Gobbler Nation

What is the absolute hardest state to kill a turkey in for you?

For me it would be in Mississippi, for several years I hunted Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, that place was ate up with turkeys but they were the hardest damn turkeys to kill I ever seen.

Alabama - Mississippi back in the mid 80's!!!!

Mississippi public land right now. You boys come on and get you some of this. Don't hate us when you leave empty handed though.

Fatmo wrote: ↑June 29th, 2018, 9:42 pm Alabama - Mississippi back in the mid 80's!!!!

Interesting you say that. I don’t know a thing about MS, but that was the heyday of turkeys in the southern half of AL. I miss them days.

I’ll pick the mtns of northern GA just for the terrain. I hate steep hills...

This will be an interesting thread, to me. I like hearing about tough turkeys.

Gar Commander wrote:Mississippi public land right now. You boys come on and get you some of this. Don't hate us when you leave empty handed though.

True true...


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The state of drunkenness...

I'll go a step further than just a state. Come on down and hunt Ms turkeys on public land south of hwy 84.

I haven't hunted South Florida public land, but I could imagine it has potential of being tougher than most also.

Bama..


but now I kinda know what to do. So maybe now I would fare better. But then again probably not

Alabama. I’ve spent most of my turkey hunting career on public/private land in Alabama and Mississippi. Alabama birds are just.....different. Gobble later, shut up earlier, more suspicious, you name it.

Jstocks wrote: ↑June 30th, 2018, 12:04 am I'll go a step further than just a state. Come on down and hunt Ms turkeys on public land south of hwy 84.

I haven't hunted South Florida public land, but I could imagine it has potential of being tougher than most also.

I’ll warrant there’s a little bleed over bama genetics down that way.

hoobilly wrote:Bama..


but now I kinda know what to do. Somaybe I would fare better. But then again probably not

Let’s head down on public for a week next year! We will come back with great stories and more great stories of why we have this love hate thing with those fine feathered friends.


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I have hunted a lot of them, and I will say Pennsylvania. Populations on the decline, tons of hunters, and mostly mountain terrain. Guys hunt all season, and feel blessed to kill one or two birds.

But in all fairness, it's more about the particular property you hunt, rather than the state. If you get on a private, unpressured farm in PA it can be a slam dunk. And if you get on a pressured, low-population property in an "easy" state, you will struggle.

jryser wrote: ↑June 30th, 2018, 5:47 am

hoobilly wrote:Bama..


but now I kinda know what to do. Somaybe I would fare better. But then again probably not

Let’s head down on public for a week next year! We will come back with great stories and more great stories of why we have this love hate thing with those fine feathered friends.


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I like hunting sure things . Bama would only be a stop for me if someone invited me to hunt there place.

WV.

SW MS public for me. I rarely seem to find easy ones. I think that’s why I like it.

SC mountain birds. 80% of the battle is learning how to get around well enough to get in the game. And then there's the weather at elevation. Tough. That's the hunting that you're actually doing, with a normal chance at killing a bird, with success determined by effort and skill.

I put that in a different category than high pressure areas where success is in part determined by luck. An example would be a private, un-hunted ranchland down in FL versus public land. I called up a bunch of Osceolas on land that was not and could not be hunted. Those were easy and fun. WMA birds were not. Killing one on public was just repeating the process over and over until it so happened there was no interference. That's not tough hunting as I choose to define it here. That's just stubbornness and nonsense.

I've hunted 24 states. As far as time spent per bird harvested...Public land in my home state of Mississippi and public land in Bama.. I improved my Bama ratio a lot this spring though. Got real familiar with some ground after spending a lot of time deer hunting it. I've had a better success ratio success chasing osceolas on public land in Florida... Gotten 5 shots in 4 trips and been in on 4 other kills. But I do always include a day or two of scouting once I get there.

I have killed longbeards in 33 states and hunted them in 41. My home turf (the South Carolina lowcountry) is as tough as anywhere. There are some well managed properties that are better/easier/more birds than others, but on average these birds are tough. Hunting clubs are the norm for private land and they get as much pressure as the public land birds, if not more.


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They have a brain the size of a pea there is no state where they are tough to hunt LOL !!!

Sorry MKW couldnt resist !!!

timbrhuntr wrote: ↑June 30th, 2018, 4:21 pm They have a brain the size of a pea there is no state where they are tough to hunt LOL !!!

Sorry MKW couldnt resist !!!

That's fine by me. I actually feel like that. Some can certainly be tougher than others, but if they gobble, they can be killed...doesn't matter where they live. I did get skunked twice while hunting out of state, but both times, I never heard a turkey gobble and one of those times, I didn't even see a turkey track on the property. Gotta hunt where there are turkeys and it's pretty hard to kill non-vocal turkeys on unfamiliar land...

unless you set in fields over a flock of decoys...sorry timbrhuntr, couldn't resist!

My home state, Iowa. Limited, over pressured Public land, and it has gotten harder to get permission to hunt on Private.

MKW wrote: ↑June 30th, 2018, 6:00 pm

timbrhuntr wrote: ↑June 30th, 2018, 4:21 pm They have a brain the size of a pea there is no state where they are tough to hunt LOL !!!

Sorry MKW couldnt resist !!!

Gotta hunt where there are turkeys and it's pretty hard to kill non-vocal turkeys on unfamiliar land...

unless you set in fields over a flock of decoys...sorry timbrhuntr, couldn't resist!

Yup for that you need a bit of woodsmanship and a strutter!

Pennsylvania.

Mountain birds in any state. You can’t scout them easily from any distance and they will hang up inside killin range but you can’t see them.