If anybody says fall turkey hunting is not exciting or spring hunting is so much better, I wish they were with me when all hell broke loose this morning!
My dad and I set up about 75 yards from where I saw a flock roosting last week. At first light there was no turkey talk so I was getting a little concerned so I threw out a few yelps and cluks and I had one bird respond with a few cluks. About 7:20am my dad and I just looked at each other when the turkeys started flying down. All 50 of them! Give or take a few but I never heard 50 fly down cackles at once before. Man what a sound! Well the only bad thing was they were on the other side of the road about 200 yards away from where they have been roosting. We where set up in a corner of a field so we can shoot anything in the field or in the woods. I told my dad I think we should go in the woods and set up about 100 yards closer and do some calling! Big Mistake! We did just that and I started with some kee-kees and the birds were responding so I gave them some more! I really thought they were going to cross the road and come straight into the woods because that is where they were roosting previously and I thought they would feel comfortable there but half of the birds walked straight down the field which included 6 longbeards that I saw and alot of jakes and the other half of the birds came into the woods but to my right. after 2 hours of having turkeys around me which gave me the best education I ever had on turkey talk they were gone. Now I had clear shots at hens and a jake but my dad did not and he wanted a longbeard and I didn't want to shoot unless we were both going to shoot for a double. To make matters worse, those 6 longbeards walked by our 1st setup by about 5 feet. If I was patient and didnot over think the situation we could had a double of longbeards! What a morning! We tried to circle around them but we ran out of real estate. It didn't matter, I had it all but the gobbles. Fall hunting is just as exciting as spring!
I can not hunt Monday or Tuesday but we made plans to go back on Wednesday! Man I can not wait!