Late season Kansas Rio

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

My hunting buddy and I just got back from a four day trip to Kansas for Rios last night.  We delayed our trip initially because of the heavy rains, and then the friends we stay with in northwest Kansas said don't bother coming out that way, the roads are flooded and a mess.  So we made last minute plans to hunt half a state east where the rains weren't as heavy. But this meant we were going in cold to a new area.  The first two days were very tough.  I lost count of how many WIHAs we tried to get to and were forced to give up on because of the bad roads.  The alarm went off at 3:30 Monday morning and we woke up to lightning and a torrent of rain.  Set it for 5:30 and went back to bed.  The up side is that Kansas is greener and lusher than I've seen in many years.



The weather cleared by Tuesday morning and we started finding a few birds here and there. I got the sense that the WIHAs had been hit pretty hard.  Birds a half mile off would go tearing for cover if you stopped the car to glass a corn stubble field.  We were surprised that the few gobblers we did locate still had hens with them.

After three days of hunting, only one of us had even briefly worked a tom, only to have a hiker with a camera come strolling through the show. I have to say our optimism was really taking a beating. For the last morning I decided we would go in cold to an area that looked great from the maps, but with very limited access and difficult to scout. If nothing else, we would find out if there were toms in there.  My buddy and I separated by 3/4 of a mile and sat down on a high meadow overlooking the area and waited for the woods to wake up.   I heard the first gobble at my end and my buddy ended up hearing three more down his way.   Finally, game on. 

I carefully worked my way to within about 200 yards of my bird and did a few tree yelps once I had settled on a good spot to sit.  I was at the edge of an immense pasture adjacent to a river bottom.  This bird was gobbling hard on the roost and kept it up on when he hit the ground.  For the first half hour he didn't come any closer.  In the mean time a lone jake had come looking for me.  I had to go quiet and not move while the jake searched for me.  He finally let go a half hearted jake gobble and wandered off into the big meadow.  I started working the tom again and could hear he was finally moving my way.  Unfortunately he circled out into the big meadow and came looking for me from that direction.  This was the start of another 45 minutes of him ranging back and forth at 70 yards, double, triple, and quadruple gobbling.   I noticed that he got particularly excited when I hit him with fast, excited cutting on my trumpet and I started cutting off his gobbles that way.  That drove him nuts and he started slowly coming in.  When he reached 40 yards I had my bird --- a nice three year old Rio, 9 inch beard, 1 inch spurs --- and the memory of a really awesome hunt to finish off a very difficult few days, but a terrific year for me overall.

[Spring Creek Calls]

I commend you on your patience. I believe your excited calling was what broke the old  boy from his normal "she'll come to me" stance. Congratulations !

[KPcalls]

Congratulations Mike....nothing like a strong finish to a tough hunt.

[cramerhunts]

Way to stick with it and get it done. Going into an area cold can sure be difficult to commit to, happy it worked out for you. Congratulations.

[GobbleNut]

It's always rewarding when a tough hunt comes together at the last moment.  Great year for you, Mike.  I believe that bird gives you three of the four grand slam subspecies for the year.  Nice spring season!

[Gooserbat]

Congrats

[wytrat785]

Congrats  nice Rio!

[jepcho]

Congrats man! Great story and good job on a tough hunt!

[owlhoot]

congrats, nice bird

[crappieangler]

way to stick with it. Did your buddy finish any of the 3 he heard?

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Thanks guys.  Jim, I hope you can join us in KS next year.  Kenny, let me know if you zero in on NM.

crappieangler, unfortunately no, my buddy wasn't able to work one of those toms all the way in. He suspected those birds had hens with them.  He was happy to have the chance to work a couple, and he did bag a nice tom in NM this year.

[beagler]

Congrats!

[mgm1955]

Congrats!!

[SinGin]

That is one wet bird, congrats.

[RutnNStrutn]

Way to stick with it despite all the bad luck! Congrats on your gobbler!!