Osage Roost
All Hunting => Fall Turkey Hunting => Topic started by: drabndouble on October 17, 2009, 03:08:35 PM
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48 of our 88 counties have a fall season . Todays paper tells that in the first 5 days there were 438 birds harvested across the state . Last year , in the same five day period , 547 birds were taken .
I still have all my shells.
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*cheers*
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That is not bad for the fall!
Mike
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I'm still betting that Ol .410 is gonna drop a longbeard this fall.
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My friend up the road has 85 acres , with about 70 -75 of it being prime turkey and deer habitat. He told me a feller he's letting deer hunt had 9 longbeards , lined out in single file , march right in front of his stand a couple days ago. My friend has insisted I come on up .
You fellers think I should ? *bannana*
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Heck yeah *gobble*
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He wouldn't have to ask me twice......
Best of luck to ya, WHEN you go......Take lots of pictures. RkLu
Zips
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Already got one photo . Jon had 4 bucks come by his stand on Sat. He couldn't get a shot on the biggest one. While he was watching it he heard something in front of the stand . He turns to see two young bucks standing 10 yards from him. They finally made him out and ran off . Minutes later this 4th buck enters his woods . Fine 8 point. Jon's killed some dandies on his place and thinks this one is probably #2 for size and mass .
I'll try to get it posted for you fellers to drooool over . ;D
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Can't wait and keep us posted! How long is the season in Ohio?
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Seven weeks total,,,,,,,,started on the 10th,,,,,,,,,shotguns and archery all season.
Going this evening up to the woods where those nine longbeards are waitin' on me . ;D
Where's SOONER?,,,,probably too busy turkey hunting ,,,,must be stackin' birds up like cordwood.
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The suspense is killing me Mark. I need a report of tonights hunt. If you decide you don't want to tangle with all 9 longbeards just let me know I'll fill the truck up and be on my way.
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Well, I hit the woods and it's dried up and crunchy to say the least . So I put my feet in turkey time and walked slowly , stopping often to scratch 3 or 4 strokes . I clucked and yelped like a lonesome gobbler most of the evening. Finally made the top of the back ridge and sat down ,,,,first time I did that this fall . I got quiet for a while and eased out the ''Tennessee Hen''. I made a few kee kees and then got back on the mouthcall with some gobbler cuttin' which went right into a fightin' purr,,,and ended with some yelping .Then I went quiet for a good while. Finally I started hunting my way toward the truck , gobbler clucking about every 100 yards or so .
Didn't hear anything,,,didn't see anything , except fresh sign where they had been in there today.
Mzlhunter, I like to say I could get us in that woods , but it ain't possible . But there is the big playground where I do most of my turkey hunting.
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Sounds like a great night out in the turkey woods.
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Any day/night in the woods is better than being couped up!!!
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Well that dreaded day of wind and rain has come upon us and it is stripping the trees rapidly of their leaves . Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 50s and windy , but little chance of rain . I'm betting those birds will be in the small fields that are in the bottoms ,,,,,,,,,,outta the wind. I ambushed my first two fall birds there several years ago on similar days of windy conditions . I'll be there tomorrow ,,,but no more ambush ,,,,I'll be runnin' the calls.
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Well that dreaded day of wind and rain has come upon us and it is stripping the trees rapidly of their leaves . Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 50s and windy , but little chance of rain . I'm betting those birds will be in the small fields that are in the bottoms ,,,,,,,,,,outta the wind. I ambushed my first two fall birds there several years ago on similar days of windy conditions . I'll be there tomorrow ,,,but no more ambush ,,,,I'll be runnin' the calls.
Good Luck to ya....... RkLu
I'll be there Sunday to turkey hunt a couple days with Marlin Watkins and Ralph Snodgrass.... *bannana*
Zips
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I spent all morning zig zaggin from small field , through nice timbered ridges to another field, through more timber to yet more fields .
I haven't seen nor heard a bird.
Hope you all that are hunting with Marlin have a fine hunt.
I'll be back out this afternoon .
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THANKS & best of luck back to ya for your PM hunt....
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Standing on the edge of one of the break ridges , inside the brush . It was our second time there in about an hour. As we stood there Chad began running his mouth call I followed him with a box and a mouthcall. We tore it up for a bit then went quiet . We stood there talking low and listening for a while . We were about 5-6 steps inside the brush , but the sun was bright and some getting through to us . As we turned to go Chad says ''LOOK''. Three birds coming right across a 30 acre field toward us . They saw the movement from no less than 300 yards and took to wing.
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Drab what county in Ohio you hunting? i have a camp in Coshocton County was just curious.
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You an Ol' Bronzeback are going to have an encounter this fall Mark, I know it.
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I live in Highland Co. ,,,,,,do most of my hunting in Adams Co.,,,,Tranquility Wildlife Area.
Mzl hunter , I had an encounter this evening. I slipped into the cedars by a well used deer trail which made for quiet walking . Made it in about 100 yards and stopped . Stood motionless and quiet a while and then let out one cluck . Immediately I heard a distant cluck. I remained quiet a few moments and heard the cluck again,,,and closer . I really slow began getting the gun up . Never heard from the gobbler again . He sounded the last time to be at least 60 yards and it is thick in there ,,,,,but there still is the possibilty that he caught my slow motion raise of the 410.
