Thoughts on the Fall season

[rsmithpa]

What's your thoughts on the past fall turkey season.  You can discuss your like or dis-like for the dates or Did you find it hard to locate flocks this year do to mast crop being plentiful.  Lets hear what you have to say!

[MAK]

Although I had my chances, and blew it (another story for another day) - I did not like the split season. I had to take extra vacation time to get afield, which will take away from time available this spring.

Thanksgiving Day is family time, Friday was / is OK, but the last day, there were a bunch of guys scouting for rifle deer season, working on stands, sighting in rifles, riding ATV's, cutting firewood, etc.

Birds were hard to find in my area, but that was food source related. My main fall hunting grounds have been timbered recently, mast crops were scarce.

[rsmithpa]

The first day was the best but I had someone that never fall hunted with me and he couldn't take the flock not coming as fast as he liked.  He took a long shot (missed) and the game was over. The rest of the season was bad.  Lots of acorns and never ran into birds again.
 
I didn't like the late start nor the split season.  Not sure where the PGC head is at but they will manage to mess both spring and fall.  Give them time.  They have done a great job with the deer.  Turkey is next.  Just my thoughts.
 
Now have to wait through the cold months for spring season. At least I have several NWTF banquets and the Sports Show to pass the time away.

[Turkeybuster]

I found the birds very hard to find with all the mass they just were constantly on the move. I hunted in scratchings every day and it seemed as I was always one day behind them. There is a lot of birds in my area but I just couldn't connect with them. The split season sucks I hope we don't have to go through that again and if the PGC intends on doing so we need to lobby against it. I did kill a nice gobbler Thanksgiving morning in the rain and was home by 8:00 AM. that worked out ok. The last day was a bummer, friends of mine broke birds just before dark on Fri. evening and ask if I would join them on Sat. to call for his son. We were in the woods early and at first light two hunters walked up to us and ask where we were going to hunt we told them and they said they would hunt the creek bottom as to stay out of our way. When I got the birds cranked and coming our way they got between us and the birds and killed two and ran off. Nice way to end the season but I still made the best out of what we had to work with. I called a pair of old gobblers in in the afternoon in heavy winds but we spooked them at 35yds. and were gone the one bird is a monster and will be a good bird to hunt in the youth season.
Jon

[rsmithpa]

Jon,  Congrats on your thanksgiving day special.  Sorry to hear about the idiots that messed things up for ya. Now its that wait until spring season.  I hate it!

[Turkeybuster]

I know that is a long wait until spring but I guess we are going to get through it.
I am going to tie fly's and get some winter fishing in maybe finish some box calls up and hope to put a new roof on the cabin before the season rolls around. Need to cut some wood too. Hope that will make the time go a little faster. If you are going to come up to the sportsmen show let me know maybe we can get together and I am still considering State Colledge.
Jon

[rsmithpa]

Jon, I hoping the weather is good for both the banquet and the sports show.  Last year the weather got me on the sport show.  I will let you know!
Bob

[paboxcall]

The tent caterpillars were bad in our area of north central PA again this year, hitting the beech and oaks something terrible. On top of that, an early frost this fall wiped out the apples and cherries. Spent a lot of time in the fall woods up north, not certain what the deer, turks and other critters will be eating to get ready for what is already a bad winter.

We did find a couple of ridges where the turkeys were scratching for maple seeds and small fern shoots, and eventually found the flock. I was lucky to score a first year jake using a push pin from Perfection and one of my trumpet calls. I had a really good season this fall, and yet I worry about the lack of mast on the ground -- its gonna be a tough winter in the big woods around our camp.

As far as the split season, it was strange being home for Halloween weekend, but the Saturday opener for bear this year brought a lot of guys to camp. I am disappointed the game commission opted for the change against the recommendation of the turkey biologists and the state chapter who are in the midst of a population study, but so it goes.

Looking forward to spring, seem to tolerate winter less every year. Walking to my deer stand this year in the snow it made me realize how nice it is to have our spring season, weather is great, season is long, golf in the afternoon, what's not to like about spring???

[Turkeybuster]

Congrats. on the bird John they were hard to locate this year. Around our camp there was a lot of acorns and they dropped in late august and early september. It seemed strange but when I took a good look at them about 95% of them were dried out inside I think it was due to the last hot and dry spell we had. I never got up during turkey or deer season this year there was too much activity around home.
Jon

[mark hay]

Hope you don't mind me stepping over the state line here . It's refreshing , even though it's all in the past , to read your posts on the ups and downs of fall hunting turkeys.
 Congrats to you fellers on your success . Sorry to hear about the IMPATIENT hunter , Bob .
 Jon , I never took the time to bust open any acorns here in Ohio . But ,I did notice during my hunts that the turkeys were often times feeding on things other than acorns . But , we do have plenty ,,,good or bad . Some slopes were a hazard to climb . Our acorns fell just like you said , late august and through september . Some of the hickory trees hadn't shed their mast until after all the leaves were off .
 Spring is comin'