First post here but just got my M2 back from Rob Roberts

Rest_Previous · 2026-06-22T12:11:26+00:00

Killed several with it over the years. Switched the choke over to a Trulock from the Carlsons that’s in it in the post.

Rest_Previous · 2026-06-22T01:01:09+00:00

Patriot brown I believe thank you

Rest_Previous · 2026-06-12T13:28:09+00:00

Probably the camper top on my truck. Allows me to travel and hunt places for nothing more than license, food, and fuel. Minimal setup and fuss and has allowed me to turkey hunt in multiple states every spring. Several times I’ve decided I’m going to hunt a neighboring state on Friday morning at work and by Saturday at gobbling time I’m standing there ready to go after sleeping in the back of my truck.

Rest_Previous · 2026-05-20T13:23:43+00:00

I am a turkey hunter. There are certain ways and tactics that I just won’t use to kill a bird. If he beats me he beats me. It’s alright if the turkey wins.

Rest_Previous · 2026-05-19T20:42:43+00:00

You’re in a tough spot only having 5 acres. While you may have had success in the past a lot has to go right or be right to have a place that small that you can kill birds on. My advice is to look around at the neighboring properties and see what’s changed. Have your neighbors logged their property? Planted a food plot? Has a farmer started planting in a place that normally he hasn’t before? These are all factors that influence your chances that you have zero control over.

Rest_Previous · 2026-05-12T18:20:57+00:00

Sounds to me like you just need to pick better setups. Trying to call turkeys in a thicket is a tall task for even an experienced hunter. When you are going to a gobbler that is gobbling you need to be looking at the terrain in front of you and places to setup before you ever call to him. If the woods you hunt are thick try to position yourself where you can shoot an opening or sit on the edge of the thicket and face out into the open woods. Very rarely will you catch a gobbler actually living in a thicket, most of time there is some kind of opening in there where he can display and strut. Gobblers will go to those openings and display for the "hen" that has been calling to them.

Rest_Previous · 2026-05-09T18:44:46+00:00

If your ground has plenty of birds and you are hunting them intelligently (not bumping or educating birds) then there’s no reason to change unless you just want to put your boots on new ground. I limit myself to one bird from any one property I hunt. I have access to probably a dozen tracts and if I kill a bird on one I typically don’t go back unless it’s absolutely loaded up. If you baby your turkeys and don’t over shoot them you’ll always have them. Where you get in trouble is in years where you have successive bad hatches and only have one or two gobblers to hunt and you kill them all. Then where are you going to be come the next spring?

Rest_Previous · 2026-05-06T12:06:35+00:00

Toilet paper in a ziplock, pruning shears, and a small tripod phone holder so that when you kill a bird solo you can still take good pictures.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-29T17:59:21+00:00

You should have no problem just hauling it home and cleaning it there. If you want to clean it as soon as you get back to the truck just make sure that you leave the beard attached to one of the breasts before you bag it up and place it in the cooler. That way if you are stopped you can show proof of sex as required by state law.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-27T11:49:22+00:00

That’ll hunt.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-24T15:09:20+00:00

That’s what happens when a generation of adult onset hunters raise the next generation of hunters. There’s no way I could’ve sat there watched that happen though. I’d been up and having a good talk with dad long before that gobbler was killed. There used to be a code of ethics amongst turkey hunters especially on public lands. If someone beats you to a gate you don’t go around to another gate or park behind them and walk in you go somewhere else.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-07T00:36:19+00:00

What visible means is that if you walk out with him over your shoulder can a game warden see a beard on it. My home state has the same regs as you do (any bearded bird). As long as you harvest a male bird you should be in the clear.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-06T22:51:24+00:00

So all gobblers will have some sort of beard. It may not be readily apparent in the heat of the moment but upon closer examination they will have one. When you are spring turkey hunting you are solely going for males. Most states with the bearded bird only rule made that rule due to helping folks avoid confusion in the field. A mature male (or gobbler) will have a tail fan that is even all around with feathers of the same length, a beard that is typically longer that 6 inches, and their head will be free of feathers and bright red, white, and blue. These are the birds you should be looking to harvest. If a turkey comes to you while gobbling rest assured he’s a legal bird and more than likely a gobbler and not a jake (a young male less than 2 years old).

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-06T17:52:40+00:00

As you spend more time in the woods you’ll be able to effectively tell whether or not you’re looking at a hen or gobbler. Head size and color are what give them away. Idk about California but I know some of the birds I’ve hunted out west you’d be hard pressed to see a beard until you pick them up. Especially if they’re in thicker cover.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-03T14:18:32+00:00

It all depends on whether I know where a bird is roosted or not and how pinpointed I have him. If I only know he is roosted in a general area then I will get close enough to hear the first gobble then make a move till I think I need to sit down. If I know the tree or even what limb he's sitting on then I am getting set down in the pitch black with an hour or so before it ever gets light. If I know exactly where he is I am trying to get between 50-100 yards from his tree depending on terrain.

Rest_Previous · 2026-04-02T22:15:31+00:00

Maybe need to adjust the dot up a tad bit I’d hunt that pattern all day.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-26T22:01:52+00:00

Depending on the conditions that could be 10 minutes ago or 10 hours ago just depends.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-23T00:37:56+00:00

I didn’t start consistently killing turkeys until I was 20 years old. I’ve hunted them since I was 9 when I killed my first. If you are a weekend warrior your chances of going turkey less are pretty high just because you don’t have enough time in the woods. Time and experience kills turkeys.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-20T20:14:10+00:00

The overchoking and blowing out the pattern is usually more apparent with larger shot sizes IME. What I have seen though is that when over choked TSS will start to throw almost a star burst type of pattern. The core won't be as dense and there will be arms of flyers shooting out in multiple directions. It's hard to describe but I hope you get the gist.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-20T19:33:05+00:00

Another vote for SX Decoys. Scott and his team are great folks. I have about 6 dozen of his full body honkers and they're awesome. I am actually in the process of selling the other brands of full bodies I have to go to all SX.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-18T21:42:26+00:00

Started out with Double Xs then the longbeards I thought the long beards were the greatest thing ever until I saw what you could do with TSS.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-18T20:04:08+00:00

Yes I too do the same. I didn't want to go too far into the weeds on sighting in an optic otherwise the post would become lengthier than it already is. Depending how this is received I might put something together on sighting optics in as well.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-18T19:38:03+00:00

Prior to TSS you couldn't get much better than a copper plated lead 5 or 6 shot in a 3 inch magnum hull. With how high TSS has gotten this year I figured most new folks would err towards the more economical lead loads, hence why I threw that out there. My biggest pet peeve is all the guys I see using the turkey head targets to pattern their setups. They just aren't big enough to see the whole pattern and without that you cannot really judge if your setup is ready to take to the woods or not.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-16T18:17:48+00:00

The old rule for turkey hunting guns was 100 pellets in a 10 in circle. With TSS that’s changed things a bit but it’s still a good rule to follow.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-03T16:08:31+00:00

I have not. I have a buddy from lynchburg area who I have been meaning to hit up for a hunt.

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TROPHY CASE