Surprising morning!

[turkeygirl]

Well I dragged my butt out of bed this morning and drove over to the state land near my boss' land...had my work stuff in the car and my work clothes on under the camo I cut through the spruce plantation and sit on the edge of that, with a decoy out in the grassy pipe line (like a very long grassy meadow). It's about 30 yards across with hardwoods on the other side. I don't hear anyone else come driving in, but my boss has told me about a few vehicles parked here and there. Before season I was over here and heard a bird gobble. Well I wasn't planning on hearing anything being state land and being a cold damp morning. 6:00am comes and I hear a gobble come from down in the hardwoods! So I grab my decoy, cut across the pipeline and start working through the woods towards the gobble. I hear him a couple more times. I don't know how close I was but I have some clucks and he gobbled. I walked to a more open spot and sat down. Didn't hear anything else...he must have flown down. A little while later I hear some soft hen yelps...must have been a hen as I didn't see or hear anyone else. So I'm gonna try to come back tonight and roost them and be there tomorrow morning. I'm guessing if he's lasted this long on state land..must be a mature bird.

Any tips for hunting a gobbler on state land late season? Should I call softly and sparingly or what? I was really surprised to still hear a bird gobbling this late! It started raining and got windy and I pulled out but should be a sunny dry morning tomorrow so I'm going to hunt later. Any state land bird tips appreciated!

[Hoyt03]

The birds are still gobbling very well here in PA it's def not too late. I think things are running a little late this year. Don't get too caught up in thinking that gobbler is a state land bird, by all means he doesn't really know that. Just hunt him as you would any other bird. It sounds like he prob has a hen so who knows. Goodluck and hope you get number two this year. Another thing with state land later in the season is that most people quit hunting thinking it's over. Sometimes the ones that stick with it catch an easy break.

[turkeygirl]

Oh come on...34 views and only hoyt03 offers advice...oh well I guess...

[Rhino]

Just try to sound like a real hen. Chances are if anyone else has been hunting him they probably didn't sound like the real McCoy.

[need2hunt]

I haven't hunted state land before, always private, but like already mentioned a turkey doesn't know the difference. With switching properties alot of your hunt will come down to knowing the lay of the land, if you don't your chances of success fall dramatically. If it's raining most of the night i would be looking for them to come to the clear cut if they are close enough to it. If you know the land then try to get in as close to him as possible, if things have leafed out you can get closer than if the trees are bald.

I have been kinda following your season so far and if I was to be critical of one thing that I see (miles away through a computer screen) it would be your patience. IMHO I think you are moving set-ups too much and also moving way too early. I know you want to get a turkey and I don't know your time constraints with work and everything else but my biggest suggestion is to slow down and be patient.

[turkeygirl]

Thanks. I went out tonight...didn't hear them fly up or gobble but where he was gobbling this morning, with the leaves out and he was a bit away. I'm going to go down in that area in the morning and wait. Found some fresh scratchings where the hardwoods meet the pipeline...they must move that way at some point.