2025 Turkey Season

Thats a spur, wow.

Congrats to everyone getting out and getting it done! I got the 23rd-29th off for third season here in Iowa and am chomping at the bit. Last night I was throwing jigs and heard 3 tom’s fly up across the river and started gobbling. Im ready to go!

4 years of trying and my stepson wanting to give up turned on a dime. Got home from work at 530. Drove the quick drive out to the neighbors farm where I set a blind for Abby Saturday night at 930 pm. 2 Tom’s and 4 hens on the field when we got there. Couldnt see us on the walk from the hills. 1 piece of venny jerky and no sips of his pop and this guy popped up in front of us where we weren’t expecting.

1 1/4 spurs, 10 1/4 beard, 18.2lbs

Congrats to all

Dang Jeremy you guys get some birds with great spurs there. I was able to get a new hunter out and tag his bird Saturday morning. First time hunting at 10 years old. He is hooked for now until hockey starts lol. Already asking about deer hunting so I’m happy and his dad was just as excited as he was. Great spring start.

Oldest boy got one last night. Came down to the wire as he wasn’t seeing anything like he was when he scouted so he tried a new property that he was told they were seeing them on.

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Congrats to the guys who are done already.
I went with a buddy and got him one last weekend.
I’m heading up north this weekend to go after my bird in the big woods. Lots of strutting and gobbling activity up there in the last few days so I’m hoping for a good hunt.

My season started this morning. I stopped counting at 25 turkeys. Unfortunately none of the toms or jakes walked close enough to take a shot. I had about 5 hens walk within 20 feet of my blind.

Before I left, I moved my blind a little closer to their travel route. I intend to go back there this evening and expect all of them to come back to the roost before dark. Just gotta have one walk within range.

Honestly it was such a glorious morning out there I didn’t even need to see a turkey to enjoy it.

Be ready for them to go by where you initially had the blind! That’s how it works for me.

Similar morning for me. Birds are henned up, didn’t want much to do with my jake/hen 1-2 punch.

Gonna sneak in closer to their roost this afternoon

Birds were not talking much this morning. We had a Tom get hung up about 70 yards from us and struted for 30 minutes. While he was strutin a hen came up to 20 yards from us and just stood there. Was hoping she would pull him in further, but they eventually just worked away. Fun encounter, back at it tomorrow morning.

Headed back out after work with my 9 year old daughter. Hope she has some luck like her brother last night. Either way shes full of stories so it will be interesting no matter what.

My turkey hunting has turned into a war of attrition. They want nothing to do with calls or decoys, and they fly directly from the roost into a large field every morning, and then vice versa at dark. The only thing I can do is wait and hope they walk past on a travel route before I have to quit hunting in a few days. It’s basically deer hunting for turkeys now.

I had a nice tom at 70 yards last night. Otherwise the only birds that have walked within shotgun range are hens.

I’ve seen about 60 turkeys in 1.5 days of hunting thus far, although I’m sure many of them I’ve seen twice or three times now.

gim wrote:

My turkey hunting has turned into a war of attrition. They want nothing to do with calls or decoys, and they fly directly from the roost into a large field every morning, and then vice versa at dark. The only thing I can do is wait and hope they walk past on a travel route before I have to quit hunting in a few days. It’s basically deer hunting for turkeys now.

I had a nice tom at 70 yards last night. Otherwise the only birds that have walked within shotgun range are hens.

I’ve seen about 60 turkeys in 1.5 days of hunting thus far, although I’m sure many of them I’ve seen twice or three times now.

Get out of the blind and move.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Get out of the blind and move.

Move where? Sneak up on a flock of turkeys??

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Get out of the blind and move.

Move where? Sneak up on a flock of turkeys??

I ground hunt no blind, so that’s my normal. I get to bored sitting in a blind in the same spot. Sneaking up and flanking turkeys is the fun of the hunt. Wasn’t sure if you could sneak down the wood edge and hit them in another park of the field. That’s how it normally works for us.

From what I can tell, they aren’t spending any time in or near the timber other than when they are on roost. They fly from the roost to a big open field and then hang out there, strutting, gobbling, feeding, etc. Then they eventually make their way to the neighboring property out of sight (which I do not have permission to hunt).

In the evening, they come back across this same field to the roost. Last night I intercepted them along that route, just not close enough to take a shot.

gim wrote:

From what I can tell, they aren’t spending any time in or near the timber other than when they are on roost. They fly from the roost to a big open field and then hang out there, strutting, gobbling, feeding, etc. Then they eventually make their way to the neighboring property out of sight (which I do not have permission to hunt).

