I don't remember what the breast meat looked like but I do remember the back of my sons legs being covered in blood from the turkeys head.
I don't remember what the breast meat looked like but I do remember the back of my sons legs being covered in blood from the turkeys head.
SE Kansas is good but access is getting tough. We spent a lot of time near Independence in an area where the Rio's and Eastern's overlap. A lot hillier terrain than you would think. Speaking of Kansas, when I think about the best place to hunt Eastern's, I'm reminded of Dorothy from the Wizard of Ozz...there's no place like home. Nebraska might be the final frontier and they also have Merriam's. For pure #'s of birds, no place compares to the Rio's in SW Texas.
I shot 2 fall birds in SE Kansas right near Independence about 10 years ago. We were there deer hunting and I tagged out on the first day, so I bought the 2 fall turkey tags. A huge flock came feeding through late one morning and I filled both tags. I believe those were Merriams.
Those would have been Rio's. Both Rio's and Merriums have a "domestic" sounding gobble and the hens have a high pitch yelp which sounds a lot like a box call. Merriums have the bright white tipped tail feathers.
Mountaineer
Banned
There's no doubt Kansas and Nebraska are great states for birds and we even considered hunting those states. However, we lost Intrest in those states because of the open terrain.
There's something about hearing a big gobbler thunder away in the timbered hollows. There's nothing like hearing that and that's what we didn't want to give up. Kansas, Nebraska and Texas hold a lot of birds but hearing a weak sounding gobble in open terrain wasn't for us. They kinda sound sick when they gobble out in the open.
Iowa and n. Missouri has similar terrain to conshocton co Ohio. Rolling hills with lots of timber.
Hearing a 30lb softball headed gobbler thunder away in the deep timbered hollows will send chills up your spine
This may sound ridiculous to most of you guys but I'm sure there's a few that can relate to what I'm talking about.
There's something about hearing a big gobbler thunder away in the timbered hollows. There's nothing like hearing that and that's what we didn't want to give up. Kansas, Nebraska and Texas hold a lot of birds but hearing a weak sounding gobble in open terrain wasn't for us. They kinda sound sick when they gobble out in the open.
Iowa and n. Missouri has similar terrain to conshocton co Ohio. Rolling hills with lots of timber.
Hearing a 30lb softball headed gobbler thunder away in the deep timbered hollows will send chills up your spine
This may sound ridiculous to most of you guys but I'm sure there's a few that can relate to what I'm talking about.
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Great advice guys. I have any real advice other than to have access to as much land as possible. You can never have to many turkey spots.
We're members of a small Methodist Country Church. Several members are farmers and rural land owners. One day after church my wife asked me, "why do you ask everyone for permission to turkey hunt?" And I replied, "it's kinda' like asking, are her breasts to big?" Can't be...right? Got my ass kicked for that analogy...
Yeah I understand what your'e saying Paul. The same thing is noticeable when I hunt turkeys around home in the open flatlands versus hunting in hilly North central ohio. Something about those hills makes those gobbles sound like thunder! The gobbles don't echo as much in the flat country, but it seems you can hear them from a long ways off though.
Mountaineer
Banned
gern,
Yep...the thunderous gobbles in the timber can't be beat. Like you said it echoes off the trees and hollows. Now combine that with 30lb old gobblers and lots of em..man..its incredible when daylight breaks in s. Iowa and n. Missouri.
I figured you get what I was trying to say..
Yep...the thunderous gobbles in the timber can't be beat. Like you said it echoes off the trees and hollows. Now combine that with 30lb old gobblers and lots of em..man..its incredible when daylight breaks in s. Iowa and n. Missouri.
I figured you get what I was trying to say..
Mountaineer
Banned
Me either...I never was able to get one that big. 26lbs was the biggest.
When I would check my birds in I would always ask the lady If I could see the weights of the birds checked in. In Missouri they weighed your bird when checking them. I would always notice a bunch of 30lbers brought in.
When I would check my birds in I would always ask the lady If I could see the weights of the birds checked in. In Missouri they weighed your bird when checking them. I would always notice a bunch of 30lbers brought in.
Yeah just killed my first legit 25# bird last yr. I had called a few to the gun before but hadn't been fortunate enough to be the shooter till last yr. I had killed a few 24#+ tho. I can't imagine a 30# bird. I don't care tho. Long as they got a longbeard theys getting shot.
Duck Commander
Junior Member
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Back in the mid 90's, the Indiana spring season came in 5 days a head of us. One year, we killed a bird in Southern Indiana the first hour of the opener. By the time we got to a check station, there was a line out the door. That morning I watched a 31 and 33lb turkey get weighed on a certified scale...looked like f'n terradactiles. The first check in station in Ohio was at the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station in the Waterloo State Forrest. Over the 40+ years they weighed birds there, they never had one top 24 lbs.
A trophy gobbler is one with a full fan and a long beard. Ive had my feelings hurt by many a 2 year old. The heaviest birds are usually the 3 year olds and everything has to do with available food and agriculture. The birds we hunt in Ohio today are decedents of birds trapped in Missouri at the Mark Twain and relocated to SE Ohio. We traded them grouse for turkeys.
The older, (and in theory), wiser birds with 1.5"+ razer sharp spurs usually don't weigh all that much for the same reason a rutting buck doesn't...they spend their spring fighting and chasing tail.
A trophy gobbler is one with a full fan and a long beard. Ive had my feelings hurt by many a 2 year old. The heaviest birds are usually the 3 year olds and everything has to do with available food and agriculture. The birds we hunt in Ohio today are decedents of birds trapped in Missouri at the Mark Twain and relocated to SE Ohio. We traded them grouse for turkeys.
The older, (and in theory), wiser birds with 1.5"+ razer sharp spurs usually don't weigh all that much for the same reason a rutting buck doesn't...they spend their spring fighting and chasing tail.
Funny you mention grouse.......while scouting Saturday morning I heard several grouse. I haven't heard any in a couple years. Good sound to hear in the spring woods.......besides the gobble of course.
That"s the way Ive seen it. My biggest spurred birds are usually not weighing much over 21 LBS. My heaviest birds over 20 LBS are always secondary or 2 year olds that are full of yellow acorns! The bird that eludes me is the one with Double Spurs!
The thing I like about Turkey Hunting the most is the suprise you get when you reach down to grab that throphy you just killed and picking him up and seeing HOW DAMN BIG THOSE SPURS ARE cause the size of the Eastern Bird spurs is what makes it a true Trophy to me. Just my two cents.
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Mountaineer
Banned
Yeah...I agree. The hook spured breeders usually don't weigh much. I've taken birds where the inside of their thighs are infected from fighting other birds.
You guys are getting me pumped up! Looking to kill my first one. I will have the camera rolling. HD footage of a bird actually responding would be cool in itself. IF I can get one to come in range AND get him killed it would just be the icing on the cake. I don't expect it, but that would be the perfect outcome. I had an awesome deer season and used my either/or tag on a mature doe with the last 20 minutes of the season left. Most times for me the hunt far outweighs the kill. However, I won't lie. Were it not for moments like I had with the two bucks on my wall. . . I am not positive the drive would be quite as strong to keep going out there. Sometimes you need to taste the sweet success of the harvest to make you hungry in between trophy hunts. To kill a nice turkey this year would certainly put that hunger in my belly to want to keep turkey hunting year after year.
Funny how this turned into a 5 page bullshit session....I know this odd weather has alot of people thinking turkey alot earlier this yr. I don't care if both my birds only weigh 18 # and have 7" beards this yr. Long as they come in fired up and gobbling that what I am out there for .