Turkey Season here.

Bubba1235

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I don't think I've ever seen so many turkey hunters as there have been this year. Can't help but wonder why. Personally I don't care for the taste of wild turkey much but it looks like a lot of others do.
 

aspeck

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I thought you are talking about the turkeys here on DC!!!!:eek::facepalm:

Speaking of the wild birds, I enjoy a wild bird, especially after it has been soaked in Boom's Ultimate Turkey Brine! YUM!!!! Cooked with a goose, can't be beat!
 

ezmobee

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I never knew much about wild turkeys until I moved to my current house. Only time I had ever seen them was once when 3 or 4 of them were in the road and wouldn't move for my car (elusive little bastards eh? :p) Well I started seeing them frequently around my neighborhood and on a walk startled some of them that were on a hill and they took off. I was like "holy s%^t, who knew they could fly!" LOL. Just recently, a couple of them were crossing the road between two farm fields and I stopped to let them pass. Well those first couple were then followed my like 30 more!!! Had a phone call that day with Bob_VT who confirmed that yes, they will congregate like that. Again, I had no idea.
 

southkogs

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Re: Turkey Season here.

They're EVERYWHERE by me. I pass five crop fields on my way into the office and within those fields in the morning I'm probably seeing no fewer than 40 everyday.
 

Philip_G

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Re: Turkey Season here.

seems to me they've made a big rebound and the population is much higher (and over a larger area) than it was a decade or two ago. I prefer them to domestic but not enough to bother with cleaning one. lol.
 

bassman284

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Populations seem to be strong in Iowa, too. Not sure why. Our pheasant populations have plummeted over the last 3 or 4 years due to loss of habitat, snowier than normal winters and wetter than normal springs. Apparently those conditions are not hurting the turkeys.

Used to be you just about couldn't drive down the road without seeing a pheasant or 2 along the fence row. Now it's that way with turkeys. And I have not seen a single pheasant this year. I heard one crowing out by the lake once this summer but that's it.
 

mommicked

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Bubba, You should give Spring turkeyhunting a try, tag along w an experienced hunter and I think you'll enjoy the thrill and excitement of the calling and Gobbling and displaying of these grand birds. It would help take your mind off that pesky car problem your having too!:D
 

ezmobee

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Bubba, You should give Spring turkeyhunting a try, tag along w an experienced hunter and I think you'll enjoy the thrill and excitement of the calling and Gobbling and displaying of these grand birds. It would help take your mind off that pesky car problem your having too!:D

Bubba's got a better chance of bagging one with the car :p:D
 

NetDoc

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I was cruising down SR19 just north of Altoona when one started to wander onto the road. It was well ahead of me with no traffic, so I slowed a bit and then it changed directions back off the road. Somehow, as soon as I put the hammer back down, the stoopid bird zigged out in front of me. I don't think I have seen THAT many feathers in my life. POOF! I looked, but I couldn't find the bird. The only other wild turkey I have had was courtesy of my cat, Petunia. Peculiar cat, white with one blue and one green eye. I think he had to live down his name because he brought in venomous snakes and other vermin... and these were usually a bit alive. The mostly dead turkey was a nice surprise. He had it by the neck and brought it into my mother's room. After that, Petunia was always welcome by the table when we had turkey.
 

Philip_G

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I almost clipped one going home one morning too, didn't seem to care about me at all, looked at the car and walked out. I imagine they would do some damage at speed.
 

aspeck

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Did you know that turkeys can swim?!? One day we were hunting at the lake (deer) and we watched a turkey coming off the far ridge fly across the close ridge and then across the lake towards the other side. About half way across we knew he wasn't going to make it. SPLASH DOWN!

We turn the pontoon towards the splash down area and there he is, swimming away! I laid down on the front of the boat, reach down, and grab the bird! Not one of the most brilliant moves I have ever made! HEY, watch this! :rolleyes::eek:

I have now lifted a WILD 20 pound turkey out of the water and am trying to hold it! Do you know that turkeys have a razor sharp beak and long SHARP spurs on the back of their legs??? Well, they do! And I am holding this turkey trying to figure out what I am going to do with it and avoid getting sliced to bits!:facepalm: At this point it becomes self defense and self preservation.

