Mountain Merriams

[Sherrell]

As always when I head west you can bet it will start to snow at 10,000 feet even in the warmest of winters.my Son tagged a bird at 7:15 as he called him away from his two yelpers in the falling snow.
I tagged a bird at 3:00 pm the same day then called up a flock consisting of nine hens with one bearded gal in the bunch and towing up a big gobbler.I missed him at 24 yards...unbelievable!forty years at this and the old man had a miss.found out Ronnie had tagged another gobbler that afternoon and he was tagged out his first day.
relaxed the next morning and went out that afternoon.hit the wingbone the first series and a gobbler cut me off immediately on the top of the mountain.45 minutes later he was at sixty yards,made his left turn and crossed down the mountain out of range gobbling every step.another gobbler answered on the mountain but was of little interest since this old bird just gave me the cold shoulder as far as commiting to within range and just made this personal between him and me.
next morning he is roosted just off the mountain side.the first call I gave he cut me off.he must of gobbled over 400 times and got within 50 yards on two occasions.I don't like nor need to ever take long or questionable shots so I let him walk.I knew he would make a mistake.at 12:50 pm he cut loose on the top of the mountain.I gave him one series of plain yelps on the tube call and he answered.I went quiet as he gobbled twice more.his last gobble was a desperate gobble and I knew he was now ready to work.he made his mistake at 1:00 pm and I was tagged out.

[shootemintheface]

Nice hunt. Where you hunting public land?

[headbanger]

Congrats...beautiful country!

headbanger

[archery1]

way to go
congrats 2 u both
sounds like u had some fun

[Dan Mallia]

 

Very nice!

[Spring_Woods]

Nicely done Sherrell!

[Hognutz]

Way to go, Sherrell. Those are some beautiful birds..Nice pics, as well..Mike

[Sherrell]

Way to go, Sherrell. Those are some beautiful birds..Nice pics, as well..Mike

Thank you...I was glad the weather did finally cooperate this trip.last year I had to work at putting a tag on a bird as the snow and wind came from every direction imaginable every minute of every day.

[WyoHunter]

Congrats! Nice birds and pics!

[gotcha]

Great pics and story!Headed to Raton NM in tuesday.Although weather is a major factor on all hunts it seems to me hunts in the higher elevations the weather is even a bigger factor.Glad you hit it right!

[Sherrell]

Great pics and story!Headed to Raton NM in tuesday.Although weather is a major factor on all hunts it seems to me hunts in the higher elevations the weather is even a bigger factor.Glad you hit it right!

I hunted Raton in 2007 and with a lot of snow we had to work hard to tag three gobblers,but it worked out.the weather looks good for you next week out there.they are really henned up right now where I was in the middle of the Sante Fe,but that just made it more fun.good luck and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

[savduck]

Man that's great congrats to both of you. I love seeing you and Ronnie's pictures together. Can't wait for my boys to be old enough to hunt with me.

[Sherrell]

Man that's great congrats to both of you. I love seeing you and Ronnie's pictures together. Can't wait for my boys to be old enough to hunt with me.

We carry long range radios when we are split up and I just love when he calls me on the radio and says he is working a bird,I hear that far off shot and he calls to say I just turned him upside down.gobblers very seldom move my Adrenalin levels anymore,but the whole time I'm purely shaking waiting on that shot and that call over the radio.
I've passed on a lot of Osceola's through the years just to make sure he may have a future shot and you will do the same no doubt.
You will have some great memory's and good time's ahead.

[slamman]

fun birds to hunt.  i find they respond to calling much better during and after a snow.  my hunt starts on the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico on the 28th.

[shootemintheface]

One of these days I'm going to make it to the black hills to hunt.