Team 4 check-in.

[sticknstring]

Nice work Fish - beautiful bird!

[ANYFISH2]

Well here the story of my 2013 hunt.

After last weeks scouting trip, asking a few questions on here, and listening to the voices in head , Tuesday I found what seemed to be the best spot to setup the blind on a oak ridge overlooking a native meadow and the roosting area. This spot seemed easiest to get to without spooking the roosted birds. It didn't feel ideal, but I figured I would learn more as the season went on, then adjust.

Day 1(and only day )

I woke up at 3:30am and made sure all things are in place, with the exception of my box call(hard to leave the confidence of the box at home)which I couldn't find, I was off to the woods by 4. After grabbing a bite to eat, I arrived at the property at 4:45 and headed into the woods slowly and as quitely (sounded like a moose walking on glass)as i could to my blind. I sat in wait for the skies lighten and the birds to talk. Talk they did from about 6 to 8 it was non-spot gobbles and all the hen talk you could imagine.

About 6:15 the flydown started and I was now covered to east with more turkeys than I had ever had at one time before. Frustratingly they move off to the north, struttting and gobbling all the way, but they never went very far, probably never more that 100-150yd away, but out of site. About 7 the unreceptive hens started to break off and work my way by 7:15 I have now had 12 hens walk by within 10 yards. Now, I am not sure on the time but a little later I got to see a breeding pair of turkeys, that is a first for me. The next hour and half or so was more of the same gobbling and clucking non-stop, but no birds in sight, but close.

At about 9 am I start to see birds, usually "couples", start to break off and head to the southeast, things become quiet. I start to think of moving to head these turkeys off, but I told myself day one was all about patience and stay put(yeah I may talk to myself when one can hear ). About 9:15 I see lone tom break from the strutting area, this is my chance! I call, trying to mimic the hens I've been hearing, he responds by walking my general direction, stops, looks, see's nothing, and heads off the southeast. I get a little aggressive with the call and he then turns and work west along the meadow edge. I call again he stops looks, sees nothing, and continues on his way. I now think to myself I should have my decoys out, I didn't put them out in the dark in fear of bumping birds, than I had too many birds I could see to but them out later. I look at the decoy at my feet, say what-the-hey, I stick the stake in it and literally toss it out the blind window, somehow landing stake down, decoy up-right, about 2 feet from the blind. He is still working his way west, leading him directly infront of me about 70 yds away but into a clearing, as he enters this clearing I call aggressivly, he looks, and you could see the excitment overcome him. His head turned red(love seeing the color change) and he starts a trot up-hill towards me, well as straight as a excited turkey walks (100yds to cover 50). He spot shortly about 35 yds out on the trail, before I could get settled on his he being up hill and closer, out of the window of the blind. I kneel down against the side of the blind to see him, I on him now, but he has hung up about 25 yds out behind 2 scrub oaks. I can only see his beak and and body. He doesn't move, I then lean harder against the blind to give me a clear but tight shot at his neck, it works, I fire and see him tumble down the hill.

I get excited, open the blind door(double bull doors are kinda small) and proceed to trip and fall onto my face, snow is cold. i get over to him and see my biggest turkey to date:

25lb 4oz

9 5/8" beard

7/8" spurs

What a great hunt, to bad it over. Till next year.

[DonBo]

WOW, nice! 25+ lbs is a pig. WTG!

[Archerysniper]

Huge bird for a tough cold winter,he had to be really heavy last fall. Congrat's

[Cheetah]

Heck of a bird, congratulations!

[DrJ]

Way to go..Patients does work sometimes DrJ

[2044Mustang]

Great job, great story, and that's one big bird. Way to go!

[nbadger23]

Great work Fish! Were you calling at all while the birds were in sight or did you wait until that lone tom broke off? I wonder what would have happened if that decoy hadn't landed in the upright position :-)

[ANYFISH2]

Thanks for the congrats guys.

badger, I called some right at flydown, and when a tom would come visable. I called maybe 5 or 6 sequences in the 3 or 3 1/2 hours.

I probably wouldn't have called that much if the hens wouldn't have answered back. If I could get the boss hens to come to me the guys would follow, was my thought. It may have worked against me, maybe the hens lead the toms away.

I sure did learn a lot of different calls and sequences from the real hens yesterday! I think they helped me call and get the attention of the tom, by mimicing the calls they were doing.

The tom I shot was definaitly interested in the call, but like I have experienced before, he didn't seem to want walk up-hill blind. I can only wonder if he would have come in if the decoy would have landed differently. Maybe it was coincedence, but he sure got excited after the decoy was out of the blind.

