Turkey hunting question

stoneflyguy · 05-04-2008, 09:34 PM

I headed back up to my turkey hunting area this weekend and struck out big time. I'm hunting out of Klikitat so you might know what the weather was like. It was cool and breezy on Saturday but nice on Sunday, chilly in the morning. I hunted there last weekend and had a great time. I got into birds and they seemed to be talking back and trying to work in. This weekend was a diffrent story. I couldn't find the birds at all and never got an answer in the evening or in the morning. I did see one lone hen run across the road and scamper up the hill and one feeding alone off the hwy. There was some pressure last weekend and I didn't know if that was the problem or if it was the weather. Another thing that crossed my mind was if the hens were starting to nest and if this is why I had seen the hens alone. I'm not going back ifthe action is over. I don't know what to expect. I'm using my mouth call to locate and this worked great last week but nothing this weekend. What have you experienced this weekend, and would the birds have moved out or just not talking anymore?

Jeff

gotZem · 05-05-2008, 06:17 AM

Yeah, I noticed some of the same stuff. The hens are starting to nest now. They're a couple of weeks late and they act like they know that. Real "busy". I went five times before I got one this year. Got a real old bird. A Klickitat bird with 1 1/4" spurs!! A 10" paint brush that's fat!! He was smart! Funny thing is no matter what time of the day I hunted him, he was henned up. Until last weekend! I find that now is actually the best time to be out there because now those boys are looking for them girls. The hens are "on a mission" as soon as they come off the roost. That's where you need to be. Where they come down at. Don't call to them for the first hour. When the hens go lay eggs, you start calling. Those big boys know where every girl is. They'll come find you then. I also agree on the mouth call. I think they've heard all the others so far and the mouth call makes the most realistic call anyway. I was staring a hen in the face and yacking at her. She was yacking back and trying to look around me to see where that hen was. Funny stuff! Bottom line is, I don't give up until the season is over! It's just too much fun!! Good luck!
gotZem!!!

stoneflyguy · 05-05-2008, 09:52 AM

Thanks so much for posting. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I couldn't get any response from a Tom at all. I couldn't even get one to respond in the evening so I had nothing roosted for the next morning. Last weekend I had birds calling all over and then this weekend nothing.

Jeff