Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
Semi-annual public land hunt with two of my best turkey hunting commrades. Great day. Lots of turkeys and lots of gobbling early. Both of my buddies were on turkeys at daylight but dealt with interference from other hunters. I was on birds too but got whipped the old fashioned way. After lunch one of my buddies struck a bird. He fought a respectable battle but died around 2:00. I covered a lot of ground, climbed many ridges, and had a couple birds toy with me via random afternoon gobbles. Around 5:00 PM I headed back to the area where I started nearly 12 hours earlier. Planning for tomorrow, I got on a high ridge in hopes of hearing a bird go to roost. Around 5:30 a hen yelped in the hollow below me and I thought I heard a distant gobble at the very edge of earshot. A few minutes passed and the hen yelps again. I yelped back and another gobble - somewhat closer but still too far to worry about this late in the day. 15 minutes pass and I call and was answered immediately. He's now one ridge over and I realize that the situation is serious. He has covered a LOT of ground in a hurry. I decide not to call anymore other than leaf scratching. A few minutes pass and I think I hear drumming. Then the drumming became unmistakable. Then I hear him walking in the leaves. Then I see his snow-white head crest my ridge. He stood tall 20 yards away showing off that big bushy beard and I ended my hunt at at 6:15 PM. I'm exhausted in a very satisfying kind of way.