Da'gum place is covered up with deer hunters . I left the house with the plan of going over to where I saw the two longbeards on Sat. When I circled the place by road Ifound a truck parked right where I had planned on parking . I declined from my plan and went elsewhere .
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They worked me like a rented mule today. My mind says '' go to the woods'' , but my body won't agree.
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I was at the hunting area just as the rain stopped,,,,11:30 am. I went to the ''Head of the Holler'' and eased in and about ,,,cold calling 'bout every 15 - 20 minutes . Nothing!
Back to the truck ,,,down the road to a different parking lot . Hit the cedars and put 'er in Indian mode . Slipping along two , 3 , sometimes four steps and stop. I carried my coyote hunting stool so I could sit a spell and give my back a rest . As I was picking a spot to sit down with the stool I saw movement . Turns out I had gotten within 50 yards of 2 deer without being detected. I spent over an hour on the stool without hearing a bird . When I got up to leave , the deer were still there .
Made one big loop through prime turkey country and am now THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED . I ain't worked a bird yet this fall .
Tomorrow I'll be back on private ground,,,crack o' dawn .
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goodluck Mark
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I hit the public land early , due to falling asleep and not calling my friend to find out if anyone would be deer hunting this morning. Two different areas within the area and not a peep, track , feather nor turd. I hit my friends place just before noon . After leaving his place I ran into him and he told me 20+ birds left his place just before I got there.
3:00 pm found me working my way into a farm I haven't been on since spring . GREAT BALLS OF FIRE ,,,I FOUND TRACKS, GOBBLER POOP AND FEATHERS . After easing around and cold calling like a lonesome gobbler without a responce I thought what the heck ,,,,so I lit up the woods with some hen yelps . One answered as soon as I stopped . We didn't see eye to eye and the conversation was getting heated . I gave her some of my best cutts and followed with a few quick yelps while facing in her direction . Just as quick as I stopped that hen series I turned my face away from her and let out 2 coarse gobbler yelps . She didn't take it very well . She shut up completely and flew up in a big oak , along with another bird.
At least I got to see some sign and have a brief arguement with a hen .
She didn't have to be so uppety and go silent ,,,,,,,,,,,I ain't gonna shoot 'er.
I have put in a few miles this weekend , not braggin' neither,,,,,,my c'puter clock says 7:45 ,,,,,,,,goin' to bed.
ya'll have a good evenin'.
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Awesome man... I love talking dirty to those hens :)
Keep after it (which I can tell you will!!!)
Any day in the woods is better than a day at work!
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Yesterday I raced home and stuffed some food in me , changed into my DRAB , and hit the woods . Iwent to the farm where I had the breif chat with the hen on sunday . I slipped in about 100 yards, sat down on my 3 legged coyote hunting stool ,,,and let things return to normal. After about ten minutes of quiet and hearing nothing but squirrels , I cupped my hands in front of my mouth and gobbled .Immediately a gobbler began yelping . I could also hear a young bird kee kee. I clucked to the gobbler and he did more yelping . But they never came , nor called any more .
It seems they go to roost quite early over there for some unknown reason.
This afternoon I returned to the farm and circled around and made my way through standing corn to get closer to where the birds have been the last two times I encountered them . But they were not heard nor seen today .
That farm borders the head waters of Ohio Brush Creek , and it is wore out with deer sign . Actually I saw a huge bodied buck there on sunday . I couldn't see his rack very well , but got a good look at the body ,,,,,big !
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SAT.,,I hit the public land , in an area I hadn't been through this fall . I did find some gobbler poop , several days old . Probably covered 2 miles in a big loop . NO SIGN , NO SOUND,,NO SIGHT.
Yesterday afternoon I hooked up with my friend Jon to try his place . They have been seeing several birds while deer hunting . Nine longbeards still roaming around . We made a few cold calls ,,moved ,,,cold call some more ,,,set up a while near a known hang out ,,,moved again. NOTHING.
This morning I made it to Jon's back ridge and set up ,,,,waited for good light . Didn't hear any birds but I would gobble about every half hour . Finally the backbone needed relief . So I stood up fro a good long while listening. After 40 minutes of standing in one spot I heard a faint yelp. I waited and listened . Again ,yelp yelp yelp. I clucked like a hen and got a responce . One minute later I see a hen crossing from the back side of the ridge to the front. She never called again till she was far down the hill.
So far I haven't worked a bird to the gun , but I have enjoyed every moment in the woods . Standing next to the truck in the dark , waiting to see if anyone was coming down to Jon's cabin to deer hunt this morning , I had the good pleasure of hearing a female coyote give out a female invitation howl . She wasn't more than 200-300 yards . When she did that ALL dogs went silent . At that close range her howl was super shrill, more like a whistle .
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I had the same results Saturday. Covered a lot of ground and didn't hear or see a bird. The mast crops are spread out and the turkeys are moving.
