Yea...turkey hunting starts for me Monday!

[theoldarcher]

Man, it's been a long time getting here, but my turkey season starts Monday.  Now that I don't have to wear a suit and tie every day, nor check in with my employer (that reads: retired!!), I can spend as long in the woods as I want.  I'm seeing some in the big hay field where I hunt, so hopefully they'll be around some place close.

Best of luck to all MI turkey hunters.  Stay safe!!

Arch

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

   Archer,, best of luck to you...we are out today for the first time...will hunt for a week or so...for us, turkey hunting involves a 325 mile trip one way...sounds like there are lots of gobblers around... good luck.....

[Ron 1]

turkey season  i have been waiting for this  i hope to call in some more yotes i enter the big gobbler contest every year with high hopes. but seem to have more fun defending my decoy. rolled a yote last year while turkey hunting. have not seen any big toms on my land.i just seem to have alot of those pesky yotes . good luck on the big one. (the beard draggen  20 pounder)   
                                                                               rw

[theoldarcher]

Hey Wyo Hunter:  I am pretty lucky for distance to turkeys--I have two in the woods behind the house sounding off each morning this week.  Instead of driving 4 miles to the farm I hunt, I may just slip behind the house Monday morning and see is one of them can be called in.  Best of luck to you.

Hey Ron:  we have plenty of coyotes in southern MI, but they don't seem to be in numbers high enough to make a big dent in the turkey population yet.  Most of the ones (yotes) I see are dead beside the roads.  I really worry more about smaller predators, skunks, 'coons, etc., robbing nests than I worry about the turkeys once the poults are big enough to run and start roosting in trees.  We have so many 'coons, skunks, and 'possums killed on the roads that we really need an air traffic control system to take care of all the buzzards coming and going on thei clean up crew!   

Best of luck to you both!  Arch

[J. J. Magnum]

It certainly seems time for it Archer.  I saw a big Tom stylin' and profilin' for a couple of hens the other day on my way to work.  It would have been an easy shot.  Good Luck!!!

[spruce]

Been hearing a couple gobble some mornings when I take the dog out around daybreak.  They must be able to read because they're across the road on posted property!

Best of luck to all you guys.

[Ron 1]

theoldarcher
 i seen southern mi.! what part? i am v.b. county. we got plenty yotes  have called about 10 in this winter but only got 1  and rolled 3 others. my ol lady has chickens so the coon and possum are fun as well. i have not seen a skunk  but did get 4 red fox tho.   
                                                          rw

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Old Archer, you good wishes paid off...my girl friend and I both got gobblers the first morning we hunted...Mine was of course the biggest...it was, but hers was very nice...the bigger one was the largest bodied turkey I have ever taken in Wy.  We each still have a tag so will hunt a bit more then it is time to head home...of all game, you guys who can hunt gobblers a bit each day have it made....We just lucked out this trip...will try a bit more in Pa. when we visit our relatives....that is TOUGH HUNTING......hope my good wishes for success help you like yours helped us.....

[theoldarcher]

WyoHunter: Congratulations!!  Way to go with the little lady as well--that's a great way to score points with her!   

Best of luck filling the remaining tags. 

I'd love to come west and look into taking a Mirriams turkey some day.  I've been very lucky on lots of Easterns, so I would like to 'broaden my horizons.'

Hey, I sent you a PM regarding some bear hunt info in ID. 

Thanks for sharing your success!

Arch

[GLHolmes]

theoldarcher
 i seen southern mi.! what part? i am v.b. county. we got plenty yotes  have called about 10 in this winter but only got 1  and rolled 3 others. my ol lady has chickens so the coon and possum are fun as well. i have not seen a skunk  but did get 4 red fox tho.   
                                                          rw

I'll be hunting in Van Buren county this next week (Grand Junction).  I've been turkey hunting for three years now, and I called in a coyote last year as well...my jaw just dropped--I was surprised that a coyote would want to take on a bird as big as a turkey!  Unfortunately, I didn't react quickly enough to nail him, but I did end up getting a gobbler with a nine inch beard, 1 1/4 inch spurs.  I'm getting geeked up again!

[Ron 1]

theoldarcher
that is good area  grand junction i will be just north of south haven. i get to start my hunt on the 19th
  the kids got school and i dont have any work on the calender. so i will be out with my bow with big hopes.     
9 inch thats a good one. do you enter turkey contest at judys little store in ganges.(up by glenn)?
i think the heaviest bird pays $200 longest beard $150 i think or choise of a gun.
that is my favorite store best pizza and the best gun and bullet prices anywhere that i have found in mi.
good luck
                                     rw

[ipyrek]

Eight years of Turkey hunting in the UpperThumb,and this is my#8 Tom. Seen only Jakes Monday,but the Tom came in today. Used 12ga. 870 the last 7yrs, but this year decided to go with a 20ga.H&R. Did the job at 36yrds. with Fed.Heavyweight.

[outdoor max]

Nice Bird Congrats

Max

[petemi]

Eight years of Turkey hunting in the UpperThumb,and this is my#8 Tom. Seen only Jakes Monday,but the Tom came in today. Used 12ga. 870 the last 7yrs, but this year decided to go with a 20ga.H&R. Did the job at 36yrds. with Fed.Heavyweight.

I've got a little 22 inch Mod H&R 20, and I love that little gun.  My 12 ga pump stays home most of the time.  It's great on pats and bunnies.

Pete

[theoldarcher]

Got him this morning!  Had 8 gobbling from all directions around me.  The one that made a mistake walked in to a lane along which I was sitting and using a mouth call.  He gobbled, stepped out, and I shot him--back home by 7:30.  I have a pic or two on the digital; now I just need to figure out how to post one.  Anyway, the ol' boy was 20# on the nose; 10 1/4" beard; and really fat 1 1/16" spurs.  It made a nice mornin'.

Arch

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  congradulations.....what did you use to take him???

[Ron 1]

theoldarcher
 great job  nice lenghts 
so far i have seen 3      2  were jakes 3 or 4" beards
my ol lady went out this afternoon.she will probly get a nice one. i will be back out tomarrow  i want a yote first but if a big one shows up
and offers a shot i will have to.
                                                           rw

[theoldarcher]

Thanks guys.  I forgot to mention: St. Joseph County private farm; and the last thing the ol' boy looked into was the end of my 870 Remington.  I haven't used a bow for turkeys for some time--spent many, many fruitless hours chasing them with a longbow back in the '80s, sans a blind other than natural brush, before collecting one.  These days it's just easier to pick up the shotgun and head out.

Best of luck!  Arch

[Skunk]

Congrats to you folks that had success so far and best of luck to those who are still hunting. My Spring hunt doesn't start until the end of May, so I'm just starting to get revved up.