Eastern turkey season

Anyone going out to chase easterns later this week?

I'm planning on it. I know where some are!!!

I will be out there.

Terrance,

You going around the same spot we went in 2014? My brother and I will be camping near there.

Yes...I have a couple of new guys who've never killed a turkey that I'm taking to the honey hole and a few more committee guys are hunting a few other areas nearby that I mapped out. Taking one guy who's never turkey hunted with me where we got our birds in 2014 and placing the other across the road where we got busted that year before we moved. Albert saw one going to roost over there last year. Going up early Thursday to scout out about 7 different spots that I think are hot spots.

Let me know what time yall plan to get there. I plan on staying at the marina to do some fishing after the huts but a couple of other guys are talking about camping probably near where you and I planned on camping before we both killed and left in the same day. If it looks like it's going to be a crowed out there while scouting I may end up camping out myself to already be in place opening morning...

We may come camp near there. We will get there Thursday night. I found a spot with a little bit more diverse terrain. I think there will be birds. Good luck with the new guys.

Well give me a shout when you there so we can meet up. If your spot doesn't turn up anything I may have a spot that will. I will have about 5 guys hunting different areas this weekend, but I'm scouting out at least 7 good areas where I believe will be productive and know there are decent populations of birds.

Got several on my place in Morris Cty, but the season is now closed. Haven't seen any here in Cass Cty, so I guess we will have to chase Rio's this year in Collingsworth and Montauge counties.

I will be heading out and really looking forward to it. I love huntin' in the E. Texas pineywoods region.

Well there's nothing like having an old eastern long beard gobbling at ya through those piney woods. Going to be a good time this weekend and hopefully a few of us can tag some birds early Friday so we can go catch some crappie....looking forward to connecting with you all...

Only thing that beats it is one gobbling deep in the bottom of hardwoods. They can shake, rattle and roll those woods.

Gman

yep...used to hunt a hardwood bottom over on the Angelina where I called in my first eastern years ago...didn't seal the deal though as the new hunter who was with me pointed when he saw the bird and it took off...

Shut down in Harrison Co. Don't see birds anyway.

Me and a buddy are.

I will be in Red River County

I'm herd building. Bobcats will have a field day of anything that comes from it though if a tom manages to find its way on over.

Sure hope they would take hold for ya. Saw a bunch 15-20 years ago then they disappeared. Out of the blue, they came back 4 years ago outside of Omaha. Should have let Josh pop an Eastern last year, but waited. Now the state shut us down.

One place has a ton of them, likely one of the highest populations of Easterns in the state since they're netting and transporting off the big lease next to it, but never seen many north of hwy21 in the county. The cats are thick though so any kind of free ranging yardbird is in trouble.

Anybody have any luck?

Angelina County is closed now. Angelina National Forest in Angelina and Jasper County is closed to turkey hunting.

Exactly...that's why I said years ago. Stopped hunting there years ago...have a new area on another forest now.

Just pointing it out since it was new for this year, and some people may not be aware of it.

We hunted hard last week ans a couple of us came close but no cigar. We located a hot bird Thursday before the opener and for whatever reason everyone wanted to hunt close to the area I generally hunt, so because it was a little distance I couldn't get any of the guys who do back and hunt that hot bird the next morning. That bugged me so I sent another biddy from the forum over to the area, but I think they got a late start and when they got there another hunter was walking out of the area with what I believe to be the hot bird we called to. In the area I usually hunt, one of the guys heard a faint gobble the evening before the opener and we found a few tracks. We spit in about 5 different directions and I hunted with a first timer and we only heard one gobble opening morning. Hunted a different area that evening and heard nothing no we went back to my usual hot spot the next morning. We heard another gobbler on the roost and later worked another gobbler who was answering me and another guys call. We were talking to a bunch of hens and he was coming with them, and just at the last minute they got spooked and shut down. After everyone but me and one other guy left we got some fishing done and caught some catfish, then went to another spot in the woods. We hunted not too far apart but far enough that with the forest cover and hills we couldn't hear one another call, so when I heard 2 or 3 different gobblers he never heard them. There were a lot of hens around and it was close to time to go to roost, so about 7p.m. I got up and walking knowing nothing was coming in spite on all the gobbling and responses I got, so I walked a good way in and fount several birds going up to roost. Too bad I wasn't able to hunt the next morning ..else I would've had a bird. Planning on going back soon so hope no one else has ventured deep into this knew area...looks like no one has traveled back that far in a while so we shall see...

That will work...I think they've but up signs on all the main roads leading into the forest saying Eastern turkey season is close. Some people don't care though because one radio collared bird was already poached a few weeks before the season opened. Jason Harden told me when we did our youth event at GE WMA back in March...some folks are just worthless.

Good luck on your next outing Terrance! I am planning a day trip before the end of the season, but won't be anywhere near your honey hole or other spots you showed me. Need to do a little more research before I finalize plans....

