2016 is in the Books

[jblackburn]

Well, my season actually ended with the close of the Louisiana season on April 24th.  I was fortunate enough to take four gobblers this year and see 10 go down all together.  I was able to have success down here in SE Louisiana as well as my annual trip to western Oklahoma.

March 26 - Louisiana Opening Day

It's tough down here.  There are not a lot of birds in most areas, especially on public land and there is a good bit of hunting pressure.  This bird liked to roost on private ground, barely within hearing range of the fence line.  He was also 1.25 miles from the parking area and I never saw another boot print back there while scouting.  This bird gobbled his fool head off on the roost and continued to do so as he gobbled in another gobbler from who knows where!  They finally made there way to my setup about two hours after flydown.  The amount of aggressive calling I did with these birds was almost shameful, but that was the mood they were in. 



April 6 - Oklahoma opening morning

I am fortunate to have friends in western Oklahoma that let me hunt their farm.  My friend, JC used to teach high school agriculture here so we have a unique ability to get permission to hunt birds.  We initially found this bird the day before gobbling his head off at 9:30 am, so after a pitiful daybreak hunt we headed back to where we heard him the day before.  I used my Gooserbat Mayday Box to cut the wind and he cut me off with a gobble on my first series of yelps.  I went to put the decoys in the field when JC hollered "HERE HE COMES!!!" I hit the dirt, set up one decoy and crawled back to the setup.  This bird RAN across 500 yards of wheat field, crossing two fences, only to hang up at the third fence and act like he had never seen a fence before!  He proceeded to run 200 yards to our right, then turned and ran 500 yards back to the left.  He did this twice before he realized he could duck the wire.  He ran straight at the jake decoy and was blasted at 25 yards. I videoed this hunt, I'll upload it once I have time to edit.





April 6 - Opening Afternoon

Not much action the rest of the day, so we decided to hunt another farm were I had had luck last year in the afternoon.  There were already hens in the field when we got there, so we made the long hike around them to set up.  Nothing much happened for a couple hours, other than bored turkey hunters playing with their calls. A little before 7 I hit the call, a Gooserbat prototype mouth call, and the birds went nuts!  Less than 2 minutes later two rough looking two year olds were marching to the decoys and began to beat my jake senselessly.  JC and I were able to double on these fine birds and I was able to capture it all on video.





April 7

This morning we found ourselves hunting a feed yard on the other side of town.  We had roosted birds a couple days earlier so we headed to that spot only to find out at gobble time that the only birds were 3/4 of a mile up river.  After a hike across the dew soaked wheat field, we were set up on the property line and there were at least 6 turkeys gobbling.  After flydown, 5 of them gobbled and walked away from us as fast as the could.  The sixth and his harem of hens, came into the wheat.  He was gobbling hard, although through the wind I could not hear him, but we watched him gobble every time I called.  The hens got board and left, but he stayed. Gobbling on his own now, he acted like he forgot where the hens went and began to run across the field. Not really towards us and not really away.  It was weird, this bird acted like not other turkey I have ever killed.  He would not come in, so I made a move.  He would gobble, but kept moving away.  I went for broke and got close . . . like 80 yards close.  I made only a couple of soft clucks, he gobbled and then wend silent.  Soon I saw I'm high necking, looking for the hen. I was in good cover, but he busted me as soon as he stepped out. I was able to get my 870 up and drop him at 20 yards.





April 8

Finally good weather with no wind! The previous days were 20-30 mph with higher gusts.  Today, maybe 5 mph. We heard one gobble that morning. It was a long, rough day of hunting.  That afternoon we went back to where we doubled, just because we really didn't know what else to do. Same story . . . great weather but no action.  At 5:30 or so we heard one gobble ring out, but we were not exactly sure which direction so we kept sitting.  Right at 7:00 I had to pee. Bad.  I called to see if there was one close and nothing. I got up and relieved myself.  Afterwards, I grabbed my binoculars to glass, plus I really did not want to sit back down just yet, I turned to go back to the set up when I noticed a funny looking cedar bush about 500 yards away across the canyon!  A strutting cedar bush with 3 hens!  I got JC's attention and we bailed off into the canyon.  The bird was on the other side of a knob and the plan was to get to it and hopefully be close enough that he or the hens would come over to investigate the calling. Well, they ended up moving closer to the knob and when I poked my head up he was looking at me at about 40 yards. His mistake was not running away and I tagged out. 3 birds in 3 days.



I thought this was a neat picture of the canyon and countryside.



April 9 - JC has one tag left

We found two jakes and a gobbler in a field, I told JC it was his turn to call. He is a new hunter and has never called in his own bird.  He worked these birds like a pro.  light yelps and clucks and they were ate up!  They all came into 30 yards and the nerves got the better of him and he shot once of the jakes instead of the gobbler! Oh well, it was a great ending to a great hut!  Plus this bird had double spurs!

[knifeshark]

Sweet , can't ask for much more than that.

[Gooserbat]

Blah blah blah

[SteelerFan]

Yep... that'll work! 

[cramerhunts]

Nice, congratulations on all the birds and what looks and sounds like a great season.

[tomstopper]

Congrats on a great season and some beautiful birds

[renegade19]

Congrats on a good season!

[WiLL B]

Congrats!!

[J-Shaped]

Congrats on a great season.

[mgm1955]

Great pics! Congrats!

[jblackburn]

Blah blah blah

You're just mad because I'm not going to Wisconsin

[Gooserbat]

Blah blah blah

You're just mad because I'm not going to Wisconsin

You're just jealous because I'm going to Wisconsin.

[davisd9]

Congratulations on a great year!  Great birds!

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Well done!   That canyon pic is awesome.

[jblackburn]

Well done!   That canyon pic is awesome.

Thanks! The scenery out there is unreal. My buddy's wife is good with all the photo filter stuff and it turned out well.