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Post by Purebred Redneck on Apr 28, 2008 10:05:35 GMT -5
I get more and more frustrated every time I go Saturday, I got were I wanted to be and waited till daylight. The same spot I saw a bunch of gobblers in the week before at noon yielded just one gobble nearby at dawn. So I snuck into the woods and got within about 70 yards of him, got the decoys set up and got ready. He's gobbling on the tree everytime I use the call. I'm smacking my hat on the ground and he's all fired up. I watched him fly down and I flipped off the safety and waited for him to walk about 20 yards. Only that was the last I saw of him. About 10 minutes later he was down on the other ridge and let out a gobble. It wasn't even 6:00 and all the gobbling was done for the day which had me shaking my head on a nice sunny day So it's about 8:00 and I went down where I last heard him gobble a couple hours ago. I get set up and start calling. 10 minutes in he comes running in about 70 yards away. He dips down in this little runoff and I got the safety off and ready for him to pop his head up out of the ditch. Only that was the last time I saw him AGAIN It was very very aggrevating So they were calling for rain and overcast skies sunday morning. I wasn't too happy so I just decided to stay home rather than hunt for the 15 minutes on a bird that may not evn gobble due to the weather. I woke up at 11:00 but I understand it was bright and sunny at daylight I just can't win with these birds
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bounce
Royal Member
Posts: 5,727
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Post by bounce on Apr 28, 2008 10:27:47 GMT -5
Should just have taken him in the tree & whistled all the way home for rabbits
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Apr 28, 2008 10:33:53 GMT -5
I tell you what, I would not hesitate one second to shoot a bird out of a tree ! With my luck, he would of just flew away the moment I raised my gun to fire
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Post by Jack on Apr 28, 2008 11:03:27 GMT -5
Sounds like you got too close before setting up, Red, and he saw you. Or he may have seen hens in the place where he flew down to. I've seen any little barrier like a ditch stop a turkey from coming in...ya gotta remember, as spooky as they are, they're also dumb as a box of doorknobs.
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Post by jimh on Apr 28, 2008 11:16:15 GMT -5
Red, wait untill you hear my story, we should have walked out with two birds and instead we got nothing! stay tuned.
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Apr 28, 2008 11:20:28 GMT -5
Sounds like you got too close before setting up, Red, and he saw you. Or he may have seen hens in the place where he flew down to. I don't think that's the case 1. I didn't hear any hens call nor hear anything fly down on the calm morning 2. After I got set up, he was gobbling like crazy on the tree. If he sees something, they tend not to do that. He was all fired up and raring to go. I don't know if someone screwed with him earlier in the week. That would account for him wanting the hen to come to him.
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Post by jimh on Apr 28, 2008 13:25:15 GMT -5
Red, i feel's yer pain. si i end up getting to go out yesterday morning with my buddy Bob to some private land of a past co-worker of Bob's. he went sat. morning but got caught moving by a hen who snuck up on him from behind and blew th ewistle onhim when he turned around to see what the racket was thus taking the tom with her. so we set up in th esame field edge Sun. morning and enjoyed three differant tom's sounding off at first light. now i really want to pick up and go to the upper field where two of the gobbles are coming from but Bob really wants to work the lower field. well come 10:00 and nothing, well except for an occasional gobble (once an hour) above us. so we head up this trail to the upper field, set up and i call a little. sit 10 more minuets and then all of a sudden i have two birds run right to me from behind the hill out in fron of me. i thought they were going to run straight over me. 1 hen and 1 jake, i froze as they are only 20 yrds away from me but bob is watching the woods behind us where this big tom has been dicking with us all morning. so the hen heads towards the fence, and flys into the woods, the jake is thinking it looks like sound advice and follows suit. now they where staring right at me and i couldn't move while this was going on. so once i see the jake go for it and the fact that my buddy has no clue any of this is going on i try to get a shot off on the fly. Jake 1, me nothing but a spent shell and my buddy has a holy crap look on him when the shot wakes his ass up. well i look over at him and get ready to explain what was going on when i realize there is another hen out on top th ehill about 70 yrds out stareing at me. so i start to call, purrs and soft clucks even though i know she knows damn well i'm right there. then after a minute or so, this red head pops up from th eother side of th ehill and there is this medium size tom comming right in. i keep clucking and purring but he starts to walk parrallel to us and goes straight past bob keeping about 60 yrds betweeen them. my buddy thinks about shooting but waits and the tom just keeps on going and never comes back. the whole time this is going on the Big Tom down in the woods behind us is gobbling all over. we sit tight and i continue to call but it doesn't come in. i figure the other two hens went to him and he had enough for the day. anyway that all happened around 11:00ish. the day ended with us not getting a turkey, me doing two stupid novice mistakes, and both of us second guessing the whole event. we did however put a end to a egg sucking raccoon that climbed the tree over bob's head that morning. i know they're out of season but th eland owner has a standing order on all, coyotes, raccoons, opossiums and the likes to be dispatched on site.