I call for help and my brother comes and rings its neck ... fresh turkey the next day! YUM! Not sure how many laws we violated that day with this, but as I mentioned, it was a stupid to do, but turned into self defense. Moral of the story, don't try to pick up a live wild turkey if you know what is good for you ... lesson learned!
 

NetDoc

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I almost clipped one going home one morning too, didn't seem to care about me at all, looked at the car and walked out. I imagine they would do some damage at speed.
I think the feathers mitigates the impact. That was a good sized bird and did nothing at 60mph. I'm sure glad it wasn't frozen!
 

Philip_G

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I think the feathers mitigates the impact. That was a good sized bird and did nothing at 60mph. I'm sure glad it wasn't frozen!

Dunno, my dad clipped a pheasant on the highway and it did a number.
 

Philip_G

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Did you know that turkeys can swim?!? One day we were hunting at the lake (deer) and we watched a turkey coming off the far ridge fly across the close ridge and then across the lake towards the other side. About half way across we knew he wasn't going to make it. SPLASH DOWN!

We turn the pontoon towards the splash down area and there he is, swimming away! I laid down on the front of the boat, reach down, and grab the bird! Not one of the most brilliant moves I have ever made! HEY, watch this! :rolleyes::eek:

I have now lifted a WILD 20 pound turkey out of the water and am trying to hold it! Do you know that turkeys have a razor sharp beak and long SHARP spurs on the back of their legs??? Well, they do! And I am holding this turkey trying to figure out what I am going to do with it and avoid getting sliced to bits!:facepalm: At this point it becomes self defense and self preservation.

I call for help and my brother comes and rings its neck ... fresh turkey the next day! YUM! Not sure how many laws we violated that day with this, but as I mentioned, it was a stupid to do, but turned into self defense. Moral of the story, don't try to pick up a live wild turkey if you know what is good for you ... lesson learned!
shot one once and we thought it was dead, into the back of the truck it went. came back around a little while later, they're a tough contender LOL
 

RogersJetboat454

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Re: Turkey Season here.

I've been told that turkeys will kill and eat new hatched pheasants given a chance. To me it seems like anytime you have a large turkey population the pheasants disappear but that's just an observation on my part, not a "study".

Friend of mine in Maine has said that too. He owns 128 acres of mostly wood lot that he hunts on. He said there wasn't a day that you would go out and not flush out a partridge, pheasant, or woodcock. But ever since they reintroduced the wild turkeys to the area, the ground nesting birds have become scarce.
 

Philip_G

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Friend of mine in Maine has said that too. He owns 128 acres of mostly wood lot that he hunts on. He said there wasn't a day that you would go out and not flush out a partridge, pheasant, or woodcock. But ever since they reintroduced the wild turkeys to the area, the ground nesting birds have become scarce.

well, I like the pheasants as much as the next guy but the turkeys are native and the pheasants aren't, so I have mixed feelings about it.
 

mommicked

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Re: Turkey Season here.

Wild Turkeys are facinating to me. Once I was deer hunting in the winter, high in a climbing stand in a big creekbottom when I saw movement. I watched as one after another filtered through the woods towards me slowly, feeding on the way to roost in the late afternoon. Suddenly a big tom flew from the treetops where they were coming from and landed on a limb level w me 40' high +/-, maybe 75' from me, he turned and peered down towards the approaching flock looking all around for predators on the ground. He was a sentry I believe. After 5 10 mins. he began to cluck or putt softly and birds on the ground did too. Then he flew down towards the flock as simultaniously another tom flew up a little further down the creek to takeover guard duty. And people say turkeys are stupid.:cool: I'm guessing the cat killed a young turkey, A guy I work with watched a grown one kick his cats butt in his backyard this spring, he said the cat limped for weeks!!!!:cool:
 
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