Whose giving up turkey hunting?

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fairchaser

fairchaser

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After a tough season, I wonder whose giving up turkey hunting for other pursuits.

My last 4-5 hunts this spring, I never heard a gobble. I did manage to at least see a turkey on nearly every hunt. Generally hens.

But I managed to kill two gobblers which is a decent season for me. The more I turkey hunt, the more confident I am that if they will gobble, I have a decent chance. But, I don't care much for afternoon hunts or just sitting and waiting. I still love being in the woods this time of year. But if you don't have a good place to hunt, it can be frustrating.

I do miss my Spring crappie fishing.
 
I gave up last weekend. I killed 2 in April. Then I went to Ohio to hunt for a week and got poured on for 5 out of 6 days. Came home, cleaned and dried everything, went fishing. I've fished 5 days since I've been home. No more 4 am alarms.
 
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Not me, or at least until fall season opens up. I really look forward to 🦃 season every year. It signals to my brain that cold weather is almost behind us, that it's time to chase them thunder chickens, keep an eye out for morels and slip in some fishing in between hunts. Yea, I couldn't imagine giving 🦃 hunting up.
 
fairchaser said:
After a tough season, I wonder whose giving up turkey hunting for other pursuits.

My last 4-5 hunts this spring, I never heard a gobble. I did manage to at least see a turkey on nearly every hunt. Generally hens.

But I managed to kill two gobblers which is a decent season for me. The more I turkey hunt, the more confident I am that if they will gobble, I have a decent chance. But, I don't care much for afternoon hunts or just sitting and waiting. I still love being in the woods this time of year. But if you don't have a good place to hunt, it can be frustrating.

I do miss my Spring crappie fishing.
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This mirrors my season.

I did not get to "play the game" enough, and this is the first year in several that the birds practically shut down the last couple of weeks in my area, which really made me glad to see it end.

I won't hunt non-gobbling turkeys and really only hunt early mornings.

However, after a job change last year, I did find some new-to-me public ground near my new employment that looks very promising to replace some of my old spots that have dried up.
 
agree with Catman... never will I quit turkey hunting as long as I can get around well enough....Missed one at 15 yards Saturday...bad way to end the season, on my last hunt for the year so I am already for next season to come.
 
It was a little demoralizing this season to get skunked for the first time. Zero kills. Since I am motivated by meat (big time into living off the land) it does make me wonder if I should spend a little more time fishing in the spring than chasing pressured public land birds. But I know myself and I will have forgotten all this and be back out after em next year. Plus this is why I put a lot of venison in the freezer every year- so I can suck at turkey hunting and still feed the fam.
 
I gave up this whole season for scuba classes and gearing up for spearing some red snapper and grouper this summer. I might give up an occasional season like this year but never for good. Even on my worst turkey seasons I've always came back the next year. I'll be back at em next year
 
Last year was my first season hunting turkeys. Got blanked. This year I at least saw turkeys and had some gobbling. Still got blanked. If I lived where there was a spring bear season, I'd never turkey hunt again. As things stand, I'll continue to turkey hunt, but I only look forward to it as a means to be in the woods with a weapon.

The great news is that spring squirrel is here!!!
 
Madbowh said:
I gave up this whole season for scuba classes and gearing up for spearing some red snapper and grouper this summer. I might give up an occasional season like this year but never for good. Even on my worst turkey seasons I've always came back the next year. I'll be back at em next year
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I think that is a good trade off. Never spear fished but when I went to Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key west towards the end when we were getting ready to graduate we would lay some lobster traps and dive back down and get them and the class would eat lobster. Good times haven't done it since.
 
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I had a normal fir me season. Lots of gobbles no kills. I was hunting Sunday hadn't heard a gobble so I gave up about 3 pm and caught a trout, on my way home in somebody's yard on the edge of the woods was two of the biggest gobblers I've ever seen. I'm recharged and ready for fall.
 
If our Heavenly Father sees fit for me to make it to the next season with good enough health to chase gobblers like I enjoy doing, I will be out there. It is #1 for me as far as hunting or fishing goes.

If/when it gets to the point that the only way I can hunt them is by deer hunting them from a tent, I suspect I will give my calls away and call it a day. I have hunted them that way a few times over the years, and it just doesn't do anything for me. If/when that happens, hopefully I can rediscover the spring fishing I gave up many years ago.

2021 was good to me. We didn't have many birds where I was hunting, but I was blessed to find a little pocket with a couple of vocal ones that were willing to play most mornings. I had decided before the season started that due to our lack of birds that I was going to self-limit to two at the most. I was done in about two weeks. The morning after I killed number 2, I hunted because I was already over there. I called one up on a friend's property that adjoins my lease, but let him walk as he was from the same flock of birds that are WAY down. I didn't go back after that.

Now, to dream about the #2 on my list in seeing a 100# tarpon on the end of my fly line this summer.
 
As long as I'm able and Lord willing I'll hunt turkey and morels each spring....we had several gobbling opening week....I killed one tom and my buddy killed one tom and then we backed off and left them alone....hoping we have a good hatch this spring.
 
Last year was the worst season I've ever had. This year was the best and will probably never be topped. No chance of me ever giving up turkey hunting.
 

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