"Maryland season began on the 18th. My S.O. was off work and I work nights....so I stayed awake after work and she drove down to the house. We hunt lower Eastern Shore areas. Have several strutting/dusting sites I keep an eye on. This past fall a small area was logged out and is close to an open sandy area I have taken gobblers at in the past.
Not a gobble was heard Friday. Walked a bit after the noon hour end time to see if we could hear an gobbling leading up to roosting. Nada.
Saturday we tried an old woods road that winds through near an old family cemetery. A good many good roosting trees near the plot. Walked all the way through to the dirt county road....no dusting or strutting sites found. Set up where I had called in gobblers before. Got a response and talked to him for about 45 minutes. He was across a dirt county road on another club's property and wouldn't budge.
Went and scoped a field out and had a mangy red fox come check out my calling. He moved down a wood line to our left....disappearing. We moved about 20 yards further to our right. Shortly, he appeared sneaking through the edge to where we had been set up. Whiffed our scent and sprinted back across to where he had entered the field.
Hunted solo Monday. Drove to original blind location from Friday's hunt. At about 0540 the woods rang with gobbles. At least 4-6 gobblers...spread around the cut down I had driven past. Opted to stay at the blind.....hopefully to draw one to me. After an hour of gobbling....nada. Waited till noon....calling here and there....no takers. I was afraid to move on them for they would have had a 200 yard view of me coming down the road. Oh well.
I scoped out the cut over when leaving and picked out three trees to use as setups depending on my mood the following morning. Found scratchings atop a dirt pile.
Set up Tuesday morning and waited. Had a club member drive by at 10 feet and not see me. Guess my camo is okay .....for humans. About 1045 I looked to my left and there was a hen at about 15 paces, out in the road intersection. She circled a stone pile....climbed the dirt pile....dusted herself for a moment and continued feeding around me in a circle....for the next half hour, before disappearing behind me in the woods. While dusting....she was eye level with me at 15-20 paces. I guess my camo is good for turkeys as well. Never knew I was there.
Wednesday was zip as well. Stayed out of the woods Thursday and Friday. Saturday me and S.O. went back to the field. Had her set out decoys. This is her first season hunting. I'm the ol' Gobbler at 55. She's my Young Hen at 29. She positioned herself up on the ditch bank with me back and to her right. Mid-morning I hear leaves rustling and here comes a Raccoon, sitting down between me and her....watching the decoys. I said "Boo" and he turned inside out getting away from a "talking tree".
Told her to take a break...walk out in the field...and peer around the tree line edge to our right. Check out the next field over.....I've had gobblers strut in that area. She whispers back that there are two hens coming out from the wood line. I yelped and they turned tail and ran back to the woods. I wasn't expecting that reaction.
Sat down and regrouped. After a bit....Mr. Fox from last week made another appearance. Takes the same route as last time. He came within 3 paces of the decoys....caught our scent and high tailed it back the way it came.
Now it's Monday.....and we have at least 3 days of rain coming. Not sure what my plan is now...."
