# LE Opening Day: How did it go?



## SureShot (Oct 2, 2007)

I have to wait for a couple of weeks to hunt, but I went for a ride this morning and found a few turkeys off the beaten path. Didn't see another hunter.

How did it go for those of you that have the early tag?


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Didn't do any scouting this year as they always seem to be in "my spot" every year. Sure enough as I was hiking in I heard the raspy hens and plenty of gobblers. I set up shop in a small clearing and had turkeys on all sides. I clucked along with them for about an hour and nothing came in. I circled up and around them and set up again. I had 4 jakes come in and I took the biggest I saw. The kids sure were happy.

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I didn't see a soul out there and there are TONS of turkeys. Not sure why we need a LE season where I hunt (I've been out on the general and it has been the same way).


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## realunlucky (Apr 14, 2013)

Took my dad out both days this weekend and no luck hearing or even seeing a bird. Guess i should of scouted but in my defense i thought he drew the southern not south eastern what a shocker friday night


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

It was slow for me. Put turkeys to bed and as they came in to roost in the tree....they were all hens, about 10 total. Heard some toms gobble but they didn't really respond to calls. I figured where I was hunting that they just weren't in the "mood" yet. When I see 10 hens and not a tom with them....makes me wonder. NO other hunters in sight.


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## cacherinthewry (Dec 20, 2007)

Hunted the west side of Flaming Gorge, didn't even see a track saturday or sunday. I scouted plenty over the last 2 weekends but they just vanished. Hoping next weekend they reappear. Should have brought my fishing gear. Overheard in the restaurant that the Green had lots of bugs coming off.


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## mycoltbug (Jan 21, 2013)

Went about as well as you can without bagging a bird. 15 minutes into opening morning I took a shoot at a very nice tom,46 yards, but right as I pulled the trigger he dropped his head down into strut. I had aimed at his head and not the neck so I shot right over the top. Guess that's what you get when you are a newbie hunter. So we tracked him down and started to get him to come back into a different area when the guy I was with got the bug to try and circle him rather than wait him out. Needless to say we chased him for several miles with no luck. So a ton crossing the ridgeline across from where I was setup at but nothing would drop down to play the rest of the day.

Day 2 was the tale of everything was going good but just wouldn't work out. Had a ton of gobblers call back to me but they seemed to get within 200 yards and get hung up on a creek that I couldn't get them to cross. I was rushed that day to get home to study for finals but made one last attempt in an area we had seen sign at but hadn't hunted yet. Some older gal had just pulled out of the area so I didn't grab any gear beyond my gun and box call thinking no turkey would be in the area. Seconds after I hit the call I had one call back to me from 300 yards out. Quitely snuck back to the truck to get the rest of my camo and gear all setup then started working the gobbler. He was calling back every 2 minutes. He got to about 100 yards out and there was a stupid creek again. He wouldn't jump the creek after a solid half hour of trying to work him over and I got impatient. So I tried to loop behind him and call from the other side of the creek. That worked, I got him into 35 yards and had about a 1 second window to pop off a shot. Let's just say after my opening morning miss I was second guessing myself. I waited to long and he lost interest and took off. Didn't take a shot. 

We had a great couple of days, saw lots of turkeys. Just need to work on figuring out how to get them to cross that creek or setup first on the opposite side to rule that out.


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## JERRY (Sep 30, 2007)

Congrats Judd on baggin' a bird. 8)


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## kailey29us (May 26, 2011)

I went around Enterprise Res Sat and Sun, I got one to gobble back at me and saw 3 hens but that was it. Went up around New Harmony this morning and saw two hens but couldnt get a tom to reply. Not sure they are going really good yet.


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## mycoltbug (Jan 21, 2013)

Saturday we couldn't get them to gobble at all at anything. Then sunday comes up and everything in the hills was gobbling.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

mycoltbug said:


> Went about as well as you can without bagging a bird. 15 minutes into opening morning I took a shoot at a very nice tom,46 yards, but right as I pulled the trigger he dropped his head down into strut. I had aimed at his head and not the neck so I shot right over the top. Guess that's what you get when you are a newbie hunter. So we tracked him down and started to get him to come back into a different area when the guy I was with got the bug to try and circle him rather than wait him out. Needless to say we chased him for several miles with no luck. So a ton crossing the ridgeline across from where I was setup at but nothing would drop down to play the rest of the day.
> 
> Day 2 was the tale of everything was going good but just wouldn't work out. Had a ton of gobblers call back to me but they seemed to get within 200 yards and get hung up on a creek that I couldn't get them to cross. I was rushed that day to get home to study for finals but made one last attempt in an area we had seen sign at but hadn't hunted yet. Some older gal had just pulled out of the area so I didn't grab any gear beyond my gun and box call thinking no turkey would be in the area. Seconds after I hit the call I had one call back to me from 300 yards out. Quitely snuck back to the truck to get the rest of my camo and gear all setup then started working the gobbler. He was calling back every 2 minutes. He got to about 100 yards out and there was a stupid creek again. He wouldn't jump the creek after a solid half hour of trying to work him over and I got impatient. So I tried to loop behind him and call from the other side of the creek. That worked, I got him into 35 yards and had about a 1 second window to pop off a shot. Let's just say after my opening morning miss I was second guessing myself. I waited to long and he lost interest and took off. Didn't take a shot.
> 
> We had a great couple of days, saw lots of turkeys. Just need to work on figuring out how to get them to cross that creek or setup first on the opposite side to rule that out.


Colt - use last weekend as a learning experience. Turkeys will hang up on various obstacles whether they be creeks, fences, etc. Remove those obstacles by the way you set up on the birds and you will kill one next time. Get on their side of that creek!! Sounds like you have plenty of birds to work. Good luck!


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## rutting (Jul 11, 2008)

My nephew got his first bird a young jake! We was back to the truck by 8:30 am opening morning!! Far cry from years past hunting our guts out. I guess I'd rather be lucky than good!! Lol


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

well i hunted enterprise res . on sat. i had 3 toms call but the just stay out of range about 80 yards went back up there today and did not see any thing today but it was snowing hard up there


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

I hunted Diamond Fork. The place was loaded with turkeys last year. This year, I couldn't raise a gobble. No sign anywhere, either.

Saw a lot of elk, including a beautiful 8X8 that was still packing. Shed hunters were picking up a lot of dark elk antlers, too.

Tell you what...if I was a big old tom, I'd have been tucked into the thickest stuff I could find. Wind + rain = head for cover. So do I go back to Diamond Fork this next weekend, thinking there's birds to come out, or do I get the heck away from there and go somewhere else?

I'm startin' to really love hunting turkeys.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

I would give it another try. It seams turkeys like to return to the same spots year after year.


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