Thinking ahead to the Spring Turkey hunt

[WkndWarrior]

After a long long draw wait I'm looking forward to the allusive AB spring turkey hunt. Anyne else planning on going down this spring? I have four differnt calls a decoy and blind just need a place to hunt...

[honda450]

What P you draw on? I am holding a P5 as of right now. If I could only predict the future. LOL

Never hunted them suckers before.

[JTRED]

This will be my sixth year hunting turkeys. We have two seasons each year a one month bearded spring season and a two week any bird fall season here in southern BC. When we moved here from Edson I was pretty excited to find out I could hunt wild turkeys, and better yet as a resident the tag is included when I buy my licence book. We are allowed two turkeys per year but only one in each season. This will be my 12 year old daughter's first time turkey hunting. She has been practising lots with my .22 and .17hmr. I always use the 12 gauge so we'll have both along. It is now one of my very favourite hunts and is a spectacular time of year to be in the mountains. Not to mention they are great eating. Best of luck to you and be warned turkey hunting is kind of addictive.

[Pierre Tessier]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to say lucky you guys you should be pumped! I love it all, calling a bull elk or moose, rattling whitetails, baiting bears, glassing for sheep but there is one hunt that really gets under my skin and I can't miss every year. Never figured out why or how but I am an absolute turkey hunting fool. I recently moved to Alberta so I don't have the points to draw the tag or know the poeple yet.

I have called in many birds for newcomers or avid turkey hunting friends. I offer to help anyone who needs help with the calls or turkey hunting in general. If my South Dakota/Wyoming hunt goes well I may even have time to make it back and out and call birds for others here. I'm sur there are great hunters in Alberta and I don't pretend to know everything.

My 2012 Kansas Rio
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9734/dsc1030q.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/338/dsc1030q.jpg/)

Easterns I called in/hunts I was on lately
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8026/img3784zb.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/img3784zb.jpg/)
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6717/dsc1158xb.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/dsc1158xb.jpg/)

[flyguyd]

What P you draw on? I am holding a P5 as of right now. If I could only predict the future. LOL

Never hunted them suckers before.

Im a P6 Honda so unless a miracle happens it will be a couple years yet...:thinking-006:

You could always get a B.C or Idaho tag and go every year, sure beats the long wait :)

[flyguyd]

Nice gobblers Pierre !

[boonedocks]

I bought a couple of Delta turkey decoys from the clearance table at Canadian tire this weekend. I suppose that Its about time that I went, as Im holding a priority of 13!

[bessiedog]

Goin again this year with Two of the girls (another ones legal to hunt) to Cranbrook and area.

Great fun!
Hope they get at least one!!

Can't wait!

[Roughneck71]

wow never hunted turkey was thinking of starting my priority this year. Been working in the crows nest the last couple of weeks there are alot of them around thru the area, seen a couple flocks of 20 or so and a few elk herds of 150 or so......
Darrell

[honda450]

Im a P6 Honda so unless a miracle happens it will be a couple years yet...:thinking-006:

You could always get a B.C or Idaho tag and go every year, sure beats the long wait :)

Thanks. Had it in my head that I could draw this year. Guess not. Going to look at the stat page.

[boonedocks]

Thanks. Had it in my head that I could draw this year. Guess not. Going to look at the stat page.

Honda, You should be good to go with a priority 6. I have such a high priority due to my hoarder mentality. :)

[braggadoe]

surely they'll increase the amount of tags in ab soon.

i'm down and out on b.c lately. it's hard too(impossible) work a hard gobbling bird for more than 10 mins without being overrun by other hunters. it wasn't always like this, but the last few years have been brutal.

cross the border into montana,idaho, Washington state. people understand turkey hunting etiquette and won't crowd another hunter.

[honda450]

surely they'll increase the amount of tags in ab soon.

i'm down and out on b.c lately. it's hard too(impossible) work a hard gobbling bird for more than 10 mins without being overrun by other hunters. it wasn't always like this, but the last few years have been brutal.

cross the border into montana,idaho, Washington state. people understand turkey hunting etiquette and won't crowd another hunter.

Seems like it going the other way 2011..........200 tags. 2012..........150 tags.

Last years stats on draws.

http://mywildalberta.com/hunting/HuntingDraws/HuntingDrawsReports/DrawsSummaryReport/documents/Merriam'sTurkeyDrawCode-32-2012.pdf

Who knows how many tags this year. :thinking-006: Oh well I will get it eventually. LOL

Think when I first started this draw ya could draw on a P4..100%

[braggadoe]

Geez, that's just strange. they must of hired the same people they used to count Grizzly bears.:thinking-006:

[honda450]

Geez, that's just strange. they must of hired the same people they used to count Grizzly bears.:thinking-006:

Or them dang grizz are eaten the turkeys. LOL

[sneer]

After a long long draw wait I'm looking forward to the allusive AB spring turkey hunt. Anyne else planning on going down this spring? I have four differnt calls a decoy and blind just need a place to hunt...

My Dad got drawn. We had been putting in as a family (me, my Dad and my two brothers), but we decided since it could take another +15yrs to get drawn, that we better not put all our eggs in one basket and decided to just get one tag for our first trip.

