Opening day for my 2015 season was Wednesday (15th). Seeing as I'm in the middle of building a crib for our baby due in two months and juggling full time work, finishing a bachelor's degree, and keeping up with call orders, I didn't exactly have time for lots of preseason scouting. I decided to go to one of the closes public hunting grounds about 15 min away from my house instead of heading to my lease which is over 30 min away.
The public ground is along a river and across the river is an island which has always held a dozen gobblers or more. I've been to the island to hunt but only in late spring when the river is lower. I could hear several gobblers on the island and usually they stay there and do not fly down across to my spot. Luckily for me I ended up having a gobbler sound out only about 100 yds from where I was sitting on my side of the river. I even watched him pitch down and he looked like he was headed my way.
Suddenly I hear a motorboat going back and forth along the island and I figured it was either walleye fishermen or someone going to hunt on the island. Instead they decided to leave the island with a dozen or so gobblers and motor over to where I was. They beached their boat, climbed over the berm, and proceeded to attempt to call at the bird while about 50 yds behind me. They had to have seen me especially when I was trying to call over them. I could see glimpses of the gobbler I was working about 50 yds through the thick woods and I never had a shot present itself. In all the commotion they ended up kicking out two or three hens from the island that flew over the river and landed near me and started putting after they came with 10 feet of my setup.
Needless to say the hens took the gobbler away and the men went back into the boat without saying a word. They motored over to the island and I heard a shot about 30 mins later. I walked out of the woods steaming. I know that I was on public ground, but every time I've been on public ground and I come across someone working a bird I do a 180 and go back to my truck to find a different spot. I was regretting not going to my lease.
While recalling my experience to my wife she tells me to use a new yelper I made about a month ago as a good luck charm on my second day. The call is Bois de Rose with a Olivewood section and two washers in the middle. I took her advice and I'm glad I did.
I went to the same spot this morning and I was the only hunter around. Now there was no gobblers to be found with the exception of far inland on the island. I packed up at 6:30 and drove to a different hunting spot. I spotted a strutter in a field and parked near by. After trying to flank the bird I discover a decoy in the field and do a 180 like I always do, this hunter obviously was set up before me and I'm out of there.
I drive another 5 min and head into a pine plantation that has become super reliable the last three years. After advancing 100 yds I let out a yelp and get a response but can't pinpoint a location until I advance further and now I know this bird and I are in the same section of pines. I make about three more advancements and yelps before it's time to sit down and aim. The bird follows a natural funnel and it isn't more than 5 minutes before I hear his spitting and drumming. He appears and I pull the trigger. I paced out 43 steps to the bird and am quite happy at the huge turn of events from the previous morning. I grilled the bird and my wife enjoyed the story of my morning during supper. So this new yelper has about two hours of hunting and about 5 yelps through it and already scored a bird.
