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Post by LongSpur39 on Apr 28, 2009 9:40:31 GMT -5
I've noticed between n.y and Pa,that the birds have slightly slowed down each day on the gobbling. It has been just about the same time each day around 8:30 they slow down a bit. Then fire back up after 10:00. It has been a scorcher by april standards.The temps in mid to upper 80's and 90's for several days in a row. But in order to fire them up had to hit them hard with the calls. Real aggressive cutts and assembly yelps. Kind of funny! Like their takin a break after gobblin so hard for a couple hours after flydown. And then when they resume just hammerin. Some of the guys I talked to said they have been quitin around 9:00. A couple said the birds were shuttin down,so they called it a day!!?? Once it started gettin hot, and the bugs started takin chunks of meat they were done! I told em I take a couple bottles of water,1 frozen and 1 unfrozen,and bug spray, I'm good to go.And find some good shaded hardwoods. But to each their own I guess. I'll be out there whatever weather comes my way. It's funny how some folks will ask me."It's rainy and crappy out,do you think the turkeys will be out?" I always say 24/7 365,where else do they have to go!!! Some hidden place I don't know about I guess?? . Gotta be in it to win it!! ;D
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 1, 2009 19:02:58 GMT -5
Well you probably read my post in the turkey section. Just wrong in every way. The hillbillies will take care of that ordeal. They were not happy when I talked to them today. Good luck to the happy shooter. But time to move on. Tomorrow will hopefully be better than today. By far the worst opener I've had,since the year there was a whiteout on opening day. Goig to hit an area that yielded most of our big birds in the past. Wish we went there this morning. But tradition is just that tradition. Had to go to my opening day spot.Just for the fact that my Dad and I spent so many openers there. Our own property. This morning on my way there,I had my teary eyed moment. Just remembering our conversations as we rode in the truck about the turkeys we roosted the night before and our plan of attack. I surely missed him on the way down. Riding along alone and playin his oldie station,to just think of him. He'll be with me on every hunt. And all though today was a bit frustrating, I'm so thankful for each day to be chasing these majestic birds.
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Post by 4Pointer on May 3, 2009 18:13:26 GMT -5
HE WILL BE IN EVERY STEP YOU TAKE IN THE WOODS,FIELD AND WATER,, AND WHEN YOU MESS UP,,, JUST LAUGH ,,CAUSE HE WILL BE LAUGHING HARDER THAN YOU.. IT'S HARD BROTHER, I KNOW I WENT THRU IT AND EVERY HUNTING SEASON AND FISHIN TIME ,,IT REALLY HIT'S HOME,, BUT THEY WALK THE WOOD AND FIELDS WITH US,, NOW THERE GETTING EVERYTHING READY AT CAMP ,SO WHEN WE GET THERE WE CAN SIT BACK AND RELAX AND HUNT AND FISH EVERYDAY.. AMEN BROTHER. LARRY
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 3, 2009 20:48:45 GMT -5
HE WILL BE IN EVERY STEP YOU TAKE IN THE WOODS,FIELD AND WATER,, AND WHEN YOU MESS UP,,, JUST LAUGH ,,CAUSE HE WILL BE LAUGHING HARDER THAN YOU.. IT'S HARD BROTHER, I KNOW I WENT THRU IT AND EVERY HUNTING SEASON AND FISHIN TIME ,,IT REALLY HIT'S HOME,, BUT THEY WALK THE WOOD AND FIELDS WITH US,, NOW THERE GETTING EVERYTHING READY AT CAMP ,SO WHEN WE GET THERE WE CAN SIT BACK AND RELAX AND HUNT AND FISH EVERYDAY.. AMEN BROTHER. LARRY Absolutely bud!!
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 3, 2009 21:14:23 GMT -5
Gonna check out the apple orchards tomorrow. Called off the back road yesterday after noon quitin time and was able to fire some birds up! See whats goin on in there?? And do some scoutin for archery season,while i'm there maybe get a bird as a bonus.
