North Dakota Preps

I dont want to hear about how it is bad or anything i want to hear about good stories, maybe good spots anything, turkey season opens next weekend who is going and what calls are u using, personally i use the primos many beards diaphragm, and the good ol' slate.

no spring turkey tag here. i'll be shooting gophers until i'm fishing

How about all of us trappers?  The thrill of walking up to the sets and the excitement of the prize.

 

J/K I have no idea what trapping is like.

My spouse thinks she should be able to blast the big fat turkey on the couch w/o a permit.

 

Do you need a permit for gophers?

i got a turkey tag this year and it will be the first time i have hunted turkeys and i was wondering what calls you recommend, preferably something that is rather easy to use

Wild Wolves wrote: 

Do you need a permit for gophers?

no, just a .22 and ur good to go.

feeshattack wrote:i got a turkey tag this year and it will be the first time i have hunted turkeys and i was wondering what calls you recommend, preferably something that is rather easy to use

i have about 5 different calls and ones i really like the best are diaprhams beacsue they are hand free but they do take some practice and getting use to. a box call will work excellent also,  but a call that doesnt sound quite as good as a box call but u get the free hands like a diapragm is the primos mod. 207, it straps onto the barrel of ur gun (if thats what ur using) and a string attaches to ur finger, pull the string for an easy to use call, i have found with this one it calls for often chalking.

point/center wrote:no spring turkey tag here. i'll be shooting gophers until i'm fishing

i'll be gettin around to that as well, ever go paddle fishing, i dont know how big oof a deal that is outside of williston in ND, but here it is a great thing to do,

yeah. i've been paddlesnagging. great time. scenic sports in williston will get ya set up. they've got a website with all the info on the upcomin season. think it starts may 1

klg_11 wrote:

Wild Wolves wrote: 

Do you need a permit for gophers?

no, just a .22 and ur good to go.

It's been too darn cold for them buggers. I can't wait for the sun to come out and for it to warm up.

point/center wrote:yeah. i've been paddlesnagging. great time. scenic sports in williston will get ya set up. they've got a website with all the info on the upcomin season. think it starts may 1

ya, it starts may 1, every year, u from williston? or just come here to paddlefish and ya scenic sports is an awesome business, they are small but they can order u in about anything and they are always willing to help

klg_11 wrote:

Wild Wolves wrote: 

Do you need a permit for gophers?

no, just a .22 and ur good to go.

i was in a bad mood a couple of summers ago and took my .243 out for prairie dog hunting. now that was the definition of fun. also, it was the definition of overkill.

rep wrote:

klg_11 wrote:

Wild Wolves wrote: 

Do you need a permit for gophers?

no, just a .22 and ur good to go.

i was in a bad mood a couple of summers ago and took my .243 out for prairie dog hunting. now that was the definition of fun. also, it was the definition of overkill.

now prairie dogs is a differtnet story, a town of them is fun, take a 22-250 out there, good straight shooting gun, get them suckers several hundred yards away, always a good time.

 

I am a hunter.  Pretty much focus on upland and waterfowl hunting in the fall and turkey in the spring.

Two dogs:  Katie (brittany) and Cabela (yellow lab)

Two decoy trailers:  One enclosed Canada Goose hunting trailer and one partially enclosed duck hunting trailer (flatbed on back for the ATV and platform above for the duck boat).

Primarily shoot Browning guns ranging from an older A-500 to a Citori Feather Lightening.

Will be spring turkey hunting next weekend.  Use a variety of calls including box, slate, and diaphragm plus a couple of hen decoys.

 

Diamond D wrote: 

I am a hunter.  Pretty much focus on upland and waterfowl hunting in the fall and turkey in the spring.

Two dogs:  Katie (brittany) and Cabela (yellow lab)

Two decoy trailers:  One enclosed Canada Goose hunting trailer and one partially enclosed duck hunting trailer (flatbed on back for the ATV and platform above for the duck boat).

Primarily shoot Browning guns ranging from an older A-500 to a Citori Feather Lightening.

Will be spring turkey hunting next weekend.  Use a variety of calls including box, slate, and diaphragm plus a couple of hen decoys.

 

i love waterfowl hunting, i have a couple thousand decoys literally becaus i have a cabin in canada where i go and hunt, two great pointers

Billy (german shorthair) and Kate( english setter)

I shoot some good ol' remingtons that i won at a trap shoot (870) but my pride and joy is my berretta xtrema 2 with kickoff

next week i will be hunting turkey first weekend with my bow, that dont work then the next weekend i will use a gun.  i use a mating decoy and a regular hen decoy, a regular hen decoy is good if u want them to come in on strut, a mating decoy they will ususally come running in stuff.

Diamond D wrote: 

I am a hunter.  Pretty much focus on upland and waterfowl hunting in the fall and turkey in the spring.

Two dogs:  Katie (brittany) and Cabela (yellow lab)

Two decoy trailers:  One enclosed Canada Goose hunting trailer and one partially enclosed duck hunting trailer (flatbed on back for the ATV and platform above for the duck boat).

Primarily shoot Browning guns ranging from an older A-500 to a Citori Feather Lightening.

