Spring Turkey 2010

E

ephemeratta

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It's almost here.
Just wondering if y'all had been out calling or scouting at all, but, what I was really wondering is what everybody is taking out into the field.
Bow, shotgun, arrows, loads... that kind of stuff.

Looks like I'll be dragging an 11-87 with a 21" smoothbore w/iron sights, extra full remchoke, and federal 3" #6 copperplated turkey loads.

How about you?
 
I want to go turkey hunting so bad, but I don't know the first thing about it. I wouldn't even know where to go to shoot one of those tasty creatures.
 
I am going to bring both my gun and my bow out. The bow opens my other areas where I would not normally be able to hunt.

I love Turkey hunting and I have a great place to go.
 
So newbie hunting question, Zones 1-13 means I can hunt anywhere mainland MA that it is not posted and not within 500 yds of a house or road right?
 
The "abstract" doesn't have a map picture with the different zones on it for slow folks like myself.
 
edmorseiii said:
So newbie hunting question, Zones 1-13 means I can hunt anywhere mainland MA that it is not posted and not within 500 yds of a house or road right?
Click to expand...

500FT not yards. You also need a liitle green "hunt safley" sticker affixed to your gun so it is visible to you. Also, some largertowns may have no discharge laws in place. You would want to check on that with the local PD before setting out.

edmorseiii said:
The "abstract" doesn't have a map picture with the different zones on it for slow folks like myself.
Click to expand...

For some reason the online version of the abstracts doesn't show the map. You can find it here:
http://pub.jfgriffin.com/doc/jfgriffin/10MAAB
on pages 30-31 in the search bar.
 
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Awesome, Thanks!

I am sure asking if any one knows of a place in the upper cape area that's good to hunt turkey (shotgun) will not get much of an answer.
 
edmorseiii said:
Awesome, Thanks!

I am sure asking if any one knows of a place in the upper cape area that's good to hunt turkey (shotgun) will not get much of an answer.
Click to expand...

Come on, get out there and find one. Thats part of the fun and thats how you learn to be a better hunter.
 
Well I will try, I just don't know the area to well, just moved down this was over the winter. I know where people go to try and shoot deer, so I figure that would be a safe place to start.
 
I was wondering when someone would post its almost turkey time. Got my spots all marked out in Western Mass. Should be a pretty good year, while coyote hunting I heard quite a few shock gobbles up in the pines. My friends and I are all geared up. Looks like I better get the smoker cleaned out for this season.

-Edmorseiii, I would recommend buying a gobbler call for locating the Toms
 
Walked 3 miles of hills on Tuesday (just recovering today). Finally found 2 toms with 4 hens. Hope they are still around in two weeks.

Remington 870 Express Magnum, 21 inch bbl with a Turkey Choke and 2 3/4 #4's, fiber optic iron sights. Misplaced my choke, but could use my Improved Cylinder if I had too. I may just call for my partner. I have a 28" Ithaca semi with a fixed full choke I could try, but I'd like to test the pattern first.

Saw a hen perched on the guardrail of Rte 128 in Beverly today, cars whizzing by at 60 mph. Beverly is "no discharge of firearms without property owners permission".
 
I've got a few spots where i've heard/seen both toms and hens. I'll be dragging along a Stoeger O/U 12 ga, with Undertaker turkey chokes & Remington Nitro Turkey 3"/1210fps/1.875 oz/#6shot. The Stoeger with Undertaker chokes patterns awesome!
 
I've been scouting a couple of places. I have the first 4 days off. I'll be taking out my 870 express with a jellyhead choke, with the hevi-shot. Really decent pattern to 40 yards. I've got a couple of spots I've been eying all over the state.
 
edmorseiii, I suggest starting with the National Wild Turkey Foundation's website. NWTF. http://www.nwtf.org/ Read the whole thing ;)
Check out the NRA's hunting site and maybe your library for books to just bone up on some basics as well.
DVD's and TV are a good way to see what's happening on hunts. Outdoor Channel, Versus, and The Sportsman Channel have turkey hunting shows.
But, the best thing to do is pick the brains of people at your local club. If you're not a member of one then you should most definitely join. If you are a member ask if they have any turkey hunters you can talk with.

I strongly suggest not walking around in the woods during turkey season without hunter orange and be really, really careful off trail. Turkey hunters sit, we don't stalk like when we turn into deer hunters, and, unfortunately a few might be antsy enough to take a shot at movement without seeing their target isn't a Tom!

Best of luck and don't hesitate to ask any 'newbie' questions. We've all been there and it's always better to ask a question even if you feel foolish than go out in the woods and do something foolish.

Feel free to PM me with any questions that give you stage fright.
 
Having a nontoxic dillema. Shot two of my buddy's wingmaster HD's and cranked out an uncountable number pellets at 40'ish yards in the kill zone. With a 'nothing-special' flush ancient Remington extrafull. I think it'd take it's head off at 20!
I know these things put a thump on waterfowl and am suspecting with 6's they'd more than do the same to Mr Tom.

Has anybody used the Remington HD's on turkey?