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 9, 2009 19:57:26 GMT -5
Well today was quite a good day. No bird but had a gobbler goin for quite sometime. When he came off the roost he headed across the road from our neighbors land,where I was hunting. This is the third day with this bird. I'm now somewhat obsessed with taking him. Have yet to get a look at him. He'll either gobble on his own or I can call to him. It was a stalemate. Once he got over there I could hear his hen clucking and yelping softly. As I sat there ,and listened to this bird gobble and move back and forth.It made me think of a few seasons ago. My dad and I hunted this longspurred old boy,and he did the same thing. As I sat there I kind of teared up a bit. Just me and a loud mouthed bird exchanging our tunes. Thought how dad would have been smiling everytime I called. I'm hopin to get a shot at this bird. Got other places to hunt,but just really want to seal the deal. I hope he makes the mistake that the last seasoned tom did,he showed up at 35 yds! ;D
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Post by 4Pointer on May 9, 2009 20:58:40 GMT -5
I HOPE YA SEAL THE DEAL AND TAKE HIS A$$ BACK HOME WITH YA,, ;D GREAT READ,, RELIVE EVERY MOMENT AND ENJOY THEM.. I SHED SO MANY TEARS IN TRRESTAND I WAS THINKIN I'D NEED A BOAT TO GET BACK TO THE TRUCK.. IT'S NORMAL BROTHER,, AMEN AND GOD BLESS.. YOUR BROTHER LARRY
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 29, 2009 18:35:13 GMT -5
Well with two days left in the season,it's comin down to hunts with a couple of buddies. And then it's close the chapter on a very odd turkey season to say the least! In years past when you saw a bunch of longbeards prior to the season ,it usually meant a lot of gobblers on the ground for everyone. But this season was just plain tough! Why?,not a clue!?? You could have blamed it on hens,as everyone did. You could have blamed it on weather. On the timing of birds to respond to the call. They would gobble at some times,like they were comin on a string. Only to go silent the last 100 yds. And take an hour to come the last 100. People said they were call shy. I don't believe in call shy birds. Especially in the first week!! On grounds where nobody even called on. We had birds come in ,not even move and get pegged. Then guys were blamin their camo. I mean I had a couple of birds come in and at 60 yds,have them put on the binders,nervous cluck or putt and walk off. And again this is on private unhunted,unpressured birds. I purchased a cheapy 27" by 12' blind,to wrap around us. One morning was working a longbeard and a few hens across a pasture field. Took em 2 hours to come 200 yds,which brought them to 65 yds,wide open the whole time,all the way in. Then all of a sudden somethin wasn't stirrin the koolaid. They got nervous and ran like hell!! We looked around thinking someone had slipped in on us. Nothing,notta,zilch. Wth was that all about? Another thing just about every hen ,that was alone,or with other hens.Would respond great and come right in to the call,cuttin and carryin on like usual. But god forbid if there was a tom with one,or them! Totally shut you out of the game. They would call,and call and sound like they were comin in,with boyfriend in tow. Then shut themselves down and the toms. And wouldn't fire back up at all! Several turkey killin machines that I know,did nothing at all. I consider myself very fortunate,and very lucky with the way the season went. Filled my three tags between Pa and n.y. and got birds for other folks. But on a scale of 1 to 10 for a tough season,this one was an 11. Hope it never happens again. I hope next year is back to normal!!!!
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Post by LongSpur39 on May 29, 2009 18:39:24 GMT -5
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bad0351
6 Point Buck
Sometimes....all a man has left is his dog.
