Went to a brand new farm this morning that hasnt been hunted and turkeys were absolutely rockin it!! Got there a little later than I wanted to, I wanted to be in the woods on the ridge by 5:30 and I overslept and didnt even leave my house till 5:30, which put me there close to 6 and right around gobbling time. I had the fourwheeler with me, but didnt want to ride it right there around gobbling time so I decided I would walk up the bottom field and into the woods and walk the road up the hill. Pretty steep climb to carry a bunch of gear (gun, vest, decoy, camera, tripod) that stuff gets heavy. But I got out of the truck and let out an owl hoot and one immediately answered strait in the head of the hollow.
Scramble time!! I decided to forget my camera and stuff and just throw the vest on, grab the gun and decoy and go. I started running up the field to get to the woods, I wanted to get in close to him before he flew down. Before I opened the gate to go through the field a let out another owl hoot and he answered again, but another bird answered as well on a big point right on the left side of the field close. Crap, I had to walk right by that bird, I hope he doesn't see me! I was hoping I could sneak by and the leaves would cover me.
Well I get past him and he gobbles again so I dont think he saw me or anything, I think Im good. I quickly climbed the hill and got on the road and up on the flat the birds were gobbling on. One on my right and one on my left. I had never been on this farm before to hunt so I thought I would just set up on the road in between the two birds. Well I get the decoy out on the road and get situated and start soft calling, and some turkeys gobble good across the road but the ones on my side just shut up. I call, and call and cant get any response. So after about 10 minutes or so I decided to start calling aggresively and quickly fired one up behind me. Quickly shifted around to get set up on him and he was coming fast!!
I called and he would gobble every time, I knew he was Hot and coming my way! I waited a few minutes and gave a soft yelp and he hammered back, he had already cut the distance in half. Definitely on his way! I watched him come into the bowl, under the fence and puff up in full strut on the road and start walking right to me! Heart starts racing, I know its about to happen. So he comes to a split in the road (both come to me, but bottom one goes down in a dip) and instead of picking the easy path right to my gun he goes on the lower one with the dip. Then he starts back up the hill to the other road, still coming to me. All of a sudden a jake gobbles 50 yards up the hill from me and scares him to death!!! He comes out of strut and pretty much takes off running the other direction!! Are you kidding me?!?! Absolutely textbook hunt. I dont shoot jakes but I would have blasted that dude if I would have seen him.
So I sat there and called a little longer to see if I could get him to come back but he wasnt having any part of it. I heard a turkey gobbling back out the point behind me earlier so I decided I would go give him a try quickly before I had to leave for work. I get up to get the decoy and the Jake is standing up on top of the ridge and he takes off, good riddance! So i walked around the hill and the woods open up, absolutely beautiful and a definite turkey strutting area! I go around on the backside of the point I was just on and call down into that bowl and struck a smoking HOT turkey that double and triple gobbled at everything I threw at him. I was in a delima, had this turkey gobbling like a fool and I only had like 10 minutes until I had to leave to go to work, what to do? Go kill the turkey of course!!
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So I called to him there for a bit but he was around the hollow and on a big point. I walked around the bowl to him with him gobbling his head off the whole way, I knew if I could get within 80 yards of him the way he was gobbling I could kill him. The woods were beautiful where he was, really open and green, was going to be a perfect setup. Well right when I get about where I need to be a deer took off right above him. He gobbled when the deer took off and was only 50 yards over the hill. I quickly sat down and started calling, and he never gobbled another time. Idk if the deer spooked him or what, but it was crazy! That turkey was smoking HOT and I was very surprised he just shut up like that.
Man what a morning! Thank you to my brother in law Joey For letting me hunt his farm and thank you Jesus for an incredible morning in the spring woods! This was by far my best morning in the woods in WV this spring and things are really picking up. I am going to give that farm a rest tomorrow and take a newbie out to try and get him his first bird then I will be back hunting that farm Thursday for sure. I will be out the rest of this week and most of next, 2nd and 3rd week are always my favorite!! Get out after em boys, its getting good!! This was one of my best mornings I have ever had in the turkey woods, seeing that ol boy strut out that road was enough for me, its not about the kill!!
