As I said in another post, it is the events of the hunt that dictates my decision....this was a total cluster and it felt right.
Long Frustrating Season
Hope this doesn't get too long winded. Been a long frustrating season up until the last two hunts, and they truly were highlights.
I have hunted 12 days this season, only 2 days did I not hear a gobbler.
My 42 year old daughter who never expressed an interest in hunting turned into a dedicated turkey hunter. Unfortunately, we couldn't get her one, but she heard gobblers close every trip, had birds hung-up two different times and got to see a coyote stalk and attack a decoy.
Friday May 19 Day 11
I had hunted this spot two times previously with multiple birds, first time the deer messed it up, second time the birds hung up. I had decided it was more hill than they were comfortable coming down so Friday I tried to get the height advantage. I set up above where they had hung up and at 5:40 they started on the tree. Around 6 I saw a hen sneaking through the brush below as she got out of sight I leaned out to watch where she went only to have a deer looking right at me at 5 yards. She blew and headed towards the gobblers, I hit the box and the gobblers lite off. I clucked on an aluminum pot and soon had a really annoyed hen screaming at me, as she passed I kept getting her fired up.
The gobblers kept calling and heading my way, but above me. Through all this 3 deer moved in front of me and stood and just watched at 20 yds. Soon a jake started down towards me and I decided to take him, I shot and the deer stood there and I watched 2 gobblers leaving Dodge, thinking I had missed I started to swing on one of them , my brain told me stop, there was no way I missed. The deer never moved and just walked off. Sure enough it was laying stone cold dead, no flopping no nothing. As I was filling out the tag another deer walked past, I started talking to her and she started feeding. As a whole it was a circus and I was happy to harvest the jake ( with M&M spurs, a scrawny beard etc...just kidding fairchild...LOL)
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Monday May 22nd Day 12
I knew there were at least 2 more gobblers there so I returned to the exact same spot. They didn't gobble on the tree as much or as early, but they did answer. A hen came past the side of the tree I was sitting against at about 10 yards, we saw each other about the same time. The hen putted and flew up in a tree in front of me and almost seem to start clucking, I did the same and the gobblers sounded off and were coming. They were directly above me and stood there answering every call, probably gobbled at least 30 times but wouldn't budge. They must have shrugged their shoulders, and headed back the way they came, but continued to gobble sporadically. I moved to the spot they were in above me and started to call. Immediately they turned around and head back. At what sounded like 100 yards they gobbled , I adjusted and set up, next thing I see is the bird 25yds in front, at the shot a turkey flew but I never saw mine drop. Sure enough there he was stone cold dead.
Both birds killed at straight up 7 AM
SA- 28 with Apex 91/2
Todays bird 21.3# 10"beard and 1 1/4 &1 5/16 spurs
Jake was 5"
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I have hunted 12 days this season, only 2 days did I not hear a gobbler.
My 42 year old daughter who never expressed an interest in hunting turned into a dedicated turkey hunter. Unfortunately, we couldn't get her one, but she heard gobblers close every trip, had birds hung-up two different times and got to see a coyote stalk and attack a decoy.
Friday May 19 Day 11
I had hunted this spot two times previously with multiple birds, first time the deer messed it up, second time the birds hung up. I had decided it was more hill than they were comfortable coming down so Friday I tried to get the height advantage. I set up above where they had hung up and at 5:40 they started on the tree. Around 6 I saw a hen sneaking through the brush below as she got out of sight I leaned out to watch where she went only to have a deer looking right at me at 5 yards. She blew and headed towards the gobblers, I hit the box and the gobblers lite off. I clucked on an aluminum pot and soon had a really annoyed hen screaming at me, as she passed I kept getting her fired up.
The gobblers kept calling and heading my way, but above me. Through all this 3 deer moved in front of me and stood and just watched at 20 yds. Soon a jake started down towards me and I decided to take him, I shot and the deer stood there and I watched 2 gobblers leaving Dodge, thinking I had missed I started to swing on one of them , my brain told me stop, there was no way I missed. The deer never moved and just walked off. Sure enough it was laying stone cold dead, no flopping no nothing. As I was filling out the tag another deer walked past, I started talking to her and she started feeding. As a whole it was a circus and I was happy to harvest the jake ( with M&M spurs, a scrawny beard etc...just kidding fairchild...LOL)
Monday May 22nd Day 12
I knew there were at least 2 more gobblers there so I returned to the exact same spot. They didn't gobble on the tree as much or as early, but they did answer. A hen came past the side of the tree I was sitting against at about 10 yards, we saw each other about the same time. The hen putted and flew up in a tree in front of me and almost seem to start clucking, I did the same and the gobblers sounded off and were coming. They were directly above me and stood there answering every call, probably gobbled at least 30 times but wouldn't budge. They must have shrugged their shoulders, and headed back the way they came, but continued to gobble sporadically. I moved to the spot they were in above me and started to call. Immediately they turned around and head back. At what sounded like 100 yards they gobbled , I adjusted and set up, next thing I see is the bird 25yds in front, at the shot a turkey flew but I never saw mine drop. Sure enough there he was stone cold dead.
Both birds killed at straight up 7 AM
SA- 28 with Apex 91/2
Todays bird 21.3# 10"beard and 1 1/4 &1 5/16 spurs
Jake was 5"
