2022 Spring turkey pictures

[Phillip Carr]

I thought I would start a post showing Spring turkey pictures from this year.
George and I hunted a week up on the San Carlos Indian reservation. Finally got lucky. Weather turned nasty so ended up using my Benelli 12 gauge with 7&9 TTS SHOT.

[Bob Hayes]

Nice birds Phil

[Dean Romig]

Great work guys!!





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[Mills Morrison]

Dad is collecting photos of friends and family with their turkeys this year. I am not on the wall yet. Thinking about sending Harry out with someone else so he has a chance of getting one

[Dean Romig]

Dad is collecting photos of friends and family with their turkeys this year. I am not on the wall yet. Thinking about sending Harry out with someone else so he has a chance of getting one



:rotf::shock::rotf:





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[Garry L Gordon]

Beautiful birds, Phil. Congratulations.

[Mike Koneski]

Well done Phil! Nice photos and beautiful scenery.

[John Knobelsdorf II]

With RST copper plated #6

[Phillip Carr]

Congratulations on a nice bird taken with a Parker.

[Phillip Carr]

My brother surprised me with a nice gift today. Used the wing one, beard, and shell used for taking the bird. Looking forward to using it.

[Mills Morrison]

That is very cool! I have wing bone calls made from my turkeys as well

[Reggie Bishop]

Nice turkeys Phil and John!

[charlie cleveland]

those are some nice birds for sure.....I anit got my picture took yet but aint given up...charlie

[Phillip Carr]

Keep trying Charlie we were at it for a week before we connected. If anyone deserves a bird it’s you.

[Jerry Harlow]

Opening day Saturday, gave my best hen in heat calls and six females came to the call pretending to be males that day including fanning out just like the boys. Did not have to give them the Crocodile Dundee physical check though. Too cold Sunday and church is at 9:30 so slept in later. Went this morning after hearing a hen roost Sunday night. Started calling at 6:30 a.m. Thought I heard something in the distance. Moved to a brush blind I built last year. Gobbler spoke once every thirty minutes for a second. At 8:45 three hens paraded by and then he finally reluctantly stepped out at 32 steps. TSS #9s from the Franchi. I start out with big guns since they are reluctant to come in easily with the large coyote population. Now I'll move down to a 20 with TSS. Have a box of .410 for number three if all goes as planned. I cold call in more now than I ever got straight out of the roost as they do not respond as they once did since the coyotes are here.

[charlie cleveland]

nice bird I gan see the spurs from here......charlie

[Jerry Harlow]

Belgium Browning A5 20 magnum, TSS 9s, 35 steps. Stepped down from 12 to 20, now on to 28 or .410, or maybe a Parker. Thanks to Mark G. for selling me this great gun! Video, which seldom happens due to either too long of a wait or the sudden appearance of the movie star, is attached.

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

[charlie cleveland]

them good browning 20 ga mags are hard to come by....I want one some day.....charlie

[Rud Blumentritt]

A couple from Mississippi and Texas. Merkel 20 gauge.

[charlie cleveland]

nice birds and a beautiful gun....charlie

[Garry L Gordon]

A couple from Mississippi and Texas. Merkel 20 gauge.

Rud, very nice birds (and gun!). Your photos really capture the rich, but subtle coloring of the wild turkey.

[Phillip Carr]

P
Nice video and pictures guys congratulations.

[Dylan Rhodes]

Opening day in PA. 12 gauge Fox Sterlingworth. 6:39 AM

[Garry L Gordon]

Nice bird, Dylan, and taken well with that Fox.

[Joseph Sheerin]

May as well throw mine in here.... :D

[Phillip Carr]

Great picture.congratulations.

[Gary Cripps]

Taken last Wednesday with a 32” CH. Called a big guy from corner to corner on a 40. When he got close he sent out junior. 18 pound jake at 35 yds. Didn’t want to go home empty handed.

