Credit cards are being hit this morning for the spring turkey hunt.
I have one, now I just need to find the turkeys.
I have one, now I just need to find the turkeys.
Colorado Turkey Tags
- Thread starter JimP
- Start date
tim
Veteran member
There are units that are draw only such as the one where I live, then there are the OTC units. But I'm lazy and don't want to drive too far so I put in for my home unit.
tim
Veteran member
gotcha
do people ever wing shoot them, ie walk and shoot the flushed bird? they are so easy to walk up to, that i flush them just to see them glide.
do people ever wing shoot them, ie walk and shoot the flushed bird? they are so easy to walk up to, that i flush them just to see them glide.
tim
Veteran member
Muley bound
Active Member
I have to laugh when I see how other states perceive turkeys. Here in Wisconsin, they are all over the state. You can’t drive down the road and NOT see a turkey. But, we still have to apply for these birds, and on some years you don’t even draw a tag! It’s completely ridiculous! Even when you do draw your tag, it’s more than likely not the season you even applied for. Even with a landowner preference, I still don’t get the season I apply for. But they’ll hand out deer tags without a thought. I enjoy turkey hunting cause it’s a great hunt to take out younger kids to get involved and get them in the woods.
The third turkey that I ever shot was on the wing.
We saw a group of toms strutting just off of the side of the road. I drove up the road a ways and we got out of the truck and circled back to where they were. As I got into position I heard a shot and then here they came, flying left to right at about ten feet off of the ground. I didn't even think but pulled up my 10 ga and pulled the trigger. The lead bird folded up and dropped like a rock.
Turbodude
Active Member
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Turkey hunting here in the SW part of Colorado is for the most part in the National Forest. It is a lot of work and requires a lot of scouting to find the birds. I usually look for a roost tree to begin with. The birds are always on the move looking for food and following the snow line as it recedes. They feed a lot on acorns, so oak brush is where I look. I'll also go to the roost trees I know of in the late afternoon and look for birds returning. I f I find them, I'll be there at daylight when they leave to feed.
If you are lucky enough to have private property to hunt on, totally different story.
I've hunted them in Texas....piece of cake, when compared to around here!
If you are lucky enough to have private property to hunt on, totally different story.
I've hunted them in Texas....piece of cake, when compared to around here!
Turkey hunting was my only disappointment when I moved to CO. In CT it was what you did to put meat on the table. Spring bag limit 5 toms, fall was 3 either sex. Nice thing about a bag limit was it averaged out. If you had a bad day and came home empty handed you could make up for it with 3 birds another day. I have mad respect for all you midwest hunters who put in the miles for 1-2 toms a season. Color me lazy but I couldn't swing it. 
You have to look at the land and the climate that is available for turkeys in Colorado. While there is land that will sustain a good population there is also quite a bit that won't. Between the mountains, elevations, and weather I think that Colorado is doing good to have turkeys west of I-25. There are good areas such as the larger river bottoms that will sustain good populations but once you get out of those river bottoms the population drops real fast. Even here in unit 44 most of the turkeys live down in the river bottoms year round and like a lot of areas the river bottoms is controlled by private property.
Now if you look at the eastern plains of Colorado you will find lots of turkey but again you are fighting private property.
I'm not sure about Colorado but I know that Utah supplements their turkey population in the hills by trapping problem turkeys in the low private property areas and trans plant them into the higher elevation only to have them work their way back down to the bottom. But without doing this there won't be any turkeys up in the higher elevations. Then there is the problem with winter kill and predators that get the eggs in the spring.
Now if you look at the eastern plains of Colorado you will find lots of turkey but again you are fighting private property.
I'm not sure about Colorado but I know that Utah supplements their turkey population in the hills by trapping problem turkeys in the low private property areas and trans plant them into the higher elevation only to have them work their way back down to the bottom. But without doing this there won't be any turkeys up in the higher elevations. Then there is the problem with winter kill and predators that get the eggs in the spring.