Team 14 - The Gobblers Roost

[WVHunter129]

Well I remember my team number and our team name. I also know that myself, my son and one other person, I think it was Charles P (from NY?) on our team.

Just wanted to report in. Season opens in 10 days.

Is the turkey contests still on? Both the photo and the hunting contests?

Glad to see the forum back up and running. Was wondering what happened.

[WVHunter129]

I posted on here before the crash of my pre scouting on April 9th. My son and I called in a nice gobbler. I took pictures with my Minolta 35 mm camera.

So here are the pictures. I hope to see this bird next Monday the 25th!! :)

Here are some pictures from my April 9th scouting. They didn't turn out as well as I thought they would. He was only 20 yards away, but I must of had the zoom on the camera set at 35 instead of 70mm. But you can see him. It was about 9:30 to 9:45 that morning and I was hidden under a small hemlock tree.

http://www.qsl.net/wd8wv/Hunting/WVHuntingForum/april9-05.jpg

http://www.qsl.net/wd8wv/Hunting/WVHuntingForum/april9-05-1.jpg

[Charlie P]

Yup it was me.

[WVHunter129]

Thanks Charlie P for confirming that. I was pretty sure it was you, sorry about the name mixup, I had Charles P instead of Charlie P, but you figured that out.

Have you done any scouting or heard any birds up there?

Six more days here until season opens. Been watching the weather closely, the wxman is predicting some showers on Monday, but it is still to early to be sure about that. Temperatures here have been in the upper 60's to mid 70's for about a week now.

Good luck!

[WVHunter129]

Well today was the day for the opening of WV Spring Gobbler Season. But as usual it was a flop. After a week or two of extremely nice weather, Saturday night and Sunday it snow and the temperatures were in the low to mid 30's.

Today, it was 35 at 5 AM when we left the house at 5:30 it was 33 degrees. Skys were clear and a full moon was out. We left the house and we just had a skiff of snow on the ground. We got to our hunting club property at a little after 6 AM. At the area we were going in to hunt they had 6 inches of snow on the ground. Young trees were bent over from the weight of the snow on the newly sprouted leaves.

Jerod and I got our packs on and our guns loaded and we were off. We tried a little owl hoot to see if we could locate a bird, nothing! As daylight broke and the birds began to sing and the crows started calling we broke out the crow call. Nothing! We started hen calling, nothing. We walked about 2 miles in about 4 and a half hours. NOTHING!! We did jump three deer, a grouse and on the way out we jumped a hen from here nest. She had a nest close to a 4 wheeler trail. The nest had 6 to 8 eggs in it. We left it alone and went back to the truck. We decided to just call it quits especially since the wind had started to pick up and see if this weekend would be better.

I guess that gobblers won't do any gobbling in the cold snowy weather? I hope we have better luck on Saturday.

[WVHunter129]

Well here it is Friday, 5 days into our WV Gobbler Season. It stinks! Monday as I mentioned in my earlier post, we had 6 inches of snow, cold temps and wind to deal with. Never heard a bird!

Now today my son Jerod (WVHunter619) and I went back to where we were on Monday. Snow is gone, temps have warmed up since Monday but we had cloudy conditions when I got up at 5 AM. By the time we got there we had light rain, not to bad. We found a spot where turkeys had been feeding and was about 150 yards or so from where we found the one hen nested on Monday. We sat up our decoys and our blinds. We were there for two hours, calling about every 10 to 15 minutes. Nothing!!! Then the rain became heavier and you couldn't hear anything for the rain. So at about 10 AM we called it quits. Since we don't get to hunt all day like some do in other states, we figures we might as well go ahead and get going. On the way out we would walk some stop and call, NOTHING!

3 weeks ago, on a Saturday we had a nice sunny day with temps in the mid 60's. We were able to call a nice gobbler in and I got pictures of him. After that day we stayed out of the area, didn't want him getting spooked and leaving. Now here season is in and not hearing anything. I just wonder if our DNR needs to move up our season to the first of April instead of the last of April?

