String Music
Well-Known Member
I finally took the plunge and started turning my own pot calls and strikers. I still have a ways to go but I've enjoyed turning a piece of wood into an instrument that will call in turkeys. I made 6 calls in my first batch and only had 2 that would hunt. I turned my first striker out of hickory yesterday.
With a heavy wind out of the south, I headed to the north side of a mountain expecting the turkeys to be roosted out of the wind. I got to a good listening spot on an old logging road and hooted expecting to hear a gobbler to my far right or left. Instead, one gobbled about 80 yards away. I dove for cover and got set up. I let him free-gobble a couple times before calling just in case I may have spooked him.
I had the high ground and figured I was where the turkeys wanted to guy. I pulled out my call and did a couple tree yelps. I was cut off by what sounded like 3 gobblers. About 5 minutes before fly down, I did a couple clicks and a louder tree yelp and then set my call down.
They gobbled a few more times and then pitched down. I gave them a few minutes to see if they were coming up but it appeared they were content staying on an old logging bed below me out of the wind. So, I picked up the call and got more aggressive. The hens started calling back and sounded like they were working around the mountain away from me. I did some more cutting and yelping.
I had reached that point in the hunt when it's time to either make a move or be patient. I wasn't convinced they wouldn't come up to me at this pointed and decided to go silent and let things unfold a bit longer.
Several minutes later I heard footsteps in the woods. I kept quiet and got my gun up. It wasn't long after that a gobbler appeared on the logging deck followed by two more. Somehow I had convinced them I was more willing to put out than their hens.
The lead gobbler went in and out of strut a couple times and began to work out of my shooting window. I cutt on my mouth call and the 20 gauge took another victim at 30 yards. Number 8 for the 870 youth.
I usually don't post long stories anymore, but this was definitely a special hunt and one I'll always remember as it was the first gobbler I've killed using my own call and striker. It certainly won't be my last. He's a good ol' fashion two-year-old gobbler.
.
https://youtu.be/csiDszQLtpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With a heavy wind out of the south, I headed to the north side of a mountain expecting the turkeys to be roosted out of the wind. I got to a good listening spot on an old logging road and hooted expecting to hear a gobbler to my far right or left. Instead, one gobbled about 80 yards away. I dove for cover and got set up. I let him free-gobble a couple times before calling just in case I may have spooked him.
I had the high ground and figured I was where the turkeys wanted to guy. I pulled out my call and did a couple tree yelps. I was cut off by what sounded like 3 gobblers. About 5 minutes before fly down, I did a couple clicks and a louder tree yelp and then set my call down.
They gobbled a few more times and then pitched down. I gave them a few minutes to see if they were coming up but it appeared they were content staying on an old logging bed below me out of the wind. So, I picked up the call and got more aggressive. The hens started calling back and sounded like they were working around the mountain away from me. I did some more cutting and yelping.
I had reached that point in the hunt when it's time to either make a move or be patient. I wasn't convinced they wouldn't come up to me at this pointed and decided to go silent and let things unfold a bit longer.
Several minutes later I heard footsteps in the woods. I kept quiet and got my gun up. It wasn't long after that a gobbler appeared on the logging deck followed by two more. Somehow I had convinced them I was more willing to put out than their hens.
The lead gobbler went in and out of strut a couple times and began to work out of my shooting window. I cutt on my mouth call and the 20 gauge took another victim at 30 yards. Number 8 for the 870 youth.
I usually don't post long stories anymore, but this was definitely a special hunt and one I'll always remember as it was the first gobbler I've killed using my own call and striker. It certainly won't be my last. He's a good ol' fashion two-year-old gobbler.
.
https://youtu.be/csiDszQLtpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