Will be spring turkey hunting next weekend.  Use a variety of calls including box, slate, and diaphragm plus a couple of hen decoys.

 

i used to have a brittany and that was one of the best dogs i have ever had,

I think any kind of huntin is a thrill.. Just had bar-b-qued squirrel last night for supper after I got done squirrel hunting.. Not bad too eat.. Should be a good gopher season this year!

i went out glassin some turkeys tonight, seen quite a few, they are definetly lookin for hens right now, quite a few out looks good for this weekend

Good to know there are some hunters on the site!!

Hard to beat a good german shorthair and a setter.  I have seen some doozies in the field with some of the most incredible noses one could imagine.

I have always wanted to go to Canada for a duck/goose shoot.  I hear they really load up in the pea fields up there.


I have two flocks of turkeys spotted for Saturday.  We will see how things work out.
 

Diamond D wrote:Good to know there are some hunters on the site!!

Hard to beat a good german shorthair and a setter.  I have seen some doozies in the field with some of the most incredible noses one could imagine.

I have always wanted to go to Canada for a duck/goose shoot.  I hear they really load up in the pea fields up there.


I have two flocks of turkeys spotted for Saturday.  We will see how things work out.
 

what will this weather do to turkeys? Will they be unresponsive to calling?

The short answer is "no".  That doesn't include blizzards or thunderstorms.  Obviously those kinds of things would play a role.

I have hunted some cold mornings and still produced results.

Sunlight is the key here.  The days are getting longer and that helps trigger things such as rut or mating season amongst birds.

Although we are probably 15 degrees normal temps right now, the amount of sunlight or length of the day hasn't changed from 365 days ago, so animals adjust to the weather, but react to the sunlight.

Early season turkey hunting and late season turkey hunting changes drastically.  Right now hens are not sitting on nests.  In May when the season is getting ready to close, hens will be sitting on nests and toms will be out looking for hens which didn't get mated.  Sometimes that is why they are more responsive than early in the season.

 

Diamond D wrote:Good to know there are some hunters on the site!!

Hard to beat a good german shorthair and a setter.  I have seen some doozies in the field with some of the most incredible noses one could imagine.

I have always wanted to go to Canada for a duck/goose shoot.  I hear they really load up in the pea fields up there.


I have two flocks of turkeys spotted for Saturday.  We will see how things work out.
 

i can probably pm u a picture later. we get so many geese up there. seeing a flock of 1000 is like seeing 2 geese in a field here. its nothing, u see them in many thousands. its GREAT!!

Diamond D wrote:The short answer is "no".  That doesn't include blizzards or thunderstorms.  Obviously those kinds of things would play a role.

I have hunted some cold mornings and still produced results.

Sunlight is the key here.  The days are getting longer and that helps trigger things such as rut or mating season amongst birds.

Although we are probably 15 degrees normal temps right now, the amount of sunlight or length of the day hasn't changed from 365 days ago, so animals adjust to the weather, but react to the sunlight.

Early season turkey hunting and late season turkey hunting changes drastically.  Right now hens are not sitting on nests.  In May when the season is getting ready to close, hens will be sitting on nests and toms will be out looking for hens which didn't get mated.  Sometimes that is why they are more responsive than early in the season.

 

I'm not much of a turkey hunter, I've had a few spring times. I thought it got harder as the season went on to call a tom in cause they get out of heat? Am I wrong? You sound like you've done alot of turkey hunting and know more than I do. Just trying to figure out why last year the last week of turkey hunting I really couldnt pull a bird in? Was it my cruddy box calling that I tried?

point/center wrote:

Diamond D wrote:The short answer is "no".  That doesn't include blizzards or thunderstorms.  Obviously those kinds of things would play a role.

I have hunted some cold mornings and still produced results.

Sunlight is the key here.  The days are getting longer and that helps trigger things such as rut or mating season amongst birds.

Although we are probably 15 degrees normal temps right now, the amount of sunlight or length of the day hasn't changed from 365 days ago, so animals adjust to the weather, but react to the sunlight.

Early season turkey hunting and late season turkey hunting changes drastically.  Right now hens are not sitting on nests.  In May when the season is getting ready to close, hens will be sitting on nests and toms will be out looking for hens which didn't get mated.  Sometimes that is why they are more responsive than early in the season.

 

I'm not much of a turkey hunter, I've had a few spring times. I thought it got harder as the season went on to call a tom in cause they get out of heat? Am I wrong? You sound like you've done alot of turkey hunting and know more than I do. Just trying to figure out why last year the last week of turkey hunting I really couldnt pull a bird in? Was it my cruddy box calling that I tried?

instantly in the season a good call will get them to ansser your call but there is not a huge chance that they will be coming in to you. no chance without a decoy. They are with a hen and dont want to leave her. If you wait a week or two into the season they have "bred" the hens and now they are still "frisky" but have no hens around because they are all up to roost. So you could darn near use a 50 cent squeak toy and a black rag to call them in (not literally) but the ideal time is hard to calculate, i have noticed around here right now they are paired up with hens so im guessing a week and a half or so it should be a good time.