Post by gobblerstopper on May 7, 2011 10:50:56 GMT -5
We headed to Nebraska last week and had probably the best trip we have had since I started going off and on in 2004. We had an additional hunter meet us out there and he was a turkey hunting machine.
Friday
11:00- Mike and I roll into the canyon opening and meet Doug who has hunted most of the day and missed one bird. It's his first trip on the ranch, so we let it go.
12:00- Mike and I leave Doug to take "about an hour nap" and head down the road to another canyon. We see two gobblers walking the side of a hill and try to get in front of them. We can't, but we do the best we can and get set up. I start calling and they answer. This goes on until they are standing 20 yards away looking for the lonely hen. I shot first and started gobbling at the other bird and he just stood there until Mike shot him.
1:00- Back at Dougs truck, he has finished up his nap and he and I decide to walk back to the "Gobbler Hole" while Mike drives to town to get ice for the cooler. The wind is blowing about 25mph, so hearing a bird would be tough. We walked and I called and we heard a bird gobble about 100 yds. away. Doug and I set up and a pair of gobblers come strolling by. Doug shot first and got his bird, so I took the second one.
3:30- We arrive back at Dougs truck with our two gobblers to find that Mike had already set up and killed another bird when he got back from town. Dougs bird had 4 beards.
My first bird...
Dougs 4 beard...
My second bird...
12:00-3:30= 5 Dead Longbeards....
Saturday
Wind 25-35mph with gust up to 50mph. The birds didn't gobble on the roost, but I managed to spot two longbeards with 9 hens. I worked into the canyon parallel to them until I was sitting 40 yards waiting on them to crest the hill. I picked out the biggest bird and rushed the shot. A little let down, I headed back to the truck and went to a different canyon with a plan. I decided since the wind was howling, I would work the side of the canyon until I got to a field the birds are usually in. I didn't hear anything, so I set up on the side of the field and called loud and often. Two love sick gobblers decided to come through the dust storm and check out the hen. One of them left....
Saturday evening Mike and I spotted two birds crossing the road. I told him there was a road on the top of the canyon parallel to the road that we should work until we caught up with the birds. By the time we got parked and headed into the area I expected them, we saw a bird fly up into a tree. Guess the wind wore them out, because they were flying up 1 1/2 hours before dark. I spotted a gobbler and two jakes, so we backed out and decided to set up on them in the morning.
Sunday
Calm winds and 34 deg. air set up a perfect morning for a turkey hunt. We sneeked into where we wanted to set up on the three birds and as I was getting the decoys out of the bag, a pack of coyotes cut loose about a mile down the canyon. I flock of birds around them answered. Then a flock closer answered. Then the "three birds" we spotted Saturday. We set up and waited for it to break light.
I wanted to get the birds attention early, so I let out some raspy soft yelps and they answered AND PITCHED OUT OF THE TREE!! It was dark thirty and I quit counting birds flying down at 9. They all made their way down the road towards us and straight into the decoys. It was the first time I have ever heard 17 birds gobble from 10-40 yards away. Problem was that it was still dark and we couldn't pick out a longbeard in the mix until he was 10 yards out to our side. We argued over which birds were gobblers, but they decided to go over the canyon before a shot was fired.
It wasn't hard to pick one out once they broke up a little bit, so we moved and called to a gobbler. 40 minutes later and moves, he was 15 yards in front of the gun. Amazing morning and although the jakes gobble a lot in Nebraska, it was still awesome to hear 50 birds gobbling at each other....
Friday
11:00- Mike and I roll into the canyon opening and meet Doug who has hunted most of the day and missed one bird. It's his first trip on the ranch, so we let it go.
12:00- Mike and I leave Doug to take "about an hour nap" and head down the road to another canyon. We see two gobblers walking the side of a hill and try to get in front of them. We can't, but we do the best we can and get set up. I start calling and they answer. This goes on until they are standing 20 yards away looking for the lonely hen. I shot first and started gobbling at the other bird and he just stood there until Mike shot him.
1:00- Back at Dougs truck, he has finished up his nap and he and I decide to walk back to the "Gobbler Hole" while Mike drives to town to get ice for the cooler. The wind is blowing about 25mph, so hearing a bird would be tough. We walked and I called and we heard a bird gobble about 100 yds. away. Doug and I set up and a pair of gobblers come strolling by. Doug shot first and got his bird, so I took the second one.
3:30- We arrive back at Dougs truck with our two gobblers to find that Mike had already set up and killed another bird when he got back from town. Dougs bird had 4 beards.
My first bird...
Dougs 4 beard...
My second bird...
12:00-3:30= 5 Dead Longbeards....
Saturday
Wind 25-35mph with gust up to 50mph. The birds didn't gobble on the roost, but I managed to spot two longbeards with 9 hens. I worked into the canyon parallel to them until I was sitting 40 yards waiting on them to crest the hill. I picked out the biggest bird and rushed the shot. A little let down, I headed back to the truck and went to a different canyon with a plan. I decided since the wind was howling, I would work the side of the canyon until I got to a field the birds are usually in. I didn't hear anything, so I set up on the side of the field and called loud and often. Two love sick gobblers decided to come through the dust storm and check out the hen. One of them left....
Saturday evening Mike and I spotted two birds crossing the road. I told him there was a road on the top of the canyon parallel to the road that we should work until we caught up with the birds. By the time we got parked and headed into the area I expected them, we saw a bird fly up into a tree. Guess the wind wore them out, because they were flying up 1 1/2 hours before dark. I spotted a gobbler and two jakes, so we backed out and decided to set up on them in the morning.
Sunday
Calm winds and 34 deg. air set up a perfect morning for a turkey hunt. We sneeked into where we wanted to set up on the three birds and as I was getting the decoys out of the bag, a pack of coyotes cut loose about a mile down the canyon. I flock of birds around them answered. Then a flock closer answered. Then the "three birds" we spotted Saturday. We set up and waited for it to break light.
I wanted to get the birds attention early, so I let out some raspy soft yelps and they answered AND PITCHED OUT OF THE TREE!! It was dark thirty and I quit counting birds flying down at 9. They all made their way down the road towards us and straight into the decoys. It was the first time I have ever heard 17 birds gobble from 10-40 yards away. Problem was that it was still dark and we couldn't pick out a longbeard in the mix until he was 10 yards out to our side. We argued over which birds were gobblers, but they decided to go over the canyon before a shot was fired.
It wasn't hard to pick one out once they broke up a little bit, so we moved and called to a gobbler. 40 minutes later and moves, he was 15 yards in front of the gun. Amazing morning and although the jakes gobble a lot in Nebraska, it was still awesome to hear 50 birds gobbling at each other....
