Post by reowen51 on May 6, 2008 20:35:22 GMT -5
Day one :(God gave you two ears and one mouth foor a reason)
I spoke of turkey hunting in the barber shop last week and long story short ended up calling for my barber Mark and his 14 year old son this morning. We arrived to hear 3 or 4 birds gobbling on the roost.
The trouble was they were distant and spread out around a stubble corn field. After a short discussion we picked the one we thought closest and headed out to harvest one. We got to within 100 yards and ran into a property line.
I couldn't get him to play the game and he only gobbled once after hitting the ground. By 7:05 things were pretty dull when we saw a Tom following 3 hens across a field two fence-lines over. We moved their way.
Half an hour later he had entered a woodlot just in front of us. When I called to him from our new set we got him to answer. Game on! The bird would have to be called from the woods and over a small shallow ditch if we hoped, to kill one here.
The barber’s son sat wide eyed next to me as I called very sparingly. I was trying to get those birds to come looking for us. Raymond, the barbers son, looked at me about 30 minutes into this encounter and asked, "Shouldn't you be calling more to get him over here." "Nope," I said, "We're gunna work him my way...This might take us an hour. Be patient and stay alert. God gave you two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason!"
Fifteen more minutes passed he gobbled again about 50 yards out. I figured he'd show any second. I didn't answer. Then we heard nothing for 40 minutes. We broke from the set after I called again and got no reply. It was 9:45 when we headed back to the truck. As we walked back, we replayed the events of the morning for each other. Discussing what we would have done different. Raymond said, "Yep, you should have called some more when I told ya to." In retrospect he may have been right!
I had forgotten how much fun taking kids had been. My three boys are all in their thirties and it has been sometime since I've experienced a turkey hunt with a teenager. Not wanting to be out done by Raymond I said, " Yes, and if you hadn't asked a question, at a critical time he wouldn't have heard you and run out the backside of the woods."
Back at the car we drove around to have a look at the backside of that woodlot and low and behold there he was strutting for a couple of his girlfriends. I know I can't compete with that. Ray didn't though. He said, "I guess you were right. I won't ever question your calling techniques again." "Good," I said, "Then I will call for you again tomorrow!"
Mark, the barber, smiled and winked at me. I love playing this game too!!!
Strike Two: Youthful Stress
Day Two (Strike Two: Youthful Stress )
I took my barbers son Ray out again today turkey hunting. Man, were there some lessons learned. Mark, my barber, had to open the shop today and trusted me with one of his most prized possessions, the younger of his two sons. So today Ray and I hit the turkey woods to see what we could learn.
Our day began as we rendezvoused in the milking parlor at 5:30 a.m., where Raymond was just finishing up his chores. They milk about a dozen cows to supplement the family income and teach the two boys some responsibility. Ray got his clothes and gun, while his older brother reassured him that it was alright for him to slip off early for the woods and that he would finish up.
A few minutes later we were standing at the vehicle, vests on and gun loaded waiting for the Toms to make their presence known. Nothing, I owl hooted and four birds gobbled at it. I called a second hoot and we marked the closest bird to strike out after.
Quickly crossing a stubble corn field, in the gray of the morning we set up near where this same bird had gobbled yesterday after he hit the ground. Yesterday he had pitched down into the wind and landed south of our location. So this morning we made our way around to be were we last heard him yesterday. We set decoys in the corner of the field and sat in a 50 yard wide finger of the woods that jutted out into the field. My first calling sequence produced a gobble. Following the second, we could tell that there were Toms coming our way.
Then the arguing started. Several hens got between the Toms and us and I called one into about 20 yards before we got busted. All the birds exited the finger on the back side so a half hour later we slipped out the back to check out the field. The only birds in the field were noisy Canadian Geese, four of them.
A Tom gobbled off to the West so we grabbed all our gear and headed his way. Crossing that field again Ray asked why I called so differently today. "You were more aggressive with those hens back there." he said. I quickly explained the argument I had had with the hens and how I had hoped they would drag the Toms in with them.
Finally reaching the other side of the field the Tom gobbled again back in the woods. We quickly set out our decoys and we sat down in a fence row. I was maybe fifteen feet behind Ray.
Seconds after the second calling sequence Ray whispered, "Mr. Owen, there's a turkey that just came out of the woods down there and it's coming this way. I think it's a hen," he added. I didn't have the angle to see it in the field until it was a hundred yards from us. She was a he! I flock talked once he saw the decoys and he moved our way. "Ray, that's a Tom!' I said, "Get your gun up when he's moving with his head down."
At 60 yards Ray asked,” Should I take him now?" "No, let him come, he's still getting closer. At 40 yards I told Raymond,” Whenever you're ready!"
Seconds later: Bang, strike one and then Bang, strike two. A very healthy gobbler took to the air and left the field for safer places.
The barber’s son said a four letter word and I, well I, just laughed.
Sitting there in the brush the conversation turned to what went wrong. Ray confided that he was very nervous a case of "turkey fever" I suppose. I told Ray in the future never pull the trigger when you are not totally under control. There is a level of concentration in hunting that should accompany a trigger pull or an arrow release that can not be achieved, Under Pressure. In hunting, as in life, we are at our best when pressure reminds us to focus on the task at hand and not give in to it.
I told Raymond he has two strikes on him now and with each of those small failures he has now learned enough that I doubt the next Tom will get one past him. I'm going to save the lesson about the fact that Babe Ruth struck out twice for every homerun he hit until Raymond needs it.
I hope to Keep this hunt log updated as our May season continues. I trust you will return for regular updates. We are taking tomorrow off and get back after them on Thursday.
