and I'm off

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Nsghunter

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I'm just leaving my house, headed to chuck swan. This is my second turkey hunt EVER. MY ETA IS 0700 so I'm a little behind but I hope to still get my spot. I'll be ina red Corolla, probably the only one on the property. ..

If you see me say hi.
 
rbreedi1":8i9cknvh said:
Good luck sir! Post your hunt update later, would love to hear how it went
Click to expand...


I didn't get a bird, but I had a good day.

I had seen 4 gobblers last Friday. I was only able to a drive through scout with my youngest three boys. Mine and my wife's schedulesWell I didn't get a have been rough as of late and school has almost gotten the best of me this semester.

It was about 0645 and the moon still held a good deal of light, but it's always creepy to be in the woods during the dark. Honestly, I like to show up before dark but I guess I am still afraid due to my love of horror movies. ..

I slowly crept through the woods as quiet as I could, scouting as I went. The woods opened into a field that had the outer row bush hogged. I hugged the edge of the woods and was in amazement as God's creation came to life before me, as the sun broke the horizon, the bushes began to sing the morning song of hundreds of birds, but not one turkey.

I crept along as I occasionally glassed the edge of the woodline to check for long beards. I heard what I thought were distant gobbles, BINGO! I slipped in the woods for cover and selected a nice bare spot under a big oak so I could get setup.

The ground was uneven so I was thankful for my vest's cushion. I checked my scope and, as I was afraid, it was still to dark for the Tru Glo red dot to capture light. It eventually lightened up and I broke out my call. I went for my rosewood and glass pot call. I had practiced and could run it good enough, for me. ..

I wasn't sure how many hunters showed up by now but I had seen nearly thirty signatures when I signed in at the check station.

I really didn't know when to start calling, I had heard a gobble I thought but I figured I would wait to see if anyone else was close and would gobble. I really want sure if it was too early to call. I had enough light tto shoot but I didn't know. This was only my second time at this.

I heard a clucking or a yelp a few yards behind me. Oh well, ready or not...

I made my previously tested "c" shaped scrape and DOG GONNIT! NOTHING BUT A SICK SOUNDING SCRAPE! Well there goes that. I tried a few more quick scrapes and still failed. I backed off and practiced patience as previously instructed. After about 15 minutes I tried again but I hit my push button turkey thug yelp call. Even it wouldn't work that we'll compared to practice session's. Heck, I must've been more anxious than I thought. The ole bird was still there, clucking away from time to time but I was too concerned with being busted to move around to get a visual. I was even slow to reach for my calls. I was surprised that it was otherwise so quiet. I figured I would at least hear him move. It sounded odd though. I wondered if it was a human at one time but it was highly unlikely. That mishap went on for about an hour then I began to no longer hear the noises.

In the clear now, I thought, I stretched out and heard a distant gobble. This time I went for my beginner's box call ( you know the one with a rubber band to help with the friction. ..

I hit it and it didn't sound right either! Hey by now I'm laughing, I had spent some time practicing and mostly sounded like a turkey su home. But in the woods I resembled my three year old trying at it...

Next I Broke Out my least favorite, a knight and hale, white liar. I hit it in an "0" pattern only scrapes and scratches. ..

This is getting real bad folks. I had already heard three sets of gun fire, it was 0930 and I only had until noon. The birds were gobling and the best I could do was a cross between chalk on glass and drunk duck getting plucked. .. PLUS my three hours of sleep and 40 ounces of coffee was spent. I was exhausted.

I'm still smiling, it's better than the florescent death I so frequently work with at the hospital. I figure I'll regroup, eat a sandwich, and re-scratch my pot calls.

I did and felt alot better. The sun came out and I dozed off but I experienced a horrid dream where I was overrun by other hunters shooting all the turkey and every time I Tried to take a shot my my gun malfunctioned. .. geesh! I woke up in a cold sweat at 1030. Hehe I finally got the white liar singing but no one would answer back. ..

A gobbler started up in the hollar below me, I called after him but he never seemed to get closer or synch up with me.

I called every 15 minutes or so until 1130. I moved on and stalked out to my car and never seen a bird.

I drove around to check out new spots for tommorow. I may move down the hollar nearest to where I heard the gobblers or to a new spot altogether.

Sorry for the lengthy read but I hope to generate a few laughs and possibly get some constructive criticism or pure out help.
 
Patience and practice my friend! One thing on the pot calls (striker included)I usually try to store mine in a ziplock bag as they don't work well when damp on a morning with lots of dew you can get pretty wet walking threw the woods. And I try scuff up my calls first thing when I get them out so I know they are ready and it will help get them dryer if they do get damp.
 
