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B King
Administrator
333 Posts |
 Posted - 04/21/2008 : 22:19:31
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Lets start a topic on the spring turkey hunts. Post your stories even if they are unsuccessful.
Got out tonight for a brief hunt. Had a very big tom approach and stop about 80 yards and then just walk away. Never heard a peep from him. Saw two other hens skirt by heading to the roost. All happened in about 30 minutes. Hope to get out tomorrow for a longer hunt. Heard lots of reports of lock jaw toms today.
I know where the big tom was heading tonight. Hope to catch him out wondering around tomorrow morning.
Bob King
ASC Out Of State Coordinator
bking@team-asc.com
kingfisher1719@aol.com
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Plore
Junior Member
374 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2008 : 08:57:02
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I had got a nice picture of a Jake and one big Tom on game camera around 2nd week of April. So I hunted that general area on Monday morning and never heard/saw a peep. Had 3 deer walk by me about 40 yards out though so that was cool.
Paul Lorenc
734-558-3554 (cell)
Southern Michigan Land Manager |
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ATB
Junior Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 10:31:17
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| After no success on Monday and Tuesday (heard em and seen em just too far away) I went out again Sunday and instead of hunting the woods on 116 I set up on the field edge of E and C with the pop blind in the woods and the decoys in the field. I saw 2 toms fly down and work across the field around 8am but 200 yards away from watching them during deer season they meander around feeding in C and B then head back to the woods on E so I waited for them. Around 11 I glassed them about 100 yards out working down the field edge I was waiting hoping they would catch sight of my full strut Tom and hen on the field edge. At about 60 yards they started to angle off from the corner that I was in and did not notice of the decoys. I gave 2 clucks with the mouth call they looked noticed the Tom and it was ON they ran in to do some business with that decoy. The bigger Tom was in the lead he ran in and hit the full strut decoy that I had about 18 yards out and the 2nd slightly smaller Tom hit it right after him. I couldnt get a shot at the bigger of the 2 without risk of hitting them both so I waited for some separation. The bigger Tom of course after hitting the decoy moved behind some brush the 2nd Tom came back for seconds then BAM lights out 870 did its job. The bigger fellow made off from behind the brush like the road runner puttin away heading SW. It was extremely exciting watching that whole thing unfold. He is no trophy to most but weighed 19 pounds (used a bath scale no oz's), had a 9 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs. Very happy to see my scouting payed off and get rewarded for getting up at 4am to get to Yale before sunrise. Also thanks to the club, this is only my second season turkey hunting. I always had been interested in turkey hunting but pretending to be the prey at ground level on state land with decoys was kind of scary prospect. Ive got photos dont know how to post em on this sight. |
Edited by - ATB on 04/28/2008 12:17:29 |
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jaywkr
New Member
64 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 11:08:41
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| Sounds pretty exciting. Congrats. |
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frank
Average Member
690 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 11:41:18
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Congrats Andrew, I'm glad you got to take one. I will be out in a week from today trying to fill my tag.
Frank Manning
Mid Michigan/Thumb Area
LandManager
frank1968@tds.net
(810)347-5292
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B King
Administrator
333 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2008 : 11:53:00
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Thanks for sharing your story.
I have seen birds just about every time out. I guess I am not a good enough caller yet to entice them over! I even had a good group of toms in a field. Got set up along the railroad tracks and had a guy come walking down through and sppok them. He was sorry and apologized several times. This was not on club land.
Bob King
ASC Out Of State Coordinator
bking@team-asc.com
kingfisher1719@aol.com |
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ndede
Starting Member
32 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2008 : 22:59:31
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| Shot a nice tom this evening, 9 inch beard 1 inch spurs, he was with one other tom and 10 hens. He would not respond to calls, I had to cut him off before going back in the woods. Looks like toms are starting to hen up. |
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frank
Average Member
690 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2008 : 10:44:54
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Monday, hunted the 116 property got a late start and didn't arive at the property untill 10 to 6 in the am. Heard 1 tom off to the south and across the road from the property on my way to unit E. Get set up in the N/E corner of unit E, don't hear anything but geese? start calling and still nothing. After about 30 - 45 minutes I decide to move to the N/W edge of the property as I stand up I notice a Tom hightail it acrossed the field to the north (damn my luck). So now I get over to the N/W corner and start calling about 5 minutes later I hear a twig snap and some leaves scratching, turn my head only to see the neighbor about 30 yards behind me. I stand up and he is startled to find me there, I introduce myself and he does like wise neither of us have gotten a bird at this time. Decide to head in for breakfast, get back about 9:30 or so. Head back out to the N/E corner and start calling after about 20 minutes with nothing going on I call again about 5 minutes later I hear something comming throu the brush. Yep a turkey is comming reach over for my gun (the one time I don't have it in my lap) just as my fingers touch it BAM it falls over, ther goes the turkey I'm not sure if it was a Tom or Hen?
