I have hunted spring birds for about 8 years now and each year, I've been taken to school by these old buggers. Well, finally after all this time I took my first tom. Its definitly not like I don't have an abundance of birds on our property, I just haven't had any luck with them.
I was sneaking up a logging road before light Saturday morning know that there have always been a lot of turkeys that roosted in this area almost every evening. I snuck along silently waiting to hear some of the same toms that haunted me in past season. Nothing.... I though, where the heck are they? About that time, I heard a hen squawk in the tree's not much more than 100 yards to my right. I snuck off the logging road away from her to get out of the open road and setup. As light came and the hens started their morning tree calls, the whole hill arupted with gobbles! I though holy cow I'm right in the middle of them! I slowly began some soft yelps of my own and wham! they gobbled back. The hens were getting pretty fired up and I could hear some of them flying down. The hens would yelp and I answered them back hoping that I could get them in my dirrection and pull some of the tom. Sure enough, I looked up the old logging road about 100 yards and four toms stept out on the road in full strut. By now, the ol adrenaline was going pretty good. But...there were still more gobblers down over the side of the mountain gobbling to my right. I called real aggresively to keep the hens in check and they answered and at the same time, these gobblers spouted off right back. No sooner did this happen and I looked over and there were two toms 30 yards to my right. I slowly moved the gun while they were behind a blown over tree. The one tom walked out, I settled the bead on the base of his neck and squeezed the trigger and watched him drop right in his tracks. Turkeys, including two more toms scattered everywhere.
My first spring tom. 18lbs, 8 1/2 beard and 3/4" spurs. Man, I'm pumped! Finally. Now....I gotta wait till next year
First PA Spring Gobbler!!
[8D]
