A Heaping Pile of Regret!

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

Gotta agree with you guys about that motion-tail jake. I'm not sure why toms react that way to it... but it certainly hasn't helped us get any birds in close. We even went to the effort of putting a real jake tail on it, hoping the realism would help... but there's been no noticeable effect.

He's also a pain in the to haul around. lol
I'm probably just going to invest in a top quality hen and even then most likely hunt without decoys.

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Dont give up on your strutter, we've had many Toms come across fields on the dead run and attack it.

My B mobiles got a small Tom fan on it, and a short 5" real beard... I've also painted the head more red and white and use him on select hunts.

He really seems to work best first time a flock of birds see him in a spot where Toms and Strut.

5 jakes once flew off the roost straight into him attacked him, I put an arrow threw one and the other 4 just stood there pecking at him.

i was like how stupid can these birds be !

Ive also got some cool video of a hen coming in and laying down ready to breed inches in front of him laying waiting for him to mount her.

BUT if your calls don't sound real your decoys don't look real either.

Was there a slight rise in front of you? Never give up the high ground and especially so if running decoys. Best of luck this spring

funny how different decoys work differently for folks. I know a very successful hunter that always runs the biggest Strutter decoy I have ever seen and scores consistently. I got to say I like the B Mobile if nothing more than pulling on the string and making the tail go up and down provides me with hours of entertainment.

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Originally Posted by STUBBLE BUM

Was there a slight rise in front of you? Never give up the high ground and especially so if running decoys. Best of luck this spring

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this

That entire little field slopes down on all sides. There is no high ground to hold there. Birds can and do come from any direction so setting up in the middle of the field is not an option, as we don't use enclosed blinds.

Otto11 has been sending me scouting reports each day this week. Sounds like the birds are settling into the same rhythm they've had on our properties for the last 2 seasons. Which is good to know, but kinda sucks for us considering it means 5 days out of 7 the biggest group roosts over a road, on a neighbour's property we don't always have permission to hunt.

But it's close to this same meadow featured in the video... so i'm sure we'll be spending plenty of time back there again this year. lol

If the main flock roosts across road once hens start to sit on their nests and break up you may find good hunting in your private meadow right in the middle of the day... Turkeys have a routine try pattern where they like to be at different times ( I put trail cams on gates ) and it makes picking a location to call from very successful

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Originally Posted by Monster29/66

If the main flock roosts across road once hens start to sit on their nests and break up you may find good hunting in your private meadow right in the middle of the day... Turkeys have a routine try pattern where they like to be at different times ( I put trail cams on gates ) and it makes picking a location to call from very successful

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In past years I haven't had time (or much interest in suffering the bugs) for later season hunts.
This year, with all I've learned, I aim to change that and put in at least 4-6 days of mid-late season hunting.

I've had great success in the late season as well. Not necessarily as much gobbling, but male birds are moving pretty much all day looking for hens. Best part is that you don't usually have to defeat multiple pairs of eyes as often they are on their own.

The bugs definitely suck, but if you can find an open field edge with a nice breeze it is manageable. I know folks rave about the Thermocell, but I haven't tried one yet - a little leery of breathing those fumes for hours on end, perhaps I am just paranoid.

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

In past years I haven't had time (or much interest in suffering the bugs) for later season hunts.
This year, with all I've learned, I aim to change that and put in at least 4-6 days of mid-late season hunting.

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Grab a Thermacell and set up a blind and bugs will never be an issue for you in turkey season again. At least not while you're sitting and it's calm out.

Last year I went into one of my spots in the late season. Walking through a pre-dawn field full of wet knee high grass, the bugs were like something out of a horror movie. I didn't bother with bug spray at all. When I got to where I wanted to be, I tucked in under a cedar branch and set the Thermacell beside me and never saw a bug again until I got up to change spots. They really do work.

As mentioned above about the fumes... I would be more worried about what you can catch from mosquitoes than Thermacell fumes.

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