Post by RJ on May 1, 2008 20:05:38 GMT -5
Friday / Saturday / Monday ... Ontario Canada opening week ...
Randy S. and I headed out for a few days of chasing the " Jelly heads "
Saw a few decent sunrises ...
Tried all the usual spots , but we got messed up a couple of times by other hunters walking in late ... one jake did look interested in my decoys for a minuet , but turned and headed after a real hen ...
Seen lots of single hens ( maybe bred already and searching for a nest sight ? )
At the farmers request ... we did thin out a few ground hogs from farm to farm ... here are some that posed for the camera ...
Here is one of the ones that posed in the scope of my Remington 700 , .223 cal .
A deer stops for a look then crosses the side road while we were scouting ... I stopped the truck and got out for a quick picture before it took off ... neat to capture the crows in the back ground ...
On the way home Friday after 7:00 pm, we saw this big boy tending his hens ...
These turkey vutures were walking the corn stubble picking at the manure at another farm ...
This guy was outside my blind location Saturday morning ...
I walked the farm perimeter Saturday afternoon and spoted this goose laying low as not to give up her nest location ... got a real cool close up of her head from about three feet away ..
This little guy blocked our path on Monday ... he was doing a funny jig swaying back and forth and flushing his tail feathers ... and I managed to get a cool close up before he flew off ...
We scored permission on a new farm ... we had many close encounters but none close enough ! .... At one point on Monday we had 2 nice toms cut away from the group ... the gobbled their way across the plowed filed towards us ... I figured Randy and I were going to get a double but they faded at approx 80 yards out ... :roll:
Deer check us out as we drive into the farm lane ...
I was out on my own today ( Tuesday ) .... A cold start ... passed 2 jakes waiting for the tom to come in but he followed a hen the other way ... Packed up around 10:00 am and did some more scouting ... Finally I connect on the river flat portion of the property around 1:15 pm ! ... Yippeeee !
I got set up around 12:30 pm ..... Later on , I hear three shots from the property beside me ... I continue to call ... about 20 mins later , I see a light blue head bobbing my way ... He heads right for the decoys but holds up approx 40 yards on the other bank ... too late ... I slap the trigger of my Remington 870 and send a heavy load of # 4's his way ... He goes into a crazy death dance and ends up in the river ...
This is the view the from my shooting spot over the decoys ...
The water is deep with dark black mud bottom ... over my knee boots ... so I wait approx 15 mins for the wind and current to float him ashore ....
Not a classic turkey photo but he was well drowned ! ... a rewarding end to cool hunt ...
18 lbs , 8 1/2 inch beard ... only one spur 3/4 long ( the other was a stub )
One last shot of my seat and gun before I head for the truck ....
Still got 3 days vacation this week .... going after # 2 with my Y25 Relayer !
Wednesday / Thursday ...
Shoulda ... been a little more steady on the Tom before I lauched a 2216 with a 130 grain Wasp broadhead at him ... high and deflected means he is still strutting ! :oops:
Coulda ... walked in 10 mins earlier and taken a different path had I known I was going to be walking in on the turkeys roosted beside my blind this morning ... :lol: :lol:
Woulda ... had the camera ready had I known a short tailed weasle had his eye on my decoys the other day along the river ... he danced thru the rocks and put the sneak on them and I missed the photo op ! :oops:
Here are some shots that did turn out though !
My missed Tom still strutting ! I'll try again tomorrow ~ !
One lookout and two snoozers ... caught my eye .
Missed a chance at a 30 yard photo of this hen standing with a deer yesterday .... got a long shot of her walking the back path with a cow that escaped from the next farm over ...
Still working on the little field grizzlies between set-up's ... That little branch wasn't enough to hide behind as I passed a speedy 55 grain .223 by the branch and under his chin ... the farmers want them all gone ! ... Although I have to admit I did pass a few ... must be getting soft in my old age !
The turkey vultures don't take long to strip out / process the field behind me !
And last but not least ... I stopped by the fox den sight we scoped out last year ... One early litter and one late litter are co-existing between three adjoining dens ... ( I took 112 frames to get these 6 keepers ! )
Keep the camera close ... you never know when a cool photo op will present itself !
