2016 Road trip. Story to come.

[3seasons]

Horrible weather and birds that were done for the season.

10 days 3100 miles traveled

52+ miles walked (6days of rain and mud) 7 birds and 3 states. We had a blast but we worked hard for them. I'd do it again starting now if my job would allow it.

Missouri

Decided to try out luck in Missouri and Iowa this year and go from there. We arrived in MO late May 4 in time to do some scouting and looking before dark. We found some good spots for the next morning but we didn’t hear or see any birds. We talked with a friend who also directed us to an out of the way, never woulda thought of spot to look at and it looked good also. We started off in the spot we had been directed to and we didn’t hear a bird that Thursday morning so we made a quick run to a large block of land and did some walking again not hearing anything after walking a few miles. We made a last ditch effort and ran to another spot a friend told me about only to find a lot of weekend kayakers and dogs running where we wanted to hunt. First day was a total bust so we loaded up and drove north hoping to find some more active birds.

We found ourselves on a friend of a friends place that Thursday afternoon and we were able to roost a bird so Friday was looking better. We found ourselves wading through a swamp and some of the thickest woods I’ve ever attempted to hunt. It was crazy thick but we could hear birds in the distance. We tried setting up in the bottom but when we sat down Reid’s head was 6” below the grass so and where I was I could see about 2 feet so we made a quick move to a nearby ridge. We had one bird hung up about 200yds away gobbling like crazy but there was a huge creek and 200yds of thick woods to cross. We had two more behind us with the same obstacles to overcome and we had two way up the ridge we were on coming our way. We poured the calls to them and finally one bird broke off and we could tell he was getting close. We could hear him drumming and I could see Reid aiming and aiming and then nothing no more drumming. Reid looks over at me and said two minutes in either direction and I coulda shot but the right then at that exact moment the sun broke the horizon and totally had him blinded as he was looking for the bird that was standing at 25yds. He said he couldn’t even make the bird out it was so bright and as soon as the bird walked off the sun was high enough that he could now see again. I had a huge tree blocking me so I couldn’t see either. Just wasn’t that birds day.

We let things settle down and make a loop, did I say the woods were thick, through the thick woods. As we broke off into an opening I made a call and heard nothing then Reid calls right behind me as two hens would do and a bird gobbles just out of eye sight so we both just melt to the ground. Reid can see the bird strutting to our left and then the bird breaks and runs down the hollow and up the next ridge and went back to strutting about 120yds away. It took about 40min before he finally got quiet and we gave him 20min more before we attempted to make a move. I eased up and while doing so I pulled out my strutting silhouette and as soon as I got to where we could see I see a huge red head looking back at me 120yds away. He was still there and he see me. He looks and looks then goes into a half strut and here he comes back to the other ridge he was on originally. When he hit an opening Reid sees a shot and takes it. Reid’s first MO bird down at 11:20 on the second day.

24lbs Double beard 10 3\4” and 7 1\4” with 1 5\16 spurs. Heck of a bird.

We decided to give a friend of ours a call that we had met at work back during an outage in February, he had invited us up to hunt with him and we decided it would be fun to meet back up with him. We made a run from NE MO to NW MO that afternoon and got ready for the next morning’s hunt. Just before dark we saw a gobbler and a couple hens going to roost so there was some excitement for the next morning. Saturday morning was real nice but the birds just didn’t gobble much. We were able to finally find the gobbler we had seen go to roost in a planted corn field strutting with some hens. I set up to try my luck with him and Reid and our friend went to make a loop to see if they could find another bird somewhere else. After the bird I was on got ran off by two other gobblers and then those two birds got led off by the hens I decided to headed back to the truck. As I get back to the truck I hear a gunshot in the distance, I just smiled and said that dang Reid just got another one then another shot and I laughed and said oh no maybe not. We he had connected with a bird and had to finish it off with the second shot. I was pumped he had found a hot gobbler, he said they had tried to text me to come their way but we had no service at all so it never came through. I was happy he got a second bird but things were looking rough for me and I really didn’t want to eat a MO tag.

22lbs 10 1\4” beard with 1 1\16” spurs

We had a decision to make for Sunday morning the last day of the MO season. Our buddy could only hunt till 9:30 so we had to decide either chance a short hunt or make a run back east to hunt where we hunted Friday. I made the decision to stay and give it a try. Fingers crossed.

Sunday morning we set up where we thought the birds would be and they were there just 300yds behind us up the hill. Strutting with his hens. He works out of sight then the other two birds come and join him and then lock up in one corner of the field. After an hour with time passing fast we made a move and tried to circle them but the ditch was way too deep to cross so no luck there. We started back to the original spot and saw one of the gobblers walking that way so we rushed to the ditch row we had set up on. It was now 9 and I had 30min to make something happen. I slipped through the ditch and ease up the thick ditch row calling softly. I never heard or saw anything and I had gotten to the end, it was like the gobbler had vanished. I realized that my MO season was now over and I had a blast hunting but wasn’t able to connect and I was ok with that. Just before I started the walk back to the truck I decided to look at the grass berm that ran through the field that in hindsight we could have used to move on the birds. As I approached the berm the gobbler steps out at 25yds and I couldn’t believe my eyes. In one quick motion I swung my gun up and took the shot. Needless to say it was a true blessing from the good Lord for me to take that bird within the last minutes of my MO season. Not the way I had wanted to take him but I’ll sure take it.

22lbs 10” beard with 1 1\8” spurs.

Iowa to come

Edited May 25, 2016 by 3seasons

[Ravin R10 man]

Yup, guys here say birds are not responding to calling, and less dominate birds will run off at the sound of a call or the sight of a decoy

Heard a Gobbler yesterday, guess a couple are still chasin, a hen was seen last weekend with her brood already

Edited May 20, 2016 by Mathews XT Man

[Rhino]

Those conditions sure make for tough hunting Scott. Overall it was tough season for most turkey hunters I know. During our 2nd trip to MO the birds weren't responding or going to fields like they had in past seasons. I had to resort to hitting the timber in MO and hunt them run & gun style, without decoys. I didn't mind at all and killed my 2nd MO bird that way. Heck, that's my preferred way to hunt them. Hunters that were not used to hunting birds that way had it tough.

[colorado bob]

They have been gobbling good here in Colorado. Just about everyone I've talked to has gotten into them. Lots of birds taken.

[RangerClay]

[3seasons]

MO added