sep0667
Land of the Whitetail
I was fortunate enough to fill my 3rd season tag Sunday morning.
I had gone out Saturday morning on a different farm that I've fill a tag the past two seasons. It was good morning of hearing a few gobbles, seeing a dozen or so deer, and watching a coyote chase deer around in timber. I did have 3 jakes come into 15 yards and I thought about filling my tag on one, but elected to pass. I ended up sitting all the way to 2pm. I had a tom gobbling in the timber with me for several hours, he'd gobble when I called etc, but would never come in. I couldn't go after him since he was on the neighboring property. By 2pm and him not moving an inch I decided to head home.
My plan was to go down to my farm Sunday morning to hunt until 11 or so and then I was going to cage some white pine seedlings I had planted a couple weeks ago and spray some areas for switchgrass I'll be planting. So I had everything loaded up and ready to go Saturday evening. On the drive down Sunday morning it was drizzling the whole way and even some drops. I wasn't expecting that, I thought the forecast was supposed to be clear skies and 65. I got down there and was able to get set up just as it was starting to get light. I set up my jake decoy and hen about 20 yards in the field from the timber edge and I got tucked below a cedar tree on the edge.
It was breezy and drizzling. I wasn't excited about the weather, I could have sworn it was supposed to be a high of 65 and sunny. From my experience turkeys are like people, I've had my best luck on clear sunny, warmer days. Luckily I pretty quick heard like three different birds start gobbling, none sounded real close though (tough to tell with the wind), but I was in the game. I wasn't to optimistic as for about the past 1.5 months I've only got a picture of one hen on camera. My farm is pretty loaded with turkeys in the fall and winter, but they seemed to have disappeared come march. In hindsight I probably need to lower my cameras heights to pick them up better as I really don't get a ton of pics in the fall, but about every time I hunt there's 20-30 birds roosting and wondering around all day and I don't get a ton of pics of them when I come to think of it.
Anyhow I called every 20 minutes or so. About 8 a hen came from my left and come up near the decoys and was feeding in front of my for 10-15 minutes. She started yelping and eating and I thought awesome, a live calling decoy. I heard a gobble from my left a couple of toms that sounded like it was getting closer, then I heard one from the right. I'd guess each was probably 100-150 yards away. After a bit the hen worked off out of sight over the hill and the toms didn't show.
30 minutes later the drizzle was picking up and drops were starting to fall so I decided to move inside the timber and set up to stay dry. I left he decoys in the field. I only sat there maybe 10 minutes and decided I needed to get back up to the field edge, it just felt like that's where I needed to be and eventually a tom would wonder by. I crept slow back up to the field edge picking out into the field and to my right I see a turkey run/waddling in towards the decoys, 'crap, should have never got up!" I slow drop to a knee and crouch down behind the brush. I think it caught my movement though as it stopped and was telescoping my way a bit. I held tight and it started moving in to the decoys again. Once it got up by the decoys I realized it was a jake again, 'dang it, another jake'. A second later I heard a gobble real close, I thought it was just the jake for a split second then my eyes involuntarily caught movement from the right as another bird was running full speed to the decoys and I saw the beard hanging down and twice the size of the jake and my mind said, 'but that's not!' I slowly lifted the gun and got the bead lined up right as he got to the decoys and BOOM!! Tom down!
It was the first tom on my farm. I've only turkey hunted there maybe 4 mornings since 22'. The other permission piece is closer so with these early spring mornings its tough to get up and make the extra 30 minute drive to mine. Its only an extra 30 minutes, but man that sun comes up early in the spring. Every time I've seen a few/heard some gobbles, but this was the first successful hunt there. What a blessing. I was so happy after I shot I had my arms raised above my head strutting around like a tom myself, so happy to get a bird of my own ground. I texted my farm tenant and he came out to look at it with his grandson and that was pretty cool to see them both pretty excited and asking questions, they see the birds, but hadn't seen one up close like that. Then as I was showing where I wanted to put a little clover plot I look over and see a shed antler in some brush literally 7-8 feet up in the air, I could barely reach up and grab it. I imagine the buck felt he was about to shed and shook his head and the antler got flung up in the tree, craziest shed find I've ever had. This turkey probably has the best spurs of any of killed, really sharp 1 1/8".
Unfortunately I didn't get any spraying done due to weather, will have to make a trip back after work this week. The wildlife is there already, but hopefully continuing to work on the habitat projects will enhance everything, I can envision it in my mind.
