2008.03.26
It's about time to talk turkeys, isn't it?
So my turkey-addicted buddy Freddy McGuire just sent me an e-mail saying he could tell by recent blog postings that I had the fishing bug and had cast aside all my hunting buddies. Tough to deny that.
I have been so focused on fish that I hadn't given much thought to Virginia's upcoming spring gobbler season. But it is coming up soon -- less than two weeks till the youth hunt.
Freddy is among the hunters whose spring has already started. He shot this longbeard during a recent trip to Florida. You can see more shots from the trip and read Freddy's account on Freddy's Vaturkey.com Web site.
Freddy always keeps a hunting journal on the site and does a good job of keeping it updated. This year he's trying something new, with a blog that he will update from the field with his Blackberry. Of course, if I'm up early enough to be reading a live report about a spring hunt, I hope I'm actually out there doing it.
So, who's hearing gobbler and seeing strutters out there?
Looking forward to my first Turkey this year! I have my fryer at home ready and fueled up.
Comment by TJ — March 26, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Mark,
in the Wirtz area of Franklin Co. they are quiet as of now, seen lots of activity, even nice Gobblers out for lunch in the fields but we have a problem with Coyotes ( seen evidence of a few kills also) so they might stay quiet until the last minute.
John
Comment by JOHN SCHENK — March 26, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Mark,
My hunting partner Mark Mullen has reported hearing several birds in Roanoke County over the last couple of weeks. He heard a couple yesterday morning at the location he took you this past fall. I've only had the opprtunity to go out and listen one morning and heard nothing, but the area is eat up with turkeys so I tend not to worry. I did hear one gobble the week before last while trout fishing at Glade Creek, was right at fly up time and he gobbled once. Have heard birds gobble in the same area before, shame I can't hunt them. My next door neighbor heard one gobble behind our houses a week ago and showed me some pics he was able to get of them on his trail cam he set up in his back yard, nice birds one of which had nice spurs. These to cannot be hunted because it's in the city limits.
Comment by Jim Basham — March 27, 2008 @ 11:10 am
Thanks for the reports, guys.
I've been hearing similar reports. In fact, Jim, one of them was exactly like the one you got from Mark Mullen yesterday: He called me, too.
I just got off the phone with Gary Norman, Virginia's main turkey biologist, and he mentioned that it's better when they don't gobble too early. So let's hope things stay pretty quiet for a while longer.
Good luck.
mt
Comment by Mark Taylor — March 27, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Mark,
Went out Sat. AM in Bedford Co. and heard 2 gobbling on the roost, 4-6 times each. There was also a very vocal hen roosted nearby, I'll deal with her in the fall. Mark Mullen was at another place about a mile down the road and he heard 2 also. Saw a really nice bird strutting in Franklin Co. later that morning, not far of the side of the road. Couldn't tell how many hens were nearby.
Comment by Jim Basham — March 31, 2008 @ 10:55 am