buckmaster68

Does anyone have these seasons? And do you think it is going to get better or harder to get the birds later in the season?
I have seen 2-3 different toms in my field and none of them are strutting. They have just now been with a few hens today. Otherwise they were coming out by themselves at different times than the hens.
It just seems like it is going to be different than previous years. Usually they are strutting all the time right now and following the hens earlier than now. Maybe everything is later than normal?
Good Luck to everyone that does go out!! My son has the first season in May and I have the second season.

KONK

I have the May 11 season. This will be my first turkey hunt, and I am really looking forward to it. In my unit # 35 the turkeys are really moving. I have been seeing them at all times of the day. The Tom's are not very vocal but are strutting all over the place. This should be fun!!

jepcho

I hunt in Iowa but am also hunting in may. I like the later seasons. In some ways the hunting is a little easier, the toms are less henned up. Good luck to both of you!

Handles

1st and 2nd season, lots of birds harvested around here. They've been strutting for weeks. 3rd season was a little slower due to the weather, mainly the high winds.

hatrackr

I have 5th period and I couldnt be hapier! I have always killed my biggest birds during 5th and 6th period including a true limb hanger with 1 3/8 inch spurs that was my very first turkey in 2001 since then i have had seasons 3,4,5,6 and have killed a mature gobbler every year except one (I shot a jake on the second to last day during a snow storm) The birds are a little more pressures than 1st period but more often they are not henned up and if you encounter toms with hens in the morning dont leave the woods, by 11:00 the hens will be on the nests and the toms will be lonely and lookin for love. Last year I shot my turkey in zone 26(jefferson county) at 3:00 in the afternoon he and another tom were gobbling there fool heads off and the very next day I called a great bird in for my brother in unit 3(Richland county) again at about 3:00 in the afternoon. My favorite method is to walk and hammer with a crow call till I get one to answer, if they shock gobble a couple of times chances are they are cranked up and ready to come to any call. but be ready cause a lot of times afternoon gobblers will come in a hurry! Also if they gobble at your calls but wont come close enough call aggressive for a few minutes and get them fired up then shut up, after a few minutes they wont be able to stand it and will come to find that hen, hopefully that will be there last mistake!

Good luck Post some picks if you get one

Bukmastr

They are active in S.E, Wisconsin

bushmaster_5bko

i hunted april 27- May 1st, they were gobblin a bit, but i can tell really slowing down, i was out 2 weeks b4 that too. I believe it will get harder later in the season, but good luck!

KONK

Just completed my season (May 11) , man that weather last week was brutal. 13 deg wind chill on Thursday. Saw few birds each day. This was my first year turkey hunting and it won't be the last. Even though the weather did not co-operate it was fun. What do you do when the weather is bad like it was last week and windy as all hell (Thurs wind gusts were 30 - 35 mph). [:'(] What kind of stratagy do you use?

buckmaster68

I have had one of the toughest turkey seasons.
My son had the May 4th - 8th season and it took us until the last morning for him to get his. We had to hunt them like deer for him to get one. I patterned them behind the house and they came out in the morning so we just got in there early and sat in the blind and waited for them to come out and he got a 20 pound tom with a 8 inch beard.
I had the next season May 11th - 15th and it took me until Sat. to get mine and I hunted every spare minute of everyday. I got home around 4 o clock Sat. from hunting and at like 4:15 there were 3 toms in the back field. So I snuck along the creek all the way to the back corner where my blind is and by the time I got there they were not in the field anymore because it started raining kind of hard. So I snuck into my blind and waited and it started to get sunny out again and I knew they would come back out after the rain slowed down. I sat there for about 15 minutes and they came out, I picked the biggest one which ended up being a 21 pound bird with a 11 1/2" beard.
Both of our birds we got were with no calling at all. It seemed like the calling scared them or made them avoid us. It was a hard season to say the least.

buckmaster68

By the way konk did you ever get one? And to answer your question if all else fails hunt them like deer if they can be patterned. It worked for me.