Originally Posted by Iowanian:
2012 has been busy, and it wasn't looking like I was going to get my turkey hunt in this year. Last night, a friend called and heckled me into going this morning, so I got a tag, set the alarm for 4:45am and rounded up my stuff.
I hadn't done any scouting this year to know where anything was roosted, but have a spot that's been pretty loyal for hosting birds over the years. So we loaded into my scout and headed to the into the night, through a couple of mudholes and into field. We gathered the gear, made the 3/4 mile walk to the setup spot, put a single decoy 20 yards into the field from the hedge row we now sat.
At first real light, after 15 minutes of birds singing, he begins the morning calls....and immediately 2 gobblers within 100 yards of each side respond. Very encouraging. After 15-20 minutes of exchanges, I see one come down from his tree into the field 100 yards away, followed by 3 hens. His display begins immediately, fanning, puffing, gobbles, stutting and shaking his butt in the general direction of my decoy. He's hung up with the other hens and looking like they might go another direction, so we call a little more aggressively. The morning explodes with the sound of 5 gobblers on all sides of us. The boss hen has had enough and charges our decoy, followed by another hen, and my target tom. The hen rushes, and hits the decoy with a furious rake of her feet, bringing the Tom to 20 yards where he hesitates, puffs his display of feathers, and feels the bead of the site of my 10 gauge centered on his throat. The fire bow erupts, the tom flips over and never moves again. 23.6lbs, 1 1/4" spurs.
We make the customary handshake, discuss the events, take some photos and made the walk back to the truck, and were back home by 8am. Mornings like this one are why people hunt turkeys.
Nice work. I've never hunted turkeys but i have some friends who do. They've had some success this year as well. [Reply]
Got my deer head back from the taxidermist. Looks awesome. Getting pumped for archery season this year. And i should finally get my rifle tag this year. [Reply]
I have trail cams out, have made note of a really nice potential target and need to hang stands on a new hunting location.
Also, I built a pond and I'm in the process of building some fish structure. I'm going to build some "trees" out of PVC and a stack of combine tires, but I'm interested in any specific tips/tricks those with successful bass ponds have done. I have some steep ledges, depth to 25' and some shallows.
I have an idea to build some "domes" from field tile but I'll never have a better chance to do this right than now. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Iowanian:
I have trail cams out, have made note of a really nice potential target and need to hang stands on a new hunting location.
Also, I built a pond and I'm in the process of building some fish structure. I'm going to build some "trees" out of PVC and a stack of combine tires, but I'm interested in any specific tips/tricks those with successful bass ponds have done. I have some steep ledges, depth to 25' and some shallows.
I have an idea to build some "domes" from field tile but I'll never have a better chance to do this right than now.
You will be happy with the PVC trees. Did that in my backyard lake and it really holds the Crappie. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Iowanian:
I have trail cams out, have made note of a really nice potential target and need to hang stands on a new hunting location.
Also, I built a pond and I'm in the process of building some fish structure. I'm going to build some "trees" out of PVC and a stack of combine tires, but I'm interested in any specific tips/tricks those with successful bass ponds have done. I have some steep ledges, depth to 25' and some shallows.
I have an idea to build some "domes" from field tile but I'll never have a better chance to do this right than now.
Do you have a place to get some used tile or scraps or something? That shit is expensive.
The whole tile concept still explodes my brain. [Reply]
I have a friend who installs it and I can gets odds and ends.
My plan is to zip together a circle, maybe 6-8' in diameter, and then "hoop" 3-4 different directions to the opposite side, so that it looks kind of like a "tent" or something, probably strap a tire to it to hold them down.
Other ideas I've considered is digging into the side of the "steep banks down at a sharp angle and dumping in some quickcrete and then sticking some stuff in there.
I've got some 12" plus tube(field tile centers) that I'm going to use somehow, just not sure.
I've seen some "ball" things that you stick PVC into like a spike I've considered buying or trying to make with a box full of crete.
In short, if anyone has done something that has worked well, I'm all ears. [Reply]
