Results for the 2002 Missouri youth spring turkey hunt

[spectr17]

Results for the 2002 Missouri youth spring turkey hunt

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/hunt/t...2002/041301.htm

 

[spectr17]

Results for the 2002 Missouri youth spring turkey hunt

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/hunt/t...2002/041301.htm

 

[Welby]

My goodness...when you see that many turkeys taken in a two day period and the hunting pressure was just light -- now that's some turkeys!

I read just the other day where Missouri has an estimated population of 600,000 turkeys.  By comparison, my own turkey rich home state (Mississippi) has a population estimated at 350,000, the same as our next door neighbor, Alabama.

 

[Matt in MO]

My 12 year old was knocked out of commission by his mom and a D in math. So I took my 10 year old on his first hunt ever, short hunts Sat early and mid-morning on Sun. Have great hunts both times with gobblers JUST out of range but dad couldn't get them to come on in the last 10 yards. Too many hens looking at us from 10 feet.

The 12 year old is highly motivated to prove himself before the regular season closes!

Matt

 

[Tinhorn]

I took my 14 year old nephew and we had an exceptional time.  This was his first Turkey Hunt altho he's got 5 deer already.  

We hunted from 6am to 1PM Saterday, called to several gobblers but they got with hens right quick.  Every time we got up to move I told him to always look where he's been settin' because it's so easy to leave something laying there....  on about the 3rd time of reminding him, he looked and said "Well, I didn't leave anything but somebody did"  he picked up a Ho-Made Box call from behind the tree!  It must have been there all year because the rubber bands on it was rotted but the Cedar Wood held up well.  

About 11 we stopped for a snack when 3 hens walked by about 40 yards in front of us.  We kept talking and kidding around when some more hens walked by, followed by a jake, at about 50 yards.  Then I seen a few more jakes at about 35 yards and told him "there's your bird"  He aimed but the turkey got air borne after a few more steps.  I asked him whey he didn't shoot and he said "I wasn't on him"   I was more proud of that statement than anything.  I told him not to count a hunt as successfull by the number of shots you get......We seen (mostly spooked) about 30 turkeys that day, maybe a third had beards I guess.

The next morning we got on a couple birds but they also got on hens real fast.  Both Mornings they'd get about 50 or 60 yards out from us, right off the roost, but as soon as a real hen cackled, they ran to them.  I think they can recognize the hens voices, just like us humans recognize our friends voices but are unsure about the unknown hen, so when a hen they know yelps, that's where he goes.  We messed around, going to likely spots and yelped awhile, hoping to get on one of those late morning birds that come in easier.  About 9:30 we stopped again, at a strutting area I knew about, hid,  and ate a snack.  About 30 min's later I called and way  up on a hill about 4 or 500 yards away a hen answered.   We got into a dueling banjo contest for about 30 min's then we decided to go to the spot we called to a Gobbler the day before and got up to leave.  When we walked out into the field, my buddy stepped out from on top of the hill and waved.  It was him all along, we'd been playing with.  He figured we'd end up at that struttin' area and was watching with binocs, waiting.

When he got down to us he said our dueling had got a turkey gobbling up there in the woods (we didn't hear, too far away) so we took the long way around and setup in the area.   Jim called one time and the turkey answered, maybe 300 yards away.  It was 10am sharp.  At 10:45 the gobbler was 50 yards up the left side of a hill hung up.  Over from where he came from, to the right,  was a Jake caulking a rough sounding non-stop call.  After a few minutes of calling, the Jake finally came charging down the hill right at us, Yelping and carrying on continuously and LOUD......the Adult Tom turned and beat feet out of there when this happened for some reason.  We  all turned our attention to the Jake and could see a 3" beard as he ran up to us and at 15 yards, my nephew bagged it.   Only it turned out to be an Old Bearded Hen.....

I was hoping the run-down-list Jesse Posted had "Bearded Hens" because the little guy may have got the only one checked in the area, a trophy, sort of.....   (Any Bearded Turkey is legal in Missouri, BTW)

He said he liked Turkey Huntin' better than deer huntin' because it's faster action, even tho we sat for an hour on the birds when calling, it wasn't like the hours in a tree stand, watching for deer, he said.

