| Author | Message | ||
| ggobbstopper1946 |
This Tn. hunter would like to share some reflections from this past turkey season. After getting up at 4:30am on numerous mornings,putting hundreds of extra miles on my truck, spending several hundred extra dollars on expences, drinking gallons of coffee, walking miles up and down hills and ridges, crossing large open fields before daylight hoping that the farmers black angus bull is at the other end, carring shotgun and turkey vest loaded to the rim(at least 50lbs), hunting in rain, wind, shine, heat and cold weather, fighting mosquitos and nats, droping my glasses in tall fescue while putting on my facemask (took 30min. to find them),loosing ten-fifteen pounds of weight from not eating properly, neighors watching my grass grow knee high (I don't have time to mow during turkey season), co-workers wondering if I've retired or died, truck has so much mud and dirt in floorboard I could plant corn, getting so aggravated from toms gobbling at my calls while walking away that I may have to see psychologist, aggravating buddies and getting aggravated by buddies, being chased by a bull, followed to my set-up by the farmers dog, approached by another hunter coming to my hen calls (twice)and loosing a striker and a few diaph. calls while moving on a tom. I would consider this season very normal and successful. If the Good Lord sees fit I'll do it again next year. I did get to meet two really nice turkey hunters from Va. Plus I did managed to take one nice tom. GS... | ||
| Cliff |
Don't ya just love it gobblerstopper, can't wait for the season to open then happy it's over for another year. Glad you had some sucess, I have two more days until the season ends here in CT and can't get out until 8AM either day. Sure wish I could loose those 10 or so pounds. | ||
| Piedmont Gobbler |
Hey Cliff, I could lose 10 lbs easy...Just take a few "must have" items out of my vest!!!! PG | ||
| HODY |
GS, such a great reflection. It is certainly the truth. I was thinking about how crazy I (We Turkey Hunters) are to do the things we do as I walked from the woods in a terrential downpour and 20 mph winds on the last day. I did not need to kill a bird, just wanted to complete the season on a positive note. Turkey hunting is a very addicting thing for us that rears its nasty head every sping and metamorphoses us to folks that get no sleep, do not care about work, and spend every waking moment in the woods. I am glad it is over for this year, but I understand that about next Feb or so I will be chomping at the bit to be in the woods again to hear that first gobble of the spring. Glad to hear everyone had a safe year, and some had some great success. Thanks for sharing, and keep in touch. | ||
| GN |
GS46- I did manage to ding up the back end of my truck backing in to a farm wagon one day when I got to excited after we killed a bird. Freddy thought it was pretty funny at the time. Other than that I think I have all the problems you described. But the season usually includes about everything you mentioned so maybe you and me are getting used to it. Only thing I ususally do each year at least once, but I missed this season, was a good cuss-fight with a poacher, and that was only becasue I never caught up with one. | ||
| Turkey576 |
Here is one moment that I remember and do not tell everone. I was in 1991 with my Mossberg 835 when they first came out. I had a brand new one in camo and thought I was top King. I went out on opening day and struck a bird at daylight. He goobbled good for a hour or so but would not budge. So I moved to get around him. While moving I got him to gobble with a crow call and he was close so I set up. I called for several minutes and here he was. I thought "I have this 3 1/2 in magnum shell I can take him" he hung at about 45 yards. Now I knew the gun patterend well at 35 and 40 yards so I knew he was mine. I put the bead on his head and fired. He fell and flopped I laid my gun down and took off after him. At about 10 steps from him he rose and took off running and then broke into flight. He was gone. I was so disgusted that it took me over 45 minutes to find my gun. I laid it down and it was so well hidden that I thought I lost it. I was almost in tears then I found it wow what a scare. Jon | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Great reflection GS... sounds like a typical season!  | ||
| GN |
well here is another one...first tenn bird ofthe season walks out in full strut below us and freddy and I are down in a ditch calling ..I have the gun right on the bird and pull the rigger, nothing happens, and this time I REALLY PULL the trigger and the gun just pulls to the right about six incehes and does not fire..of course I never took the safet y off and I was determined to make it shoot while the safety was on..a nano-second later the safety came off and the bird went down but Freddy thought that was pretty funny from his vantage point right behind me. Jon576, I posted last year about losing my gun in the dark last year in Texas while I had a tree full of roosted turkeys 70 yds in front of me...I crawled in a circle for 15 mnuites to foind it..I was more excited when I found the gun than when I shot a bird ten minutes later. | ||
| tp |
Good one GS: I lost 2 strikers and of course I have to purchase an all new line of mouth calls each season. I usually bust a box call and have to glue back together, but not this year. Man, I needed a bush hog to cut my grass too, and I returned more work-related phone calls than I care to mention. My huntin' rig won't grow corn though -- the holes in the floorboard don't retain enough soil. Post-season is fun too. That's when I spend a month or so exchanging stories with fellow hunters, and for once I actually believe they aren't telling me bald-face lies. |