Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2011 13:50:03 GMT -5
Went down to my grandpa's in Hawkins County last weekend for the opener and talked to a lot of birds but couldn't get any to come to me. I had to change my method a bit because the birds are uncharacteristically staying pretty much in the woods.
Well, I decided to take a 3 day weekend and come back down this weekend. Friday was tough. I had a long conversation with two or three gobblers but could not get them to come down the ridge to me. I talked to them for the better part of 3 hours. I finally ran out of patience and called it quits.
Saturday morning was completly fogged in. I decided not to go out until it lifted. I went out at about 9am and set up here...
This spot overlooks a field. I was sitting in a brush pile about 30 yards from the place where turkeys often cross under the fence from the woods. I sat for about an hour and called and could not get any answer. I decided to get up and put the decoys away and just go for broke and do a little running and gunning. I walked over the hills on my cousins property, that joins my grandpa's to see if I could get a gobbler to talk.
I struck up a gobbler and sat down and started calling. He answered back a few times but would not come. I waited until I was sure he wasn't on the way and headed back across the road to my grandpa's property and headed up the mountain to a logging road.
I went to near the property line (where I had the long talk with the gobblers the day before) and decided I would sit and call and wait until 11:30. I heard a tom gobble a couple times from way up near the top of the mountain but this was way off my grandpa's property and he wasn't coming any closer. It got to be about 11:00 when I decided I would call a couple more times and just sit and wait. As soon as I hit the slate, I heard a thunderous gobble to my left, down in the holler RIGHT below where I was sitting! It took my by surprise. I called lightly again and he gobbled again, He was within 100 yards and definitely on the property! I wasn't close enough to the lip of the ridge to see down into the holler. I thought about easing over to where I could see, but thought better of it and just decided to stay put. I called again but he didn't gobble. I decided to shut up and just hope that he was coming my way. Sure enough, within 5 minutes, I heard leaves rustling. I got ready. I saw him crest the ridge 30 yards in front of me. I raised my Remington 11 87, he saw me, but it was too late, I let him have a load of Winchester Nitro Number 5s in the back of the noggin as he tried to run up the road. Game over!
He was a 2 year old bird with 1 inch spurs, 11 inch beard, and weighed right at 21 pounds.
Well, I decided to take a 3 day weekend and come back down this weekend. Friday was tough. I had a long conversation with two or three gobblers but could not get them to come down the ridge to me. I talked to them for the better part of 3 hours. I finally ran out of patience and called it quits.
Saturday morning was completly fogged in. I decided not to go out until it lifted. I went out at about 9am and set up here...
This spot overlooks a field. I was sitting in a brush pile about 30 yards from the place where turkeys often cross under the fence from the woods. I sat for about an hour and called and could not get any answer. I decided to get up and put the decoys away and just go for broke and do a little running and gunning. I walked over the hills on my cousins property, that joins my grandpa's to see if I could get a gobbler to talk.
I struck up a gobbler and sat down and started calling. He answered back a few times but would not come. I waited until I was sure he wasn't on the way and headed back across the road to my grandpa's property and headed up the mountain to a logging road.
I went to near the property line (where I had the long talk with the gobblers the day before) and decided I would sit and call and wait until 11:30. I heard a tom gobble a couple times from way up near the top of the mountain but this was way off my grandpa's property and he wasn't coming any closer. It got to be about 11:00 when I decided I would call a couple more times and just sit and wait. As soon as I hit the slate, I heard a thunderous gobble to my left, down in the holler RIGHT below where I was sitting! It took my by surprise. I called lightly again and he gobbled again, He was within 100 yards and definitely on the property! I wasn't close enough to the lip of the ridge to see down into the holler. I thought about easing over to where I could see, but thought better of it and just decided to stay put. I called again but he didn't gobble. I decided to shut up and just hope that he was coming my way. Sure enough, within 5 minutes, I heard leaves rustling. I got ready. I saw him crest the ridge 30 yards in front of me. I raised my Remington 11 87, he saw me, but it was too late, I let him have a load of Winchester Nitro Number 5s in the back of the noggin as he tried to run up the road. Game over!
He was a 2 year old bird with 1 inch spurs, 11 inch beard, and weighed right at 21 pounds.
WOW! Great story and photos, thanks for sharing , love the territory..... 