Sorry to be a little long winded,  got excited all over again and couldn't stop......

Tinhorn

 

[Tinhorn]

I took my 14 year old nephew and we had an exceptional time.  This was his first Turkey Hunt altho he's got 5 deer already.  

We hunted from 6am to 1PM Saterday, called to several gobblers but they got with hens right quick.  Every time we got up to move I told him to always look where he's been settin' because it's so easy to leave something laying there....  on about the 3rd time of reminding him, he looked and said "Well, I didn't leave anything but somebody did"  he picked up a Ho-Made Box call from behind the tree!  It must have been there all year because the rubber bands on it was rotted but the Cedar Wood held up well.  

About 11 we stopped for a snack when 3 hens walked by about 40 yards in front of us.  We kept talking and kidding around when some more hens walked by, followed by a jake, at about 50 yards.  Then I seen a few more jakes at about 35 yards and told him "there's your bird"  He aimed but the turkey got air borne after a few more steps.  I asked him whey he didn't shoot and he said "I wasn't on him"   I was more proud of that statement than anything.  I told him not to count a hunt as successfull by the number of shots you get......We seen (mostly spooked) about 30 turkeys that day, maybe a third had beards I guess.

The next morning we got on a couple birds but they also got on hens real fast.  Both Mornings they'd get about 50 or 60 yards out from us, right off the roost, but as soon as a real hen cackled, they ran to them.  I think they can recognize the hens voices, just like us humans recognize our friends voices but are unsure about the unknown hen, so when a hen they know yelps, that's where he goes.  We messed around, going to likely spots and yelped awhile, hoping to get on one of those late morning birds that come in easier.  About 9:30 we stopped again, at a strutting area I knew about, hid,  and ate a snack.  About 30 min's later I called and way  up on a hill about 4 or 500 yards away a hen answered.   We got into a dueling banjo contest for about 30 min's then we decided to go to the spot we called to a Gobbler the day before and got up to leave.  When we walked out into the field, my buddy stepped out from on top of the hill and waved.  It was him all along, we'd been playing with.  He figured we'd end up at that struttin' area and was watching with binocs, waiting.

When he got down to us he said our dueling had got a turkey gobbling up there in the woods (we didn't hear, too far away) so we took the long way around and setup in the area.   Jim called one time and the turkey answered, maybe 300 yards away.  It was 10am sharp.  At 10:45 the gobbler was 50 yards up the left side of a hill hung up.  Over from where he came from, to the right,  was a Jake caulking a rough sounding non-stop call.  After a few minutes of calling, the Jake finally came charging down the hill right at us, Yelping and carrying on continuously and LOUD......the Adult Tom turned and beat feet out of there when this happened for some reason.  We  all turned our attention to the Jake and could see a 3" beard as he ran up to us and at 15 yards, my nephew bagged it.   Only it turned out to be an Old Bearded Hen.....

I was hoping the run-down-list Jesse Posted had "Bearded Hens" because the little guy may have got the only one checked in the area, a trophy, sort of.....   (Any Bearded Turkey is legal in Missouri, BTW)

He said he liked Turkey Huntin' better than deer huntin' because it's faster action, even tho we sat for an hour on the birds when calling, it wasn't like the hours in a tree stand, watching for deer, he said.

Sorry to be a little long winded,  got excited all over again and couldn't stop......

Tinhorn

 

[Welby]

Good story!  I enjoyed that!

 

[spectr17]

Sounds like you guys had yourself a ball Tinhorn. My Dad shot a bearded hen many years ago that came in gobbling. When he went over to pick up what he thought was a tom he said he did a double take since he had even seen the bird gobbling while walking up the trail to him. I saw 2 bearded hens last year but none so far this year.

 

[KsBowhunter]

Congrats to your nephew Tinhorn, sounds like someones taught him well!! ;^)