A Phenomenal Learning Year for Me

[TrackeySauresRex]

A good year (or day or week) can be a huge ego boost and the next year can humble you. Never stop trying to learn.

100%

[Prospector]

I'm glad you have had a great season and your observations are spot on. When turkeys are silent I always advocate "stay with the sign". Here where I hunt though it's a little different with hens and calling. Every mag article you read cites aggressive calling to hens to bring them (and your gobbler). Nope. Do that here and the whole flock will disappear 99x out of 100. Soft calls will keep you in the game until the gobbler himself dictates different. Hunting with hi hen pops is a double edged sword, but one I'm happy to live with.

[bbcoach]

Here in Eastern NC, we hunt mostly big blocks of pine plantations and swampy woods with some mix of fields thrown in so the field experience this year has really opened my eyes to observing and calling to turkeys in open areas.  It has allowed me to observe turkeys and their movement tendencies, which has been a GREAT learning tool.  When we hunt the pines and woods, we only get snippets of what the turkeys do in their daily lives as they move about.  If birds aren't gobbling, it's mostly soft calling and waiting in areas they move through.  VERY EDUCATIONAL YEAR!!   

[bbcoach]

Great stuff!!!

Coach, one thing I've always been curious about is if you can tell roosting location by ANY kind of outside factors. If the wind is blowing from this direction do they roost here? If it's cloudy, do they roost there? Things like that. Or do you believe it's just somewhat "random"?

Here in Eastern NC, with pine plantations galore, Birds can roost ANYWHERE they want.  Don't quote me on this but I believe they roost wherever they finish their day.  They have plenty of trees to choose from so..  I think they have set areas that they want to finish their day but if they are bumped, spooked or the lead hen takes them to a different feeding location for the day, they have plenty of tall straight pines to sleep in.  Entirely different, in other areas of the country, that only have small blocks of woods surrounded by open areas.

[POk3s]

Great stuff!!!

Coach, one thing I've always been curious about is if you can tell roosting location by ANY kind of outside factors. If the wind is blowing from this direction do they roost here? If it's cloudy, do they roost there? Things like that. Or do you believe it's just somewhat "random"?

Here in Eastern NC, with pine plantations galore, Birds can roost ANYWHERE they want.  Don't quote me on this but I believe they roost wherever they finish their day.  They have plenty of trees to choose from so..  I think they have set areas that they want to finish their day but if they are bumped, spooked or the lead hen takes them to a different feeding location for the day, they have plenty of tall straight pines to sleep in.  Entirely different, in other areas of the country, that only have small blocks of woods surrounded by open areas.

Understood. Thank you for the response! It's always been one of those things I've tried to figure out. Sometimes they roost in the exact same tree for multiple nights, sometimes they don't! Maybe one day I'll figure it out!