The big tom that.......
05-31-2005 | 03:42 PM
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Typical Buck
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The big tom that.......
....got away. [:@]
Well yesterday I went out with a friend who is a first year turkey hunter. I have filled my 2 tags and we have been working hard to get him his first. A bit frustarting as there has been a few times where movement or lack of patience has ended what could have been successful hunts. He's a good guy and I certainly have made my fair share of woops so not judging at all.
The learning continued yesterday but I had arguably one of my most successful hunts as the "guide"
Afternoon 3 pm we set up on a large green pasture feild with some roost ridges behind us. We close at 7pm here and the birds don't ususally show up at the ridges until just before fly up as my scouting confirmed. Figured I'd do some soft calling "across" the field in hopes of striking a gobbler off in the distance. At various times we spot hens out in the long grass obviously nesting. Finally at 5:45pm I see way off in the distance (400yds approx) a black blob that wasn't there before. Binocs confirm a strutter!
A few clucks and purrs and very quiet yelps. It was tempting to hit it harder as you would think there no way he is going to hear the soft stuff but he does. He starts slowly walking along the edge of the feild heading our way. A few minutes later I see a darn hen walk behind him and go into the bush. Sure enough he tunrs and goes in with her [:@]
Well time to get serious. Pull out the Primos L'il Heartbreaker and this time I hammer a few good yelps and cutts. Quick and short but loud and excited. About a minute later he walks back out. Back to the soft stuff. He walks three steps and stops. Two clucks and a purr. He walks three more steps.
This goes on for 10 minutes. Agonizing because he is still over 300 yds away and it's now past 6pm! Again I'm tempted to hit it harder but I know (from experience) that he will end up moving off if I do this. A little bit more of our dance and finally he starts walking with purpose angling out into the feild. Excellent, he spotted the lone hen deke I had out.
I put the calls away and tell the shooter to get ready. At about 150 yds we lose sight of him because there is a drop in the feild. I knew this and set up here on purpose. When anything came they would have to come within 20 yds to crest this rise to see what's up.
Time passes and I hear a loud whisper "Do you see him? Where is he?". Oh man, have patience. I'm guessing he's right down the rise and so I say nothing (we have about 5 yds in between us and a bit of wind blowing so it takes a good loud whisper to hear each other)
Next thing I see is the darn dekes blown over! [:@] I'm thinking he should have showed himself by now and I'm wondering if he's bothered by this unfortunate turn of events. A watch check and it's 6:45pm. Okay, don't panic. 15 mins is a long time and he has to be right there. A couple clucks and purrs back into the bush to make him think she has just moved out of the feild. Then suddenly a lone hen comes walking out of the bush 5 yds in front of me out into the feild. She's walking right past us away from the gobbler. PERFECT. My plastic decoy just got replaced by the real thing and she'll bring him right into our laps.
seconds later there he is. A monster! Big ole golf ball head and long paint brush dangling. He's 25 yds from the shooter and 20 yds from me. He came around a little so I see his whole body but the shooter only see's his head. He's walking straight out into the open however.
Well it ends bad [:@] Shot it rushed. Boom. Clean miss. The gobbler runs 5 steps back down the rise a little. I can see him standing there. The shooter has stood up and taken 2 steps into the field and he's looking at the Tom. I yell "shoot that #%* bird". He pumps one more in. The tom take a few more steps and stops AGAIN at the edge of the bush. (This guy was just begging to be shot). 35 yds tops but the aim is off again and another clean miss. One more Hail Mary as he runs and takes flight but he's gone.
I walked out of the bush in dis-belief that we didn't have a turkey over our shoulders. Like I said not judging just sharing. I can guarnatee you we are better turkey chasers today than we were to start yesterday.
A long story but nice to share even the missed opportunities. If you have read the "Tenth Legion" by Tom Kelly I think you'll agree as he talks about that story telling is therapy for turkey hunters.
Cheers!
Steve
Well yesterday I went out with a friend who is a first year turkey hunter. I have filled my 2 tags and we have been working hard to get him his first. A bit frustarting as there has been a few times where movement or lack of patience has ended what could have been successful hunts. He's a good guy and I certainly have made my fair share of woops so not judging at all.
The learning continued yesterday but I had arguably one of my most successful hunts as the "guide"
Afternoon 3 pm we set up on a large green pasture feild with some roost ridges behind us. We close at 7pm here and the birds don't ususally show up at the ridges until just before fly up as my scouting confirmed. Figured I'd do some soft calling "across" the field in hopes of striking a gobbler off in the distance. At various times we spot hens out in the long grass obviously nesting. Finally at 5:45pm I see way off in the distance (400yds approx) a black blob that wasn't there before. Binocs confirm a strutter!
A few clucks and purrs and very quiet yelps. It was tempting to hit it harder as you would think there no way he is going to hear the soft stuff but he does. He starts slowly walking along the edge of the feild heading our way. A few minutes later I see a darn hen walk behind him and go into the bush. Sure enough he tunrs and goes in with her [:@]
Well time to get serious. Pull out the Primos L'il Heartbreaker and this time I hammer a few good yelps and cutts. Quick and short but loud and excited. About a minute later he walks back out. Back to the soft stuff. He walks three steps and stops. Two clucks and a purr. He walks three more steps.
This goes on for 10 minutes. Agonizing because he is still over 300 yds away and it's now past 6pm! Again I'm tempted to hit it harder but I know (from experience) that he will end up moving off if I do this. A little bit more of our dance and finally he starts walking with purpose angling out into the feild. Excellent, he spotted the lone hen deke I had out.
I put the calls away and tell the shooter to get ready. At about 150 yds we lose sight of him because there is a drop in the feild. I knew this and set up here on purpose. When anything came they would have to come within 20 yds to crest this rise to see what's up.
Time passes and I hear a loud whisper "Do you see him? Where is he?". Oh man, have patience. I'm guessing he's right down the rise and so I say nothing (we have about 5 yds in between us and a bit of wind blowing so it takes a good loud whisper to hear each other)
Next thing I see is the darn dekes blown over! [:@] I'm thinking he should have showed himself by now and I'm wondering if he's bothered by this unfortunate turn of events. A watch check and it's 6:45pm. Okay, don't panic. 15 mins is a long time and he has to be right there. A couple clucks and purrs back into the bush to make him think she has just moved out of the feild. Then suddenly a lone hen comes walking out of the bush 5 yds in front of me out into the feild. She's walking right past us away from the gobbler. PERFECT. My plastic decoy just got replaced by the real thing and she'll bring him right into our laps.
seconds later there he is. A monster! Big ole golf ball head and long paint brush dangling. He's 25 yds from the shooter and 20 yds from me. He came around a little so I see his whole body but the shooter only see's his head. He's walking straight out into the open however.
Well it ends bad [:@] Shot it rushed. Boom. Clean miss. The gobbler runs 5 steps back down the rise a little. I can see him standing there. The shooter has stood up and taken 2 steps into the field and he's looking at the Tom. I yell "shoot that #%* bird". He pumps one more in. The tom take a few more steps and stops AGAIN at the edge of the bush. (This guy was just begging to be shot). 35 yds tops but the aim is off again and another clean miss. One more Hail Mary as he runs and takes flight but he's gone.
I walked out of the bush in dis-belief that we didn't have a turkey over our shoulders. Like I said not judging just sharing. I can guarnatee you we are better turkey chasers today than we were to start yesterday.
A long story but nice to share even the missed opportunities. If you have read the "Tenth Legion" by Tom Kelly I think you'll agree as he talks about that story telling is therapy for turkey hunters.
Cheers!
Steve
