|
Post by meateater on Apr 10, 2024 9:04:35 GMT -5
I’ve pulled that permit twice and had success both times, plenty of birds out there, good luck and post a report. we got a spot burner.
|
|
fsu11
Junior Member
Posts: 32
|
Post by fsu11 on Apr 10, 2024 10:08:13 GMT -5
I did some more cyber snooping on Big Shoals. There must be a lot of turkeys there, they allow 20 quotas on just a couple of thousand acres. That sounds a little crowded to me. I would use a lot of caution hunting there. i'd imagine tomorrow i'll probably be the only one dumb enough to be out there in that weather but Friday/Saturday hopefully everyone can find their own portion to hunt.
|
|
|
Post by Crkr 23 on Apr 10, 2024 10:22:05 GMT -5
Naw, you'll find most dedicated turkey hunters will be there rain or shine. So far as the Friday and Saturday hunters portion to hunt, it will probably whatever portion that they hear a turkey gobbling on. Hopefully you find a bird that does NOT gobble a lot. If a bird gobbles a lot it draws in hunters like flies on poop. The joys of public land turkey hunting, you have to work the birds and the crowds. Again good luck.
|
|
|
Post by pinman on Apr 10, 2024 15:22:39 GMT -5
I did some more cyber snooping on Big Shoals. There must be a lot of turkeys there, they allow 20 quotas on just a couple of thousand acres. That sounds a little crowded to me. I would use a lot of caution hunting there. Yeah that does sound crowded. If every permit takes a guest its 1 hunter per 50 acres. My favorite quota WMA is 1 hunter per 300 acres. My experience has been FWC allows lots of permits and 2 Turkeys per quota (including Big Shoals) in the areas that DONT have many Turkeys. Complete opposite of what you would think.
|
|
|
Post by pinman on Apr 12, 2024 18:27:47 GMT -5
So for a little background information this year I wanted to try turkey hunting, I'm thirty years old and have hunted for small game and deer on and off throughout the years. I have a buddy who is a great turkey hunter and he was going to go with me to show me the ropes and do the calling, but as luck will have it the quota I drew is this thursday-saturday and the day he was off work to go with me is thursday. The forecast is 90% severe thunderstorms for thursday while friday and saturday look great, my question to you all is it worth me going on my own friday/saturday and giving it a try? I've got a diaphragm call that I can somewhat work but not great at, without really being able to call or knowing how to turkey hunt should I bother trying on my own or what do you guys think? The WMA is Big Shoals if that helps. How's the hunt going FSU? Be sure and give us a report!
|
|
fsu11
Junior Member
Posts: 32
|
Post by fsu11 on Apr 15, 2024 7:56:58 GMT -5
Well guys, I went out wednesday afternoon with my buddy and did some scouting. Found where they had been strutting and dusting pretty good but couldn't get anything to gobble, worked around the whole WMA which I agree is not very big at all. We came back to where they had been strutting at to check one more time before leaving and my buddy was able to get them fired up had a group of 3 maybe 4 toms gobbling back at us probably 100 yards away heading to roost of course on the state park side where you cant hunt... but the plan was to try and pull them across in the morning. Got out there at 6am thursday morning and it was raining and wind was blowing hard but I was determined, we sat in the truck for a bit hoping for it to calm down and one other hunter pulled up and was headed to hunt the other side. We got a window of light rain/lighter winds until about 9am but didnt see or hear anything, checked the forecast and another bad squall was coming through so we went to get breakfast and come back as it moved through, glad we did because it dumped a ton of rain, when we came back out there was a lot of standing water everywhere. After that the sun came out but the wind was still blowing 20-30mph only got one bird to gobble the entire day but he wouldnt answer back or come to us. I think the other hunter ended up leaving sometime when we left the first time because we never saw another truck on property the entire time we were there until 4pm. It was a pretty great learning experience even though I didn't get a bird, I want to keep trying and figuring it out. I need to work on my calling so ill be ready for next year. one other thing my buddy said is that it seems this year in N. FL the birds dont seem to be gobbling as much as usual i dont know if anyone else has experienced that or not.
|
|
|
Post by JS84 on Apr 15, 2024 8:44:26 GMT -5
Ehhh that stinks the weather and the birds weren't cooperating. Sounds like it was a good time either way.
|
|
|
Post by pinman on Apr 15, 2024 22:38:58 GMT -5
Sucks to have bad weather on a short quota hunt. Good to have some gobble even if its just during scouting time. The birds get quieter every year it seems. Friends hunting N GA and AL say the same thing about this year.
|
|
fsu11
Junior Member
Posts: 32
|
Post by fsu11 on Apr 16, 2024 8:42:29 GMT -5
Sucks to have bad weather on a short quota hunt. Good to have some gobble even if its just during scouting time. The birds get quieter every year it seems. Friends hunting N GA and AL say the same thing about this year. It was pretty awesome to hear them gobbling back to the calls, I definitely want to try again next year just sucks the availbility to hunt public land is so short.
|
|
|
Post by JS84 on Apr 16, 2024 10:15:23 GMT -5
It's great isn't it? I can close my eyes right now and hear in my mind the sound of a gobbler firing off. You're not wrong though about the public land hunts. That's why it's really critical to scout before season and have as much experience with the area you want to hunt before hand. Knowing where the birds roost, where they fly down to, where they spend their days, where they go when it rains, what time they head back to roost, etc will help you cut the odds in your favor as much as possible.
Welcome to the forum bud
|
|
|
Post by Crkr 23 on Apr 16, 2024 10:35:17 GMT -5
Fsu11, by your handle I assume that you live in the NW region. If so , there appears to be a ton of romp and stomp WMAs with some pretty impressive harvest stats, I would be checking them out. It would help in your learning curve as a turkey hunter.
|
|
fsu11
Junior Member
Posts: 32
|
Post by fsu11 on Apr 16, 2024 10:40:11 GMT -5
100% It's nice having a forum to jump on again, i fish 95% more than I hunt but its fun to get out in the woods too. I was on the Florida Sportsman Forum for the last 10 years before it shut down, granted it had been dying for a long time and was nowhere near what it was back in the day.
|
|
fsu11
Junior Member
Posts: 32
|
Post by fsu11 on Apr 16, 2024 10:40:42 GMT -5
Fsu11, by your handle I assume that you live in the NW region. If so , there appears to be a ton of romp and stomp WMAs with some pretty impressive harvest stats, I would be checking them out. It would help in your learning curve as a turkey hunter. NE FL actually Jax.
|
|
|
Post by Crkr 23 on Apr 16, 2024 10:44:34 GMT -5
Yeah, that changes things a bit. There's not as many romp and stomps in the NE. I guess it's because population density vs available acreage.
|
|
|
Post by JS84 on Apr 16, 2024 10:44:51 GMT -5
Well I'm glad you made the move. I wasn't ready to let it die last June and we're coming up on 1 year soon.
The forum and the members were very helpful as I learned to hunt through trial and error in 2018. Granted a lot more error but I'm getting to a place were I'm confident in my abilities.
|
|