unfortunately. Hoping to make some time this year! I've already fished more this year than I did all of last year so that's a good start! smerchly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 To you turkey hunters ..... what weather conditions are best to hunt them ? Does wind spook them and cause them to sit tight ? Of course you want to be down wind .... I have heard about owls taking them down while they were roosting in trees during the night ...true ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 I'll hopefully head out a few times, the property owner only allows bows so its quite a challenge. As for conditions Smerchly, I don't like a strong wind of driving rain, they still move around but have a hard time hearing calls. Turkeys smell very little, which is nice but their eyes are wicked. I've heard owls, hawks and of course coyotes take their share of birds. Good luck all, get killin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingking Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 8 hours ago, smerchly said: To you turkey hunters ..... what weather conditions are best to hunt them ? Does wind spook them and cause them to sit tight ? Of course you want to be down wind .... I have heard about owls taking them down while they were roosting in trees during the night ...true ? I prefer nice quiet mornings with the birds chirping little to no wind is best to get them off the roost...I try to find where they are roosting and keep at least 100 yards or more away from them in the tree cause if they hear or see anything they'll fly down in a different direction then it's tough to get them to come in less they are right fired up and the hens are out of sight...I've had some great Hunts in light rain though ..they seem to be more on the feed once everything's wet....I find over calling or calling loudly only works if they are far away ...if you can see them then soft calls and only one or two to start whether they are gobbling or not you wanna get their attention let them know where you are and then keep them curious with one every 20 minutes or so...if nothing shows after an hour I just stay quiet for a whole hour then IL call again.other times they fly right into.your trap and bang hunts over in bout 5 minutes lol....in 2019 I hunted several times with no luck cause the birds had so many hens around they wouldn't respond to a call or a decoy....very last day of the season I spotted a lone bird in the field so I raced home to.get my gear boogied to the field crept through to almost the field edge got eyes on it and placed a hen decoy out of sight from the field.. made one soft call and waited less than 2 minutes and there he came searching and I nailed him...I actually enjoy turkey hunting more than deer with one exception and that's that the ticks can be plentiful in spots and once I get one on.me and I feel it I.get the heebie jeebies and Im outta there lol.. I.once came home with over 40 on.me and my gear...now I use the spray which has kept them away pretty good..good luck fellas...remember there are new hunters that may not know how to hunt safely so ...I say this cause I had a young kid walk up on my decoy with his gun up and I yelled hey!...he felt stupid and I told him Walking around stalking is a bad idea on crown land . . Markster and smerchly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markster Posted March 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 I’m not sure what weather is good or bad. This is only my second year going after them. I got my first gobbler last year on a quiet morning with a little light rain so that matches what fishingking said above. Also, scent control is not required for turkeys like it is for deer. i took the course and passed my test for hunting them when they were first introduced and a huntable population was established many years ago but last year was my first hunt.i enjoyed it so much I wondered why i waited so long. last year i used my shotgun. This year i may try with my bow. To those who use a bow, what is your preferred aiming point? fishingking and smerchly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 As far as preditors go I think our local yotes would be the largest concern . As I mentioned large owls can kill them . I was surprised to see coons and possums will kill the newly hatched ones and will eat the eggs . But it seems the turkey population is thriving in Niagara , and the milder winters may have helped that increase . A peek at the preditors ....... https://www.google.com/search?q=do+coyotes+kill+turkeys+%3F&oq=do+coyotes+kill+turkeys+%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57.17475j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 1 hour ago, Markster said: last year i used my shotgun. This year i may try with my bow. To those who use a bow, what is your preferred aiming point? I would think a mid body shot for bow hunters .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted March 27, 2023 Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 12 hours ago, smerchly said: To you turkey hunters ..... what weather conditions are best to hunt them ? Does wind spook them and cause them to sit tight ? Of course you want to be down wind .... I have heard about owls taking them down while they were roosting in trees during the night ...true ? Bill I've been hunting them for 20 years now. Your "worst" days to hunt are usually calm days, because ANY movement you make AT ALL will spook them, even if they are over 100 yards away. Windy days are much better,, as all the moving vegetation makes any movement you make less noticeable with all the vegetation waving in the wind. I personally like days with light rain, as long as it isn't raining heavily or strong wind + rain - I have found that on those days they are more often out in open areas away from the woods. I think the rain dampens the vegetation, and they cant hear the predators as well, so they gravitate to the more open areas. Downwind doesn't matter, as they have absolutely no sense of smell. However, they can hear 3 times as well as we can, and see 5 x better, and their eyes are on the side of their head, so they have 270 degree vision! And yes, owls do kill them at night. One day when a buddy of mine was walking his dog thru the bush on my cousin's farm he found 3 turkeys with their head ripped off by an owl. I'm expecting there to be lots of turkeys to hunt this spring because we had a relatively short period during this past winter with very much snow on the ground, so the birds had it reasonably easy to find food throughout the winter. Long. deep snow depths during the winter months cause significant die-offs because they can't find food. Markster, smerchly and fishingking 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markster Posted March 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2023 Answered my own question 🙂 other sites say aim where the base of the wing attaches to the body. smerchly and fishingking 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger Posted March 28, 2023 Report Share Posted March 28, 2023 I use magnus bullhead 3-blade fixed broadheadsand aim for the head/neck area. Its a little smaller than the vitals but I lost a bird once and am a little arrow shy now. The way I see it, I either kill the bird instantly or have a clean miss. And I tell ya, there's nothing like sending a turkeys head flying through the air...lol Markster and fishingking 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishingking Posted March 28, 2023 Report Share Posted March 28, 2023 6 hours ago, Digger said: I use magnus bullhead 3-blade fixed broadheadsand aim for the head/neck area. Its a little smaller than the vitals but I lost a bird once and am a little arrow shy now. The way I see it, I either kill the bird instantly or have a clean miss. And I tell ya, there's nothing like sending a turkeys head flying through the air...lol That happened to me once also...using my compound I shot a Jake broadside ...thought he was done the arrow passed through feathers went everywhere he flipped around for a sec and got up and took off...I searched for bout 4 hours finding no blood or bird....that was with a rage broadhead...there's a possibility that the blades opened upon release and was a foul hit....no more rage ever..heard too many bad story's...although technology is getting better since then.. Good luck fellas Markster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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