No Motivation

[Fox]

I've always found turkey season a hard balance. Spring is "everything" season. There's so much else to do and so much else to get done. I can sympathize with Fox on this one. Personally, even though I intend to get out more often, I'm lucky if my turkey season is more than 5 or 6 hunts.

It was different last year, we were renting in the city and it was my goal to be out of the city as much as possible. Now I live on just under 2 acres and we are in the process of taking an acre of that and turning it into a farm.

I do have to say, nothing is as frustrating as trying to drop an old dead elm tree only to find a page wire fence with your chainsaw.

Maybe nest year will be different, I won't have to worry about cutting sod to put in a garden or dig holes for fences, things will be a lot less complicated next spring.

[rf2]

Maybe nest year will be different, I won't have to worry about cutting sod to put in a garden or dig holes for fences, things will be a lot less complicated next spring.

Didn't you say you were getting married in a month? In that case, next year may be much more complicated, depending on where you are at with the child situation .

I've sadly noted that I haven't shot a deer or a turkey since November 2012. My second child was born December 2012. Coincidence?

[Fox]

Didn't you say you were getting married in a month? In that case, next year may be much more complicated, depending on where you are at with the child situation .

I've sadly noted that I haven't shot a deer or a turkey since November 2012. My second child was born December 2012. Coincidence?

We plan to delay things a bit, there is so much going on right now with family, friends and farm we want to take some time that is not dedicated to anything specifically.

She really enjoys going out hunting, so if we have time for just us then maybe we will end up doing more hunting.

I really wish there was an adult apprentice, I could care less about shooting a turkey but I have to buy a license just to call for her. If I were to take out a 12 year old apprentice we could share a gun and game seal.

[Karl Marques]

We plan to delay things a bit...

What you plan and what will happen are often not the same. lol

[line052]

I have been out a total of 3 full days, and 4 morning only hunts. Lots to see and hear including tics, deer, raccoons and mosquitoes. Seen 4 Toms (1 guy twice), but no shots presented. For a first time turkey hunter, I will rack up this season as wow..without a bang…..

[line052]

Thanks what life is all about...right there in that statement. FOX, you are one hard working man and turkey can wait another year...get that other stuff out the door and off your mind. We can always hit up MB this fall after a duck hunt for turkey and make a full day of it...

I'm with you on that Fox. Still deciding whether or not to buy a license - I'll likely get out sat/sun am next weekend, but that will cut into my fishing and camping time. Maybe just spend the time fishing instead. My girls (17 & 21) will both be camping with me - any time I can spend with them in the boat is time well spent.

[Fox]

Thanks what life is all about...right there in that statement. FOX, you are one hard working man and turkey can wait another year...get that other stuff out the door and off your mind. We can always hit up MB this fall after a duck hunt for turkey and make a full day of it...

I can drop a hen from my back deck in the fall

You still have lots of time, nothing beats seeing and hearing them when you are starting out, no matter how old you are when you start .

I did not see any deer this year, no racoons, heard lots of grouse but it has been really dead in the bush.
I have not even heard any coyotes behind the house yet this year, hmm.

[Fox]

What you plan and what will happen are often not the same. lol

Ha ha ha, there are methods these days that helps out the planning.

[bowj]

I agree that spring is always a busy time. I have a small garden and yard to tend to, a deck to seal, trout to catch, my moms place needs some work etc etc. and to top it off my fiancee has a C section booked for next Wednesday for our first daughter. that means this weekend I am turkey hunting every opportunity I can.

I have been out a few evenings at some public forests on my drive home, plus the opening sunday at a massive public marsh full of birds where my buddy finished off his season about 300 yds away from me. plus I was out at 3 different properties this past weekend and I heard some gobbles, and called a jake to about 150yds before he turned around and gobbled back the other way, I chased him down and ended up getting busted.
bugs have been brutal, but the thermacell has helped a lot. I was out this weekend and the mosquitoes stayed off due tot eh thermacell, but the flies were just buzzing around my head all day. so annoying...

but on the plus side I have got my first load of fiddleheads, wild leeks and lots of good trailcam pics of some deer and raccoons.

I have never shot a bird before May 20 any year, but this year I cannot hunt past May 20 since I will have a newborn daughter that day, so I have to up my game this weekend, luckily its a long one!!
you guys must be spoiled to give up after 3 hunts!! just kidding I get the pressure that spring brings, and sometimes turkey hunting just adds to that pressure and takes lots of time and energy!


good luck to everyone still trying to notch a tag!!

[Oddmott]

Sorry to hear it Fox. I can sympathize though.

Put in a solid 7 days starting on turkey opener (up no later than 4:20am each day, and were out till 9pm every night roosting them) and while we had a couple close encounters... the birds were too quiet and too few to get us really jazzed up.

Most seasons i see all sorts of other neat wildlife or natural events that make me think "man, even if i don't get a bird this was AWESOME"... but this year i didn't even get any of that. Most exciting thing i saw was porcupines - lots of them.

It's just been a long series of Bleh moments and extreme heat.

I don't blame the birds for going quiet due to predator pressure, but it sure does make it hard to find them, and sitting for 12 hours a day staring at grass and branches gets tiresome for anybody.