When does your turkey season start and...

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SoonerMedic

SoonerMedic

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What kind of rules does your state have? Is spring and fall season different? In Oklahoma during the spring, I'm only allowed one Tom in my county and it has to be taken with either a shotgun or by means of archery. However, in the fall you're allowed to take it by means of rifle, pistol, primitive methods or archery. I'm not sure why the means of taking is different for fall and spring, but it's a lot to keep up with and is really frustrating! Who all plans on hunting?! Our season starts April 6th and lasts roughly a month I believe?
 
It goes by county. In Colorado County, Texas, one can only shoot ONE tom per year and only in spring. I got my one last season. If I'd wanted more, I'd have to go to the HEB in Columbus for it.

I only have 27 acres on which I can hunt, so turkey is a special treat when I get to shoot one. No big land owners out here. In fact, that 27 acres consists of mine and my absentee neighbor either side of me. I have permission for hunting anything, but deer on my neighbor's places, but we have plenty of deer to go around out here and they're begging me to shoot pigs. LOL

There's quite a few turkey out here. Oddly, you only see 'em a lot in the spring, guess testosterone has something to do with that. I've seen 'em around in the fall, but they sneak around more. Calling 'em is more exciting than just shooting 'em under a feeder, anyway. :D I think that's what turkey hunting is all about, the spring, calling the horny toms...:D
 
turkeys are free game during bird season, but we also have a special "bearded turkey" season in march usually (least the big island does).

during bird season 2 birds a day either sex, bearded season you get 2 tags for the month i think.

got some beasts couple years back not much luck lately.... think I shot 1 during bird season this year.
 
i love to hunt turkey,s in the spring(two with extra tag) toms only with shotgun only and one in the fall,either sex with shotguns or rifles. eastbank.
 

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Our season varies with zones but our longest season runs 4/10-4/25. They cut us back a week this year. Don't know why. I have seen more birds this year than I have seen in the last 6 or 7 years. We can't bait. Shotgun or archery only. Two adult gobblers or bearded hens. An adult is one with a full fan or a beard that is over 6". The youth season runs 4/8 and 4/9 for ages 6 to 15. Youths who have not taken the Hunter safety course must be accompanied by a licensed adult over 21.
 
In Illinois.

Our spring turkey permits are drawn in 5 week long seasons starting the first weekend in april. Landowners permits(like mine) are good for all seasons. One bearded male or bearded hen per permit. Shotgun or archery only. No rifles.

We also can also hunt fall turkey with a fall shotgun permit that season runs for one week.

One last chance is fall archery that runs concurrent with deer season, October 1- January 15.



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggaMAA&usg=AFQjCNEoh-ajTG6giV2NvLrJ8nbaER1FmA
 
So crazy how strict turkey hunting seems to be. I would think that the birds are more abundant than deer would be, yet it seems like you're allowed to take more deer than birds.
 
No fall season here. Typically around the 3rd weekend in March till May 15.
 
Spring you can use archery or shotgun, 2 toms, only one can be in the first week.... Never had that problem haha.

Fall is shotgun month of October either sex. Can use bow either sex from sept 15-Jan 15.

In about 5 years of hunting them fairly seriously I've only shot 1 gobbler. It was textbook, came right to hen decoy. I only have access to public ground and wonder if they are more wary.
 
HB said:
Spring you can use archery or shotgun, 2 toms, only one can be in the first week.... Never had that problem haha.

Fall is shotgun month of October either sex. Can use bow either sex from sept 15-Jan 15.

In about 5 years of hunting them fairly seriously I've only shot 1 gobbler. It was textbook, came right to hen decoy. I only have access to public ground and wonder if they are more wary.
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I'm sure they're just more abundant in the areas where the food is more available.
 
Parts of OK are over run with wild turkeys. i've seen flocks of 75-100 on Ft. Sill walking the dirt roads picking up gravel.

In OK no one cares if you shoot a deer under a feeder: But don't get caught hunting turkeys near a feeder.

For decades i was a dedicated turkey hunter in OK, VA, and WV. Gave all my turkey kills away: Never liked turkey meat that much. i quit turkey hunting a few years ago because no one will take a turkey unless its picked and cleaned.
 
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alsaqr said:
Parts of OK are over run with wild turkeys. i've seen flocks of 75-100 on Ft. Sill walking the dirt roads picking up gravel.

In OK no one cares if you shoot a deer under a feeder: But don't get caught hunting turkeys near a feeder.

