No Love from the Youth Day Longbeards

[DoveHunt]

Well not for our dekes anyways!!! Seems to be a youth day pattern here on the shore. Rain..Hard Rain...Buckets of rain. After the long walk with the umbrellas got set up pretty early in a hidden field that produced a Jake for Wil last year. We had a load of Jake encounters here last year. Decoys out and settled into the somewhat dry pop up blind, was feeling pretty good about the setup since the birds seem to hit the fields in the rain. Amazingly we heard a gobble at around 6:45. Must be pretty close to be able to hear the bird with the rain nailing the blind.

Noticed a little bright white spot moving along inside the edge of the woods over a small hill and sure enough with bino's spotted 3 full fans moving into the field. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and the birds moved out into the field about 100-150 yds from our setup. Hung there and strutted for around 1 hr with their hens. It was amazing and Wil brought up that they must have been the Jakes he passed on last year. The rain started and the birds kept strutting. At one point it was raining so hard you could barely see the birds, but they where still strutting. During the hard rain several of the hens went back to the woods and just stood under some small trees. The tom's followed but stayed in the field strutting. After the rain they moved back out and we gave the birds a few hard cuts and purrs and they all went into a "gobble fit". All this while Wil was watching with glass. Cool!!! We'll as usual hens did not like the comp. and pulled the Tom's back to the woods. Oh well plenty of time maybe they will be back. Wil got a little restless so we went for a walk with no action and got back to the setup around 11. Decided to pack up and work our way back to the truck. Sure enough right at the property line got one to gobble back to a cut on the box. Unfortunately on a ditch right of way just off the property. Moved back in behind to see if we could get him to move. Not good odds since it is pretty thick on our side of the line. Got a few more gobbles but no love. Since we where already half way back to little field, decided to check it one last time at 11:55. Sure enough could see through the trees the 3 tom's from earlier right at the spot we where set up earlier. Sat down and gave it a last minute effort. Got a bunch of gobbles from them, but they where not leaving the hen's. Backed out to save them for next trip. Loads of fun and a bunch of wet gear drying in the garage.

[jemche]

we heard some birds gobble early. got set up w/ a single hen decoy. birds flew down and started yelping and gobbling. around 10 hens came in first. less than 15 yards away. could not move at all. 2 jakes came in w/ the big tom behind them could not get on them. went to a new spot and called in a hen to less than a yard. stupidest turkey i have ever seen . i have the video. it is ridiculous.

hopefully the weather will coaperate next weekend.

[Joey Herring]

Dovehunt...sounds like you guys still had a good day and got to spend some quality time togther.
Many of the birds that we have killed in the past have been after 12:00. Thats what I love about turkey hunting..it can be an all day experience if you can put your time in. I did even hear or see a turkey till I got mine around 1 pm Saturday.

[DoveHunt]

Unforunately Maryland does not let us hunt after Noon. It would be the ticket early in the season around here since most of our birds the first few weeks and expecially youth day are with hens off the roost. MD would be a little more freindly to the Kids if they allowed more Sunday opportunities and hunt turkeys after Noon. Wil's hunts will be limitted with Lax in the am on Saturdays. Would be cool if like in other states it was a Youth weekend for deer and turkeys both Saturday and Sunday so the weather will not be such a big factor as it was this year. Both youth days it absolutely poured down rain on Saturday and was great weather on Sunday.