I had gone out Saturday morning on a different farm that I've fill a tag the past two seasons. It was good morning of hearing a few gobbles, seeing a dozen or so deer, and watching a coyote chase deer around in timber. I did have 3 jakes come into 15 yards and I thought about filling my tag on one, but elected to pass. I ended up sitting all the way to 2pm. I had a tom gobbling in the timber with me for several hours, he'd gobble when I called etc, but would never come in. I couldn't go after him since he was on the neighboring property. By 2pm and him not moving an inch I decided to head home.
My plan was to go down to my farm Sunday morning to hunt until 11 or so and then I was going to cage some white pine seedlings I had planted a couple weeks ago and spray some areas for switchgrass I'll be planting. So I had everything loaded up and ready to go Saturday evening. On the drive down Sunday morning it was drizzling the whole way and even some drops. I wasn't expecting that, I thought the forecast was supposed to be clear skies and 65. I got down there and was able to get set up just as it was starting to get light. I set up my jake decoy and hen about 20 yards in the field from the timber edge and I got tucked below a cedar tree on the edge.
It was breezy and drizzling. I wasn't excited about the weather, I could have sworn it was supposed to be a high of 65 and sunny. From my experience turkeys are like people, I've had my best luck on clear sunny, warmer days. Luckily I pretty quick heard like three different birds start gobbling, none sounded real close though (tough to tell with the wind), but I was in the game. I wasn't to optimistic as for about the past 1.5 months I've only got a picture of one hen on camera. My farm is pretty loaded with turkeys in the fall and winter, but they seemed to have disappeared come march. In hindsight I probably need to lower my cameras heights to pick them up better as I really don't get a ton of pics in the fall, but about every time I hunt there's 20-30 birds roosting and wondering around all day and I don't get a ton of pics of them when I come to think of it.
Anyhow I called every 20 minutes or so. About 8 a hen came from my left and come up near the decoys and was feeding in front of my for 10-15 minutes. She started yelping and eating and I thought awesome, a live calling decoy. I heard a gobble from my left a couple of toms that sounded like it was getting closer, then I heard one from the right. I'd guess each was probably 100-150 yards away. After a bit the hen worked off out of sight over the hill and the toms didn't show.
30 minutes later the drizzle was picking up and drops were starting to fall so I decided to move inside the timber and set up to stay dry. I left he decoys in the field. I only sat there maybe 10 minutes and decided I needed to get back up to the field edge, it just felt like that's where I needed to be and eventually a tom would wonder by. I crept slow back up to the field edge picking out into the field and to my right I see a turkey run/waddling in towards the decoys, 'crap, should have never got up!" I slow drop to a knee and crouch down behind the brush. I think it caught my movement though as it stopped and was telescoping my way a bit. I held tight and it started moving in to the decoys again. Once it got up by the decoys I realized it was a jake again, 'dang it, another jake'. A second later I heard a gobble real close, I thought it was just the jake for a split second then my eyes involuntarily caught movement from the right as another bird was running full speed to the decoys and I saw the beard hanging down and twice the size of the jake and my mind said, 'but that's not!' I slowly lifted the gun and got the bead lined up right as he got to the decoys and BOOM!! Tom down!
It was the first tom on my farm. I've only turkey hunted there maybe 4 mornings since 22'. The other permission piece is closer so with these early spring mornings its tough to get up and make the extra 30 minute drive to mine. Its only an extra 30 minutes, but man that sun comes up early in the spring. Every time I've seen a few/heard some gobbles, but this was the first successful hunt there. What a blessing. I was so happy after I shot I had my arms raised above my head strutting around like a tom myself, so happy to get a bird of my own ground. I texted my farm tenant and he came out to look at it with his grandson and that was pretty cool to see them both pretty excited and asking questions, they see the birds, but hadn't seen one up close like that. Then as I was showing where I wanted to put a little clover plot I look over and see a shed antler in some brush literally 7-8 feet up in the air, I could barely reach up and grab it. I imagine the buck felt he was about to shed and shook his head and the antler got flung up in the tree, craziest shed find I've ever had. This turkey probably has the best spurs of any of killed, really sharp 1 1/8".
Unfortunately I didn't get any spraying done due to weather, will have to make a trip back after work this week. The wildlife is there already, but hopefully continuing to work on the habitat projects will enhance everything, I can envision it in my mind.
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