Turkeys Starting to Perk Up NW of Spokane, WA

[dluders]

On my drives through the extreme NW corner of Riverside State Park, I'm seeing turkeys on private land just outside of the park.  Where Pine Bluff Road meets Carlson Road (west of the Nine Mile Dam), there are small groups of turkeys in the open field downhill from Carlson Road.  I saw 3 hens at 60 yards, then saw two gobblers off in the distance about 200 yards in different places on different afternoons this week.  I don't know the landowner and don't have time to hunt (due to other commitments), but perhaps others could take advantage of this predicament.  I used my crow call on them from the road, but the turkeys could care less and just proceeded to waddle slowly away.
 
The manager of the Fairchild AFB Sports Range is now seeing a FEW turkeys in his favorite canyon south of Cheney.  He tried circling around a gobbler that was with a few hens, but couldn't connect.

[beardsnspurs]

dluders,
 
Glad to see someone reporting in WA.  I too have been hunting the Spokane area.  I am still waiting for the snow to clear in my usual hunting spots, in fact brushed snow off my decoys before fly down on opening morning.  I figured an 1" of snow on them wasn't going to fool the toms.  I think the cold weather has seriously delayed the "typical" spring mating season.  All the flocks I have seen (on private land) have been all hens or all toms but never together.  I have not been able to get them to sock gobble or even talk using traditional calls.  I am hope we get about 10 days straight of 60 degree weather to save the season or I will remain birdless for the season.  I might have to consider a white sheet and snow shoes as standard turkey gear if the season continues as it has for the first 3 weekends of the season.  Did you get out this past weekend and test your luck? 

[dluders]

Tom turkeys are strutting in and around Riverside State Park.  This past Monday (May 5th at around 7:45 AM, I drove by two Toms strutting in front of 3 hens just west of the Nine Mile Dam on Carlson Road.  A few minutes later, I drove by two hens and 3 toms along Rutter Parkway in the Little Spokane Natural Area east of the Painted Rocks.  They seemed very unafraid (probably since they were in or near State land where hunting isn't allowed).
 
I'm likely to go hunting (for the first time in my life, for any species) this Sunday in private land along Coulee Creek in NW Spokane County.  I know the turkeys are there -- folks have reported seeing them and I can even hear them gobbling at daybreak a mile from where I live.