Post by jstalljon on May 11, 2007 9:56:37 GMT -5
Too much going on over the weekend...so it was all or nothing this morning...
I'll foreworn readers now...this is going to be long, drawn out, and probaby have typos out the whazoo, but I don't care...I'm still too freakin' pumped!
This has been a dismal season for me as well, not so much on bird sightings or hearings, but mainly do to the amount of work I've had to put in, my time afield has suffered. For some reason this year has been particularly hectic in the office. I remember how elated I was when I got that phone call from Derek yesterday, then immediately reviewed my schedule, I had put 42 hours in this week already when Derek called! :banghead3 And with this weekend swamped with work around the house and Mothers day, I knew this morning was probably my last chance.
I got out of my truck at 5:40 this morning, debating on where to set up. I walked across a field to a wood line where I had seen two long beards earlier in the season. I hadn't set up at this point, but mainly just stood and listened. Scanning the trees on the horizon looking for a roosted bird as the day started to break. After 15 minutes of not hearing anything, I decided to pull a complete 180 and hunt a stand of pine trees on the opposite side of the property. I had a run-in with 6 jakes the last time I hunted this spot. So I get my decoys out, set up and hunker down at 6:00. Within minutes I hear gobbling, granted it is WELL off in the distance, but atleast I'm hearing something. About 6:15 now, and I am getting absolutely HAMMERED by mosquitoes. My mesh mask is doing nothing to detract them, and I can barely hear any other noises then the constant buzzing in my ear. I catch movement in the woods, and here comes a doe and two yearlings. At 20 yards she catches my decoys and starts the old head bob/foot stomp combo. Now the little ones chime in with the head bob and mom starts these series of short blows. I am getting so fed up at this point between the deer and the bugs I figure I am never going to HEAR a turkey let alone see one.
So I just stand up! Screw it! I flail my arms about my head insanely due to the dozen or so bites I already have on my skull, the deer crash out of the woods, and I want to F-bomb at the top of my lungs....what a great 2007 season!
Just as I'm grabbing my decoys and ready to call it a morning (might as well go in and be miserable at work) I hear two thundering gobbles, and relatively close. I'm guessing 75-100 yards max to my northwest in the neighboring property. Decision time...I can wait them out, or stalk. Based on the high percentage rate of west nile I exposed myself too already (:evil: ) I decided to stalk. I shed my vest, drop my decoys, drop to the deck and start my belly crawl. There's a small ridge that splits the property line and is hiding my movements. After 10 minutes and 50 yards...I KNOW I'm close...these birds are just hammering at EVERYTHING...geese, crows, dogs...it's freakin' awesome. I know I'm about 20 yards away, but I have two problems: 1.) I'm still in a prone position and can't get a visual of the birds over the ridge, and 2.) They are still on the neighbors property, which I don't have permission to hunt. I am debating on what to do next when they thunder off again, and it sounds like they are moving away from me! :bash:
Game time....I reach for my slate call....and realize it's in my vest which I had tossed off when I started my crawl! :banghead3 So I quickly let out a few mouth yelps......silence...I'm getting ready to let out a few more as I lean up against a pine when I see a head peak out from over the top of the ridge. I FREEZE!!! The head disappears....Instead of shouldering my gun at that point, I get excited and let out another yelp....this time NO head sightings....HE COMES ON A DEAD RUN RIGHT OVER THE RIDGE!!! :yikes:
Here he is, on my property, 15 yards tops, looking for love, and my gun is nowhere close to being up. He and I are just sitting there, motionless, the ole' Mexican stand off....finally he starts to turn and work across the ridge, I slowly start to shoulder the gun...not slow enough...I hear the dreaded , Putt/putt and realize it's now or never...as his pace quickens I get the bead on him and BLAMMM... he collapses, and I'm one elated turkey hunter!!!
MAN...life is good!
STATS:
18.2 lbs
11" beard
1" spurs
I haven't been hunting these criitters too awful long so I'm not really sure, but it seems like a long beard and spurs for a bird that only weighed 18 lbs. Any comments fromt the veterans?
