Opening day in NY

ishiwannabe · May 02, 2007, 07:01:00 PM

I will be heading out tomorrow around nine...I wish I could get out there at first light, but I will take what time in the woods I can get. I still hear em gobbling every night and every morning, and only one has been taken around here(with a boomstick) which was 18# and had a nine inch beard.
These stories have been killing me....I will post tomorrow after the hunt.

korn stalker · May 02, 2007, 07:22:00 PM

I had no gobbles off the roost today, but at 8:10 had a nice big old hen come right in to the decoys at 7-9 yards clucking. She stood around for a few seconds then walked off behind me. This proved my blind set up was good....

Near 10:00 I heard a faint gobble in response to a call... then a crow called and he gobbled. I knew right off he was a jake by the way he sounded.... He came quickly to my calls and was circling at 20-25 yards to my right when he saw my jake decoy. He took one look and turned and snuck away. I had a hen and a jake decoy out..... Now I was second guessing about putting out that jake decoy, or maybe the decoy's head is to blue-gray and looks too dominate, maybe it should be all red?

Anyway at 10:30 I heard a gobbler sound off and there were two birds answering my cutting.... I called some more and they came closer and closer.... I thought I would see them any second but then I heard a hen call and the next time they gobbled to answer my cutting they were far off again. I stuck it out till 11:30 then walked out. Excellent morning....

Stone Knife · May 02, 2007, 09:02:00 PM

I set my blind up tonight in a different spot all kinds of fresh scratching it was still wet. Glad i moved locations i heard someone trying to roost one blowing on a crow call right were i was the other day. I'll have to report tomorrow and let you know what happens. Good luck everyone. I have shot a lot of them with a bang stick nothing wrong with it, but not this year it will be trad or no bird for me.

IndianaBowman · May 03, 2007, 08:46:00 AM

Took my son this morning before he had to go to school. We had 4 gobbling around us, but we also had a dozen hens to compete with. The hens did not want to share their boyfriends and led them away. Good morning though. We learned something for tomorrow morning.

ishiwannabe · May 03, 2007, 11:32:00 AM

I went out about 9:30 with the idea of walking around looking for a lonely gobbler to answer some yelps, or a crow call. I walked up on a doe with last years young ones following. They took about a minute to decide I was not supposed to be there. Had a chicadee land on my head(I was calling them too)lol. I found a ton of may apples and fiddleheads. Oh yeah....didnt hear a single note from the turkey kind...nor did I find any fresh sign. Great morning though.

IndianaBowman · May 03, 2007, 12:58:00 PM

Being new to New York - what's a Fiddlehead? Is it one of the smaller black morel mushrooms? Also, do you get the big yellow morels up here?

PICKNGRIN · May 03, 2007, 01:00:00 PM

Had almost the exact same thing happen on a shot I had at one. Just missed. I had no problem finding my arrow(another good reason for a string tracker!) Better luck to both of us next time!

hunt it · May 03, 2007, 01:18:00 PM

The sounds of spring, my favourite part! Nothing beats turkeys Gobbling at first light. Great story, were ready for chapter two and the pictures to boot. Good luck!

sleepyhollow · May 03, 2007, 01:59:00 PM

IndianaBowman, google Fiddlehead fern

Stone Knife · May 03, 2007, 03:15:00 PM

Went out today saw three guys waling in the other end of the woods. I heard one gobble on roost two times, at about 6:10 he started gobbling on the ground after i called he answered every cluck i made then nothing. He must have found a girlfriend, i took my mounted turkey out for the first time she's a bearded hen i have had for over 20 years. My daughter named her Frazier when she was little. I'm really interested in what kind of reactions i get from even the hens, no luck today maybe tomorrow.

ishiwannabe · May 03, 2007, 10:30:00 PM

IndianaBowman, fiddleheads are the tops of ferns, sauted in garlic. A few of the restaurants pay top dollar for em, and offer them as a side.
I have seen a few morels around here....dont know what kind they are..when I showed my brother they disappeared.
I was striper fishing tonight on the Hudson....gobblers were going nuts on the islands. Might make it back out for a few tomorrow....

IndianaBowman · May 04, 2007, 06:58:00 AM

Thank Jamie! If you ever need someone to hold your boat on the water and help pay for Herring let me know! I love to striper fish and haven't found the boat I want to buy yet. I want one to bowfish, duck hunt, striper fish, and pull kids on skis. Any ideas?

Izzy · May 04, 2007, 10:25:00 AM

Going to Moose River Plains tonight in the Dacks.Ive seen very little turkey sign there over the years while deer hunting, a few feathers and bout a dozen birds but its still an experience to be in the big woods.Brookies on nymphs and Heineken afterwards will be reward enough if no birds meet my grizzly tipped cedars.

Stone Knife · May 04, 2007, 12:34:00 PM

Israel,
Sounds like a good time, you might have better luck than me. I heard birds this morning even had one go by gobbling at 100 yards or so, a little later i heard three shot in a row that's never good in spring turkey season. A half hour later i hear something walking and it's big. Turns out to be the neighbor he was the one that shot he thinks he broke a wing on it. I talked with him for awhile then setup on the other end of the woods but heard and saw nothing. Tomorrow my daughter is coming with me maybe she'll change the mojo.

ishiwannabe · May 04, 2007, 09:57:00 PM

Good luck Stoneknife!! Act like it is a bunny!