Ky's season, did it measure up?

[turk2di]

How would rate, overall, the season just past? I give it a 8. Didn't quite hear the gobblin i thought i would, but still had plenty of opportunities. Killed two birds but also missed two!

what u get out, is what u put in

[kygobbler]

Well I give it a 7. Heard birds 8 out of the 9 days I had an opportunity to hunt. The one day I didn't hear anything was the day I took my 10 year old.[:D] We didn't stay that long either...lol It just seemed like they didn't want to cooperate, they'd gobble their heads off, but they wouldn't come in. Did manage to kill a jake that first friday, missed a chance at the longbeard, the following weekend due to operator error, this was after I got a tow truck to get my truck out of the mud. Moved to get to a better spot after I thought he'd dissappeared over the ridge....got busted.[:(] Had to leave a gobbling bird I was working one morning, to get my buddy to a doctors appointment....that rates right up there with one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.[:(] To add insult to injury, watched a nice gobbler come out at the end of this field, tease me for an hour, and then follow 14 hens the other direction. The next morning found me at the other end of that field waiting on him, he came out and passed within 10 yards of where I was sitting the previous day.[:(!] Gawd,I love turkey hunting. Can't wait till fall.[;)]

[Duster]

I would give the season a 9. I heard birds everyday at least on the roost, somedays more than others. They didn't seem to want to work to call's with all the hen's on the farm I hunt untill later in the day then came in silent. I had a couple birds gobble well early but in locations it would be impossable to get anywhere close for a setup due to wide open woods. I did take two nice mature toms but it took a few days to do unlike other years in the same area where a two day hunt was the norm. One I called in the entire flock and the boss hen brought three boyfriends in tow and left with two, the other came in a group of three tom's they came in silent to a setup in the corner of a hay field where I had seen strutters a couple days before.

[RutNBuck]

i give it a 10 A +++ not to be sound like i am braggin or anything one of the easiest seasons i have witnessed...i guess just depended on what part of the state you was in and how much pressure was near you..
the birds were very responsive to calling ,saw few hens, and few other hunters..

of course not to mention i started scouting weeks before the youth season to try and locate some birds for a youth which i did and it paid off...

"A wise indian once said,the more you move the less you will see,the less you move the more you will see"

" I live to hunt, but my wife says i may hunting a place to live"

[schuyler olt]

I think RutNBuck hit it on the head--it depended upon where you were. As I watched posts here and on other boards, each day there would be reports of good gobbling and no gobbling. The youth season was some of the best gobbling I heard until last weekend in Ohio, and I think the season came in just as that first phase ended. As a result, it was a season that somewhat favored blind and ambush styles as opposed to run and gun. Since I prefer working birds, the Kentucky season wasn't great in my particular area. We had some decent days, especially in Trimble County. But hey--I called in a boy's first bird. That makes it a ten. I killed three birds in Texas. That makes it a ten. I finished my slam--that goes for a ten. I hunted three days with an old friend. Ten again. Hunted about five days with two other really close friends. Ten again. Went to Ohio for three days, saw old friends and made a bunch of new friends and got my sorry butt videotaped by the Primos crew like I was some guru--definitely a ten! I didn't kill a Kentucky bird, but this was probably the best season I've ever had.

[RTC]

In my area I would have to say a 10+ also. I only killed 1 bird but that was just because I only got to go hunting once. One thing I did notice while working at the farm, was that there didn't seem to be as many hunters as the previous years. I saw so many birds and heard so many gobbles, but very little sign of hunters traveling about. Perhaps everyone filled their tags the first couple of days. Here's a curve ball for ya....A F&W officer told me yesterday that they are getting "COMPLAINTS" of too many turkeys!!!

[INKYHUNTER]

I would give it a 10 because I filled my tags in the first two days.However I would give it a 3 based on birds working to a call.
In Indiana I would give it a 5. Didn't seemed to be the number of birds where I hunt. Birds wouldn't work to a call and gobbled about 1/3rd of the mornings I hunted.
I think the weather had them a little out of snyc. in some areas. Also the heavy and early foliage prevented me from seeing what was going on in regard to being henned up etc.

[CPA Hunter]

I'd give the season a 5 in comparison to last season as far as how the birds worked. I got 3, but only brought 1 into the call. One was ambushed and the other was snuck up on. The KY birds really got right the last weekend! Life is grand and I had a great season with more praises than complaints and I was just glad to be out there. But on judging the way the birds worked it was not as good as past years at the same time. The early green up was good for me getting close but I don't know what it did to the birds or if it was the storms. Hunting turkeys in general gets a 10 if I hear gobbles and I heard gobbles so my season was a 10!

