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Ohio Turkeys - Spring 24

Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,461
145
Guilford County
Nice looking boy strutting his stuff
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Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,206
178
Mohicanish
I'm scrambling for youth season. Barely any turkeys on the farm so I'm not hunting there and nearby landowners are feeling the same (used to 20-60+ flocks and now only seeing a handful of birds).

Any public areas still with good numbers of birds? i haven't seriously hunted public in white a few years.
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,585
127
I'm scrambling for youth season. Barely any turkeys on the farm so I'm not hunting there and nearby landowners are feeling the same (used to 20-60+ flocks and now only seeing a handful of birds).

Any public areas still with good numbers of birds? i haven't seriously hunted public in white a few years.
Pockets here and there on different pieces of state land, the turkey situation on your farm is what us western flat landers deal with every year when turkey hunting and deer hunting most of our youth. Welcome brother, this exclusive club of bad turkey hunting comes with endless frustration, wasting time/money and alcoholism.
 
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brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,858
247
IMG_8930.jpeg
Mason went to Kentucky to get the ball rolling. I’ll probably go hunting Monday. I’m heading down there tomorrow to fool around a bit. He hunted public land that I used to deer hunt a couple decades ago. Said the parking lot was full but no one bothered him during his short hunt. He only heard one other shot and it was a long way off. That’s all great news when using heavily hunted ground on opening day.
 

ThatBuckeyeGuy

Active Member
1,030
52
Ohio
View attachment 193420Mason went to Kentucky to get the ball rolling. I’ll probably go hunting Monday. I’m heading down there tomorrow to fool around a bit. He hunted public land that I used to deer hunt a couple decades ago. Said the parking lot was full but no one bothered him during his short hunt. He only heard one other shot and it was a long way off. That’s all great news when using heavily hunted ground on opening day.
Heck yeah congrats!
 
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brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,858
247
Krista and I have been in Kentucky since yesterday. Too busy to hunt yesterday but I gave it a try this morning. Only heard one gobbler and he was a long way off. I did call one up that came in silent but couldn’t tell if it was a gobbler or a Jake. I mistakenly let him get away. Not really a mistake I guess. Not all that much fun to shoot one if he isn’t gobbling.
 

Isaacorps

Member
5,248
145
Columbus
I hunted the WV opener Monday. Called in a pair of 2 year olds mid morning. They were with a hen on the opposite side of the holler so I got her good and pissed off and she dragged them in with her to investigate. They stayed just out of range but put on a good show nonetheless. I’ll be back down Friday and then on to Lawrence county for the Ohio opener this weekend. Good times
 

Wiley E Coyote

Active Member
I'm heading down with the camper this afternoon. Birds have not been on my place for two weeks but I can hear them on the neighbors property. Guessing he may have put some corn out or something but I don't know that for sure. Either way there's birds in hearing distance so my calling should bring the horny boys in mid morning. I was there listening for youth weekend and only heard one shot far off in the distance. That was in the morning I don't know what may have happened in the afternoon 🦃
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,206
178
Mohicanish
So I talked to some friends in the area that hunt. The one has permission to shed hunt over 500 acres (multiple properties) around their own. He said he had been seeing some turkeys on their property but there is still a lot of "deer feeding" piles of yellow acorns on the neighboring properties and feels that may be impacting his sightings.

I have seen 2 toms and 1 hen on the farm while walking around mushroom hunting this week and have actually heard some gobbles from them. I was debating seeing if they would play ball and see if I could get a double for my kids but they are literally the only turkeys I've seen around so I'm gonna just enjoy seeing them and hope they can repopulate things.

I'm going to be driving around to nearby public lands and seeing what I can get into. Downside is I have no idea where the turkeys are, upside is I have no expectations and its fun finding new lands to hunt. I'm also going to head south at some point once we can hunt all day when its worth the drive. I'll run and gun down there and see what I can get into.
 

Isaacorps

Member
5,248
145
Columbus
Tough sledding today. Sporadic gobbling first thing and then the rain set in. Wasn’t bad but kinda shut things down. Spotted 2 gobblers with hens in a field as the rain ended. Set up and tried to call them away but they weren’t having it. Hens retreated to the woods with gobblers in tow. Put on the miles after that and only a couple more gobbles, none that wanted to do the dance. Got my steps in anyway. 8,800, 3.7 miles, and 35 floors climbed 😅