Live from the field 2020

[greenhorndave]

Evening was a bust.

Time for new ground tomorrow. I'm going to try a place I know before sunrise to listen for gobblers. If it doesn't happen there I'll be freelancing all day. Location TBD

[backstraps]

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Sitting in a blind with a buddy since I tagged out yesterday. Nice morning so far.

NICE VIEW!! Looks cold though..??

[greenhorndave]

It was in the 20s this morning Straps.

I had a great hide sitting in a 30 something degree mud puddle but no birds showed in the place they did last night.

[stash59]

Heard a bird gobbling yesterday afternoon while on my walk. He was on a ridge across the road on private. Woke up at 5:30 this morning and forced myself to head out in the car. Got to the parking area I was at yesterday. Just in time to hear toms gobbling still on the roost. Sounded like maybe 3. 2 for sure. All in the same general area were I heard the gobble yesterday. Saw quite a few more birds out in fields on the way home. Really need to get my sleep adjusted, so I can get out early mornings more!!

[greenhorndave]

Rolling the dice, going out of my comfort zone... Whatever.

Jumped a roosted bird.

Walking, listening, learning.

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[Jonny]

Almost took roadkill to a new level

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[greenhorndave]

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Sunny and warm today. If 50 is warm to some of you.

But super gusty. Beautiful in this bowl, but it's howling up top. Sitting here, calling but I don't think it's effective with the wind. Going to have to keep moving.

Edit: moved 20 yards on this little knob in the bowl and lookie here. Swirling winds, view of every part of the ridge top and everything below it. Great spot for a bed.

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[muddy]

Windy AF here so bumped off the field edge into a little clear cut on the leeward wind side of a hill. The girls are reading, I'm snacking, and we're all just waiting for a couple beards to come bouncing down this logging road.

Landowner and his neighbor have reported multiple birds using the field we're just off of... hopefully that tip pays off this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

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[greenhorndave]

Good luck Muddy and the Mudlets!

Stupid windy is right. All I hear is wind and groaning trees. Maybe it lets up long enough to hear Harleys and hotrods -- maybe, just maybe -- a bird of any sort.

Funniest thing that I heard was trying to make out a sound. Had no idea. Then the wind dies and it's two guys, one doing owl sounds and one doing a coyote... And yelling back and forth to each other. I am new at turkey hunting, but somehow I don't think that's a recipe for success.

Coolest thing I saw was a red fox. Looked like he hadn't started shedding his coat yet because it was just a gorgeous color.

Still a few hours to go. The wind isn't forecast to die down until overnight.

[muddy]

"Dont drink too much"

Uhhh huh. Had to make a quick trip back to the van for a bathroom break. Found a shed and a stone. Back in the blind hoping the wind starts to lay down some and the birds start to move a lot.

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[greenhorndave]

Just had a tree fall near me from the wind. And I'm in a place where it's all tall timber.

I'm out.

[Moose]

I missed opening day of first season on April 13th due to wind. We were in an advisory, gusts up to 45mph. Maybe its just me but i didnt feel safe sitting in the timber. Then we had rain and 5 inches of snow lol. Rough season. Good luck to everyone.

[Jdw]

Got the season started with my boy and his buddy for opening day of youth season.

It rained last night and was a cold morning with misty rain.
Got on a bird off the roost that was a couple hundred yds on the neighbors property. He gobbled a good bit but headed away from us.
We sat for a while then started walking slow and soft calling. I am glad the leaves were wet because I thought we broke every stick we came across as it was.

We struck other birds about 9:00 but they stopped gobbling and went away from us when I started calling to them.
To make a long story short 3 1/2 hours, a change of calls and 4 setups later I called 2 big toms to twenty yards in front of the boys.
My son waited for his buddy and his buddy didn’t shoot so the last birds on the planet that needed additional education got educated with no shots fired.
After that we got lunch and got back out a bit after 2:00.
We got on another group of birds before 3:00 and called two toms and 4 jakes in.
My sons buddy took a shot at one of the toms and things got hectic I started calling with fighting purrs and within 5 minutes the jakes pushed the wounded Tom up the hill to less than 20 yards.
My son shot a jake and his buddy finished off the Tom.

It was a fun day in the field.

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[greenhorndave]

Got the season started with my boy and his buddy for opening day of youth season.

It rained last night and was a cold morning with misty rain.
Got on a bird off the roost that was a couple hundred yds on the neighbors property. He gobbled a good bit but headed away from us.
We sat for a while then started walking slow and soft calling. I am glad the leaves were wet because I thought we broke every stick we came across as it was.

We struck other birds about 9:00 but they stopped gobbling and went away from us when I started calling to them.
To make a long story short 3 1/2 hours, a change of calls and 4 setups later I called 2 big toms to twenty yards in front of the boys.
My son waited for his buddy and his buddy didn’t shoot so the last birds on the planet that needed additional education got educated with no shots fired.
After that we got lunch and got back out a bit after 2:00.
We got on another group of birds before 3:00 and called two toms and 4 jakes in.
My sons buddy took a shot at one of the toms and things got hectic I started calling with fighting purrs and within 5 minutes the jakes pushed the wounded Tom up the hill to less than 20 yards.
My son shot a jake and his buddy finished off the Tom.

It was a fun day in the field.

9830FD0D-961F-419D-B374-487765A03970.jpegB82C8924-8C68-4B20-A813-74CF8ABA69D9.jpeg

Congrats! Sounds like a great day.

What was thr call switch you made and why?

[Jdw]

Got the season started with my boy and his buddy for opening day of youth season.

It rained last night and was a cold morning with misty rain.
Got on a bird off the roost that was a couple hundred yds on the neighbors property. He gobbled a good bit but headed away from us.
We sat for a while then started walking slow and soft calling. I am glad the leaves were wet because I thought we broke every stick we came across as it was.

We struck other birds about 9:00 but they stopped gobbling and went away from us when I started calling to them.
To make a long story short 3 1/2 hours, a change of calls and 4 setups later I called 2 big toms to twenty yards in front of the boys.
My son waited for his buddy and his buddy didn’t shoot so the last birds on the planet that needed additional education got educated with no shots fired.
After that we got lunch and got back out a bit after 2:00.
We got on another group of birds before 3:00 and called two toms and 4 jakes in.
My sons buddy took a shot at one of the toms and things got hectic I started calling with fighting purrs and within 5 minutes the jakes pushed the wounded Tom up the hill to less than 20 yards.
My son shot a jake and his buddy finished off the Tom.

It was a fun day in the field.

9830FD0D-961F-419D-B374-487765A03970.jpegB82C8924-8C68-4B20-A813-74CF8ABA69D9.jpeg

Congrats! Sounds like a great day.

What was thr call switch you made and why?

I was running a mouth call when I first heard the birds.

When I tried to engage them in conversation they would stop gobbling and head the other direction. I was yelping clucking and cutting.
This happened on the first two sets over a 2 1/2 hour timeframe.
On the 3rd set I switched to a pot & peg style call and softened my calling to purrs clucks and soft yelps. When I did that the birds gobbled and closed to inside 100 yds. but hung up out of sight.
After 20 minutes just out of sight they started to drift off. So we moved to where they had been gobbling form. Then I got them fired up again so I dropped back about 30 yds. behind the boys and finely got the birds to commit. After they saw the boys they still made a circle and got within gun range of me.