I'll foreworn readers now...this is going to be long, drawn out, and probaby have typos out the whazoo, but I don't care...I'm still too freakin' pumped!
This has been a dismal season for me as well, not so much on bird sightings or hearings, but mainly do to the amount of work I've had to put in, my time afield has suffered. For some reason this year has been particularly hectic in the office. I remember how elated I was when I got that phone call from Derek yesterday, then immediately reviewed my schedule, I had put 42 hours in this week already when Derek called! :banghead3 And with this weekend swamped with work around the house and Mothers day, I knew this morning was probably my last chance.
I got out of my truck at 5:40 this morning, debating on where to set up. I walked across a field to a wood line where I had seen two long beards earlier in the season. I hadn't set up at this point, but mainly just stood and listened. Scanning the trees on the horizon looking for a roosted bird as the day started to break. After 15 minutes of not hearing anything, I decided to pull a complete 180 and hunt a stand of pine trees on the opposite side of the property. I had a run-in with 6 jakes the last time I hunted this spot. So I get my decoys out, set up and hunker down at 6:00. Within minutes I hear gobbling, granted it is WELL off in the distance, but atleast I'm hearing something. About 6:15 now, and I am getting absolutely HAMMERED by mosquitoes. My mesh mask is doing nothing to detract them, and I can barely hear any other noises then the constant buzzing in my ear. I catch movement in the woods, and here comes a doe and two yearlings. At 20 yards she catches my decoys and starts the old head bob/foot stomp combo. Now the little ones chime in with the head bob and mom starts these series of short blows. I am getting so fed up at this point between the deer and the bugs I figure I am never going to HEAR a turkey let alone see one.
So I just stand up! Screw it! I flail my arms about my head insanely due to the dozen or so bites I already have on my skull, the deer crash out of the woods, and I want to F-bomb at the top of my lungs....what a great 2007 season!
Just as I'm grabbing my decoys and ready to call it a morning (might as well go in and be miserable at work) I hear two thundering gobbles, and relatively close. I'm guessing 75-100 yards max to my northwest in the neighboring property. Decision time...I can wait them out, or stalk. Based on the high percentage rate of west nile I exposed myself too already (:evil: ) I decided to stalk. I shed my vest, drop my decoys, drop to the deck and start my belly crawl. There's a small ridge that splits the property line and is hiding my movements. After 10 minutes and 50 yards...I KNOW I'm close...these birds are just hammering at EVERYTHING...geese, crows, dogs...it's freakin' awesome. I know I'm about 20 yards away, but I have two problems: 1.) I'm still in a prone position and can't get a visual of the birds over the ridge, and 2.) They are still on the neighbors property, which I don't have permission to hunt. I am debating on what to do next when they thunder off again, and it sounds like they are moving away from me! :bash:
Game time....I reach for my slate call....and realize it's in my vest which I had tossed off when I started my crawl! :banghead3 So I quickly let out a few mouth yelps......silence...I'm getting ready to let out a few more as I lean up against a pine when I see a head peak out from over the top of the ridge. I FREEZE!!! The head disappears....Instead of shouldering my gun at that point, I get excited and let out another yelp....this time NO head sightings....HE COMES ON A DEAD RUN RIGHT OVER THE RIDGE!!! :yikes:
Here he is, on my property, 15 yards tops, looking for love, and my gun is nowhere close to being up. He and I are just sitting there, motionless, the ole' Mexican stand off....finally he starts to turn and work across the ridge, I slowly start to shoulder the gun...not slow enough...I hear the dreaded , Putt/putt and realize it's now or never...as his pace quickens I get the bead on him and BLAMMM... he collapses, and I'm one elated turkey hunter!!!
MAN...life is good!
STATS:
18.2 lbs
11" beard
1" spurs
I haven't been hunting these criitters too awful long so I'm not really sure, but it seems like a long beard and spurs for a bird that only weighed 18 lbs. Any comments fromt the veterans?