[.300Savage]

I would give it an 8. The birds seemed hot and heavy the first couple of days, then shut up until the last weekend, when they were very vocal again. Boy, I wish the season was one week longer!


Rocco

[turk2di]

Some great post's guys! Sounds like we heard from some hunters in the know! Thanx 4 your input!

what u get out, is what u put in

[P. Beyer]

[;)] I'll give it an 8, even though I was skunked. When I got into some birds, they were really hot. Around here it really depended upon location, location, location.........

Most People I know tagged one if not two birds though.

"It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent"

Fred Bear

[RDL270]

I'd give it an 8 too. Great early part of season, had birds working. Latter part when you would expect them to work, it was tough. Was up in the Smokies this weekend and saw eight gobblers with two hens at Cades Cove. Birds were gobbling like crazy. Big paint brush beards, I wish the season was still in!!!!!!!

[The Beagler]

I'd give it a ten if you tried bushwacking birds. I filled my tags with this method and got two nice mature birds. However, for calling I'd give the season about an 8. But, hunting with family and being the in the spring woods -- there's no number for that!

[P. Beyer]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by The Beagler</i>
<br />But, hunting with family and being the in the spring woods -- there's no number for that!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


[:D] Amen!

"It makes no difference whether I got anything; it has to do with how the day was spent"

Fred Bear

[dstruttin]

I'd rate it a 9. Early in the season I had a really hard time getting bird to respond for me to locate. I dont know if it was just in western Ky, but about middle of season they were everywhere. Persistance paid off. They started gobblin and I got one.[:D] Had no trouble calling him. But earlier in the season was a nightmare.


" Take a kid Hunting "

[Boss Gobbler]

I give it a 10. I took part in the harvest of 6 turkeys[ not all mine]. I hunted 11 days and called in a bird every day.

When you take a turkey you get feathers and meat, it is the experience that last forever.[;)]

[Highbow]

For the eastern part of Kentucky you could post a ten- turkey everywhere and plenty to be killed , need more turkey hunters in the area to help reduce numbers, can't wait till fall to add to the list.

[greenskeeter]

Highbow, just let me know what part of eastern ky is looking and needing more turkey hunters. I'll certainly offer my services!

[Ky Headhunter]

Heck I'll "volunteer" too, always looking for good places to turkey hunt. Difficult to get permission in northern Ky. & precious little public land. I'd be happy to help with the thinnin' out.

[Ky Headhunter]

Oops, forgot...

Put me down for an 8. Lots of mature gobblers (but zero jakes) & pretty good gobbling most mornings. Except for the 2 days in McCreary county, worst hunt I've had there, doesn't deserve anything higher than 2.

[Ralph]

Can we use a minus number for McCreary? That was a bummer. I give it a 10 for the turkeys. A -5 for my shooting ability. That's how many I missed , Sky. How come none of you guys told me that if you can't see the eye the bird is too far away?? Cost me 5 good shells & a bloody nose. Not to mention the sore shoulder. No more 3&1/2" 12GA for me[B)] Nathan, Me & KYHeadhunter would surely be willing to help you out with your over-population problem this fall[:D]

Ralph

[Ky Headhunter]

Yeah, it was pretty bad, weather didn't help but I suspect other factors played a part. But we did get to witness some World Class horseshi..., I mean, horseSHOE pitching.

So how was the shoot Sunday? I made it Sat., one of the few.

[GSP]

I would give this season an 8 of 10. Y'all got to remember a 10 is as good as it will ever get!
There were plenty of birds for the taking and they played by the RULES! Rule #1, when you figure out what a turkey is going to do, he changes the rules and this is the ONLY rule.
The birds did not gobble this year, it seems everything is running about 2 weeks late this year. I actually was in the woods less than 20 hours this season and I had 8 legal birds well in range. A good season, but "different" rules.

[N2hepcoop]

I would give it a 9. We saw birds everyday and it seemed to me that they were not henned up early like they normally are. We hunted opening weekend and the next and had birds gobbling on the roost and then they seemed to get hot around 11:00AM. The foilage seemed thicker than normal and it made it a little more difficult and where we were hunting they seemed to stick on the ridge sides and were a little hesitant to visit the fields! We harvested 1 bird on three days of hunting.

[Highbow]

Guys you can hunt the Paintsville Lake WMA, Yatesville Lake WMA and have no trouble finding turkeys, it is nothing to see 50 birds a day on Paintsville Lake.