Randy S. and I headed out for a few days of chasing the " Jelly heads "
Saw a few decent sunrises ...
Tried all the usual spots , but we got messed up a couple of times by other hunters walking in late ... one jake did look interested in my decoys for a minuet , but turned and headed after a real hen ...
Seen lots of single hens ( maybe bred already and searching for a nest sight ? )
At the farmers request ... we did thin out a few ground hogs from farm to farm ... here are some that posed for the camera ...
Here is one of the ones that posed in the scope of my Remington 700 , .223 cal .
A deer stops for a look then crosses the side road while we were scouting ... I stopped the truck and got out for a quick picture before it took off ... neat to capture the crows in the back ground ...
On the way home Friday after 7:00 pm, we saw this big boy tending his hens ...
These turkey vutures were walking the corn stubble picking at the manure at another farm ...
This guy was outside my blind location Saturday morning ...
I walked the farm perimeter Saturday afternoon and spoted this goose laying low as not to give up her nest location ... got a real cool close up of her head from about three feet away ..
This little guy blocked our path on Monday ... he was doing a funny jig swaying back and forth and flushing his tail feathers ... and I managed to get a cool close up before he flew off ...
We scored permission on a new farm ... we had many close encounters but none close enough ! .... At one point on Monday we had 2 nice toms cut away from the group ... the gobbled their way across the plowed filed towards us ... I figured Randy and I were going to get a double but they faded at approx 80 yards out ... :roll:
Deer check us out as we drive into the farm lane ...
I was out on my own today ( Tuesday ) .... A cold start ... passed 2 jakes waiting for the tom to come in but he followed a hen the other way ... Packed up around 10:00 am and did some more scouting ... Finally I connect on the river flat portion of the property around 1:15 pm ! ... Yippeeee !
I got set up around 12:30 pm ..... Later on , I hear three shots from the property beside me ... I continue to call ... about 20 mins later , I see a light blue head bobbing my way ... He heads right for the decoys but holds up approx 40 yards on the other bank ... too late ... I slap the trigger of my Remington 870 and send a heavy load of # 4's his way ... He goes into a crazy death dance and ends up in the river ...
This is the view the from my shooting spot over the decoys ...
The water is deep with dark black mud bottom ... over my knee boots ... so I wait approx 15 mins for the wind and current to float him ashore ....
Not a classic turkey photo but he was well drowned ! ... a rewarding end to cool hunt ...
18 lbs , 8 1/2 inch beard ... only one spur 3/4 long ( the other was a stub )
One last shot of my seat and gun before I head for the truck ....
Still got 3 days vacation this week .... going after # 2 with my Y25 Relayer !
Wednesday / Thursday ...
Shoulda ... been a little more steady on the Tom before I lauched a 2216 with a 130 grain Wasp broadhead at him ... high and deflected means he is still strutting ! :oops:
Coulda ... walked in 10 mins earlier and taken a different path had I known I was going to be walking in on the turkeys roosted beside my blind this morning ... :lol: :lol:
Woulda ... had the camera ready had I known a short tailed weasle had his eye on my decoys the other day along the river ... he danced thru the rocks and put the sneak on them and I missed the photo op ! :oops:
Here are some shots that did turn out though !
My missed Tom still strutting ! I'll try again tomorrow ~ !
One lookout and two snoozers ... caught my eye .
Missed a chance at a 30 yard photo of this hen standing with a deer yesterday .... got a long shot of her walking the back path with a cow that escaped from the next farm over ...
Still working on the little field grizzlies between set-up's ... That little branch wasn't enough to hide behind as I passed a speedy 55 grain .223 by the branch and under his chin ... the farmers want them all gone ! ... Although I have to admit I did pass a few ... must be getting soft in my old age !
The turkey vultures don't take long to strip out / process the field behind me !
And last but not least ... I stopped by the fox den sight we scoped out last year ... One early litter and one late litter are co-existing between three adjoining dens ... ( I took 112 frames to get these 6 keepers ! )
Keep the camera close ... you never know when a cool photo op will present itself !