Tuesday, much better start get to 104 about 5:30 or so. Walk down to the middle of the west edge of unit B and set down, hear 3 or 4 Toms over on unit A gobbling like crazy then hear the hens clucking after they fly down for the morning. After sitting there for about 45 minutes with nothing but geese comming by I decide to move to the east edge of unit B. When I get there I notice 7 or 8 turkeys out in the field on the east side of the property, hmmmmmm could be worse I could sit here and not see nothing. I notice some of the hens are going to come into the property at the corner so I decide to make my way that way and see if the Toms wont come with them? After about an hour I have a hen walk with in 6 feet of me, then about 20 minutes later another hen comes by both cross onto club property Toms still out in field. After all the hens have left I notice the Toms look like they are going to the S/E corner of the unit so off I go again, jump 2 deer on this move get almost to the south edge of the unit and I notice 3 or 4 more turkeys comming out of unit A into the field. They spot me at the same time and VROOM they are off to the east towards the other Toms, back to that corner of the property. Get over ther in time to see 3 of the Toms fighting, now its who wants on our property? (they are only 20 - 60 yards into the field at this time) loose sight of 1 of the toms the rest is starting to meander my way (onto club property). Oh the tom I lost sight of is standing 10 yards away and on club property 11-87 comes up and BAM the turkey starts flying???? BAM again still flying BAM for the third time and now he is running into the ditch along unit C, Off I go after droping my gun chaseing after this bird he got caught up in some brush and I was able to get my hands on him, not the smartest thing I have ever done he spurred the heck out of me before I get his neck rung. He had a 10" beard with one 1" spurr and the other one broken off at about a 1/2" or so. All in all it was a great 2 days in the field, and watching them Toms strut and what not for them hens was very interresting. By the way I left 5 Toms out on the 104 property 2 of them are nice long beards and 1 of them is the dominit tom. If someone would like help either with where to set up or you would like some company just give me a call I will be glad to help out.
Frank Manning
Mid Michigan/Thumb Area
LandManager
frank1968@tds.net
(810)347-5292
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teamasc
Forum Admin
1127 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2008 : 11:54:13
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Nice job on those birds, folks.
Frank, was the neighbor on the club property? I ask because I just got off the phone with Dan and he has second word that the neighbors are claiming one of our guys was out in thier field scouting for turkeys last week. We are both pretty confident that isn't the case, but we have to be sure that we are staying in the boundaries, and if the neighbors are crossing the boundary, I want to know about it.
Todd Alexander
ASC Membership Services Manager
talexander@team-asc.com
www.team-asc.com
734-552-4839 |
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frank
Average Member
690 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2008 : 13:56:39
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No Todd, the neighbor was on his side of the fence and I was on ours, this was on the North West side of Unit E. He said he was down looking to see if he could see any Turkeys in the fields on the West side of Unit C and or if they where in unit C. He actualy started hunting in the woods/brush to the North/West side of unit E. Then he moved down to check the fields for turkeys. I believe this is the same guy that you watched pass up that small buck several years ago but am not sure. He was an older guy I'm guessing late fiftys early sixtys maybe, I think the people that are complaining are on the East side of the property but am not sure, they where the one's that wouldn't allow someone to look for a wounded deer if I remember correctly.
Frank Manning
Mid Michigan/Thumb Area
LandManager
frank1968@tds.net
(810)347-5292
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MillerMan
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 05/15/2008 : 14:38:15
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I am heading out to 122 (Hillsdale) this weekend. Any suggestions where to set up on B or D?
Last hurrah for the late season. Calling is pretty much useless at this point, at least in the areas I was hunting near Big Rapids (friends farm).
wish me luck! |
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jslucas
New Member
84 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2008 : 07:02:26
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Try 119, south end of unit A or C, which is just a couple of miles from 122. I know there are still a couple of nice toms there. They roost on the neighbors property, so you'll have to be patient and wait for them, but they'll show up to feed in the fields.
Jason Lucas
jslucas22@yahoo.com |
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frank
Average Member
690 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 17:03:34
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Went out with a budy to the state land by my house this past weekend. Called in 2 tom's, 1 was a monster with a 10+ inch beard the other had about a 6-9 inch beard. The smaller of the 2 came in to about 30 yards and the biger one stayed out around 50 yards, I told my budy to shoot when I noticed the smaller one had busted us. I didn't know that he couldn't see the smaller one at this time, he thought I was talking about the big one so he lets loose with a round at the big bird. He didn't end up killing the bird but it was kinda exciting to still have them gobbling at this late date in the season. We are hoping to get back out this weekend.
Frank Manning
Mid Michigan/Thumb Area
LandManager
frank1968@tds.net
(810)347-5292
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Turkey success reports
