WMAn
Well-Known Member
I took my friend back to the same spot we hunted last Wednesday. See post here:
http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... ost2368336
We adjusted our setup according to what we observed the birds do last week. The gobblers were not gobbling well this morning, our bird had hens roosted with him, and everything went silent after fly down.
No more than 10 minutes after fly down, I spot a hen following the same path the birds followed last week. At this point, I am thinking game over, and I instruct my buddy to get his gun ready. Almost immediately, drumming starts to feel the air. I notice that my friend is starting to shake.
Where the heck is he?
The hen is gone. The drumming is still there, but no bird is in sight. I start to get the sense that the drumming is coming from our right (opposite of where the hen approached). Then, the drumming stops.
We slowly raise up and look around. There are no birds in sight.
Where did they go?
I didn't know, but the logging road was wet enough to reveal tracks. We followed the road to a field, topped a slight rise, and "get down, get down." The gobbler had 4 hens with him and was strutting on the opposite side of the field.
I knew there were two possible places they were headed. We made a quick 1/4 mile loop around to the first, snuck to the edge of the field, and looked for the birds. At first, all we could see was the gobbler strutting. After about 5 minutes, it became clear the hens were leading him to the second spot.
We made a second loop and approached the second spot. I told my friend, "See if you can sit in front of that tree..." I never finished the sentence. The first bobbing head stepped into view. I told my buddy, "you'll just have to raise up and shoot" as both of us crouched on our knees.
One hen, two hens, three, four...wait for him...wait...alright. Boom! This time it was game over.
The bird is a fully mature tom probably two years old. This was one of those rare situations where knowing the land and scouting the birds allows you to make adjustments that actually work. A truly great hunt.
This was my friends second turkey hunt and first turkey.
This is the fourth time, I have taken someone new to the sport turkey hunting this spring. All four times, there were shot opportunities. Two of my guests missed, the third hunt I killed a bird, and the fourth my friend got his. All four hunts were on public land. So far it has been a great season.
http://www.tndeer.com/tndeertalk/ubbthr ... ost2368336
We adjusted our setup according to what we observed the birds do last week. The gobblers were not gobbling well this morning, our bird had hens roosted with him, and everything went silent after fly down.
No more than 10 minutes after fly down, I spot a hen following the same path the birds followed last week. At this point, I am thinking game over, and I instruct my buddy to get his gun ready. Almost immediately, drumming starts to feel the air. I notice that my friend is starting to shake.
Where the heck is he?
The hen is gone. The drumming is still there, but no bird is in sight. I start to get the sense that the drumming is coming from our right (opposite of where the hen approached). Then, the drumming stops.
We slowly raise up and look around. There are no birds in sight.
Where did they go?
I didn't know, but the logging road was wet enough to reveal tracks. We followed the road to a field, topped a slight rise, and "get down, get down." The gobbler had 4 hens with him and was strutting on the opposite side of the field.
I knew there were two possible places they were headed. We made a quick 1/4 mile loop around to the first, snuck to the edge of the field, and looked for the birds. At first, all we could see was the gobbler strutting. After about 5 minutes, it became clear the hens were leading him to the second spot.
We made a second loop and approached the second spot. I told my friend, "See if you can sit in front of that tree..." I never finished the sentence. The first bobbing head stepped into view. I told my buddy, "you'll just have to raise up and shoot" as both of us crouched on our knees.
One hen, two hens, three, four...wait for him...wait...alright. Boom! This time it was game over.
The bird is a fully mature tom probably two years old. This was one of those rare situations where knowing the land and scouting the birds allows you to make adjustments that actually work. A truly great hunt.
This was my friends second turkey hunt and first turkey.
This is the fourth time, I have taken someone new to the sport turkey hunting this spring. All four times, there were shot opportunities. Two of my guests missed, the third hunt I killed a bird, and the fourth my friend got his. All four hunts were on public land. So far it has been a great season.