Sounds like you had a fun hunt, so that is the most important thing!

1. Condition your calls and strikers before you hit the woods, and like posted, try to keep them bone dry. The neoprene pouches are GREAT for hauling around the pot calls. Make sure you chalk your box really well ahead of time. The box call pouches will keep them dry (er) and ready.

2. Until you get your calling down pat, go old school on the gobbler. If you get him to answer your call one time, put your call down, and finish him up by occasionally scratching in the leaves like a feeding hen. He may not gobble as much, but he will still come. When he gets close, don't do the scratching because he can and will see the movement. Have your gun up and be ready to shoot. On public ground, I hate to try to work a bird that is gobbling hard, because frequently it will "call in" another hunter that will mess up the whole deal.

3. Try to set up with 40-50 yds of sight distance so he doesn't hang up can help get him in close. Setting up on the opposite side of the ridge he is on can get him in close looking before he hangs up when he doesn't spot the hen that is calling. If he is coming to your call, he is expecting to see a hen right there, and when he doesn't he can get antsy. Hopefully by the time he gets hinky he is in range to shoot and about to be dead.

But, the most important thing is to enjoy the hunt. I can almost promise you that if turkey hunting bites you hard where it is like an addiction, that as the years pass, you will remember the times the bird won or you screwed up even more than the successful hunts. There is nothing like watching God's Earthly Kingdom wake up on those spring mornings, so enjoy the journey.
 
Great story! You learned some valuable lessons. Keep after it, and thanks for the update.
 
Follow up, day number two(Friday).

I arrived around 0655. I debated on moving to a different spot but was confident that the level of activity on Thursday was strong here and decided to return.

I crept out toward the field as the daylight began taking over. I heard a gobbler off in the distance but it was the opposite of where I had decided on posting up.

I wanted to pick a spot nearer to him but I scouted that area yesterday and it seemed really twisted up with visibility on out to 13-16 yards thanks to the heavy underbrush and pine thickets.

I posted up in my area and that gobbler was still sqawling. I took SCN'S advice and was slow to start calling. I felt him out and he seemed to not be getting any closer so I started slow with my hs glasstop. I placed it in a zip lock bag the night before and prepped the surface. My luck was better with my calling this morning but not my "perfect". I made a series of turkey type noises and out the call down. He didn't respond but I waited, as he gobbled I scratched the brush and waited. There was a noise behind me that resembled something slinking through the underbrush (in my mind anyways) and I was cautiously looking for a coyote or cat, I never spotted anything. The gobbler seemed like he was MILES away but I couldn't really tell you how far. He began to gobble constantly and moved closer each time. Then ANOTHER globbler started, He was between the first bird and I. I moved my gun to the ready and waited and waited and waited... it was around an hour and I called once in the meantime. Both birds made some noise and I would lightly scratch in response. Then I heard some calling between them and I and then they went mute. I never heard them agian. I also never heard a shot fired. I'm not sure if the hen calling was a hen or another hunter. Either way, no dice for me.

By this time it was around 830 and I decided to slip another 15 yards into the woods. I found a triangle of smaller oak trees and put some brush around them to fashion a makeshift blind to help cover any movement of my hands. I had not down this before but this spot was more open in all sides and was closer to a few possible shots so I thought the extra coverage would be a benefit. Well, I never got to find out. I waited a few more minutes and I hit my white liar. It RAN great, sounded just like my best calling at home. I put it up and waited, lightly scratched around. Kept my eyes peeled and the old ears open, never heard another sound...

Time passed and I hadn't heard a peep for almost an hour and it was near 1030. I needed to leave a little early to get home and do some schoolwork, take the kids to an Easter egg hunt at church and tend to my wife. So I packed up and slowly stalked out. I took the time to scout around for deer season and found some promising sign to follow up on later.

I called a couple times and the little white liar never let me down, it sounded as good as I had ever gotten it to. I was satisfied with that.

Maybe I give up to soon and am satisfied with too little but I was really happy with my day. It was beautiful with cool wind and bright sunshine. The techniques that everyone shared with me worked great and I felt like I was growing by leaps and bounds in my ability. I really felt like the gobblers at least moved my way a little even if I didn't get to see them, much less shoot them.

Since it was good Friday I spent most of the time thinking about Christ's day all those years ago. I arrived to the sharps chapel turnoff right around 0600 and thought to myself "this is about the time Jesus was taken for his first illegal trial."

It seems when I am in the woods I am more sensitive to the small noises I make accidently on the call; like striking the surface and making tap noises or scrapes and scratches NOT like a turkey but a human. When I practice at home I want to zero in on these more for the future. It seems like I ignore them at home and only focus on making the turkey type sounds.
 

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