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I know they can be hard to keep up with on years of low or no mast . But , I haven't seen birds in fields on rainy/windy days like in the past . This is only on and around the public land . There are lots of birds here in my neighborhood . It just worries me that there is so little sign in an area of 4000+ acres , that has had a large number of birds there for decades.Hopefully I ain't seeing the big picture or have simply just missed the sign , but I doubt it . I constantly look for sign , and I've covered a lot of ground this fall.
There are a lot of fox and coyotes in the public area , but no more than here around home and we have some good flocks .
PUZZLED ::)
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Yesterday I waited till Jon got finished deer hunting to try the birds . I heard some gobblers on the roost right above the cabin . When we finally got after them we could not find them . Eventually running into a flock , but we weren't sure if they were the gobblers or a brood. We interrupted two different deer hunters that had hung their stands on the property line . The second deer hunter pointed us toward the flock had gone . BAD MISTAKE FELLER! I hit the hen yelp and the game was on . For about 30 - 40 minutes we cussed each other and the flock was slowly getting closer . Finally I heard a kee kee and I followed suit with a kee kee run gobble . That got a jake started and I thought he was going to run right in . But he stopped right behind a bank that is covered in thick brush. He eventually saw me move my head and putted . The whole outfit went silent and departed.
I returned to the point ridge were the gobblers had been roosted around 3o'clock. I sat still and quiet for nearly an hour before I called . I made one gobble and sat still . Almost an hour later I gobbled again . 30 minutes later I gobbled and yelped a few times . Then I hear what sounded like a man walking .It was coming straight to me . There was a small rise 15 yards in front of me . I could tell it was nearing the rise . Then a tom sticks his head up and is looking right at me . He slowly walks up on the crown of the rise and gives a long look around for the unseen gobbler . Man he was a fine 1 1/2 years bird. Sporting a 7-8 inch very thick beard. Very tall and looked heavy . He circled my set up just outside of the 410's capabilities. He marched right up through the saddle and stopped short of going out of sight . Hstood there for a long time and I'm sure he saw me move at least three times as I would turn my head and peek with one eye around the big oak . Another mature bird came from across the property line , and on the same level where the first bird still stood . When they were about ten yards apart they faced off and went at each other sparring . At this same time I can hear a lot of leaves being rustled and crunched off to my right. I slowly turn my head and see more birds making theirt way toward the point. These I believe were just on their way to roost since they never came in looking like the first gobbler . They all marched right up the face of the point and began flying up into the trees. There was at least one bird still on the ground when I started slipping out . And at this time it was too dark to be able to shoot a bow with fiber optic sights . I didn't realize they would stay on the ground that late .
So this morning I was making my way into a brushy area below the point . I wanted to be over near the property line because we know they go straight to the neighbors property , which is dense cedars . But there is no suitable cover on Jon's side near the line . As I slowly crept along a tractor path in the near darkness and about thirty yards from where I want to set up , I hear small particles of debris coming from above . Instantly I think squirrel. And instantly I am corrected . I received the ultimate turky hunting experience this morning . With a soft thud , right in the crown of my drab colored cap ,,,,,gobbler poop! I stopped walking and thought,,''no way'',,,,I removed my cap and right there was a big ol' gob of gobbler. As I started to walk on the gobbler flew out toward the east , the point ridge and the rest of the birds being about 100 yards southwest .
Well the birds were talking to me but they pitched down , regrouped , sparred around a little , went down the saddle and into the cedars . The flushed bird began calling and passed to my left , climbed the steep ridge point , walked to the saddle and went down through it and followed the rest .
Already have a plan for this afternoon ,,,,,,we'll see how it plays out .
Had I not been so determined to stick to my plan of using the 410 I would have been telling of success right now. Oh yeah ,,,,That was success . That first gobbler was lookin' for me . ;D ;D
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Sounds like a great day in the turkey woods.
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Could not ask for a finer weekend , weather wise ,,,absolutely beautiful . Dry as Death Valley and you could hear the birds moving llooonnggg before you could see them.
This morning , after get pooped on , I moved to hopefully get in front of the herd . No such happenings though. But I had a real nice 18-19 inch , 8 point walk up within 20 yards and stare at me for fifteen minutes . Finally he wheeled around, made three big jumps , then slowly walked away.
The gobblers evidently rented a hotel room this evening,,,,they didn't show up to the point.
But , da'gummit I enjoyed every minute of this weekend , in the woods .
Now it's over *cry*!!!
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Well if I don't stay busy I'm gonna goes absolutely nuts . I didn't fill my only tag , but I had a lot of fun . It ain't the fact I didn't kill a tom , or any thing ,,,it's just that it's over till spring . I did go deer hunting yesterday evening after work . If that gobbler hadn't ran by my stand I'd have been bored . It just don't have the same appeal as turkeys.
Hopefully I'll be able to get back in those same woods after the deer seasons and revisit those birds . Be interesting to see just how big those flocks become between now and spring . Of course I'll have to take a rifle and maybe try to call in a coon or coyote.
Da'gummit ,,,,I still wanna go. *cry*
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*up*