Our season opener is next Saturday at dawn!

Feels just like Christmas morning.

Strut 20170403 by FredMan, on Flickr

And of course my trusty 20 ga 12.75" Benelli M2.  I love this gun.

M2 SBS by FredMan, on Flickr

DSC_5294-Turkey Pose by FredMan, on Flickr

Turkey FS by FredMan, on Flickr

Gobbler Fan SBS 20190428 by FredMan, on Flickr

FS_Turkey 2020-04-12 by FredMan, on Flickr

My body is ready. Can't wait to get back out.

About 45 minutes ago.

Evening Strut by FredMan, on Flickr

Video!

What choke if any and what Ammo do you use ?

I'm shooting Federal Premium Mag-Shok Turkey, 1-5/16 oz No 5, copper-plated, with the Flite Control wad.  Modified choke (Flite Control actually performs worse if you use a tight choke).

20 ga.

I want to make sure it's not easy , but MAN, when you connect, you really feel like you've accomplished something.

And just to be clear, I've never shot and NOT killed a bird with this gun/shell combo, and I make sure to not take risky shots.

Yesterday before work, back in office by 9:30

Outstanding!!

I killed one this morning in Bland County, 22.5#, 9” beard. Heard about 12 shots up the valley in about 2 hours time. Stoked as it was my first turkey and I’ve been trying for a few years. I learned a lot last season and had tons hanging up at 50-60 yards. Some reason I can’t post pics from my phone.

So opening day yesterday.  Friday evening right before sunset I heard a bird gobbling and figured out more or less where he was roosted (I'm fortunate enough to live on several hundred acres of pretty good turkey country; I literally walk out my basement door to go turkey hunting).

Saturday morning I head out to that spot (hardwood timber above the river, corner of a field), set out my decoy in pitch foggy blackness (5:30 am), snuggle up next to a big oak., and wait.

Damned if at 6:05 that bird gobbled on the roost, FROM TWO TREES BEHIND ME.  Like 50 feet behind me.  WAY too close for my plans.  If I budge he'll see me.  If I don't move I can't get in a better position.  I sure as hell can't turn around and look at him., because then he'll spook off the roost and I'll never see him again.

Fuck.  Now I'm stuck.  My plan is I'll be as quiet as a churchmouse, wait for him to fly down, and maybe try a yelp or two when he hits the ground.  He's HAD to have seen that sexy Avian-X hen decoy, right?  Right?

He gobbled for an hour and 15 minutes, walking around in circles, and I'm in a bad spot.  Next thing I know I see his ass peeking at me from behind a tree and he's gone.  Damn.  He was suspicious from the start, with me shaking bushes and shining a flashlight getting set up.

So this morning I try Plan B, which means I'm going to wait for him to gobble before I go set up.  Which I do.

Get in a pretty good spot, and this guy gobbles on the roost for about a half hour, then hits the ground gobbling.  5, 6, 7 gobbles in a string.  I'm trying every trick in my book, clucking, purring, yelping that would make a Shanghai whore blush, and all this character does is come out to the field edge (100 yards away), gobble like a sailor on his first leave, walk back in the woods, gobble like there's no tomorrow, and repeat.  For TWO HOURS.

Finally, at 8:30, he saunters off down Foster's Creek and I head back to the house in disgust.

Spent the rest of the morning prepping the lawnmower for the first cut of the year (oil, filters plugs, etc.) and just for fun, about 11:15, rip out a few loud yelps from the back patio.  Damned if this guy doesn't start gobbling again!

Throw on my camo, pick up the decoy, and head back out.  Mind you, in Virginia you can only hunt until noon for the first 3 weeks.  I don't know why, drives me crazy, but that's the rules.  Get set up, he's 100-150 yards out in thick bottomland, but heading my way!  But taking his sweet time, and the clock chimes Noon and I've got to quit.

Another 30-45 minutes and I would have had him.

This is the same bird from my drone still and video above.

Going to lay off a few days because by now that Tom has my number.

That's a very healthy bird, and congrats on your first!

I hunted 3 years before tagging my first.

I'm at 20 now, in 20 years.  358 pounds of turkey, 194 inches of beard, and 20.5 inches of spurs.

I encourage you to start a "turkey log", I use a spreadsheet, date, time, place, bird metrics, and a brief summary of the hunt.  You'll look back at it over the years and smile at the memories.

Example:

"Rocky Knoll;  headed out at 5:30 a.m.  First gobble at 5:49 a.m.  One ahead of me about 100 yards out, one off to my right downhill towards gun range, a little farther out.  Gobbling vigorously on roost.  Flydown around 6:20;  heard the closer one moving off towards the other.  Thinking gonna be a bust.  Calling sporadically with slates.  About 6:45 they got together.   Hit the box call and that changed everything.  Started coming in gobbling the whole way; I'm shaking like a leaf.  Come over the rise at the knoll and there's 3!! birds!!  Full strut, all of them.  Picked my victim and dropped the hammer;  down on the spot.  Bird 2 took off, bird three just stood there looking stupid; he finally flew off when I got up.  Flapping and flopping for about 9 minutes, then dead."

Sounds like a great idea. Might try and do it for all my farm hunting. That little Benelli 20ga is sweet.

David

I killed a tom as my first animal ever hunting last week. It was freaking incredible to lay in ambush, call him in, then shoot him from 15ish yards (my range finder couldn't even range the shot, at least with my shaking hands between the cold and adrenaline).

It took me two days of hunting hard, but it paid off. It was way better than sex. Hell, even having two hens walk past me at 10 yards before the tom can in had my heart pounding.

Took my 10 year daughter out for our MO spring youth season Apr 10-11. She got a shot at a nice Tom. Her first hunt of any kind. She’s hooked now!

Friend and I leaving tomorrow for our annual trip to Michigan to hunt at a buddy’s place. We missed going last spring due to Covid.

Daughter wants to try it again when I get back.

Our season opens next Saturday. Hoping to bag another or a first for a coworker. Last year had one come in silent behind me after going silent upon leaving the roost.
He walked past me at 5' or 5 yds, not exactly sure. Once past me he ran for the decoys and pounced on the Jake. One of the best hunts ever. Wish I would've had it on video.
21#, 3 beards, 9", 6" and 4.5". Did hear one up on the powerline the other Friday.  Same area as the one last year. I did see 3 Gobblers last year after the season in the same area.
Fingers crossed.
Congrats to all who have been lucky so far and good luck for those still hunting.

Windy as hell today. Can't hear any birds.