gobblinfool
Well-Known Member
My promised she would get up at 430am on Saturday and go with me, my only goal was for her to hear birds gobble, hens talk, and hopefully see some turkeys.
The farm I hunt is only a mile from our house, then we walk about a 1/2mile into our woods, which drop into a bottom where the birds love to fly down. We got to the woods, so I told her to stand still and listen, while I got 10 yards away and hit the hooter. The bird sounded off...on the ridge on the other side of the bottom...but we didn't have permission to hunt it. I asked her if she heard him gobble, she said no. So I moved her into the woods and hit the hooter again....this time she heard him. Since my ground blind was below us by 100yds, I figured worse case, she would really hear him gobble, and see him strut in the field using binoculars....I was ceratain he had hens.
I put her in the ground blind and told her I was going to do a little bit of calling, as well as a fly down to let him know that there were hens over here...just in case he was by himself. I hit my slate and a bird sounded off directly behind us and above us....well the sun was coming up, but knew we had to get back up top. Wife wanted to stay in the blind. So we got up top, set out my decoy, probably 200yds from where the bird was roosted. I hit my slate again and yotes went crazy in the bottom, which initially shut the birds up...but then they fired up again...the wife asked if we should be concerned about the yotes, I said no, I would shoot them if they showed up.
Lead hen flew down and I called to her, so she began working towards us, so I was thinking things were going are way. 5 minutes later longbeard flys down, sees hen working towards us...so he does the same...now I am getting excited! Two more fly down...and they are strutting about 200yds out, so this is good, wife is getting to see all of this. She got to hear the hen...and eventually see the hen up close and personal, as she came to the decoy. Lead Tom worked down the woodline and about 100yds out, stopped, looked into the woods....and walked down there....never to come back???? I am guessing he had some hens that were more receptive.
So I am certain he worked his way back down the hill...and of course my wife says....you see... I told you we should have stayed in the blind.....since it got crazy quiet....and we had seen signs for garage sales, I said lets go bargain hunting and we shopped for a couple hours. Win/win. Hopefully she will go with me in the future.
Ironically I got permission to hunt the bottoms about 10am.....and wanted to go back, but stayed with my family, as I am only home on weekends. I went out that evening by myself, sat in the bottoms, hoping to catch something on the way back to the roost...nothing, then I saw the group of longbeards in another field...but Sunday when I took my son with me...not a peep in the bottom fields....when we left we saw 2 large coyotes...wish I had my rifle!!!
The next two weeks due to JROTC events in VA that I have to attend I am going to hunt the North Cherokee WMA just across the VA/TN border with my bow. Looking forward to being able to move long distances if necessary.
The farm I hunt is only a mile from our house, then we walk about a 1/2mile into our woods, which drop into a bottom where the birds love to fly down. We got to the woods, so I told her to stand still and listen, while I got 10 yards away and hit the hooter. The bird sounded off...on the ridge on the other side of the bottom...but we didn't have permission to hunt it. I asked her if she heard him gobble, she said no. So I moved her into the woods and hit the hooter again....this time she heard him. Since my ground blind was below us by 100yds, I figured worse case, she would really hear him gobble, and see him strut in the field using binoculars....I was ceratain he had hens.
I put her in the ground blind and told her I was going to do a little bit of calling, as well as a fly down to let him know that there were hens over here...just in case he was by himself. I hit my slate and a bird sounded off directly behind us and above us....well the sun was coming up, but knew we had to get back up top. Wife wanted to stay in the blind. So we got up top, set out my decoy, probably 200yds from where the bird was roosted. I hit my slate again and yotes went crazy in the bottom, which initially shut the birds up...but then they fired up again...the wife asked if we should be concerned about the yotes, I said no, I would shoot them if they showed up.
Lead hen flew down and I called to her, so she began working towards us, so I was thinking things were going are way. 5 minutes later longbeard flys down, sees hen working towards us...so he does the same...now I am getting excited! Two more fly down...and they are strutting about 200yds out, so this is good, wife is getting to see all of this. She got to hear the hen...and eventually see the hen up close and personal, as she came to the decoy. Lead Tom worked down the woodline and about 100yds out, stopped, looked into the woods....and walked down there....never to come back???? I am guessing he had some hens that were more receptive.
So I am certain he worked his way back down the hill...and of course my wife says....you see... I told you we should have stayed in the blind.....since it got crazy quiet....and we had seen signs for garage sales, I said lets go bargain hunting and we shopped for a couple hours. Win/win. Hopefully she will go with me in the future.
Ironically I got permission to hunt the bottoms about 10am.....and wanted to go back, but stayed with my family, as I am only home on weekends. I went out that evening by myself, sat in the bottoms, hoping to catch something on the way back to the roost...nothing, then I saw the group of longbeards in another field...but Sunday when I took my son with me...not a peep in the bottom fields....when we left we saw 2 large coyotes...wish I had my rifle!!!
The next two weeks due to JROTC events in VA that I have to attend I am going to hunt the North Cherokee WMA just across the VA/TN border with my bow. Looking forward to being able to move long distances if necessary.
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