[Joseph Sheerin]

My take on shooting jakes.... Has always been dependant on how much time I had to hunt that year. In MO, you can only shoot one bird first week, so I normally hunt for a Tom... Once that has passed, Jakes are on the menu...... Sometimes, they are on the menu from day 1 for me, because I get so little time to hunt turkeys, that passing on them is pretty tough. :D

[John Dallas]

I passed a 40 yarder today. Not much of a beard, but fanned out, and noisy. The hen with him was also very noisy. Kinda makes you wonder what was going on

[charlie cleveland]

great pictures every body...my turkey is still walking our season closed yesterday...hope every body connects....charlie

[Wayne Owens]

Here is a Arizona bird I took yesterday with a 34" 8 gauge shooting brass RMC shells. The turkey weighed 21 pounds and had a 11" beard.

[John Dallas]

No turkey, just stories. Today I had a group of about 10-12 birds (hens and toms) 100 yards away from me in a melee. Running around in a circle, gobbling, squawking, fanning and making all kinds of noise. Never have seen such commotion. My one decoy didn't interest them at all

[charlie cleveland]

way too go with the 8 ga..tell us the load used and distance ....very nice gun give us some history of this gun...I too have killed turkeys with my 8 ga s... big d I bet that was a hoot seeing and hearing all that commotion frome those birds..i too had this to happen no calling in the world would entice them to come closer...charlie

[Wayne Owens]

Charlie, I use 36 grains of Blue Dot and 1 5/8 ounces of a combination of #4 and #7 1/2 lead. I also use an Italian wad. This is the first time I hunted with this load and it seemed to have plenty of punch without much of a recoil. The distance of the shot was 30 yards.

[Phillip Carr]

Wayne as far as I know, I believe you were the 1st person to take a Merriam’s turkey in AZ legally with your 8 gauge since the law changed.

[Dean Romig]

No turkey, just stories. Today I had a group of about 10-12 birds (hens and toms) 100 yards away from me in a melee. Running around in a circle, gobbling, squawking, fanning and making all kinds of noise. Never have seen such commotion. My one decoy didn't interest them at all



Had that happen to me a couple of times in VT John... It sure makes you wonder what the h--- they're doing.





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[Stan Hoover]

Here is a Arizona bird I took yesterday with a 34" 8 gauge shooting brass RMC shells. The turkey weighed 21 pounds and had a 11" beard.

That is great Wayne, a turkey taken with an 8 Gauge. I hope to do that someday!

Thanks for all the great pictures everyone, I hope to get out in a few days,
Stan

[Wayne Owens]

Wayne as far as I know, I believe you were the 1st person to take a Merriam’s turkey in AZ legally with your 8 gauge since the law changed.

Yes I think that is probably true. It wouldn't have been legal to use the 8 gauge if you didn't get the law changed by persuading the game and fish to revise the statute. For that I am very appreciative. The turkeys not so much.

[Phillip Carr]

:)well it couldn’t have been harvested by a nicer guy.:)

[Randy G Roberts]

:)well it couldn’t have been harvester by a nicer guy.:)

I'll second that ! Way to go Wayne :bowdown:

[Phillip Carr]

Not a Parker but it is always nice to hear when a young person gets into hunting. This is the 5th bird my brother George helped in calling in this season. George received a call yesterday asking if he would be willing to help a local girl try and get a turkey. They meet at 5:15 is morning, had birds gobble of the roost. 45 minutes later the gobbler arrived and gave them a show a 30 yards. Even better her dad was there to watch her get her first turkey.

[Joseph Sheerin]

That's a great look'n turkey no matter what gun it was taken with.

I need to get out west for one of those colorful birds.... :D

[Dean Romig]

A great gobbler in anybody’s book!

Congratulations to the shooter and caller. Must have been a very special moment!





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[Reggie Bishop]

What a turkey! Beautiful and huge!