For decades i was a dedicated turkey hunter in OK, VA, and WV. Gave all my turkey kills away: Never liked turkey meat that much. i quit turkey hunting a few years ago because no one will take a turkey unless its picked and cleaned.
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I usualy like wild game,but we don't care enough about wild turkey to put much effort in hunting them,but I do luck into an easy one from time to time,and we do eat them.I just skin them,and the wife cuts them up and slow cooks them..She tried baking one once and it was so dry it was a chore to eat..I always heard you could poke holes in the breast and stuff the holes with bacon to moisten them,but we never fooled with trying it..I counted 29 from the kitchen window ot at the farm the other day,but did not see any beards...My Dad farmed commercialy,and he had a few acres of half runner that were played out ,and I bush hogged them for him,and the whole field was speckled with white beans that busted out of the pods,and a few hours later the field had more turkeys in it than I would want to count..Our spring season starts in the middle of April,and runs to the middle of May.It's beards only,and only a 2 bird limit..You can shoot beards,or hens in the fall,but I have never shot a hen.We can shoot them with a rifle,shotgun bow whichever we choose,but its a big no no to bait them .
 
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I googled "cooking wild turkey" or some such, came up with the fact that they needed to be soaked in a brine solution for several hours before hitting the smoker for 8 hours. This is what I did, with a few spices they suggested, and it turned out just as delicious as any butterball from the store, though it was a little more pain. That bird picked out rather easily and clean, too, so I left the skin on. I suspect skinned, it WOULD dry out. It picked out MUCH easier than any duck or goose I've tried to pick. I just breast ducks and geese now days skin off. The bird was a Rio Grande, what we have around here. Don't know if that makes a difference.
 
MCgunner said:
I googled "cooking wild turkey" or some such, came up with the fact that they needed to be soaked in a brine solution for several hours before hitting the smoker for 8 hours. This is what I did, with a few spices they suggested, and it turned out just as delicious as any butterball from the store, though it was a little more pain. That bird picked out rather easily and clean, too, so I left the skin on. I suspect skinned, it WOULD dry out. It picked out MUCH easier than any duck or goose I've tried to pick. I just breast ducks and geese now days skin off. The bird was a Rio Grande, what we have around here. Don't know if that makes a difference.
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I don't know what kind we have,but even the breast is not what I would consider white meat it's more of a light brown tan..I don't think they are terrible,but just nothing great,I think store turkey is a lot better,but I'm not crazy over it either..I'm more of a ham eater at the holidays..I've always wished we had the wild hogs to hunt around here .I've always heard they spread like wildfire,but we don't have them.
 
We skin, cut the breast meat across the grain in small pieces. Dip it in egg and milk, roll in flour with salt and pepper and deep fry. I have never found a way to cook the legs and thighs. They always turn out like a rubber ball. Pressure cooker might help.
 
Wild turkeys don't have any fat. they walk and run for a living. Butterballs are cage raised and have lots of fat.

I had a guy bug me for the legs, so I gave him a pair. Said they were tougher than jerky, like I said, wild ones walk for a living.
 
Throughout much of VA and WV the first plant to come up in the woods in the spring is the ramp. Ramps are a small strong tasting wild leeks. They sometimes come up right through the snow.

In the spring turkeys sometimes eat ramps and the ramp smell permeates the meat. You can't stand to cook the turkey.
 
I cut them into 1/2 chunks, baking soda soak, vinegar rinse, then cook them up like lemon or orange chicken or any of the other fried and sauced things. I really like them like that.
A buddy of mine cans them, or uses them for sausage filler meats.
 
Last bird I got, I cut off the breast meat and put it in Italian dressing in the crock pot. I ate some, gave the rest to my neighbor that has a lot of kids and not a lot of money. It was exceptional. Moist and good flavor
 
redneck2 said:
Last bird I got, I cut off the breast meat and put it in Italian dressing in the crock pot. I ate some, gave the rest to my neighbor that has a lot of kids and not a lot of money. It was exceptional. Moist and good flavor
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Good man. This is mainly why I donated my first deer...I wasn't in need of food and I know others probably just finished having a hungry Thanksgiving.
 
20160405_071338.jpg
I was fortunate to take this Jake last spring with my 12ga percussion sxs.
I came straight home from the hunt, removed the liver, dusted it with flour, salt and pepper, and pan-fried it.
Best liver I ever had!
Maybe I was hungry. Maybe I was still excited about the hunt, but it was delicious. The breast meat was too, of course.
If you like liver, be sure to save your turkey liver. If you don't like liver, ? Too bad.
 
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