Turkey Report - Page 10

Dollar · 05-13-2018, 06:56 AM

Hey Phil how far down the canyon can you hear a gobble.I guess if the gobbler is on top of the rim and your below you might not hear him.Or vice versa I'm sure the gobblers use the terrain to their advantage.

Phil C · 05-13-2018, 06:23 PM

I was kind of joking about the climb out of the canyon. Its darn rough country. That said we hunt just off the boundary to the Grand Canyon. I know for sure you can hear a gobbler over a mile. ( if the wind is not blwing. ) we use a coyote howling call to get the turkeys to shock gobble. We regularly can hear gobblers responding over a mile +.

Dollar · 05-13-2018, 08:59 PM

Now thats just great Phil another thing to do on bucket list.Hearing and gobbler on the rim of the Grand Canyon.Got to be one hell of hunt even if the birds don't cooperate.

Dean Romig · 05-13-2018, 09:13 PM

Phil, have you had any success calling a keyed up longbeard from that kind of distance?

A few years ago in Vt a big ol gobbler answered my lonesome hen yelps from over a half mile away. Closer and closer he came to my beckoning pleas and when he was about to cross through the last wooded fencerow into the field I was sitting at the far edge of from him BLAM!!

And that was the end of him. Another hunter was concealed in that fencerow...

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Phil C · 05-13-2018, 10:15 PM

Dean about the furthest I have called a turkey was the one I shot this year out of the deep canyon which was 500 yards. We have located turkeys at about a mile and then closed the distance and then closed the deal.
Its big country out here so a typical morning if we havent roosted one the night before is to try to drive around and shock one into gobbling, park the truck, set the GPS so I can find my way back to the truck. Surprizing how well you can hear a gobble on a cold wind free morning.
Then using a headlamp try to hustle as fast as possible to get to the Gobbler. I like to try to get within 200 yards or closer with out spooking him. Then a few tree yelps and hopefully get him to fly down in our direction. It only works for me about 15% of the time if they are around hens. I sure wish I was more experienced but I keep learning.

Dean Romig · 05-14-2018, 07:24 AM

Same here Phil. I began turkey hunting when Vt opened the section I hunt in 2002 I believe. Every time I hunt them I learn more about their behavior.

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Randy Roberts · 05-14-2018, 08:54 AM

Prior to the season I had mentioned that I had hopes of tagging a long bead with a Parker. Never pursued turkeys with a SxS before as I have stuck with archery equipment for the last several years. The beginning of turkey season here in IN and the Southern are the same weekends so that week was a no go.
I did get to go out a little the following weekend but the birds did not read the packaging on my decoys and reacted in a totally inappropriate manner, stupid birds ! Finally on the last morning of the season it all came together and I was able to call this long beard in. Appeared to be a 3 year old with an 11" beard. I was using RST ammo with 1 1/4 oz of #4 in my 34" VHE. In as much as I love those long barrels I have to admit they are not made for carrying through the woods. Not real handy in a blind either. No matter how far back I sat in that blind I still had a lot of barrel protruding which is not a real issue until you have to move from window A to Window B then it gets a little tricky. I'm gonna need a bigger blind or get that move perfected for next year.

charlie cleveland · 05-14-2018, 10:03 AM

great storey of the hunt and a nice bird indeed....i agree with you long barrels are not easy to carry around in the woods...charlie

Southpaw · 05-14-2018, 11:01 AM

Awesome reports. Wish I could have gotten out this year to chase them but not able to for all kind of the wrong and indefensible reason. Glad to hear of some of the great successful harvests, the successful outings with family and ole Jerry giving up a bird in the hand for hopefully a greater good. Btw I'm certain Jerry felt he got whacked a little with a boat paddle to give up the bird.

Reminded of the story Jeff Foxworthy told about bass fishing with Jerry Reed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy7uDPSQyQU

BTw Phil that is awesome you hunting turkey's in Arizona by the Grand Canyon. I had no idea there was even hunt-able population of birds even in that region of the country.

Gerald McPherson · 05-16-2018, 10:01 AM

Well its over and I didn't tag out but I sure enjoyed trying.This was my fourth season hunting turkeys I don't know why I didn't start years earlier but I just sat around listening to them gobble. Finally about half way through the first season I decided to give it a try and found it was a lot of fun. The birds that I hunt rarely gobble but they will often come in quietly because of coyotes I believe as they will also come in quietly. Just yesterday thought about how many days until dove season. Sure hope I am able to do it again next year. One good turkey equals maybe a hundred doves and I like turkey better. My wife has begun to like it also. My daughter who is eating organic food only thought I had cooked some of her chicken ate some and thought it was the best chicken she had ever eaten. About two hours later I told her it was wild turkey and it was as organic as it gets. She had a fit. Go figure.