None of us have ever turkey hunted, and I think I'm the only one who has seen a wild turkey (saw my first last summer on a camping trip down south). My Dad has slowed down since his valve replacement a couple years ago, so we figured no time like the present to give it a whirl.

I bought him decoys for Christmas, and bought myself a couple different calls. Like you, all we need is a place to hunt. Anyone got any pointers on where to start looking?

[deerhunter]

I'm a P8
Last drawn 2006

:sHa_shakeshout:

[flyguyd]

I'm a P8
Last drawn 2006

:sHa_shakeshout:

You must have some pull:thinking-006:

I drew a tag for spring 2007 and im only a 6 :confused:

[goldscud]

That must be metric math

[WkndWarrior]

What P you draw on? I am holding a P5 as of right now. If I could only predict the future. LOL

Never hunted them suckers before.

I would have to look but I think I was aP8

[WkndWarrior]

[QUOTE=Pierre Tessier;1822779]Hey guys,

I just wanted to say lucky you guys you should be pumped! I love it all, calling a bull elk or moose, rattling whitetails, baiting bears, glassing for sheep but there is one hunt that really gets under my skin and I can't miss every year. Never figured out why or how but I am an absolute turkey hunting fool. I recently moved to Alberta so I don't have the points to draw the tag or know the poeple yet.

I have called in many birds for newcomers or avid turkey hunting friends. I offer to help anyone who needs help with the calls or turkey hunting in general. If my South Dakota/Wyoming hunt goes well I may even have time to make it back and out and call birds for others here. I'm sur there are great hunters in Alberta and I don't pretend to know everything.


Nice looking birds for sure, I must agree that calling in any game animal adds that memorable touch to the hunt. The last few years I have been hunting moose and elk post rut yet I continue to call with success. It's one thing to fool them when the rut is on but it's a whole other thing when the rut is long been over.

[BuckCuller]

Geez, that's just strange. they must of hired the same people they used to count Grizzly bears.:thinking-006:

I have been hunting turkeys down their myself and with others the past few years. With discussions I have had with many land owners it is actually eagles that are killing turkeys. I have had many first hand accounts of the land owners watching the eagles hit the turkeys, pin their heads to the ground and tear them apart no BS.I found a few kills myself and totally believe it. Also the reproduction rate is not as fast because of the heavy snow pack springs they have been having down south. When I shot my big gobbler in the first week of may 2010 we were hunting in three feet of snow in the porkys. But I tell you it was hard earned an one of the greatest hunts I have ever been on.

[Erie]

Hey guys,

I just wanted to say lucky you guys you should be pumped! I love it all, calling a bull elk or moose, rattling whitetails, baiting bears, glassing for sheep but there is one hunt that really gets under my skin and I can't miss every year. Never figured out why or how but I am an absolute turkey hunting fool. I recently moved to Alberta so I don't have the points to draw the tag or know the poeple yet.

I have called in many birds for newcomers or avid turkey hunting friends. I offer to help anyone who needs help with the calls or turkey hunting in general. If my South Dakota/Wyoming hunt goes well I may even have time to make it back and out and call birds for others here. I'm sur there are great hunters in Alberta and I don't pretend to know everything.

My 2012 Kansas Rio
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9734/dsc1030q.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/338/dsc1030q.jpg/)

Easterns I called in/hunts I was on lately
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8026/img3784zb.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/img3784zb.jpg/)
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6717/dsc1158xb.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/dsc1158xb.jpg/)

You going after Meriams in the Black Hills or out on the prairie? I lived there for a year or two and got after many a turkey?!

[braggadoe]

I have been hunting turkeys down their myself and with others the past few years. With discussions I have had with many land owners it is actually eagles that are killing turkeys. I have had many first hand accounts of the land owners watching the eagles hit the turkeys, pin their heads to the ground and tear them apart no BS.I found a few kills myself and totally believe it. Also the reproduction rate is not as fast because of the heavy snow pack springs they have been having down south. When I shot my big gobbler in the first week of may 2010 we were hunting in three feet of snow in the porkys. But I tell you it was hard earned an one of the greatest hunts I have ever been on.

there's no doubt that eagles,owls,coyotes,foxes,cougers etc, like to prey on turkeys.
but from what i see daily, there doesn't seem to be a shortage/decline. seems their showing up in new spots(cattle operations) every year.

[BuckCuller]

Maybe it's just the places where we hunt but there has been a steady decline since we started hunting them and it's odd that if the population is booming that SRD would be dropping tag numbers. I just haven't seen the numbers that you are talking about. Maybe when my brother gets his draw next year you can show us.

[braggadoe]

alot of srd's recent decisions seem a bit suspect. i thought the NWTF hired someone too do a study. it would be interesting to hear what came of it?

[flyguyd]

alot of srd's recent decisions seem a bit suspect. i thought the NWTF hired someone too do a study. it would be interesting to hear what came of it?

Pm Furfeathersgame, hes the know all , goto guy for Alberta turkeys. If anyone knows its him:thinking-006:

[BuckCuller]

alot of srd's recent decisions seem a bit suspect. i thought the NWTF hired someone too do a study. it would be interesting to hear what came of it?

I haven't heard anything about the study but if someone has any info on the turkey study that would be a very interesting read. Hopefully somebody posts about it.