Tuesday May 30, 2006

"GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT" That is the moral of the story for my turkey season and especially today. Aaron and I set up in the green clearing inside the woods where we watched that gobbler go to roost last night up in the new spot I got the other day. We snuck in from the same side we did yesterday and got within 10yds of the clearing. I put my hen decoy in the logging road that comes out of the clearing and set Aaron up so he was watching downhill and behind me. I setup looking into the clearing. I assumed that bird would fly into the clearing, but if not, we had plenty of options to move and get ready. Well, at 10min to 6, that bird gobbled at less than 80yds and eye level. I couldn't see him, but I was sure Aaron could. The bird eventually flew down and I made sure I was the first hen he heard. He gobbled immediately. I yelped soft again and he was much closer, the kind that makes your whole body vibrate. I could only see Aaron, so I was reading the birds off his actions. His gun moved in my direction, and the thumb clicked the safety off on that old 20GA. I was just praying that the bird was close enough. Suddenly he shot, I jumped and turned just in time to see a bunch of birds flush up and out of the treetops, and out over the field. I looked, and looked hard, but couldn't find a bird flopping on the ground. I kept looking thinking that he may have shot him stone cold dead, but that wasn't the case. He instantly admitted to screwing up and Ifelt pretty bad for him. He knew how hard I'd been working for a turkey this month, and he knew that he just blew the best situation I'd had all year. I just grabbed the decoy and my calls and started for the truck. I figured the sooner we were on a new bird, the sooner I would cool down and forget about it. Well, forget for the moment anyway. That hunt will live with me for the next 330 days if I don't get to pick one up by the feet tomorrow. Had Aaron waited just a few more seconds that bird would have been within 20yds, and it wouldn't have made a difference if he was shooting a 20ga. or a 12ga, or a 28ga. for that matter. As we headed towards the spot where we saw the big redhead stutting as his hens picked manure, I told Aaron to call Bill and let him know what happened, because I was sure he was just sitting around waiting for the word, he knew my plan, and he knew it was going to work. We rounded the corner and sure enough, that big gobbler was strutting in the manure again. It was 6am. We sat up by the farm and glassed him for a while, to make sure he was going to commit to that side of the road before we made the long hike in to get him. While glassing, Aaron heard another bird gobble directly behind the farm, so I thought it would be beneficial either way, if we went in. If the "poop eaters" left and crossed the road, we would still be able to get after the other one we heard. We made it across all the open fields and into the last patch of woods and the bird was still strutting by the road. I made the decision to use the topography of that really open area to get as close as possible. I setup about 200yds from him under the last possible tree I could. My first call struck the right nerve as that bird started gobbling his head off. Over 100 times in all before it was said and done. He gobbled at everything, but I knew he had 3 hens with him and would be reluctant to come to the call. I tried soft and easy, trying to coax the hens in, but didn't succeed. I tried aggressive calling to get him to break away, and he gobbled but wouldn't leave them. He eventually dropped behind another rise in the field and I was able to sneak up to the tiny patch of pines that he was just in. When I got there, I heard a putt. He was standing 80yds away, but hadn't seen us. He may have heard us or something, I'm not real sure. He walked off gobbling with his hens. When he was about half way up the hill towards my truck, I was able to turn him and bring him back to 100yds. The hens came with him, but then turned and headed back towards the top of the hill. I saw this as a good opportunity to get out of there before we spooked him. I was also kind of anxious to get a chance at the other bird we heard. When we reached the bottom edge of the last patch of woods we needed to get through, I gave a loud call on my box call. A bird sounded off about 100yds into the woods in front of us. We were almost to the corner of the field. The corner was between us and him. I immediately set the decoy in the field and had Aaron sit next to it just inside the woods, and watch the woods. Good spots to sit were scarce and I knew I was going to have to totally commit my shots to the field. I tried to run up about 50yds to be able to shoot over a little knoll, but as I neared my tree I spotted the gobbler charging out of the woods at full speed. I am not sure who was more surprised, me or him, but either way the jig was up and I just turned around and grabbed the decoy. We headed up through the woods following a wetland swale towards a cove in the top field. The area seemed like a likely spot to run into a bird when I saw it on the way in. Just below it Aaron thought he heard a gobble in the field, and a few steps later we spooked a bird just inside the woods. I figured if that bird went quietly, we still may have a chance at the gobbler. So I fired up the box call again and was answered by a chorus of gobbles. The bird that we were after intially gobbled up and to our left in the field. Another bird gobbled directly above us in the field and then to our left a bird with a real deep, long gobble sounded off at about 50yds. We sat right where we were, and it was actually a really good setup. I made my first call on my box call again, but didn't get an answer. We waited for 15min but no more gobbles or anything. Cautiously we worked up to the field and found that all the birds had left. We made it back to the truck without any more confrontations. It was 10:45. Why? Why does it take until the last day or two of the season to figure out a spot like this, or to finally get action like this? Good things come to those who wait, but I can only wait until Noon on May 31st. At 11 we pulled into the spot where I killed my bird on the last day of the season last year. We witnessed three longbeards go up into there on Saturday, so I was optimistic. We called our way across the ridge, and about 10 min into it, I heard a cutt and a yelp. We setup right where we were. The bird clucked the whole way in and yelped a few times. The yelps were slow and raspy, just like a jake should sound. I trained my eyes on the ledge in front of us and as the bird appeared behind my bead, I was ready. I must have burned a hole in the breast of that hen trying to find a beard, but no such luck. She walked 5yds from Aaron and then circled behind us. She stood behind a blow down at 20yds for the next 20min. I kept purring and clucking, and cutting and yelping, and she obliged with the continuous purrs and clucks and occasional yelps that a hen will give you in such a situation. She couldn't find her lunch date, and I finally realized it was getting close to noon. No gobblers were going to make the rendezvous before the noon whistle, so I thought I would have some fun. I just spoke up and told the hen that she could go back to her nest (even though she appeared to be a yearling and most likely didn't have one), the I told her that she didn't have a beard, so it was time to go. Then I finally just started barking out, "leave, go, go on, now" and she just gave me a curious cock of the head and started towards me again. I finally just stood up when she was circling at about 45yds. We walked out, defeated again. One more morning is all that is left. The heart is starting to get a little heavy, the breaths a little short, but like they say, "good things come to those who wait".