I found 'em

[mark hay]

Actually I found two different flocks at complete opposite ends of the public land . The western flock is mostly , if not all hens . The eastern flock is all gobblers . I ain't never found a concentration of gobbler sign like I found today . I had them talking on three occasions . At one point I could hear them purring as they were feeding . Some places looked like they were having a turd contest . Poop all over the place .
 
I shouldn't have gone today because it is youth deer gun season . Not that I was disturbing anyone , but during any deer gun season we are required to wear blaze orange . Needless to say ,,,,I got busted .
 
Weatherman is predicting snow later in the week . That could make things interesting.
 1 week to fill my tag. Off work thur.,fri.,sat.,and sunday.

[allaboutshooting]

Hey Mark,

I'm glad you located some birds. They are always good to see. Good luck with the rest of your hunt.

Thanks,
Clark

[rbewilson]

Go get them Mark,gald you found some turkeys to hunt.I seen some turkeys Sat. morning in a field on the other side of the hollow that I am deer hunting.[:D][:D][:D][:D]

[stormshooter4]

Go figure, huh Mark.
  1st day of NY gun season started Sat. Tirkey season closed on Friday. The wife and I was sitting out there Sat. morn, me on the ground, her in a 1 person pull over blind. Around 10am a big flock of turkeys came in. All hens, not one beard at all. I watched them come down the slope and cross the small creek to us. They cut over behind me but 2 of them were about 4 yards behind me, clucking scrathing, and purring. Then they wandered on thru the woods. Then about 10 min. later a lone hen came thru clucking trying to catch up to the flock. The wife never saw them cause that side of the blind was closed, but she heard them. Sure, you're out deer hunting and the woods are crawling with turkeys.
  BTW Mark, I too was wearing breakup orange and yet they came in close.

[Duke0002]

Congrats, Mark.   I've located some recently, but haven't been able to pull the trigger.

[nhtrkybstr]

I was out deer hunting last saturday, and I had a huge flock of birds up in a field just above me.
What a racket! I was gonna try to sneak up and take a look at them, but was pressed for time to get out of there.
Only 6 1/2 months till spring.
Who's counting?

Mike

[Steve_In]

Go get them.  I am chasing deer, well waiting on them.  I would to be chasing turkeys instead.

[mark hay]

I returned to one of the flocks I found last weekend , this morning. It was going to be a short 2 hour hunt , due to family gatherings , but I had to get out . I chose to try the flock nearest the road for times sake . A 50 yard walk from parking lot to a powerline clearcut , turn right and downhill for nearly 100 yards to a well used and very old dusting sight . Needless to say I was make some noise in the near dark conditions . I made it to the dust bowls and settled down a while . I hit the wingbone with a few tree calls . Nothing . Waited a bit and hit the Wilson Box , again , a few tree yelps . Nothing . Light was increasing and I could see the property line markers . OOOPS! I was on the wrong side . So I moved to be legal . After moving I hit the Kinder mouthcall and I heard a THUD across the clearcut , and out in the timber maybe 50 yards . I was guessing it was a turkey hitting the ground . A minute later I hear  the big wings of another ,,,then another . I kept switching calls trying to get them fired up , but nothing doing .
 
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE ,,,,,,,went away from me silently. But it sure beat sitting at home wishing I had gone .
 
Y'all have a great day ![:D]

[Dcoleinpa]

goodluck Mark.

[mark hay]

This morning I moved in on a holler where I suspected the gobblers were roosting . Suspected due to the lay of the land , and the woods being bordered by a field , and this border being about halfway between the top and bottom. The whole area is so tore up I couldn't tell by their sign if they roosted there or not . At any rate , I happened to be right . Ruined another hat with the bighead . I no more than arrived to where I planned to start the game when a gobbler started the tree calls. Soon several more were crankin' it up . I threw them a single gobble and the big old tom jumped on me with some cutts and very deep and coarse yelps . I heard them all pitch out and hit the ground . From there they just argued with me as they fed away . Meanwhile I heard a hen yakkin' way up the holler to my right. Pretty soon she is straight down the hill from me . I kept quiet allowing her to pass . So she goes to the gobblers and yaks at them a few times , then starts up the hill yelping once in a while . I kept watching a certain little clearing expecting to see her go through it . I also kept looking for a sneakin' tom to come up . As I rolled my eyes back 'n' forth I see the hen standing in that clearing . She stopped their , stood tall on her toes and flapped her wings a few times. Then walked on up the hill behind me . She is a big'n too.
 Things got quiet , except for that hen , which found her tribe and they all said hello to her upon her arrival . I made a loop around trying to locate and head off the gobblers . Twice they were close enough to hear them scratchin' and purring. They probably spotted me and run off.
 I head for the homestead . Upon starting down the highway it's only about 3/4 mile from the parking lot to that hillside field that borders the public woods . I always slow there for a looksee. 25 hens and one first year jake . I put the big glasses on the herd to check 'em out . They were taking turns picking on a certain bearded hen . As the hens took their turn the jake would push the bearded hen around with his breast . The top of his head was snow white . The last hen finally got a hold on her right behind her head . What a tussle ! The beard on that old hen was no less than 8 inches ,,,maybe 9 .