Just to add, me and hevi-shot don't get along (they're down to less than 10g/cubic cm and are close to $150/ 7lbs) same with me and steel(stuff sucks). Tungsten-matrix I'd consider using in my own loads if a factory load isn't available for waterfowl but that hasn't been an issue yet. This is the first time I've looked at nontoxic purely because of performance and not legal mandate due to suspected environmental impact.
 
Unfortunately, they don't hand them out with the turkey permit. You have to call MassWildlife and they will mail it to you. It's a small red circular sticker that you stick on the top rear of the receiver.
 
daddysuperfly said:
what sticker is that? do you get it when you receive your turkey permit? I've never gone for turkey but may try in the fall.
Click to expand...

Here is the wording directly from the Abstracts:

WILD TURKEY
Permit required. Official safety sticker must be adhered to firearm in such a manner as to be visible when hunter is sighting down the barrel. If new or replacement sticker is needed, send self-addressed stamped envelope to DFW's Field Headquarters office. Spring hunting hours: ½ hour before sunrise to 12:00 noon. Fall hunting hours: ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset except as noted in WMA Reg. #10.
Bag limit: (a) 2 bearded birds in spring season (1 per day) with NO fall bird allowed, OR (b) 1 bearded bird in spring season, and 1 bird of either sex in fall season. No hunter may take 2 birds in the fall season. Hunting only with shotguns no larger than 10 gauge (.775 caliber for smoothbore muzzleloaders) and restricted to shot sizes #4–#6, or with bows 40 lbs. pull or greater. Electronic calls, dogs, bait, driving prohibited. Successful hunters must tag bird immediately (with tag attached to permit) and bring bird to an official checking station within 48 hours.

The entire Abstract can be seen here: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/regulations/abstracts/hunt_fish_abstracts.pdf

It is a little green sticker that says "Hunt Safely" about the size of a dime:
NWTFHuntSafetySkr_001.jpg


Stop in to any field office (W. Boylston & Westboro would be closest to you) to get a sticker or do as the text above states and send a SASE to Westboro. If you stop in the W. Boylston office ask for Mike. We are open 7:30-4:00 M-F. I am back from fish stocking ('tis the time of year) after 2:30ish. I could give you all the info you want.

~Mike
 
hey guys myself and another buddy want to head out and turkey hunt next week, we have our permits and everything, we are just having one problem..i live in taunton and as it stands right now the only place i know to hunt a turkey is down near sandwhich, this will be our first turkey hunt, any suggestions on a good place to hunt...not asking for anyone to give away their secret spot maybe just a good suggestion...we will be out scouting this week in sandwhich,ma...but i read that farther north in franklin county there are lots of turkeys.....i could really use some ideas, myself and my buddy are not familiar with the area we are in the Army and just recently stationed here, thanks for your help
 
I plan to do some scouting this weekend in Royalston area. Will be out there bright and early on Monday and off to work after. Remington 870 w/turkey choke. Only my second time out. Any tips would be helpful. Struck out last year. Heard some gobblers, just never saw to shoot.
 
I can't wait till monday. I have been putting in a lot of time scouting the last couple of weeks. The best tip I have though is to go out there the night before you go hunting and try to figure out where the turkey's are roosting and set up 200 yrd away from there. Depending on where I go hunting I'll take a bow vs the gun. Opening day I'm taking my rem870 with jelly head choke Winchester XX hevi shot size 5 with 1 5/8 ounce of shot ( only have a 2 3/4 receiver) I also take out the mossy 935 if I'm hunting without a blind (it's all camo) If I'm hunting in a residential area I take out the bow, it's a bow tech tom kat and I use the 2 inch Rage broad heads. This year I will try out what they call the guillotine; just not sure if I can hit the bird in the head using it since all they do is bob their head.

ogaraej I sent you a message, I'm from around that area....LOADS of turkey in Taunton. One of the locations I mentioned in the PM I have seen several turkey about 4ft tall...not BSing either
 
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SSmokedya1320 said:
I was wondering when someone would post its almost turkey time. Got my spots all marked out in Western Mass. Should be a pretty good year, while coyote hunting I heard quite a few shock gobbles up in the pines. My friends and I are all geared up. Looks like I better get the smoker cleaned out for this season.

-Edmorseiii, I would recommend buying a gobbler call for locating the Toms
Click to expand...

I can't understand why you folks keep coming out to western Mass to hunt. There are FAR more deer, turkeys, coyotes, etc in the eastern and central parts of the state.
 
cricco said:
I can't understand why you folks keep coming out to western Mass to hunt. There are FAR more deer, turkeys, coyotes, etc in the eastern and central parts of the state.
Click to expand...

You just want to keep us flat landers out of there haha... Just a joke. I hunt turkey in western mass all the the time but it's for the fact that there are acres of land out there vs back yards over here. It's nice when I go to my camp in Maine where I'm 1.25 miles from the canada, with 50 acres of land all to me and my buddies, and guess what you can't hear the sounds of traffic or dogs barking.....just my 2 cents
 

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