| Author |
Message |
Shooter
| | Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 11:05 am: | |
Well it's been 2 weeks of season and I've hunted 6 times. All I can say is "the turkey gods don't love me!".
Opening day, 18 birds gobbling like crazy, I see them thru the trees hit the grounds and disappear.
Second Saturday, Dad and I both decided to leave the rain gear in the truck. Well I'm sure everyone nows what's going to happen. Yeah I got about a mile from the truck on top of a big mountain with the sky opens up. I'm soaked all morning. As for the turkeys, the posse of 1 longbeard and 3 jakes crank up and gobble for about an hour before coming off the roost. Well they were nice enough to gobble as the went running the other way for the next 30 mins.
Nothing the next 3 hunts at differnt locations. then yesterday went back were the posse is. It was COLD and I figured nothing would gobble. At 6.10 the woods open up with 2 long beards. They wouldn't let the sound of their first gobble die before cranking off again. I get about 100 yards away and wait. About 7, the trees above me open up. It was the 3 jakes!! I sit there and wait till 7.45 before they all come out of the tree.
I do a couple soft yelps and nothing. Do some more and get a gobble that sounds to be going the the opposite direction. So i just set there and do some soft yelping. 30 mins go by with no sounds. so I pick up my box call for one last call before moving and do a serious of yelps. One gobbles close but unsure were it is. I yelp again and set the box call down. Just as I let go of it, the woods come alive with turkeys running everywhere. I see this one running right at me! I get the gun up and think its coming to my call, NO CHANCE, I watch him take flight 15 feet from me. A 7-9" beard, nice spurs. Then 2 others take flight and come by. Not sure how many others, but they take off the other way.
I decided my day is over here, so I go to another farm. As I'm going in about 9.30, one is gobbling his head off on top of the mountain. I hual butt up the mountain, it's about 2300 feet change. The whole time up, he's gobbling. Get to the top and he shuts up completly.
I work so hard and still have nothing to show for it. I hope things get better! I hate to go 0 for 11 years when it comes to turkeys.
Sorry for the long post, just had to get this stuff of my chest..haha |
NCLimbhanger
| | Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 12:54 pm: | |
0 for 11 years !!! WOW! Theres one thing for sure shooter, You are persistent and dont give up!! Seems like you have had some exciting hunts though ! The "Turkey Gods" are bound to smile on you soon, hang in there...I am pulling for
ya !!!! :-)
GOD Bless,
Chris |
Piedmont gobbler
| | Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 4:28 pm: | |
Same experience here fellas. Went with a good friend of mine yesterday (Friday) and we accidentally bumped a loan gobbler in a field on the way to our setup. Called to him a bit, after spotting him and not sure he spotted us. He gobbled once immediately. Since I was above him I set up on the woods edge. After 15 minutes I got up and he was no where around. Went to our original destination where a gobbler was sounding off every minute or so. On the way watched a Jake walk out of the field, but he wasnt doing the gobbling. Let him pass and set up for the loud mouth on the hill next to me. As soon as I called, he answered then went completely silent. Never did get another answer.
Went today, heard one hen followed by a gobbler about 3 minutes behind her. He answered to me about 6 times walking away with the real hen all the way. Struck up a second bird at 10:30 below me and he gobbled hard several times following my cutting but each time he was walking from left to right and getting further away. Tried to flank him but he shut up. Only thing I can figure is the hens are sticking tight to them.
Worse year in a long time!
PG |
mtnbuk
| | Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 9:26 pm: | |
Do like George on that episode of Seinfeld.... do the opposite of what you would normally do. Works somtimes.
Been chasing birds in Bedford County since the opener. Lotsa birds & gobbling, close calls, but nothing to show for it.
Decided to go to a farm in Franklin County that I have not scouted or been to this spring. Went there only once this fall.
Went to a ground blind and was determined to hunt "deer style" since birds like this particular area - something I wouldn't normally do.
When the gobbler sounded off at 6:40am about 300+ yds I didn't go after him. I clucked once on my Cody slate. Waited 30 seconds and yelped on a box call.
A nice gobbler nearly ran me over as he closed on a run to 10 yds. He spotted me in the blind and took off running. Just as he was about to take off I nailed him. Had to chase him down for a follow-up. 20 3/4 lbs, 9 3/4 beard, 1 in. spurs.
Basically, I knew that I needed some new scenery and a fresh bird that hadn't patterned me! This time it paid off.
Stick with it. Vary your approach & maybe most importantly... your location. Find new birds.
Good luck,
MTNBUK |
Shooter
| | Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2002 - 11:06 pm: | |
Thanks guys!! Yeah I'm just stupid or something, but I hang in there. I can't resist that mountain gobbler sounding off!!
I don't know what it is with turkeys but I'm just not lucky with them. As for deer, well that's a different story. I've hunted deer for 13 years, I've taken 20 deer. It is nothing to walk to a place I've never been and kill a good buck. It never seems to matter wether it was public or private, I could get a deer. As for turkeys, not sure what i'm doing wrong.
I don't want to sound like I've not had close encounters with them. I had 3 longbeards 5 yards away from me but I wouldn't shoot them because they were across the fence on the other property. I've had other shots, but I didn't feel the were kill shots, so I didn't shoot. Maybe I'm to eithical when it comes to hunting. I've let many deer walk for similar reasons.
As for new locations, i'm working on that. I've only got 2 pieces of land I can hunt. One is 20 acres and the other is about 125. The big one is pure mountain sides. I just got permission to hunt a new place that is about an hr away. I'm going to go up there next Friday or Sat. |
mtnbuk
| | Posted on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 8:53 am: | |
I'm always "looking" for new properties - public or private. Every encounter I have with a new friend, customer or contractor is a potential opportunity to gain access to another area.
Last year I got into a hunting lease for a mere $100/year by recognizing the opportunity. It's 300+ acres of combination apple orchard, agricultural fields (usually corn)and woods. I've taken a buck there already and encountered turkeys nearly every trip in the fall. And I haven't even been there this spring yet because I have a number of choices!
Finding hunting land is a year-round pursuit and it can really pay off.
There is one last ingredient that I truly believe in and it can make all the difference in the world... and that's a positive attitude. Confidence will "show" in your calling and will eventually convince a gobbler that you are the real deal.
My confidence usually INCREASES as the spring progresses whether I've scored or not. Each passing day means another hen or two going to nest and probably fewer hunters to compete with as well.
Good luck!
MTNBUK |
tjkiller
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 - 9:52 am: | |
we killed 4 toms the 1st week. couldnt find any lastweek.we went back to the original place this morning and there they were(jakes). This is how we killed em. locate em on the roost and get close but not too close. set up in on open spot ie. logging road or clearing. i dont like big fields because it gives them too much room to strut out of range.but they always go to an open spot. once ur set up be conservative but sexy. some puttin then a couple of soft yelps with a sexy cackle . rake the leaves a few times. put the shooter between the caller and the bird. set up a few decoys close to the caller if u want. i believe in them in certain situations. hope this statagy helps it seems to be workin here this year. |
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