[nbadger23]

Fish, thanks for the info. I've had very little interaction with hens in my hunts so I was curious what would be the right thing to try in your situation. In the reading I've done it seems like the hens can react by coming to investigate "the new hen" thus dragging the toms along OR they can hear the other hen as a competitor for their Tom and go the opposite direction so as not to lose their "hook up" :-)

It seems that light calling, as you did, would be a good idea as it would let the toms that were there know that once they were done breeding there was another hen in the area to go after or it may have drawn a subordinate tom in that was lurking.

I have a lot to learn about turkey communication so it's nice to read stories such as yours as it's additional knowledge to put in the memory bank.

[ANYFISH2]

I have called in every lone Tom or small group of males, that had just broke off of thier strutting zone/morning hens. Some have hung up out of range but they really seem callable mid-to late morning.

Other than flydown, 10am-2pm is my favorite time to call and hunt.

[ANYFISH2]

I have a lot to learn about turkey communication so it's nice to read stories such as yours as it's additional knowledge to put in the memory bank.

I am pretty sure ALL of us have alot to learn about these birds. I am sure we all learn something every season in the field, if not every day, if we are listen and really paying attention to the birds.

Borch, DonBo, and archerysniper just to name a few, are full of knowledge and seem very will to give advice. They(and this forum in general)have been pricless in helping me learn how to hunt turkey over the past 4 years.

[sticknstring]

Quote:

I am pretty sure ALL of us have alot to learn about these birds. I am sure we all learn something every season in the field, if not every day, if we are listen and really paying attention to the birds.

Well said! Soon as you think you've got them figured out, they do something completely unexpected!

[Borch]

After a while you learn to read the birds at bit better but every situation and bird can be very different. One thing that's worked for me is you have a hen answer your calls mimick her calls back to her matching her intensity. Usually the most talkative hen is the dominate bird and if you can get her to come and try and run you off the tom is likely to follow. Otherwise the light calling and leaf scratch can be a dynomite way to get more submissive or educated birds to close the distance. I try to fire birds up early and have them look for me as they close the distance. If a google gobbles hard for a bit and then stutd up, set down the call and get ready to shoot. He may take a while but they often will come in silent and catch you off guard. One of my early lessons learned the hard way.

The early morning off the roost time can be exciting but is usually less likely to close the deal. The past few years the afernoons have been very good to us. Later in the season I would say the best part of the day starts about 10 am and gets better as the day wears on.

Lastly be safe and have fun! Killing a bird is icing on the cake but hunting them is what it's all about.

[Cheetah]

Abndoc, are you taking your son out again this season? I thought in WI the kids get to go early and then can also hunt their regular time slot that the tag is good for? maybe...

[Cheetah]

Kinda quiet in here. I am leaving for SD this evening and should have a first-day report tomorrow.

[ANYFISH2]

Good luck cheetah, will be looking forward to your reports.

Good luck to the others that are hunting season C here in MN also.

I'll be waiting for some pics and stories.

[Cheetah]

I missed one today with my bow at 35yd. Thought I hit him but no blood on the arrow. Must have just gone through feathers. Chased a few other flocks in circles all day with no shots... I have a big flock located for the morning and am going out with my bow again.

[2044Mustang]

Good luck tomorrow Cheetah, I can't wait for Saturday. I haven't been seeing a lot of birds and it's a new area for me. Hoping to get lucky though. May your arrow fly true!

[Cheetah]

Slow morning. Huge flock right where I wanted and I got my blind in a nice clearing near them. One flew down to me but left when he realized the flock was going the other way... Gonna wait em out for a while yet since I figure some will circle back through this spot like they did yesterday.

[ANYFISH2]

Good luck! Can't wait to here of your success.

[Abndoc]

Ya Cole will be back out in 2 weeks.

[Cheetah]

I left the blind and went walking to find birds. Ended up finding the flock up high. Called in a gobbler to 20yd but he saw me grab for my bow and putted off. I instantly called in two more gobblers and a hen and they caught me moving too. Sure is a lot easier when you can sit there with a gun and just blast them without moving.

I saw a couple big gobbler fights and the hens went at it too. Had a few hens and 5 or 6 gobblers strutting above me but I couldn't get them to come down to my level and I couldn't sneak any closer and have any chance of a shot with the bow.

Oh well, can't say I didn't have opportunities. I'll head back out in a couple hours and hope they circle back through where I have the blind on their way to roost tonight.

[sticknstring]

Run & gun with archery tackle is no easy feat! Good luck this afternoon in the blind!

[Cheetah]

Yea I should have had those birds today but I was dinking around with the call when I should have just been ready to shoot when I heard them gobble so close. It was tight quarters in the sapling pines so I couldn't see them coming until they were right on top of me.