Well went 5 days struggling in what was pretty nice weather. Only hunted until 10AM or 11AM each day do to coaching responsibilities and other family events. Season E was strange this year, but atleast I have hunted 7 years in a row. First year that I did not have gobbler(s) hung up at 50 yards and first year that I did not get to pass shot(s) on jakes at 20 yards. Dropped below 50% on harvest rate in MN.


Day #1. I was 40 yards from two hens on the roost, when I discovered another right above me. It was great watching them wake up ... softly tree yelp and then fly down the ravine 100 yards to the gobbler - quiet. I also had a hunter walk in on me for the first time on this public land, he backed off, but it was amazing he did not bump the roosted birds... why he was walking at prime sitting time ... carrying a red boat cushion. What the ...

Day #2. Twelve longbeards together. Another post.

Day #3. Set up a blind the day before. Adjacent to known roost area. Got in there in the dark 4:15AM. Again hens were around me, but gobbler was another 150 yards to my north on private land. Birds pushed to edge of public land? Again hens flew to gobbler(s) - quiet. I stayed there to noon (tough since I am a run and gunner by nature). Two hens walked by and yelped (no visual) no gobblers. Partner shot a nice 2 year old tom that was on the roam ... great to see him have some success ... usually not on the lucky side with turks.

Day #4 Back in the blind. Three separate gobblers in the trees. All on adjacent private land. All group together on flydown and are essentially on some guys back yard. Never seen them go that way before. I leave the blind and head out. Another guy is on the public property. He calls and gobbler shaker calls every 2 minutes. We sit and listen and he does this for 30 minutes straight. Decide this is the worse thing possible and head to private land area (no birds during scouting trips, buy near where we say 12 longbeards the day before). Get there and we see a nice strutter in an open area near a steep set of woods (been waiting 6 years of this one to be there). Get into the woods - were playing the game and gobbler slowly moves my way ... then all of a sudden he starts to walk away ... gobbling every time I call ... but going away. This area backs up to three homes. One guy is putzing around with his tractor and scared the Tom away.... snake bit.

Day #5. Worn out, not given up. Get down to the river and listen ... there talk ... nothing nearby... bump two hens off the roost ... very late to flydown, after 6:30. Start to walk north, but an ATV (illegal) is parked. Turn back west, walk right by my caller buddy (really want to clue him i, but I didn't). He is calling and gobbling every minute to 2 minutes without stopping. No wind so this circus carries for ever. Would you stop and tell this guy what he is doing wrong???

Check a spot where I had roosted a gobbler in 2007, but nothing answers my pleads. Tracks in the mud say they are around.

Now for the KICKER. Tonight at my son's BB game, I am coaching 1st base and look up at the outfield fence ... a big longbeard is standing along the fence watching the game and picking up a little gravel. Unbelievable. I think he was trying to tell me that gobblers win in '08

Sounds like a lot of action! Better to have played and lost than not to have anyone to play with.

I'd call that a pretty darn good hunt! Sometimes the luck just isn't with you.

I can realte after traveling 10 hours each way to get to a blizzard for a couple days on our Black Hills turkey trip.

The birds never really worked like I am used to. I also believe the area I hunt in maybe impacted by the 25% increase in permits. Too many permits for the amount of available land and even for the total turkey population in the area. I will be keeping an eye on the stats as they role in.

Do not expect to be alone everytime on public land but that guy calling every 90 sec was not a good situation...

That gobbler guy must have been in S.D. too . he kept it up from dark to dark and never moved. never heard him shot in two daysthat he was there, maybe him arm fell off.
sounds like you hand a good time. good hunting the next time out.

Good play by play, sorry for the tough year, but way to keep at it. You should have hit a ball over the fence and taught that tom a lesson.

I was hunting private land during my season and had some joker on the neighboring property calling about every 2 minutes for THREE hours. The same sound, same tone, same cadence, same everything. I wanted to walk over there and rip the call out of his hands. There were multiple birds sounding off right away and then one tom gobbled about every 5 minutes all morning and this idiot kept calling and calling and calling and calling. He wouldn't even let the tom finish gobbling before he was back on the call.