Posts: 237
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Joined: May 19, 2024 10:07:19 GMT -5
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Post by bad0351 on May 29, 2009 18:47:22 GMT -5
If you ask me,I think it was because my dad wasn't here. That the birds decided to be strange. He was throwin me a challenge this year. Love ya dad and really missed ya,bein out there next a tree workin birds. He'll be with you in your heart for the rest of your days in the turkey woods or where-ever else you travel Longspur..... Just as mine is with me . Dale
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Post by 4Pointer on May 30, 2009 22:37:40 GMT -5
If you ask me,I think it was because my dad wasn't here. That the birds decided to be strange. He was throwin me a challenge this year. Love ya dad and really missed ya,bein out there next a tree workin birds. HANG IN THERE BUDDY,, OUR DAD'S ARE WITH US ,EVERY STEP WE TAKE HE WATCHING AND BY OUR SIDE, NEXT TO A TREE, IN A STAND AND ON THE WATER,,THEIR THERE,,AND LIKE DALE SAID,, IN OUR HEART..AND THATS WHAT COUNTS,, ALITTLE STORY.. AFTER DAD PASSED AWAY I HAD TROUBLE SEEING DEER ,MY MIND WAS NOT IN IT,, WELL AS ONE SHOWED UP ,NOW I'M TALKING 10 YARDS,, CHIP SHOT WITH MY BOW,,WELL I MISSED THAT DEER BY A MILE,, I LOOKED UP IN THE SKY AND OUT LOUD AND SAID,WELL DAD I KNOW YOUR LAUGHTIN,, BUT THE NEXT ONE IS FOR YOU,, COME M.L. SEASON,,I WALKED BY HIS GROUND BLIND AND THERE WAS A SPIKE,,WELL THAT SPIKE ATE DIRT THAT DAY AND I PULLED SOME HAIR OUT OF IT AND TOSSED IT IN THE AIR AND SAID ,THIS ONE'S FOR YOU DAD, EVER KILL I MAKE I DO THAT NOW ,,DEER OR TURKEY'S..SORRY TO MAKE IT SO LONG OF A STORY..
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Post by LongSpur39 on Jun 5, 2009 22:33:46 GMT -5
Well with the ending of the season. I've had a few days to reflect. I have said it before it was a very unusual season. But i will say that I must have been either very fortunate or very lucky,or both for 20 some odd years. In years past minus the first couple of seasons, ofcourse,that I started chasing these grand bird's.They most often came into the call with regularity. But in all honesty,they were tough this year. Tougher than any birds I've ever dealt with. My calling,my set ups were no different from years past. I was very happy seeing as many longbeards as I did before the season. They were on every piece of property I hunt! There were a few misses by the group,but as many birds as there was,it should have made no difference. At times I threw everything but the kitchen sink at them. If anything the birds we did take were pure luck. Positioning played a part in smokin em! But the assortment of calls and calling played a small part ,I believe. I'm not sure if it was a constant stirring in the pecking order,or too many hens! Or if maybe the irregular daytime in comparison with night time temps played a part. I mean one week it reached the upper 70's to low 80's before noon. The night time temps were in the 50's. They gobbled like crazy until 10 then stopped. Who knows?? It was really strange from workin them off the roost,to working them on the ground. I seriously don't think that hens had too much to do with it. I called in hens almost everyday. From lone hens to as many as 7! I'm leaning more toward the competition. When you have too many jakes or jakes in say,groups of three or more. They can shut even the oldest or most dominant birds down in a hurry. And run them off! I saw it while hunting a particular bird for a few days. Had him comin and gobblin to about 80 yds. I could see him struttin ,and slowly comin in. When out of nowhere a group of jakes ran him off! He folded up went silent and slipped into the cover. Not once but three times it happened! The jakes seemed to stay silent until they heard him gobble,and then they would come in very quickly. When they were within eyesight of him they would go balistic,gobbling and carryin on. Then they would stay in the area for however long it took for them,to feel he was gone. Then they would go silent. Only clucking between eachother. This didn't just happen in one place either. Two other properties we hunt the same thing happened. I 'm not complaining at all,it was a good season under the circumstances. It was the first season in some 17 yrs ,I think, that my dad wasnt here. I am very lucky to come out with birds. But, I am use to gettin several friends birds,and then work my own birds at the end. And for several years we piled em up! but this year was a humbling experience. Even for a veteran of many,many successful hunts. I'm hoping it takes atleast another 20 yrs to see this again.