[Randy G Roberts]

Birds were very active this morning, one of the most exciting hunts I have been on. I had set up before daylight on a field edge where I have been seeing birds. Put out one Jake decoy and very luckily ended up in the perfect spot. 1 bird to my right at 75 yards or so carrying on and another across the field in the tree line about 150 yards with I don't know how many others gobbling. Not long after daylight there were 3 Toms, 3 Jakes, and 6 hens out in the field. The Toms were trying to figure out who was boss and not gobbling much after they hit the ground but the hens were talking and that got several other birds gobbling. Next thing I know I have birds coming from the North and the South at the same time. It wasn't long before this guy decided to check out the Jake decoy. Long shot at some 15 yards but the GHE was up to the task with 1 1/8 oz of #5's from Morris of RST fame. He was so close I used the Mod barrel. When he hit the ground and commenced to flapping things really got crazy. Every bird in the field joined in, the more I cut and carried on the more excited they became. Pretty darned enjoyable morning. Kept the thighs and drumsticks off this one to make some soup, yummy.

[Garry L Gordon]

Put that one down in your journal as "Perfection." Refer to it when times are not as wonderful. Congratulations, Randy. What do you suppose your heart rate was during all this?

[Randy G Roberts]

Put that one down in your journal as "Perfection." Refer to it when times are not as wonderful. Congratulations, Randy. What do you suppose your heart rate was during all this?

Don't know Garry but it sure was exciting. I'll remember that hunt a long time, as you know they only come around like that so often.

[CraigThompson]

Don't know Garry but it sure was exciting. I'll remember that hunt a long time, as you know they only come around like that so often.

When we get to PA in June , remind of spring turkeys . Might have a little something for you .:cool:

[CraigThompson]

Here is a Arizona bird I took yesterday with a 34" 8 gauge shooting brass RMC shells. The turkey weighed 21 pounds and had a 11" beard.

Yes sir !

Thats what I wanna do , if I can get my cousin out to call one in for me . Can't decide between the DH 8 or the hammer 8 :whistle:

Were you using 1 1/2 or a 1 3/4 load ?

[Randy G Roberts]

When we get to PA in June , remind of spring turkeys . Might have a little something for you .:cool:

Hmmmmm, that's putting a lot of pressure on me to remember.

[charlie cleveland]

that's a big fine bird congratulations to the shooter and the caller....charlie

[Stan Hoover]

Getting late in the season, but, sometimes you need the big gun:)

[Randy G Roberts]

Congrats. Season is closed here so the Toms are back in the yard again strutting by the Grandkids swing set.

[Stan Hoover]

Congrats. Season is closed here so the Toms are back in the yard again strutting by the Grandkids swing set.

We have been seeing a bunch of turkey, I think I observed about 15 gobblers that morning in the field I was watching, maybe 4 long beards and the rest smaller birds and jakes.
I would have loved to shoot a long beard, but they were not at all interested in my calling, so after sitting in the stand/blind for 7 hours, I decided to take what was offered.
Stan

[Mills Morrison]

We saw a bunch on Dad's place this weekend. As usual . . . they know the season is not in.

[Garry L Gordon]

Ha, you have that right, Mills. When I pulled up to the farm the other day for some work, I was greeted by 4 toms at my gate.

[Phillip Carr]

You should have invited them in for dinner.

[Garry L Gordon]

You should have invited them in for dinner.

:rotf::rotf::rotf:

[Cory Rams]

Been a tuff year! Finally got my bird the other day! He’s an old boy for sure. Longest spur was almost 1 3/4” if the tip wasn’t broke off. Must have been a fighter. The beard was long but no where as thick as most I shoot on my property. Looks like he’s got a little white/grey in a few of his tail feathers…like me.lol. Where the white is the top bands are thinner. Wonder if he lost them and they grew back that way?

https://i.imgur.com/MTULIJT.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NY87ag8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2Zzb218.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/4iitJpt.jpg

I got in the woods late. It was 8:10am. This guy started gobbling at 10:53am across the road on my neighbors property. He kept gobbling non stop every 30 seconds to a couple of minutes till it finally showed up at 5:03pm! Made for a long, long, long, but rewarding day. I did shoot and remove a coyote coming into my call last week as well. One less hunter in my property!

