briglint

Hi. I'm new to hunting and this 2012 Spring Turkey Season is my first season ever. I've been out every weekend looking for turkeys in places that people tell me the turkeys are but I've been unsuccessfull in finding a single bird. I did come across two turkeys climbing a hill but they got away. Does anyone that lives in the Colorado Springs - Woodland Park - Pueble area have any advice that they can give me to find these things. The season is almost over and I'm thinking that I may just have to sign off on the fact that I may have to wait for the fall to try again.

I've set up where I've been told that they are, but using decoys and calls I get no responses from anything. I'm out there at 5am which may be a little late now that I look back....and I sit and I sit and I call every 5 minutes or so but again, nothing. I've also tried driving the trails calling every so often from the car but I get no responses that way either. I have a really loud gobbler call that I used to find the two that were walking the hill, and they responded right away with that so I thought using that out of a car window would work as well. I think everyone in Colorado has seen turkeys but me...any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

I'm trying Ft. Carson this weekend since I've been told that there are birds there. I went through all the red tape to get my pass so hopefully it's worth it.

newton29

Man I have been there even though I knew there were turkeys where I was hunting. I've never hunted out West, but will say get a call the birds can hear in the conditions (loud box, aluminum slate) and burn boot leather, and never give up. Call every 150 yards. You are looking for the one that is love sick, and he is out there. Since you are in CO, I figure it's like AR and you can walk 20 miles and never leave public land (if that's what you are hunting). Get back in the sticks. Good luck

kdsberman

PATIENCE. That is by far the #1 bit of advice a turkey hunter can give. I cant count the number of times i "thought" the woods was empty, and it was gonna be "one of those days", and 10 minutes later im putting the tag on one. If you know the birds are there, then that is all you need to know. They can travel very far in a short period of time. Just keep calling and something will respond, or even surprise you and just show up. Which brings me to this....Just because you dont HEAR anything, does NOT mean there arent any turkeys around. Trust me.

Again, PATIENCE. Keep trying. Stay positive. Turkey hunting can be extremely frustrating, but in the end it is such a great feeling when you get one.

Being that you are a first time turkey hunter, you will learn more and more each time you go out. Just when you think you are a master turkey hunter, they find a way to outsmart you yet again.

Good luck to you.

Phil from Maine

I agree with this one being at the top "PATIENCE". I would also recommend a box caller for anyone starting out. I would practice with so as you can learn to make a few different sounds from it. That along with making some softer sounds as well. Also try and be carefull with over calling as that will keep the birds away as well. Both of the birds I shot this year never responded to anything. But they were there and it took a lot of time before 1 came out. I was carefull not to over call as I knew they were in the area. It was more of a waiting game than anything else.. Good Luck to you.

briglint

Ok, thank you for the advice. Maybe you all are right, i'm not being patient enough. Will try again in the morning. I bought some trail cameras so I'm gonna go put those out and we'll see what comes around. If I can't shoot 'em, might as well have pictures of them hahaha.

foodguy

I live up here in Woodland Park and the birds have been quiet for the last three weeks. I got mine the first weekend of the season and called in a Jake for a friend the same day. Since then I have gone with a buddy a few times and not heard a single Tom but have called in 9 different hens but again no Toms. I only get to hunt on Saturdays and I think that if you hunted up around Ranpart after 2:00 in the afternoon then you would have your best chance. Just sit tight and call every 15 minutes or so then you would have a good chance.

briglint

I went to Ft. Carson reaaallllllyyyy early this morning, around 4:30am. As soon as we got in and started setting up we heard gobbles. We got in our blinds, and the gobbles were still going on just behind us but nothing was coming in at all. We sat there all morning listening to the gobbles and the clucks from the hens but we decided we were hungry so we left around 10:30 to go get something to eat and lo and behold...there is our gobbler in the middle of a field right behind us. We tried to get to him, he was strutting around showing off his fan, having a good 'ole time but someone sitting up near a rock way off in the distance somehow thought that should have been his bird because as soon as we got close enough for a shot, he shot....into the air I hope, and he started yelling which scared the bird away. I was so mad. But after that, we came back and we scouted around for a spot next weekend...found a beautiful elk shed...and a roosting spot of the turkeys...at least from what I can tell. And, as soon as we were packing up taking our stuff to the car we heard some more gobbles in the tree line. We'll try again next weekend since it'll be the last until the fall.

briglint

Hey foodguy, what area did you get your turkey in if you dont mind me asking. I tried the hayman burn area, the crags off 67 south of divide, hotel gulch off north 67 across from painted rocks and also rainbow falls. Checked out rosevelt res. off gold camp too....and nothing

foodguy

I have heard alot of good things about Ft Carson, its suppose to be Rio's Down there. I got my bird north of Divide and my buddies up by Cripple Creek. That area around the Crags is good but recieves a lot of Presure but so does every other place around here. In the 6 years I have been here all the birds that i have called in on public land have been after 10:00am when most of the other hunters have left the woods. Also I get as far from the road as I can before I start calling.

foodguy

Hey Briglint, i didnt read your post all the way. I have been out by painted rocks twice and had no luck but the birds are there. They are acting like they are hened up but the hens I see are alone and looking for toms. I wouldnt use the gobble call as a locator up here because in my experience the toms will take their hens away from any other toms they hear. The best locater I have found up here is a Goose Call, Every little stream or lake around here has geese on it, and early in the morning I have heard turkeys answering the geese more than my owl call. It looks like the next two weeks are going to be great weather so good luck and hope you get your bird.