_________________
Success is a Decision,
Bob Owen
Sandusky, Mi
reowen51 @yahoo.com
I spoke of turkey hunting in the barber shop last week and long story short ended up calling for my barber Mark and his 14 year old son this morning. We arrived to hear 3 or 4 birds gobbling on the roost.
The trouble was they were distant and spread out around a stubble corn field. After a short discussion we picked the one we thought closest and headed out to harvest one. We got to within 100 yards and ran into a property line.
I couldn't get him to play the game and he only gobbled once after hitting the ground. By 7:05 things were pretty dull when we saw a Tom following 3 hens across a field two fence-lines over. We moved their way.
Half an hour later he had entered a woodlot just in front of us. When I called to him from our new set we got him to answer. Game on! The bird would have to be called from the woods and over a small shallow ditch if we hoped, to kill one here.
The barber’s son sat wide eyed next to me as I called very sparingly. I was trying to get those birds to come looking for us. Raymond, the barbers son, looked at me about 30 minutes into this encounter and asked, "Shouldn't you be calling more to get him over here." "Nope," I said, "We're gunna work him my way...This might take us an hour. Be patient and stay alert. God gave you two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason!"
Fifteen more minutes passed he gobbled again about 50 yards out. I figured he'd show any second. I didn't answer. Then we heard nothing for 40 minutes. We broke from the set after I called again and got no reply. It was 9:45 when we headed back to the truck. As we walked back, we replayed the events of the morning for each other. Discussing what we would have done different. Raymond said, "Yep, you should have called some more when I told ya to." In retrospect he may have been right!
I had forgotten how much fun taking kids had been. My three boys are all in their thirties and it has been sometime since I've experienced a turkey hunt with a teenager. Not wanting to be out done by Raymond I said, " Yes, and if you hadn't asked a question, at a critical time he wouldn't have heard you and run out the backside of the woods."
Back at the car we drove around to have a look at the backside of that woodlot and low and behold there he was strutting for a couple of his girlfriends. I know I can't compete with that. Ray didn't though. He said, "I guess you were right. I won't ever question your calling techniques again." "Good," I said, "Then I will call for you again tomorrow!"
Mark, the barber, smiled and winked at me. I love playing this game too!!!
Strike Two: Youthful Stress
Day Two (Strike Two: Youthful Stress )
I took my barbers son Ray out again today turkey hunting. Man, were there some lessons learned. Mark, my barber, had to open the shop today and trusted me with one of his most prized possessions, the younger of his two sons. So today Ray and I hit the turkey woods to see what we could learn.
Our day began as we rendezvoused in the milking parlor at 5:30 a.m., where Raymond was just finishing up his chores. They milk about a dozen cows to supplement the family income and teach the two boys some responsibility. Ray got his clothes and gun, while his older brother reassured him that it was alright for him to slip off early for the woods and that he would finish up.
A few minutes later we were standing at the vehicle, vests on and gun loaded waiting for the Toms to make their presence known. Nothing, I owl hooted and four birds gobbled at it. I called a second hoot and we marked the closest bird to strike out after.
Quickly crossing a stubble corn field, in the gray of the morning we set up near where this same bird had gobbled yesterday after he hit the ground. Yesterday he had pitched down into the wind and landed south of our location. So this morning we made our way around to be were we last heard him yesterday. We set decoys in the corner of the field and sat in a 50 yard wide finger of the woods that jutted out into the field. My first calling sequence produced a gobble. Following the second, we could tell that there were Toms coming our way.
Then the arguing started. Several hens got between the Toms and us and I called one into about 20 yards before we got busted. All the birds exited the finger on the back side so a half hour later we slipped out the back to check out the field. The only birds in the field were noisy Canadian Geese, four of them.
A Tom gobbled off to the West so we grabbed all our gear and headed his way. Crossing that field again Ray asked why I called so differently today. "You were more aggressive with those hens back there." he said. I quickly explained the argument I had had with the hens and how I had hoped they would drag the Toms in with them.
Finally reaching the other side of the field the Tom gobbled again back in the woods. We quickly set out our decoys and we sat down in a fence row. I was maybe fifteen feet behind Ray.
Seconds after the second calling sequence Ray whispered, "Mr. Owen, there's a turkey that just came out of the woods down there and it's coming this way. I think it's a hen," he added. I didn't have the angle to see it in the field until it was a hundred yards from us. She was a he! I flock talked once he saw the decoys and he moved our way. "Ray, that's a Tom!' I said, "Get your gun up when he's moving with his head down."
At 60 yards Ray asked,” Should I take him now?" "No, let him come, he's still getting closer. At 40 yards I told Raymond,” Whenever you're ready!"
Seconds later: Bang, strike one and then Bang, strike two. A very healthy gobbler took to the air and left the field for safer places.
The barber’s son said a four letter word and I, well I, just laughed.
Sitting there in the brush the conversation turned to what went wrong. Ray confided that he was very nervous a case of "turkey fever" I suppose. I told Ray in the future never pull the trigger when you are not totally under control. There is a level of concentration in hunting that should accompany a trigger pull or an arrow release that can not be achieved, Under Pressure. In hunting, as in life, we are at our best when pressure reminds us to focus on the task at hand and not give in to it.
I told Raymond he has two strikes on him now and with each of those small failures he has now learned enough that I doubt the next Tom will get one past him. I'm going to save the lesson about the fact that Babe Ruth struck out twice for every homerun he hit until Raymond needs it.
I hope to Keep this hunt log updated as our May season continues. I trust you will return for regular updates. We are taking tomorrow off and get back after them on Thursday.
_________________
Success is a Decision,
Bob Owen
Sandusky, Mi
reowen51 @yahoo.com
