Spotted my first gobbler of the season

[therhino]

I've been scouting every field and roadside for the last week or so, and finally spotted my first gobbler.
He was nonchalantly crossing the road near my office, gobbling his head off at the cars stopped to let him cross. Nowhere near a viable hunting area.
Lucky bastard.

[BigAL64]

Every area is viable with archery!!

[therhino]

That's true!
Maybe next year.

[therhino]

Spotted another turkey on the way home from work last night...pecking around on the other side if the guardrail at the highway off ramp to my town. Looked like a lone jake, though I zipped by at 45mph, so I couldn't be sure there weren't more hiding in the woods.
Pulled up the area on Google Earth, and it's not too bad a spot, but it's in the town no-discharge zone for firearms.
Maybe I really DO need to take up archery!

[therhino]

Finally saw my first strutting toms, right across the road from my house, of all places.
There's a big plot of open field across the way, which I'd actually walked the back end of last weekend. I stepped out onto the back deck to tell our dog to quit yowling at the neighbors's car, and I spotted five turkeys in the open plot.
RAN to my car to get my binos. Looked like two big old toms and a trio of hens. The toms took turns raising and lowering their fans. I watched them til about dusk, when they walked off into the woods for the night.
They were back bright and early this morning in the same spot about 6-630am, and gone by 7.

It's encouraging to see toms, finally. I just hope they stick around til the 30th when our season opens.

[BigAL64]

That is the spot I would be on the 30th!! Sounds like they are getting going.

[therhino]

That is the spot I would be on the 30th!! Sounds like they are getting going.

Looks like they come and go around that area. Some mornings they're there, others they're not.
The gobblers were out this morning, and I heard them gobblnig their heads off for the first time. I'm getting anxious about it, as I'm worried they'll wander off someplace else before opening day (the 30th), or that other hunters will spot them and end up in the spot I'm gunning for.

Do flocks typically stick around the same general area for a while?

[cut_un]

Gobblers,as a general rule will, in the spring hang in the same general area (as Long) as they have hens coming to them to breed. They will be close to where they have been morning after morning...... then as they have fewer and fewer hens to breed, they will start to move out.... may be in your block today, 1/4 mile ,or more tomorrow...looking for more hens.... Other side of that,when and if you "find that bird"..... they are usually a little easier to kill.

[DanBays29]

I'm starting to hear them gobble in the mornings...Its getting about that time!

[teebugg]

Just saw my first one of the year. Chasin hens around and chasin off jakes lol