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Apr 28, 2008 13:41:39 GMT -5
i know they're out of season but th eland owner has a standing order on all, coyotes, raccoons, opossiums and the likes to be dispatched on site. Yeah, certain things are fair game - especially on private land Well at least you guys had birds around you all morning
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Post by dovehunter on Apr 29, 2008 14:12:16 GMT -5
The frustration you guys describe is, I think, probably the main reason I have never gotten that big into spring gobbler hunting. I only go when I don't have anything better to do. In that way when I experience the problems you guys described I can reconcile it by saying to myself that I didn't really have anything better to do that morning anyway. Another way I reconcile it is to say to myself that getting out there and watching out for poison ivy and snakes and fending off the hoards of mosquitoes sure beats the heck out of staying home and honey-doing! Keeping everything in these perspectives keeps me from hating it.
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Post by Purebred Redneck on Apr 29, 2008 15:23:54 GMT -5
Cost me 20 dollars each time I go though Otherwise, I completly agree
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Post by deputydon on Apr 30, 2008 7:13:48 GMT -5
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bounce
Royal Member
Posts: 5,727
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Post by bounce on Apr 30, 2008 8:31:55 GMT -5
Don't forget DD to let T/M's And I know when to bring are fishing pole & the turkey cooker?
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Post by deputydon on Apr 30, 2008 18:50:33 GMT -5
Don't forget DD to let T/M's And I know when to bring are fishing pole & the turkey cooker? I just came in from setting up Turkey camp. It's on the ridge above the top pond so you can drive to it Bounce. As long as it don't snow....... 2M's and I will be there this weekend so come on over Bounce!!! Allie and I even cut some wood for the cook stove and converted it over for a cooking wok like 2M's has. Plus I made one but don't know if it will be de-rusted and seasoned in time.
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Post by deputydon on May 3, 2008 18:22:14 GMT -5
Well I had a FUN time this afternoon!!!!! I went to use the "new" portable blind which I had put in a "turkey funnel". After I got in there and was loading my MLing shotgun I noticed some WASPS!!! The more I looked the more I saw!!!!! So I moved out of the blind and went home and got my pop-up blind. I popped it up in front of the portable blind. Next here came the turkeys thur the "funnel" I had 15 toms and a bunch of hens, including two of my bearded ones all around me for over a hour and a half. But the "big one" that I have decided I want to harvest wasn't w/ them, so I'll try it again tomorrow w/ my camera along this time so I can shoot some pictures of the bearded ladies for you guys. I figure the longest bearded hen has about an eight inch beard.
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Post by deputydon on May 4, 2008 20:22:13 GMT -5
Well I scored!!!! He wasn't the one I wanted... But he will score high enough to make the NWTF Books. AND I shot him w/ an original pre-1860's MLing shotgun !!!! Theres more left for 2M's and Bounce!!! And myself if I want another one.
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