Season e

[brittman]

Season E ... Early morning for me.  Up before 3 ... bird down by 5:45AM.    May did not disappoint this year.  Will share later.

 

Birds gobbling pretty heavily this morning.    This was a public land bird.   Come to the conclusion that the hatch two years ago was really good.   Lot's of 2 year old Toms around. 

[DonBo]

[brittman]

Started Season E up where I have hunted in the past.  Wanted to hit the old and maybe some new woods where I have killed grouse, woodcock and several turkeys.

 

Up before 3 and on the road.   By 4:15 I am parked and working a little on my laptop.  Chatting / skyping Europe.   Shut that down around 4:30 get out and put on my tick sprayed camo.    I am parked by the big woods with a good half mile walk in before turkey territory is found.   Well I am either getting older, lazier, or smarter ... but there is not enough gobbling to pull me down that trail road.

 

Quickly drive to another spot about 3 miles away.  Stop, listen ... nothing.

 

Another 2 miles and I am parked again at a spot where I have set up in the evening with my son ...  Public land or well at least unposted trust type land that has been partially logged.   Get out and I here gobbles to the N, NE and S.   

 

Head about 150 yards from the truck.  Just me, my gun and my favorite call.   It is around 5:15AM and birds are on the ground.

 

Gobbler to the NE must only be about 100 - 150 yards away ... I cannot see him though.   I am out in a mostly open "field" ... find a small pine tree and sit down in the swale / depression in front of the tree.   Call and he answers hard.   At times it seems like he is closing the gap and then not.  I figure he is on a strutting ground ... he is moving back and forth and when he is close and facing me ... load ... further away and turned away ... softer.   There is a willow thicket between us, but a trail road that could bring him to me.  Anyways he seems hung up.

 

Hen behind me starts long cadence yelping and I decide to copy her.   She is far enough behind me that it will take her time to walk towards me.   As I hit those long cadence yelps the gobbler to the north starts gobbling ... wait there is two and they are getting closer.

 

Lot's of taller grass patches in this over grown "field" ...  around 5:40 or so two Toms pop out of the grass at around 45 yards.   They quietly move towards me looking for that hen.  Lead bird goes into full display for about 5 - 10 seconds.  When he comes out of fanning I drop him.  Walked off exactly 30 paces.

 

Saw three separate groups of birds on the drive home and these were in areas where turkeys should be seen, but usually you don't.  Lot's of birds around this area this year.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by brittman

[brittman]

Bird by work living big in a non hunting zone.

[DonBo]

Good job Britt!  You get to sleep in tomorrow.

 

[Scoot]

Well done!  Congrats!!!

[Borch]

Way to go Britt!

[Hoyt4]

Congrats on the bird