Tomorrow is suppose to rain again so I doubt we will go out. Now we will only be able to hunt the weekends due to Jerod having to go to school and I don't want to burn up to much leave. So we have 3 more chances and that is it. Turkey season here in WV goes out on May 31.

Charlie P, if your reading this I hope you will have better luck than us. Good luck.

[hockey7801]

Yeah, rain tomorrow! :shout)


I probably won't be able to go either!

I was just around the Canaan Valley area last weekend and they had 4 inches of snow or so! Stopped by Black Water Falls too.

WILD!

[stahlj61]

sorry about your luck team 14 ! sounds like the weather won't give you a break!!!!! The 1st week in Ohio we had awesome weather, sunny, clear, warm no wind!

what else could a turkey hunter ask for!

Good luck team 14 the contest continues and isn't over till your team hammers a big one!

John

[WVHunter129]

Well Saturday, May 7th, was our third time out for this spring gobbler season. You couldn't of asked for such a beautiful morning. Jerod and I got there just after 6 AM. We started walking out an old gasline/4 wheeler trail doing some crow calls. Didn't hear anything, after more light we started some hen calls nothing. We found some really fresh sign and almost made our mind up to setup the decoys and blinds and hunt there. But with not getting any answers back to our call we continued walking. We had left that area and about 5 minutes we could hear a hen call. Then we heard a crow call. Shorly after that we heard a shotgun blast.

We met the fellow about 20 minutes later at his 4 wheeler. We had walked past it after we heard the shot and kind of stayed around the area just to see if this was the guy and if he got one. Well when the fellow showed up, he didn't have a turkey. He had gotten a shot at one about 60 yards out, he said. The bird wasn't coming any closer, but he said he missed. He also told us that the tom never made a sound, he came in silent. After talking over our experience the previous two times Jerod and I had been out, he decided to call it quits. Jerod and I then found a spot and decided to setup our blinds and decoys. We stayed there till 11:30, about 2 and half hours calling about every 10 minutes or so.

All we saw was a deer, but that made the day. At least we saw some game and had a nice day in the woods.

We did find a turkey egg that a predator had gotten. Well at least I think it was a predator. Anyone know how long a turkey incubates their eggs before they hatch?

Well, we don't know whether to go back and that area now or not since the guy got a shot at one. Since this bird has been called in and shot at I guess the chances of fooling him are slim. Jerod and I might have to find another spot to hunt.

[WVHunter129]

Well now here it is one week left for WV Spring Gobbler season and still haven't come up with a bird other than the one I photo'd 2 weeks before season started.

My son and I went to my boss' farm this past Saturday and didn't see or hear a bird one. The weather was perfect and we were in the woods at 6 AM. Now the evening and night before we had some severe thunderstorms come through. Don't know if that would have any affect on the birds, but Saturday was a beautiful day. Now I know there were some turkeys in the general area because a buddy of mine had seen them that week when he was there turkey hunting, but they were to far to shoot. They were answering his calls and also going to where my boss feeds his cattle.

On Thursday my son found some turkey tracks on the property we started hunting turkeys on when season opened. He said that there was a set of large turkey tracks and a lot of little tracks as well. So I am wondering it the eggs have started hatching and if the gobblers have given up.

My son and I have one more Saturday to hunt and the season is over. I am all out of ideas on what to do to get a gobbler to answer. I wondering if we should just walk the woods and hope and pray we stumble on one. This has been our worst season ever. Since season opened I haven't been able to get a tom to gobble at all.

I guess we will try one more time and then wrap it up until October when squirrel and deer season comes in. Then I bet we see all kinds of turkeys.

I sure hope Charlie P is having better luck, haven't heard anything from him here on the board so I don't know if he has hunted or not.

[WVHunter129]

Today was the final day for WV Spring Gobbler season. No answers to calls today. No sign at all, even though today was a beautiful morning. So the "Gobblers Roost" is done unless Charles P gets to bag a big big bird. Haven't heard anything from him on here so don't know how he has done.

Had fun though while out in the woods. Saw plenty of deer and squirrels.

Can't wait till next year, maybe it will be better. Will be watching the WV DNR website to see how season went.