Sneaky dang bird
03-24-2005, 10:07 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: crawfordville florida USA
Posts: 1,251
Sneaky dang bird
I couldnt get a gobble at sunrise so I settled in in a narrow strip of mature pines lined with oaks and cypress heads. I had seen 2 nice gobblers cross the road into that section right at dusk yesterday evening.
They were there but werent talking.
I did some light calling off and on until about 8 am. I had to be at work by 9:30 this morning so I kept glancing at my watch. At 8 I finished my last series of soft yelps and clucks and placed my Kaiser Aluminum call into my vest pocket. I got the gun up in the ready position. 15 more minutes I sayed to myself. A couple of minutes later I heared a light crunch in the pine needles just to my left .
I very slowly turned my head and THERE HE WAS!
8 steps away. How on earth he managed to slip in that close on my blind side I'll never know. This bird was in full strut looking right at me. I could have swore I saw little hearts swirling around his head. I swung the gun around and before I could get a bead on him he was
out of strut and moving back the way he came. I shot when he was about 10 yards out . Missed. He kicked in the afterburners and I shot again. Missed aganin. He was airborne now at about 25 yards. I made one more farewell shot and watched him sail ever so gracefully through the pines. I sat quietly at the base of my pine tree amongst the empty Federal shells and palmetto plants feeling dejected and outsmarted once again.
Bad news is I missed. Good news is I still have one more bird to get for my season limit. Seasons still young.
They were there but werent talking.
I did some light calling off and on until about 8 am. I had to be at work by 9:30 this morning so I kept glancing at my watch. At 8 I finished my last series of soft yelps and clucks and placed my Kaiser Aluminum call into my vest pocket. I got the gun up in the ready position. 15 more minutes I sayed to myself. A couple of minutes later I heared a light crunch in the pine needles just to my left .
I very slowly turned my head and THERE HE WAS!
8 steps away. How on earth he managed to slip in that close on my blind side I'll never know. This bird was in full strut looking right at me. I could have swore I saw little hearts swirling around his head. I swung the gun around and before I could get a bead on him he was
out of strut and moving back the way he came. I shot when he was about 10 yards out . Missed. He kicked in the afterburners and I shot again. Missed aganin. He was airborne now at about 25 yards. I made one more farewell shot and watched him sail ever so gracefully through the pines. I sat quietly at the base of my pine tree amongst the empty Federal shells and palmetto plants feeling dejected and outsmarted once again.
Bad news is I missed. Good news is I still have one more bird to get for my season limit. Seasons still young.
03-24-2005, 05:22 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Central PA
Posts: 590
RE: Sneaky dang bird
Sorry to hear about the miss, but I'm sure it was great to be out there. Season doesn't start here for another month and I'm anxious to say the least.
Your story reminds me of the very first gobbler I called in, my Stealth Tom. A lone gobble at sunrise, but 500 yards across the hollow. I hadn't scouted that ridge and it showed. I called, but got no reply. I tried a fly down and still nada. I waited about 5 minutes and cutt loudly, only to have him answer, but farther away. I thought I heard another faint gobble to my right, but if it was, that bird had to be even farther away than the first.
I sat another 15 minutes just thinking of what to do since nothing had answered close by. That first bird had a mature gooble that makes you want to run back to the truck and drive to the other ridge. I decided to stay put and called once every 5 minutes or so. No replies.
The fog rolled in thick as pea soup, cutting visibility down to about 10 yards. It had been about 25 minutes since the talking stopped and to my surprise, a exceptionally loud gobble roared out from my right less than 20 yards away! I swear he about knocked my hat off. Here was the gobbler from my right that I had heard off in the distance, looking for me!
It took about a second to get the mouth call in place, (after nearly swallowing it), and another second for a couple less than perfect soft clucks. I'll never forget him, walking through the foggy mist like a ghost, straight up my gun barrel, to the resounding boom at 14 yards.
I'm sure if the fog wasn't there that morning, he'd have seen my jump when he gobbled in my ear. Gotta love turkey hunting, both for those sneaky and bold birds alike.
Your story reminds me of the very first gobbler I called in, my Stealth Tom. A lone gobble at sunrise, but 500 yards across the hollow. I hadn't scouted that ridge and it showed. I called, but got no reply. I tried a fly down and still nada. I waited about 5 minutes and cutt loudly, only to have him answer, but farther away. I thought I heard another faint gobble to my right, but if it was, that bird had to be even farther away than the first.
I sat another 15 minutes just thinking of what to do since nothing had answered close by. That first bird had a mature gooble that makes you want to run back to the truck and drive to the other ridge. I decided to stay put and called once every 5 minutes or so. No replies.
The fog rolled in thick as pea soup, cutting visibility down to about 10 yards. It had been about 25 minutes since the talking stopped and to my surprise, a exceptionally loud gobble roared out from my right less than 20 yards away! I swear he about knocked my hat off. Here was the gobbler from my right that I had heard off in the distance, looking for me!
It took about a second to get the mouth call in place, (after nearly swallowing it), and another second for a couple less than perfect soft clucks. I'll never forget him, walking through the foggy mist like a ghost, straight up my gun barrel, to the resounding boom at 14 yards.
I'm sure if the fog wasn't there that morning, he'd have seen my jump when he gobbled in my ear. Gotta love turkey hunting, both for those sneaky and bold birds alike.
