Best Gobbling Morning Ever
04-05-2004, 02:10 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: VA and now SC
Posts: 98
Best Gobbling Morning Ever
I am pretty young, going to be 21 in another 2 weeks in fact, but I have been hunting or tagging along on turkey hunts since I was 5 days old. Never in my life have I heard the amount of gobbling as I did this past Saturday morning in the Lowcountry of SC.
I set out from college (The Citadel) at about 345 and had a solid hour drive to Francis Marion Nat'l Forrest. I had scouted out a spot right on the Santee River. Fortunately, no one was in my predetermined spot when I rolled up at 515. I slid out and walked slowly through the dew dampened swamp for 30 minutes when I lit up the owl call. Got an immediate answer from the other side of the river. Decided that the odds of getting him to fly the river off the roost were good enough to go with, so I set up and called some. He answered, but eventually flew down the opposite way and likely got with a hen. I moved on another half mile or so and used the owl again. I got a triple response from about 400 yards away on my side of the river this time. I made about 300 yards through the woods until I noticed an unforeseen obstacle between the birds and I. There was creek about 15 yards in width between the three birds and I. Ever the optimist, set up against a big sycamore and started yelping. I had the birds moving my way when I thought I heard a bird fly the creek down to my right. I wrote it off as my imagination, but found there shortly after I did indeed call one across the creek! He wasn't very big, maybe 18lbs with a 7 inch beard or so, and was 90 degrees to my right. He walked behind a blow down and I swung around on him. He never saw me, but moved on past. I called again five minutes later and learned that apparently, all three had flown the creek and were 100 yards past me now. My yelps and purrs had them coming back. I set up and had the safety off when I saw the bird at around 40 yards moving through the heavy cover. I had no clear shot so I clicked my safety back on and shifted more to the left. I saw the birds again around 35 steps or so but I had so many branches and blow downs between them and I there was no way I could get a clear shot. At one point I had about half the boss birds head and neck in view, but it wasn't a clean shot, so I passed. I couldn't see straight since I was shaking so hard, so it may very well have been more than the 35 yards I guessed it was. (Ever had that happen to you?) The birds flew the creek again and got with 6 other gobblers and apparently got into a singing contest. In the next half hour, I heard well over 200 gobbles. They would go at it non stop in thirty second strings. I lost count during one string at 45. Something or someone on the other side scared them, as I heard an alarm putt and then silence. I left the woods empty handed but happy. Best turkey hunt I have ever been on, despite not pulling the trigger.
Did manage to kill a wild hog later that day (continuous season on them here in SC). All I had was #6 Hevi-shot left over from duck season as I didn't want to shoot my turkey loads. We snuck up on them, it was a semi-bushwhacking. I had never even seen one before. We got within 10 yards or so before they spooked (I wouldn't have chanced crippling one at any further range with such small loads). I hit one square in the head and rolled it. #6 Hevi is deadly stuff at close range as it blew right through the pig’s skull. Never thought I would be using duck loads to kill wild hogs with! Now I have bacon for the duration of the summer :-)
Andy
I set out from college (The Citadel) at about 345 and had a solid hour drive to Francis Marion Nat'l Forrest. I had scouted out a spot right on the Santee River. Fortunately, no one was in my predetermined spot when I rolled up at 515. I slid out and walked slowly through the dew dampened swamp for 30 minutes when I lit up the owl call. Got an immediate answer from the other side of the river. Decided that the odds of getting him to fly the river off the roost were good enough to go with, so I set up and called some. He answered, but eventually flew down the opposite way and likely got with a hen. I moved on another half mile or so and used the owl again. I got a triple response from about 400 yards away on my side of the river this time. I made about 300 yards through the woods until I noticed an unforeseen obstacle between the birds and I. There was creek about 15 yards in width between the three birds and I. Ever the optimist, set up against a big sycamore and started yelping. I had the birds moving my way when I thought I heard a bird fly the creek down to my right. I wrote it off as my imagination, but found there shortly after I did indeed call one across the creek! He wasn't very big, maybe 18lbs with a 7 inch beard or so, and was 90 degrees to my right. He walked behind a blow down and I swung around on him. He never saw me, but moved on past. I called again five minutes later and learned that apparently, all three had flown the creek and were 100 yards past me now. My yelps and purrs had them coming back. I set up and had the safety off when I saw the bird at around 40 yards moving through the heavy cover. I had no clear shot so I clicked my safety back on and shifted more to the left. I saw the birds again around 35 steps or so but I had so many branches and blow downs between them and I there was no way I could get a clear shot. At one point I had about half the boss birds head and neck in view, but it wasn't a clean shot, so I passed. I couldn't see straight since I was shaking so hard, so it may very well have been more than the 35 yards I guessed it was. (Ever had that happen to you?) The birds flew the creek again and got with 6 other gobblers and apparently got into a singing contest. In the next half hour, I heard well over 200 gobbles. They would go at it non stop in thirty second strings. I lost count during one string at 45. Something or someone on the other side scared them, as I heard an alarm putt and then silence. I left the woods empty handed but happy. Best turkey hunt I have ever been on, despite not pulling the trigger.
Did manage to kill a wild hog later that day (continuous season on them here in SC). All I had was #6 Hevi-shot left over from duck season as I didn't want to shoot my turkey loads. We snuck up on them, it was a semi-bushwhacking. I had never even seen one before. We got within 10 yards or so before they spooked (I wouldn't have chanced crippling one at any further range with such small loads). I hit one square in the head and rolled it. #6 Hevi is deadly stuff at close range as it blew right through the pig’s skull. Never thought I would be using duck loads to kill wild hogs with! Now I have bacon for the duration of the summer :-)
Andy
04-05-2004, 01:30 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: chiefland Florida USA
Posts: 5,417
RE: Best Gobbling Morning Ever
sounds like you had a great hunt.it is just as good as taking one home.
I heard 4 different birds sounding off this morning.didn't get one either.I worked one of them for a while and he gobbled I guess 50 times.the hens finally got with him and it was over,they went up river where I couldn't go.
I just sat and listened.wait till tomorrow morning.he better watch out.
I heard 4 different birds sounding off this morning.didn't get one either.I worked one of them for a while and he gobbled I guess 50 times.the hens finally got with him and it was over,they went up river where I couldn't go.
I just sat and listened.wait till tomorrow morning.he better watch out.
