Oh so close - Turkey

[300H&H]

Opening day. Who went out ? Did ya get yur bird ?

I went out. Up at 3:15am. Grabbed my gear & gun, and off to Tim Hortons to fuel up. No donuts yet, the lady said they won't be ready untill 5am. No problem I'll chew on some bark from a pine tree when I get there.
About 15 min out of town I think to myself "self...did you remember the key for the lock on the shotgun ?". Best pull over. Yup got them. Which one is the right one. Its small and silver. No small silver key. Must be blind look again. No FREAKIN key. Think again to self " you dumb sh_t". turn back to town. No longer driveing, now flying down Hwy. Back in town & almost home. Think again to self "hey...bone head look again". Pull over. Two keys stuck together. Think its not a good idea to store keys & gum in same pocket. Turn back. Now going sub-sonic up Hwy. Pass RCMP car. He no care.
35 Min detour, not the way to start turkey day. Get into my hot spot late. No turkeys calling. Last year they were non stop pluck/gobble/cluck. Go in bush do my best to sound like a desperate hen. Finally a answer. Two toms to my right & two off to my left. Which to shoot ? Easy...the first one, duhh. Turkeys are coming fast to my left. Im ready !!! LOOK, 2 HUGE TOMS IN FULL STRUT. Ummm turkey for supper. I can see the red/blue heads & full fan tails. BUT...they stay just inside the bushes at 60 yards and will not come to the LOVE TRIANGLE (by Featherflex). No good shot here, I'll wait. Think to self "you should have been here earlier".
I try setting up & have them come in but it didn't work. did see lots of deer and found a big 5 point whitetail shed. Had some chews on it. Damn squirrls.

Moral of this story..."go to Save On Foods, the turkeys are easyer to get".
Just dont shoot them in the store. Wife will be happy you brought home food. But if asked why it is frozen tell her it was very cold out.

[boxhitch]

Good times, 3. Thanks for the update, its been on my mind to head out, but figured too early for struttin action.

[mark]

Opening day is the best!!! You should of just kept on calling, it took me 45 minutes to coax mine into range last year. Im heading out friday morn for 3 days if necessary!

[Brambles]

Sounds like you had a hell of a time, congrats, it will pay off.

I think I might head out Thurday Night and roost a tom, tent it out overnight and perhaps kill it on Friday.

If he's big enough and I can catch it on tape with my bow that is....

[300H&H]

Just a quick update.
I went out much earlier this morning & was sitting befor light. I could hear the birds in the trees (300-400 yards away). Soon they started to fly down from the roost and hens started first to cackle then the toms started but they went the wrong way. so I waited for more birds, they usually come from farther up the vally but none showed. I had to get to work so back to the truck & down the road. I went over a cattle guard and the tires went "tunk, tunk, tunk" as I passed over. Sure enough a tom gobbled. I stopped quick. He and his buddy were 5 yards off the road behind a bush. AND ON FENCED & POSTED LAND. Crap !!! They looked at me. I looked at them and theyslowly walked away. The biggest tom had a beard atleast 7" long. Not huge but I would have been happy with him in the back of the truck. Im back out Saturday. More updates to come. Good luck and if you get one post the pics.

[300H&H]

Good times, 3. Thanks for the update, its been on my mind to head out, but figured too early for struttin action.

I have not heard of many turkeys around Vernon. No jokes please. Have you seen any ?

[finish]

Cranbrook tommorrow, Turkeys will die!!!! But, knowing my luck, I'll see nothing but Bull Elk and a ton O deer!!!

[boxhitch]

I have not heard of many turkeys around Vernon. No jokes please. Have you seen any ?

Not up this way, but I would head closer to Ktown, maybe Postill Lk Rd ?

[huntwriter]

Moral of this story..."go to Save On Foods, the turkeys are easyer to get".

No need for that.
Next time try to set up where a tom has to walk within shooting range to see your decoy. Such set ups can be around a corner of a wood lot, just below a ridge or any other spot where an approaching tom has no direct view of your decoy set up from a long distance. My favorite set ups are places where I can’t see more than 40 yards. What good is it if I can see a tom 100 yards away where he can see me too and won’t come any closer.

A few years ago when some hunters here said that turkey hunting is like shooting fish in a barrel I commented with; “Wait a year or two when the BC turkeys wise up to hunting pressure. As the turkeys here in BC gain more experience with hunters they become very wary of calling and decoys."


A tom that comes to investigate calls and decoys will be all ears and eyes if he can see a hen standing sixty or more yards away and she doesn’t move he will be very suspicious. Suspicious toms hang up and wait the situation out. Real turkeys move constantly, a motionless bird just isn’t natural to a tom, especially a lovesick hen sweet-talking and not moving.


On my turkey hunting website I wrote an article with tips on how to make turkey calling and decoy set ups appear natural to a tom.


Try this trick and you will have more luck.

[Sharkey]

Cranbrook tommorrow, Turkeys will die!!!! But, knowing my luck, I'll see nothing but Bull Elk and a ton O deer!!!

Was just in Cranbrook 2 weeks ago and that's all we saw - just standing around on the side of the highway and in fields. Lots of Elk, and TONS of deer. Buggers....