Don't know if you're thinking about going where you and I wanted to go after all the locals and the game wardens were telling us that's where they were seeing all the birds. I was thinking about researching checking out some of those areas up there myself at some point...Met a few hunters at the check stations last couple of years who saw and harvested a lot of birds up there. Was just too spoiled to leave from where I've been successful hunting the past couple of years...

I thought about that hard, but thinking it may be too pressured, especially for a basic turkey hunter as myself. I have to make a few phone calls first and then I will get your take on it. Albert mentioned on the ride home that he wanted to go back up one more time this season before it got too hot for him.

Anybody doing any good? I got a tom on the second day of season in Nacogdoches county. Never turkey hunted in my life. We have a bunch on our land this year so I gave it a shot. A buddy of mine called him in he weighed 20 lbs and had a 11 1/4 inch beard. Now Im hooked.

Sorry guys trying to remember how to do this. But this is my Turkey.

Sorry guys trying to remember how to do this. But this is my Turkey.

Congrats on your first bird!

Had to go back to the honey hole and work on those birds I roosted a few weeks ago. Glad I did else I wouldn't have been able to harvest my third public land eastern three years in a row. Sat from 8a.m. until almost 11:30 without hearing a thing and once I decided to call one more time he gobbled from right behind me. I kept calling until I could tell he was walking in my direction and before he got in range enough to see I got in position and aimed my shotgun in the direction of my decoys. I see a head stick out from knee high grass towards my decoy setup and realized it was a hen he'd been following. I could hear him spitting and drumming from my left flank and before long he was at my decoys picking a fight. I had to stay still while aiming my shotgun in that direction because the hen was just feet in from of me. Pulled the trigger at the first opportunity and he staggered forward and ran off in the direction he came from and dropped 15 yards. Hen stood there until I stood up and she took off. Walked out with him a good ways back to the truck and although worn out I was happy!

While walking out with my bird there was an explosion of wing beats at my feet that scared the crap out of me. After I saw it was a hen flying up from the ferns I saw this...hoping she comes back so we can have a few more birds out there next couple of years...

Awesome job Terrance!!! and thanks for the neat write-up.

So what did you see down further south?

I found a place I really liked that I set up in. It was 'alive' with lots of animal activity. I thought I heard a few hens and a gobbler in the afternoon, but couldn't call anything in. Most of the places I saw driving around were thick pine woods interspersed with some oaks with very poor visibility. I think it is worth another try next season, with a little more scouting done in the off-season.

Did anyone else in your group see or hear anything?

Ended up going by myself...the gobbler I shot was the only one I heard that day as opposed to the last time I was there and heard two or three. One thing about the land you're hunting they periodically do thinnings and cut overs out there. I'd look for the most recent clear cut or thinned areas as that is where the birds will frequent in early morning hours. If the majority of the forest you're hunting is too thick for you to walk through then chances are the birds won't want to walk through it either...

Good point Tjack. On Google Earth there were areas that looked cleared out, but when I got there I saw that they had been planted with new pine trees which had grown to about 10 ft or taller. Looked like an absolute nightmare trying to walk through those sections, so I didn't and stayed on the edges. Not sure when images are updated in Google Earth (or if ever), but they had to be a few years old. Is there a better online tool comparable to Google Earth that is better for hunters and fishers?

Well if you recall that was our problem with a few of the spots I wanted to scout on our last group trip up. Google Earth hadn't been updated and we were going to to places at the edges of what were supposed to be clear cuts and there was 10-20 foot young pines. That's why we only hunted 2 or 3 areas I was familiar with, but where you were hunting you just have to drive that area because the last time I hunted there it had a lot of clear cut areas and they do it several times a year on different sections of the area. Google maps and google earth are the only two I use, but maybe someone else on here knows of something that stays more up to date.

Did a scouting trip this morning in Red River County and found 3 toms, one gobbled till nearly 9 AM this morning. Have to see what the weather holds for tomorrow, but plan to hunt at least a couple of days this week.

Gman

Well post pics when you get him...

No Texas Eastern for me this year. After the storms that ravaged Red River County last night, I can't get close to the birds. Not a gobble was heard this morning. Neighbors rain gauge showed 5.50" of rain last night.

Gman

Man that sucks...hate to hear that. One of our committee guys went near my honey hole area on the national forest yesterday and after the rain he was working a gobbler and saw him in the distance coming his way. Soon after he heard something and a guy on a 4 wheeler came riding through the woods and scared it off. Bad thing about it is that it's not legal to ride a 4 wheeler on the national forest. He confronted the guy and asked him what he was doing and he came up with a lie about he heard a tree had fallen on their fence and was going in to check the damage. Thing is he's leasing paper company land and there's only a scraggly old 2-3 foot wire fence that somewhat separates the forest from the private and it's actually been down in spots for years and unfit for keeping anything in or out. They've torn the ground up on the forest side of the fence with the 4 wheelers sneaking in on the back of the forest. Our guy reported it to the local game warden and I called forest service law enforcement. Makes no sense to be on a lease and being greedy and illegally driving your 4 wheeler onto the national forest trying to get the best of both worlds and blowing the public hunters hunt by driving in from the private side...

Congrats, Its easy to get hooked..

nice pic