Well it has been a fun couple of weeks. I was on a roll for the first week of the season and then it seemed to stall to a stop. Last Weekend I sis the dumbest thing I have ever done by sitting 7 hours in a blind in the wind and rain trying to kill a turkey. That was a day of misery. Not my styleof hunting. I like to cut n run.
Monday was rained out, Tuesday I went back to my honey hole and had one gobble close twice and then disappear like a ghost. Wed it was rain again, Thursday I went back after the ghost and heard and saw nothing. Friday I went to another spot and more of the same. Friends were calling about turkeys gobbling and dying and I was on nothing. I needed a to hear a gobble so I loaded up Friday night and went to the river again.
Nothing like getting up 45 min before sunrise and then just walking out the door and hunting. I walked about 1/4 mile up the road and listened. I planned to go to the bottom where my friend missed the bird a couple of weeks ago. It is green timber that usually floods, but it has been too dry this year. I used no locator call. I just stood there in the cool air and waited for the woods to wake up. The first gobble was exactly where I thought he was. I pulled the hood up on my ghilli and eased down the road and just let him gobble. I got to the spot where he stepped in the road a couple of weeks ago so I just stepped off into the woods, found a big oak to get comfy on and went to work. My soft tree call was cut off and then 3 more gobblers hit off. I was in business.
The flooded green timber has an island though it that is actually a ridge. Since it doesn't flood, it is covered in some thick underbrush. The ridge runs across the road and extends about 80 yards. The flooded area makes a U around it with the area that floods about 60 yards wide.
I was set up on one side of the U and they were on the other and on the ridge in front of me. The closest gobbler about 80 yards away. They were all hammering and going crazy. It started to rain; I guess I was getting 100% of the 10% chance of rain. It did not matter; they were still gobbling their heads off. Man they would come so close in the thick stuff it felt like they were blowing my hat off with their gobble. Several times they came down the road, but would not take the step for a clear shot. They would walk off gobbling, but then would come back to my calling. We danced for about an hour and when they moved off I slipped up the road to a cedar tree I knew they had come to. I was in business. They came back this time, but did not step around the curve 15 yards in front. So close, but yet so far. I could hear spittin, drummin, and hammer close gobbles. We danced here for about 10 min when I hen cackled and pitched down to the left. They gobbled and went towards her. I knew where they were and I knew I wanted to look around the corner so I crept forward as far as I could without being busted. The thick stuff was all around me so I knew they would come back to the road and step out at 15 yards. I purred and I was cut off with a gobble. It got spooky quiet. One little cluck and scratching in the leaves and they blew my hat off just on the other side of the thick stuff. I knew there was a steep bank there so I knew they would walk out where I wanted them to. Wrong, my eyes caught movement o my left and there he was. No problem he goes behind the tree I can slightly shift to shoot him. Well then there was another, and another. 5 Long beards step into the road 15 feet from me. They just looked around and turned to walk away down the road; I slowly eased my gun around and jumped out of my skin when the gobbler putted in my ear. There were 2 more standing three feet from me at my 7 o'clock. Needless to say the party ended with no bird. I was wet so I took off to the blind that I sat in last week. Luckily I was not going to sit there all day. I was just taking refuge from the rain. When the sun came out I headed back to the cabin, calling along the way. I cut one time and heard a gobble. It was behind me. I had just changed calls, so it does matter that you try different calls to make them gobble. I headed back down the road and cut into the pines. I called and he had closed the gap. Found a tree and got comfy. I waited 5 min and called again, this time he gobbled directly behind me about 80 yards. I don't think it was the same bird. I slid around the tree and called again. This rime I had one gobble at 12 and one at 10, both were close. Gun up and scanning for a gobbler, I noticed the red head at 20 yards looking around with another gobbler to his left. The wind had just begun to pick up and as I am getting ready to shoot this gobbler the wind blows a dead top of a tree out. Like a snag you would use for a crappie bush. It came crashing down between the gobbler and I. They walked away. I called and they hammered. All I could do was laugh. They were still interested because they stayed in the area gobbling at me. Then I heard the spitting and drumming from behind me. Dang, turkey in the front, turkeys in the rear, and nowhere to move. Just then I saw a gobbler walk in an opening about 35 yards in front, followed by another. When he stepped into the next opening I was ready and let wicked speak. Nothing, nada, no flopping turkey, what happened? It took a second to realize I shot a horizontal tree I had broken off 3 foot in front of me. The scope was clear, but the barrel was not. My pattern cut through it. Man was bummed, but had an absolute awesome morning.
On the way home a friend called me and wanted to pattern his gun so I said sure. I took wicked just to shoot a few times. Well all I can say is Wicked bit me. I was using my friends pole cat shooting sticks and they are flimsy and junk (my personal opinion) So I was trying to get everything tight and stable. Well when I pulled the trigger, the scope knocked the hell out of me. I sent my friend, fellow turkey hunting brother, and my Dr. a text message and asked if he had some sutures at home. He said he did, but was going to a movie with his family. My wife and I went to dinner and then went to Docs to get fixed up. He didn't suture it, just numbed it and my wife put a bead of super glue on it. (She works at a vet clinic). By 10pm I was good to go, just looks like I have a snot rocket on my forehead. I took my wife home and then headed to work and finally got home around 1:30am
Wicked did speak again theis morning though
