THANK YOU for the support... nailed a DOUBLE!
05-21-2011 | 12:48 PM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 12,730
Likes: 4
From: Maine
That is super!! I can't wait to hear your story.. I find there is a lot of good information on here. I had scored earlier from a post I had on here and trying to get a big tom come in. He is very skitish and runs just from the sound of a vehicle even though it hasn't even had a chance to see yet.
Congrats on the double!
Congrats on the double!
05-22-2011 | 06:14 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Fork Horn
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Turkey-Town Kansas
So I am sure most of you have read my story about my miss from 8-10 yards LAST Saturday. I had debated going back after him the very next day, but I gave him a week to forget the experience.
Well, this past Saturday I went out after it rained all week! I went to the very same spot, and figured that I would be ready for him to come from the right, as he did before. I'm all set up at 5:40 and the sun is rising, I hear owls and crows but no turkeys (didn't have time to roost him the night before). I try some fly-down calls, yelps, clucks.... no gobbles! After about 30 minutes I hear a very faint gobble that sounds like he is literally a mile away and across a creek! I call infrequently and as loud as I could, but in the strong wind I was getting no response. I would still hear him at random intervals, but he was not getting closer.
I am ashamed to admit it but I have always been the guy that gets up and moves shortly after sunrise if I don't hear a gobbler within what I consider to be workable range. After my miss last week I went and talked to my hunting mentor (an old fart that I work with
) He was telling me of all the great birds he's taken late morning mid afternoon etc.
So, long story longer, I used my mouth call for another hour or two with no prospects within range. Then every so often I would hear a gobble from about 1/2 mile straight in front of me, but still on the other side of a large creek, and some THICK woods. I figured if I was going to be sitting here I might as well TRY and get him to come in.
I have always relied on my diaphragm call, altho I had my slate call with me. I figured I would give my mouth a rest and use the slate. I really felt that I had nothing to lose, so I was more or less "practicing"! I was clucking and yelping as loud as I could, and every so often I would get a gobble. Then after about 30 minutes of that... nothing! It's been my experience that when they go silent you need to REALLY pay attention because they are likely moving into the open or doing something equally nerve wracking for them. After about 20 minutes of silence I started hearing an odd sounding "CLUCK"......................................"CLUC K" from about 250 yards directly in front of me. Now I am sitting straight on the ground between two cedar trees on the edge of a huge bare corn field. Like an idiot I had my shotgun laying on the ground beside me with my legs crossed, and my slate call in my lap. After about 10 minutes of the strangest single clucks, another LONG pause, and I grabbed a swig of water. After replacing my water bottle I grabbed my slate and was about to strike it when I saw a tom dead ahead at 250 yards! He had just appeared out of nowhere! So now my heart is starting to really pound, and I tell myself that I don't want to relive the previous week, and lose this bird due to impatience! It's now going on 9:00am, and the sun is shining directly on me, and I feel like he can see my every move! I need to get my gun off the ground and get my knees up so I'll be ready if he closes the 250 yard gap! He looks to be the biggest Tom I have ever had in front of me, as I could see his beard swinging from 250 yards away. It was then that a second bird actually FLEW into the field next to the first! Now my heart is REALLY racing, and I'm kind of sick thinking that this hen would keep him locked down across the field! HOWEVER, as this new "hen" turned, I saw a beard nearly as long as the first, and just then he stretched his neck out and gobbled! Now my mouth is getting dry, heart is THUMPING, and I think I have a chance to make this happen! I have never seen more cautious, wary, nervous birds in my life! They would seriously take 2-3 steps, then freeze and watch! They did this for about 15 minutes and didn't show signs of advancing any faster. I began purring with my throat, and that got them interested, and they picked up the pace. I would purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - cluck cluck. And one of them would gobble.
I still had the problem of being exposed, and my shotgun was laying on the ground. My only chance was a terrace that separated us. My plan was to grab my gun and get set when they dipped into the terrace. They had been shoulder to shoulder for 30 minutes, but as soon as they hit the terrace, one froze while the other went down one side and up the other, then the other bird followed! Now they are at 60 yards, and my gun is still on the ground and I have ZERO front cover between us! The only other option would be to wait until they were actually on top of my decoy (hen) as she was on the other side of the cedar on my left and out of sight. The windy day was making her gyrate and I was afraid that might spook them, but after last week, I just kept repeating "BE PATIENT"! as they hit the 40 yard mark they got bolder and visibly more excited.....throats immediately flushed bright red, heads went pale, and they started spittin, drummin, and strutting like mad! I didn't know if I was going to throw-up inside my face net before or after I took a shot, but I was a wreck! Heart is now in my throat, and my gun is STILL on the ground! One of the birds looks as if he is going to claim the hen for himself and struts right on in to her while the other one hangs back. I can't reach for my gun while the one bird can see me, and I am afraid that Tom #1 will soon get tired of the plastic hen that called him from nearly 1/2 mile away! Tom#2 finally closed the distance and now both Toms are literally rubbing up against my hen at the same time. I reach for my gun bring it up, click the safety off and peer through the cedar... they are unaware of me at about 35 yards. I come up to my knees, and lean out for a clear shot, take CAREFUL aim this time and just as they see me, I head shot #1! #2 heads for the hills, and I cluck to stop him and drop him at 50 yards or so!
