Living Amongst Them

Coalman · Post by **Coalman** » December 17th, 2014, 10:38 am

My passion for wild turkeys started back in the early 1980's as we started to see them and hunting seasons were established.

When we bought our home fifteen years ago we got a special surprise. The back forty had a flock of wild turkeys. To this day they come...they go. Big broods...small broods...no broods.

One year before the spring breakup we saw eleven adult gobblers. We do not feed them. It is the towering white pine trees they roost in that makes this land a favorite of theirs.

We don't see them often but when we do it is a pleasure. Our neighbor has been photographing them for years and sharing with me the photos. Here are some of my favorites.

Who else "lives amongst them?"

Pictures?

guesswho · Post by **guesswho** » December 17th, 2014, 1:43 pm

Not I, and it's probably a good thing.

Great pictures Coalman.

Shooter · Post by **Shooter** » December 17th, 2014, 1:46 pm

Don't have any turkeys in the backyard, but have deer walk through the yard pretty much everyday. It is kind-of cool til the local poachers come around, and will try anything just to kill a dang deer!! Even had a guy once chase one down my driveway in his truck, and take a shot from out his window. Glad he missed, and yea, he got his license pulled by the wardens. Yep, he had his 10 year old kid with him at the time.
What a way to teach a young hunter. It would be easy to say Well, it's Redneckville back in the sticks, but I've heard of this kind-of stuff happening everywhere.

Very cool pics!!!

hookedspur · Post by **hookedspur** » December 17th, 2014, 2:10 pm

Nice pics

GOLD HUNTER · Post by **GOLD HUNTER** » December 17th, 2014, 4:09 pm

cool pic !!!

timbrhuntr · Post by **timbrhuntr** » December 17th, 2014, 5:09 pm

Where I live there is farm land directly behind my house. Just down the block is a large woods behind the houses. In the spring I often walk back there because a group of turkeys have been roosting there for years. There is no hunt here but is is cool to just walk down the street when ever I need a fix.

Waddle Whacker · Post by **Waddle Whacker** » December 17th, 2014, 7:47 pm

Good pics. I'll see one around my house every few years. Used to have a few that stayed close, but they're long gone. Sure wish they'd show back up.

Grumpy · Post by **Grumpy** » December 17th, 2014, 8:07 pm

I got to drive about 40 miles to find any. Works for me, not seeing them close to home keeps me from getting crazier than I am.

Gobbler · Post by **Gobbler** » December 17th, 2014, 10:26 pm

Coalman thanks for posting. I am enjoying the pictures and times.

DC1. · Post by **DC1.** » December 17th, 2014, 10:33 pm

I DO !

Very Cool to set on the porch and hear 3 or 4 Gobbling. I AM BLESSED!

TRKYHTR · Post by **TRKYHTR** » December 17th, 2014, 11:58 pm

Nice pics. I have some very close as well.

Joe

hawglips · Post by **hawglips** » December 18th, 2014, 5:40 am

DC1. wrote:I DO ! Very Cool to set on the porch and hear 3 or 4 Gobbling. I AM BLESSED!

I'm jealous.

Coalman · Post by **Coalman** » December 18th, 2014, 10:46 am

You cannot legally hunt the back forty. Our front yard is urban and our backyard is rural.

We really enjoyed last spring. Almost each morning we had from one to four gobbling turkeys serving as our alarm clock.

From a hunters stance it has helped me determine peak gobbling times. This spring they gobbled from late March well into June.

I shot my NH spring gobbler on May 30. I could tell the action was heating up from listening to our backyard birds so I took a sick day and went after the River Gobbler. He gobbled on his own from roost till his demise at 0945. It will go down in my brain matter as one of the best gobbler hunts I ever had.

Another backyard bird. Bearded hen March 2012

Thank you all for your kind words.

HuntnMa · Post by **HuntnMa** » December 18th, 2014, 8:18 pm

no turkeys in my backyard either but there's plenty where I work and I have taken some amazing photos but these are awesome...love the deer and turkey pic

firedup · Post by **firedup** » December 18th, 2014, 8:27 pm

Nice pics Coalman! Thanks for sharing!! I always hear them behind the house but rarely see them. A big construction project (hiway) is going on and has really ripped the place up. I hope they make their way back. Sure is nice to hear them every spring!

Rockhound · Post by **Rockhound** » December 19th, 2014, 1:20 pm

We own 300 acres and the backyard consist of it and there is not 1 turkey on it

DC1. · Post by **DC1.** » December 19th, 2014, 9:19 pm

hawglips wrote:
DC1. wrote:I DO ! Very Cool to set on the porch and hear 3 or 4 Gobbling. I AM BLESSED!
I'm jealous.

I can't tell you how much i have learned from these turkeys over the last five years by being able to hunt or just sit and absorb the everyday activity's of these birds. You would be surprised at how far a gobbler will actually come to a call or how many days you can call up one gobbler in a season.

Killed my first one in 1973 but, learned more in the last few years than in a lifetime of hunting them. The most important thing i've learned is "PATIENCE", Webster says, patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances,which can mean perservering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance or anger.

That one word and knowing where to sit will help you kill more gobblers than anything you buy at the store!

drenalinld · Post by **drenalinld** » December 19th, 2014, 10:20 pm

I live in em. My back yard this past April.

M Sharpe · Post by **M Sharpe** » December 20th, 2014, 6:38 am

Some very nice pics fellas! Sometimes I have them and some times I don't.

Gobbler Nation