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05-01-2006, 02:37 PM

#76

MKMGOBL

Typical Buck

Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: Contoocook NH USA

Posts: 818

RE: TEAM FOUR

Had trouble logging back onso here it is

On the first morning of WV I heard a lot of gobbling but not on the ridge I was hunting. Seemed like all the birds talking were across from me or behind me on other ridge tops. I did finally get one to gobble on my hillside but he was across the hollow and just too far away, and with my hunting time running out fast, I never got to pursue him. That evening I went to a hollow that always hosted a good few gobblers and sat on top of the ridge to roost one. We heard nothing! Not just in that hollow but anywhere. The birds just weren't gobbling in the evening like they have in the past.

In the morning I decided I was going to crank up the 4 wheeler and head back over to that hollow and give it a try. Nothing like a 15 minute early morning ride to wake you up! Got to the ridge around 5:15 am and set off into the hollow to my favorite flat and got settled in. No decoy! Just wanted to wait and see what was going on before I planned on doing anything. Well, just as 6 o'clock rolled around, the first gobble of the morning came from about 200 yards out in front of me. I listened for the first 5 minutes and didn't hear any hens with him so I started throwing a few tree yelps to him. GOBBBBBLE! GOBBBBBLE! A big smile came across my face under my half mask seeing he knew I was there and it wouldn't be long before he worked his way around the hollow to me. Around 6:15 I did a fly down crackle along with real wing flap and it set him off into another series of gobblers from roost.

Seemed like just seconds after doing that I heard him fly down and he was working his way into the head of the hollow! Not what I was waiting to hear. Next thing I know he was working his way back up to his roosting spot on the same flat I was on but still 200 yards away from me. He gobbled at every call I flew at him but just didn't want to come to me. Then I heard my worst nightmare! A hen, and she was coming from around the hollow on my right and was working her way straight to him! It wasn't long before I saw her about 75 just below me so I gave her the finger along with some small arm waving and she turned and got out of the hollow just as fast as she entered it

Now I was set to work this guy one on one without any distractions, so I thought. I got him to gobble again and decided he wasn't coming to me so I had to make a move. All I needed was one more gobble from him so I can pin his exact location and I was on the move.

No sooner than I got up and started to make my move I bounced 2 deer that ran only 30 yards towards the gobbler and started snorting! That's the second worst thing I needed to hear while trying to work this gobble! I kept on with my game plan hoping the deer would run up and over the hill but they didn't. They stayed just 30 yards in front of me running 10 yards at a time still snorting like crazy. After moving about 125 yards closer to where he was strutting and gobbling, I sat down and called a few times. Nothing! those "BLANKIN BLANK" deer scared off my turkey. Now, I know I would never do it but I was so mad at these deer, I thought the hell with the turkey hunting! I'm going to kill every deer I see within a half a mile of that hollow! That's how mad I was. After not hearing him anymore I decided it was over and wanted to walk out to the point I last heard him and try calling or waiting to see if he came back. I got there and sat down facing down the hollow thinking that's the way he went and gave a few clucks looking for a response from below. Well I got one but it wasn't from down below! He was just over a small knoll on the field's edge over my left shoulder! I spun around as if I was hit with bolt of electricity and had my gun pointing right where I heard him gobble! A few more soft clucks with a yelp and GOBBBBBLE! He let one fly again. I knew just by that last gobble he was less than 25 yards and I was going to see him any second pop over the knoll and my heart was a thumping pretty hard! Then I saw it, the "BLANKIN" deer I spooked out of that hollow! Coming back into the woods less than 30 yards from me. I keep my cool and struck with the soft calling and he gobbled again! This time away from the tree line I was expecting to see him crest. After the deer got past me, I decided to make a move to another oak tree just 10 yards closer to the tree line. I made the move OK and took a peek around it into the field and there he was.

He was facing away from me so I soft called a few more times and he turned and let loose a few gobbles right towards me. I just sank back around the tree and sat down and started scratching at the leaves with a few more soft calls. That really fired him up! He busted out about 4 or 5 gobblers in row and would have gobbled more! If I didn't thump him in the head with a 3.5" Nitro 4X5X7 at 20 yards

A done deal by 6:45 am

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