The constant adrenaline for the 30-40 minutes seriously almost made me puke! It was the best hunt of my life, for any animal, anywhere!
Sorry this was so long, but MAN it was fun!!!
PS. I have a video of my reaction AFTER but not of the hunt.
Don
Well, this past Saturday I went out after it rained all week! I went to the very same spot, and figured that I would be ready for him to come from the right, as he did before. I'm all set up at 5:40 and the sun is rising, I hear owls and crows but no turkeys (didn't have time to roost him the night before). I try some fly-down calls, yelps, clucks.... no gobbles! After about 30 minutes I hear a very faint gobble that sounds like he is literally a mile away and across a creek! I call infrequently and as loud as I could, but in the strong wind I was getting no response. I would still hear him at random intervals, but he was not getting closer.
I am ashamed to admit it but I have always been the guy that gets up and moves shortly after sunrise if I don't hear a gobbler within what I consider to be workable range. After my miss last week I went and talked to my hunting mentor (an old fart that I work with
) He was telling me of all the great birds he's taken late morning mid afternoon etc.So, long story longer, I used my mouth call for another hour or two with no prospects within range. Then every so often I would hear a gobble from about 1/2 mile straight in front of me, but still on the other side of a large creek, and some THICK woods. I figured if I was going to be sitting here I might as well TRY and get him to come in.
I have always relied on my diaphragm call, altho I had my slate call with me. I figured I would give my mouth a rest and use the slate. I really felt that I had nothing to lose, so I was more or less "practicing"! I was clucking and yelping as loud as I could, and every so often I would get a gobble. Then after about 30 minutes of that... nothing! It's been my experience that when they go silent you need to REALLY pay attention because they are likely moving into the open or doing something equally nerve wracking for them. After about 20 minutes of silence I started hearing an odd sounding "CLUCK"......................................"CLUC K" from about 250 yards directly in front of me. Now I am sitting straight on the ground between two cedar trees on the edge of a huge bare corn field. Like an idiot I had my shotgun laying on the ground beside me with my legs crossed, and my slate call in my lap. After about 10 minutes of the strangest single clucks, another LONG pause, and I grabbed a swig of water. After replacing my water bottle I grabbed my slate and was about to strike it when I saw a tom dead ahead at 250 yards! He had just appeared out of nowhere! So now my heart is starting to really pound, and I tell myself that I don't want to relive the previous week, and lose this bird due to impatience! It's now going on 9:00am, and the sun is shining directly on me, and I feel like he can see my every move! I need to get my gun off the ground and get my knees up so I'll be ready if he closes the 250 yard gap! He looks to be the biggest Tom I have ever had in front of me, as I could see his beard swinging from 250 yards away. It was then that a second bird actually FLEW into the field next to the first! Now my heart is REALLY racing, and I'm kind of sick thinking that this hen would keep him locked down across the field! HOWEVER, as this new "hen" turned, I saw a beard nearly as long as the first, and just then he stretched his neck out and gobbled! Now my mouth is getting dry, heart is THUMPING, and I think I have a chance to make this happen! I have never seen more cautious, wary, nervous birds in my life! They would seriously take 2-3 steps, then freeze and watch! They did this for about 15 minutes and didn't show signs of advancing any faster. I began purring with my throat, and that got them interested, and they picked up the pace. I would purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - cluck cluck. And one of them would gobble.
I still had the problem of being exposed, and my shotgun was laying on the ground. My only chance was a terrace that separated us. My plan was to grab my gun and get set when they dipped into the terrace. They had been shoulder to shoulder for 30 minutes, but as soon as they hit the terrace, one froze while the other went down one side and up the other, then the other bird followed! Now they are at 60 yards, and my gun is still on the ground and I have ZERO front cover between us! The only other option would be to wait until they were actually on top of my decoy (hen) as she was on the other side of the cedar on my left and out of sight. The windy day was making her gyrate and I was afraid that might spook them, but after last week, I just kept repeating "BE PATIENT"! as they hit the 40 yard mark they got bolder and visibly more excited.....throats immediately flushed bright red, heads went pale, and they started spittin, drummin, and strutting like mad! I didn't know if I was going to throw-up inside my face net before or after I took a shot, but I was a wreck! Heart is now in my throat, and my gun is STILL on the ground! One of the birds looks as if he is going to claim the hen for himself and struts right on in to her while the other one hangs back. I can't reach for my gun while the one bird can see me, and I am afraid that Tom #1 will soon get tired of the plastic hen that called him from nearly 1/2 mile away! Tom#2 finally closed the distance and now both Toms are literally rubbing up against my hen at the same time. I reach for my gun bring it up, click the safety off and peer through the cedar... they are unaware of me at about 35 yards. I come up to my knees, and lean out for a clear shot, take CAREFUL aim this time and just as they see me, I head shot #1! #2 heads for the hills, and I cluck to stop him and drop him at 50 yards or so!
The constant adrenaline for the 30-40 minutes seriously almost made me puke! It was the best hunt of my life, for any animal, anywhere!
Sorry this was so long, but MAN it was fun!!!
PS. I have a video of my reaction AFTER but not of the hunt.
Don
