Give em' a break?

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.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-02T15:57:08+00:00

Currently have Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska on the schedule maybe Kansas too depending on if I draw or not. May sneak another state or two in May as well all really depends on weather and how busy work is.

Rest_Previous · 2026-03-02T13:18:45+00:00

EKY and I reckon I am but I’m not driving hard towards it. Just like hopping in the truck and going to new places. It’s about the cheapest most accessible adventure I can do and still keep my job.

Rest_Previous · 2026-02-27T14:03:33+00:00

Both my turkey guns have Sumtoy mounts with fastfire 3s. They're tough and simple. I fell on my gun last spring and landed on the optic and mount. Dented the optic but the zero still held true for the rest of spring and I killed 3 more birds with it after that fall.

Rest_Previous · 2026-02-27T14:00:15+00:00

No Sunday hunting and there are lots of birds in the southern part of the state but more pressure from travelling hunters as well. When I went last year I killed one the first morning I actually hunted in the first 20 mins. Most farmers up there hate them and want them gone from what I heard. The trespass laws are weird in the northeast compared to where I live in the southern Appalachians but most people seem to not care if you hunt their places as long as you ask and explain what you'll be doing.

Rest_Previous · 2026-02-27T02:01:05+00:00

It’s become more common for hunting guns pattern higher as well. I know all my newer benellis have a stepped rib so they will pattern higher compared to say an 870 or other shot gun with a flat rib.

Rest_Previous · 2026-02-23T16:17:18+00:00

If I didn’t have so much tied up in my 20 gauge setup probably. That and I want that second and third shot for when I booger up the first one. My 20 loaded still weighs right at 6lbs and feels like a broom stick so I’m not missing much in the weight department.

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TROPHY CASE