[Phillip Carr]

Very nice bird. Love the picture of the spur.

[Cory Rams]

Very nice bird. Love the picture of the spur.

The other spur was broken off about an inch is so out from the base. He must of gave that coyote a lashing before I did!

[Dean Romig]

That’s a fine old longbeard Cory!





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[Stan Hoover]

Nice old mature bird there Cory,
You showed some great patience on that bird, what area of the country are you in, the birds here in Pa showed no interest in my calls?

It was probably my awful calling but it seemed to me they were past the mating season, no gobbling or strutting.

Except for a small jake that was intent on breeding my hen decoy, he kept on her till he had knocked her off the stake in the ground and then when she was laying/sitting on the ground, he had his way with her:whistle:

Stan

[Cory Rams]

I’m in Wisconsin. It depended on what day I was out. Some days I heard zero gobbling and the next day they gobbled all day. It’s like they turned on and off like a light switch. Seems like right after a rain or on a day with zero wind was when they were most active. Today is the last day of of our sixth and of our season here. It rained all night and the wind was blowing 30/40 mph. I’m waiting to see it the wind dies down a bit before I head out. I did hear one yesterday with 20 plus mph wind but it stayed out in an open field on the neighbor’s property. I have one day left and another tag to fill. I’m sure I won’t get lucky enough to fill it but will at least get out some time today for a while and enjoy nature. I called in a lot of birds this season. Some I couldn’t get clear shots at and some wouldn’t close the distance. I had three different birds so close I could feel the ground shake when they drummed but couldn’t see them because the new growth and brush in my woods is so thick. I finally got smart and left my DSD decoys in the truck. I had four different Toms and hens lock up and wouldn’t come in because of them. They would stop out of range and lock up staring at them and eventually walk away or spook from the decoys for some reason. As soon as I stopped using my decoys birds were walking right up to me. I just checked our forecast currently the wind is 16 miles an hour and it’s supposed to get up to 18 miles an hour so I believe my hunting for spring turkey 2022 is probably done. All my property is wooded so the birds definitely will not be coming in with the trees and leaves whipping today. They roost on my property and fly over to the neighbors field. Normally between nine and 11 they’ll come walking back in after they breed when all goes well.

Edited…I did go out for the last day of our 6th and final week for about five hours. The forecast said the wind was 18 mph plus. It had to be closer to 25 to 30 mph like yesterday by the time I called it quits. Didn’t see or hear and birds today. I did have a red tailed hawk take a swoop at me and come within about 10’ before I flinched and it veered off. Close one!

[Cory Rams]

Finally got around to mounting my fan today. Used a fallen cedar tree on my property.

Two days working on and off trying to fabricate a fan mount. I cut up a few downed cedar trees blocking my trail last winter. Plan was to was to use them for firewood and smoking. Started with three pieces a coupe of days ago and broke all of them trying to open up the inside to insert a photo. I glued this one back together and started sanding. Finished it off with minwax antique finish left over from my 1873 Charles Daly stock set. Left the mount on the table to dry over night. I’ll hang up it by my other fans tomorrow.


https://i.imgur.com/BkPYRim.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/niivYAZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/oKhSUfO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/th5l9vz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/aYlMVjM.jpg

If anyone is interested I used fiberglass bondo on the tail fan to set it. I first cleaned all the meat and fat off around the tail feathers and applied borax. The fan was pretty beat up and lost a lot of feathers so I was pretty pleased it turned out as nice as it did. Saved a few extra feathers to add to the fan but I think I’m going to leave it the way it is.

[charlie cleveland]

really nice the way you have fixed the fans...charlie