In the evening, they come back across this same field to the roost. Last night I intercepted them along that route, just not close enough to take a shot.

St least you are getting lots of action. I’ve been so busy we haven’t even looked at the bows yet. Maybe this weekend.

If your finding it tough to stalk into a close position, another thing you can try is calling the hens in. You need to sound like a real bitchy and dominate hen. Then the dominate hen of a flock will come charging in to put you (decoy) in your place, with Tom’s in tow. I’ve taken a few that way. Usually early morning while they are grouped up and still working there way through the woods.

I also find Tom’s are more inclined to come towards a ‘moving’ hen. If you call out of sight from the same spot and don’t make progress towards them they won’t commit. If you make forward progress toward them, they will continue making progress toward you. It then becomes a game of chicken when you should stay put and call them in the rest of the way. I usually do this just inside the edge of the woods.

FinickyFish wrote:

If your finding it tough to stalk into a close position, another thing you can try is calling the hens in. You need to sound like a real bitchy and dominate hen. Then the dominate hen of a flock will come charging in to put you (decoy) in your place, with Tom’s in tow. I’ve taken a few that way. Usually early morning while they are grouped up and still working there way through the woods.

I also find Tom’s are more inclined to come towards a ‘moving’ hen. If you call out of sight from the same spot and don’t make progress towards them they won’t commit. If you make forward progress toward them, they will continue making progress toward you. It then becomes a game of chicken when you should stay put and call them in the rest of the way. I usually do this just inside the edge of the woods.

This is about 100 percent how I turkey hunt. We don’t sit still for long unless we have a bird making it’s way in. If I see turkey down the field and they are not interested or making way toward us, I move call sit, repeat. It works, something about that call coming from different spots. Some days I work my call away from the birds and then sneak back to the edge quick.

Bearcat89 wrote:

St least you are getting lots of action

Definitely lots of action. I’ve seen over 60 turkeys in 1.5 days of hunting. Some of them might be the same birds more than once. So I can’t complain about that.

I’ve also seen deer and pheasants too.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
St least you are getting lots of action

Definitely lots of action. I’ve seen over 60 turkeys in 1.5 days of hunting. Some of them might be the same birds more than once. So I can’t complain about that.

I’ve also seen deer and pheasants too.

Pheasants are thick around here the last 2 years it seems like.

Put your blind up way out in the field where they hang out, then get in it before light.

If you’re seeing lots of turkeys all together that’s tough. They usually stay together. One reason late season is better, there’s more dispersal. Good luck out there.

crawdaddy wrote:

Put your blind up way out in the field where they hang out, then get in it before light.

Right in the middle of the field?

Kind of sticks out like a sore thumb out there does’t it? I generally try to put it somewhere so it blends in with the landscape, like near trees or brush.

Yea you can plop them right in the middle of the field. Have killed some this way, just not my preferred method.

Yup, like 24 7 said, I’ve always read turkeys aren’t bothered by blinds, even way out in the open.

If you don’t happen to punch your tag, you could always try the last season. I realize by then fishing has started and you might be chasing bass, can’t blame a guy for that. I’ve always had a lot better luck luring in a turkey with a call and/or decoy late in the season. All the hens will go to their nest between 9-10am and the Tom’s really get lonely. If you can sneak into your blind around 830 or 9am and hunt for a few hours good things can happen.

I took your advice. I moved it right to the middle of the field.

I saw 6 hens and 4 toms but they didn’t come close enough to the blind (again). It does appear that an unnatural looking blind on the landscape doesn’t bother them though. I’m gonna go back in there a couple hours before dark before they come back to the roost.

Pretty wet out there this morning all my gear is soaked. Little more gobbling going on the past two mornings which has helped pin point where they are at, but they seem to just shut up once we start calling to them. Tomorrow am looks like it will be beautiful out tho.

My wife called me at lunch today to let me know she got a turkey. The only issue is that she didn’t have a tag and wasn’t on our property hunting.

If anyone wants to know what a windshield on a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L costs…I should know here shortly when she calls back

These stupid things are thick around here. Shoot as many as you can folks.

Oh no! I think turkeys are even dumber than deer when it comes to running into vehicles. Let me know what direction to head and I’ll gladly prevent 1 more from flying into a windshield

Yeah, I have a dent on just above my driver’s side headlight that I just chose not to fix. A jake came flying out of a ditch with about as much grace and maneuverability as a cannon ball and all I could do was drive through him. Luckily, he went up and over the car and didn’t really impact my windshield. They can do more damage than a guy thinks.