I'm going to spend ALOT less time hunting field turkeys and much more time in the timber.Ive killed several birds in the fields,its just a bigger rush to me to work them timber birds.
Also gonna learn(try anyway)to run both a tube call and a trumpet proficiently.Can make turkey sounds with them now just want to get a lot better.
Also considering traveling much lighter next year,in both myself and all the crap I pack that I think I need.Gonna try to narrow it down to as little as possible.
I'm going to invest in a thermacell and use it religiously. Last 2 or 3 days of the season here were terrible and I just couldn't sit still for slappin' skeeters. They were licking the bug spray I was using off me..........
It will be money well spent.......
Get some new calls , get rid of some i dont care for or carry with me. Play with a new 20 ga im gonna get to change out for the 12. Start looking into some new turkey hunting spots and out of state hunts.
Not over in Iowa yet! Got one week left! But back to the question, I plan on taking a little bit of time, and probably quite a bit of $$, to find a htl load my gun likes.
The only thing I'd do differently is buy a gobbler lounger before the season instead of waiting until it was half over. That thing is awesome but I only got to use it once before tagging out. Both my birds this year were timber birds and were 2 of the more exciting hunts I've ever had so I'll be looking for more timber birds next year. I want to try and knock one down on public ground next year and also might try hunting in Northwest Nebraska with an old boot camp buddy of mine.
I plan to tote two mouth calls,one pot, a box, and scratch call and other "essentials". Call less.
Sell a bunch of guns before then and concentrate on 2 20 gauge and 2 12 gauge guns of choice.Sell off several chokes and shells as well.
Use a few dollars to buy some Win Long Beard 20 gauge loads if they become available, and take my wife during the hotter gobbling periods.
Each year I get a little older and I will be thankful for being able to hunt another season.
Work on being patient and scouting more.
I picked up a new to me, used shotgun. Giving it a complete make over, and gonna make it my new turkey slayer. New camo(having it dipped), new stock, scope, etc.
I'll be getting the 870 Cerakoted, and possibly a Timney trigger kit..
Get more permission, get more permission and get more permission. That's about it.
My season is not over but I learned a few things and have some plans for next year. I learned that I love having a shooting stick to keep the gun up. I also worked on staying put longer and it really paid off this spring. Many of our birds came after the one hour mark.
Goals, for next year:
#1 Turn the turkey gun I inherited from my late father-in-law into a my new dedicated gun
#2 Learn to run a tube and trumpet well enough to hunt with, (the trumpet is close),
#3 Use a turkey vest for the first time ever. I had the Cabela's Tater 2 at home but had to send it back because of a defect. (I like it so far)
#4 One or two more custom calls for the collection
Big wish-Hunt out of state. I have a few leads in KS and NE that I need to check out.
I need more time and more tags :z-winnersmiley:
Need to learn some soft stuff on the mouth call, I can not get soft purrs and wines to save my life :help:
Get a bird for my friends kid, he went this year, hunted hard and got the goose egg!
I think I'll sell a couple of chokes, buy some more mouth calls. Next year I won't enter the woods without my limb clippers. I need better hides and those help in building temporary blinds and clearing a shooting hole in thick stuff tremendously.
I may need new boots. The funky smell in my favorite boots may NEVER come out! :help:
Gonna go after a Merriams next year.
I'll be switching to an FFIII. My eyesight is starting to suck.
Quote from: renegade19 on May 11, 2014, 02:42:51 PM
Work on being patient and scouting more.
This is a issue for me, hard to make time for scouting. Just gotta do it.
First two weeks of season was rough. Birds weren't talking like they should. I wasn't sticking with the rule to be patient. Took a friend out the third weekend, birds were across a swamp on next ridge by a field. Unfamiliar area so after 45 mins we circled around to field, closer to their roost area. Set up and called for 45 mins. Decided to move down the edge of field.
Across the swamp in the clearing we originally set up in was a large strutting bird. Prob 20 yards from my friends original position. So we tried to set up and call him back. 200 yards behind us, at our 2nd set up at edge of field... you guessed it, another strutter.
I need to pound the patient rule into my head, period. I may have a touch of ADD
Quote from: Dtrkyman on May 12, 2014, 11:11:22 AM
Need to learn some soft stuff on the mouth call, I can not get soft purrs and wines to save my life :help:
I see that all the time. Don't over look a good two reed just because it's not cool. Tones of turkeys are killed with a two reed every year.
I'll second the two reed call. A two reed with a setback is great for soft turkey killing music.
Over!?!?! We're just getting started up North :z-guntootsmiley:
I haven't even started hunting in PA yet