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Post by LongSpur39 on Jun 5, 2009 22:47:26 GMT -5
If you ask me,I think it was because my dad wasn't here. That the birds decided to be strange. He was throwin me a challenge this year. Love ya dad and really missed ya,bein out there next a tree workin birds. HANG IN THERE BUDDY,, OUR DAD'S ARE WITH US ,EVERY STEP WE TAKE HE WATCHING AND BY OUR SIDE, NEXT TO A TREE, IN A STAND AND ON THE WATER,,THEIR THERE,,AND LIKE DALE SAID,, IN OUR HEART..AND THATS WHAT COUNTS,, ALITTLE STORY.. AFTER DAD PASSED AWAY I HAD TROUBLE SEEING DEER ,MY MIND WAS NOT IN IT,, WELL AS ONE SHOWED UP ,NOW I'M TALKING 10 YARDS,, CHIP SHOT WITH MY BOW,,WELL I MISSED THAT DEER BY A MILE,, I LOOKED UP IN THE SKY AND OUT LOUD AND SAID,WELL DAD I KNOW YOUR LAUGHTIN,, BUT THE NEXT ONE IS FOR YOU,, COME M.L. SEASON,,I WALKED BY HIS GROUND BLIND AND THERE WAS A SPIKE,,WELL THAT SPIKE ATE DIRT THAT DAY AND I PULLED SOME HAIR OUT OF IT AND TOSSED IT IN THE AIR AND SAID ,THIS ONE'S FOR YOU DAD, EVER KILL I MAKE I DO THAT NOW ,,DEER OR TURKEY'S..SORRY TO MAKE IT SO LONG OF A STORY..I didn't see your reply Larry ,I apologize.The day i took the one bird,granted it wasn't on our land,I drove 15 minutes and stuck a tail feather beside dads favorite haunt. Just to bring a smile from his face. Cried like a baby as I parted from the woods. They are always gonna be with us. The day I don't feel he is,is the day I quit hunting or fishing! And don't ever apologize for making long talk. Cause someday we won't be able to make long talk. We won't be able to talk at all,but in spirit.
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Post by LongSpur39 on Jun 14, 2009 21:59:24 GMT -5
Went out today to move some stands and blaze some of the trails on the property. My girlfriend had nothing goin on so she went to help me out. We moved one of my ladder stands,and then rode around for a bit. Around 5 we drove up near the top field on the land. As we were sittin there,just below the field,we got a bit of a surprise! Out of the blue a gobble rang out from across the field,some 300 yds away. We didn't have camo on ,and no calls to mess with him. I did have a pair binos with me. So we slipped up to the edge of the field to glass. He was gobblin every couple of minutes. When I finally pinpointed him in the now high grass,he was in full strut. After watching him for quite a bit,another bird fired up,and then another. By 6 we had four gobblers in the field. The first bird was one i knew all too well. I had played the game with him on several mornings during the season. A longspurred 3 or 4 yr old,that had hens the entire season. He wasn't gobblin to bring his hens to him. He was bringin in the bachelors,so I' m assuming the hens were no longer around. We hung out til nearly 7 just to see where they were goin. Besides it was pretty cool to hear that addictive sound,two weeks after seasons end. My girlfriend just stood there with a smile on her face. She said,"Ya know after several months that you listened to that!" You'd think you heard enough for awhile!" "But you have the look on your face like your ready to go!" I laughed and said ,who me? It was truly the last sound I thought I would hear. but there they were. Made my whole weekend!
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Post by LongSpur39 on Jun 21, 2009 23:04:46 GMT -5
Moving stands this past couple of days. Took some down to check the stands out at home for wear and cables. Cleared some shootin lanes. Because of the amount of rain we have had this month,the trails showed some good sign. I looked over some of the old rublines,and came across some I missed. I also found some huge bear tracks! Pretty sure they are the biggest I have ever seen.
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