Post by contender on Apr 9, 2016 21:37:41 GMT -5
Well we had our opening day of turkey season here today. Well, at least for most of us. NC does have "youth days" that started last Saturday.
So, this morning,,, I had plans to thin my local flock by one. The forecast was clear & cold, (for here & it being April.) At 7 am, it was 32 degrees on my porch. And the wind was blowing a good steady 10-15 mph. Gusting to 25 or more.
Now,,, I don't turkey hunt like most folks. I'm not out before daylight,,, hoping to catch a bird coming off a roost or whatever. I know they are active off & on all day,,, and if you know their habits,,, you can figure out how to casually ambush one a bit later in the day. In fact,,, I've taken several nice gobblers, & never shot one before 8:30 in the morning.
So, today,,, just like all my other turkey seasons,,, I didn't get into a hurry. I didn't leave my house until about 8 am. Now,, since I hunt my own property,,, the travel time is just minutes. I casually went to a small opening field I have,,, put out a few decoys,,, & slipped back to my stand. I was settled in by 8:45 am.
Once settled,, I took out one of my hen calls, & put out a call to any gobblers within earshot. Now,,, with all the wind,,, I kinda wondered if I'd get any response.
Nada.
I settled back & opened a magazine to read a little between calling.
About 10 minutes later,,, I heard a distant gobble.
I hit my call hoping to sound like a love sick teenage high school prom queen.
I got a response,,, from a high school football player. Distant,,, but a response. I'm not one to over call or get into a hurry. Just the occasional purring sounds,, & he was listening & headed my way. And,,,, he was talking trash hoping to convince this young girl that he was THE MAN! I let him gobble 3-5 times for one of my purring come-hithers.
He burst into the field,,, & fanned way out,,, but about 65-70 yds away. Boy did he strut. He saw my "ladies" positioned about 22 yds from me,,, and here he came,,, acting like he the best lover since Casanova! As he crossed my field marker at 35 yds,,, I knew he was mistaken & fooled.
One well placed shot from an 870 Remington,,, & he was invited to dinner. It was 9:10 am. Season is over.
He was about 1/2 pound shy of 20 lbs,, sporting a 9-3/4" beard. And,, we just finished dinner a bit ago. Turkey breast, homemade mashed potatoes,, corn on the cob,,, green beans,,, all made me smile. Gotta wait a whole year to do it all over again.
So, this morning,,, I had plans to thin my local flock by one. The forecast was clear & cold, (for here & it being April.) At 7 am, it was 32 degrees on my porch. And the wind was blowing a good steady 10-15 mph. Gusting to 25 or more.
Now,,, I don't turkey hunt like most folks. I'm not out before daylight,,, hoping to catch a bird coming off a roost or whatever. I know they are active off & on all day,,, and if you know their habits,,, you can figure out how to casually ambush one a bit later in the day. In fact,,, I've taken several nice gobblers, & never shot one before 8:30 in the morning.
So, today,,, just like all my other turkey seasons,,, I didn't get into a hurry. I didn't leave my house until about 8 am. Now,, since I hunt my own property,,, the travel time is just minutes. I casually went to a small opening field I have,,, put out a few decoys,,, & slipped back to my stand. I was settled in by 8:45 am.
Once settled,, I took out one of my hen calls, & put out a call to any gobblers within earshot. Now,,, with all the wind,,, I kinda wondered if I'd get any response.
Nada.
I settled back & opened a magazine to read a little between calling.
About 10 minutes later,,, I heard a distant gobble.
I hit my call hoping to sound like a love sick teenage high school prom queen.
I got a response,,, from a high school football player. Distant,,, but a response. I'm not one to over call or get into a hurry. Just the occasional purring sounds,, & he was listening & headed my way. And,,,, he was talking trash hoping to convince this young girl that he was THE MAN! I let him gobble 3-5 times for one of my purring come-hithers.
He burst into the field,,, & fanned way out,,, but about 65-70 yds away. Boy did he strut. He saw my "ladies" positioned about 22 yds from me,,, and here he came,,, acting like he the best lover since Casanova! As he crossed my field marker at 35 yds,,, I knew he was mistaken & fooled.
One well placed shot from an 870 Remington,,, & he was invited to dinner. It was 9:10 am. Season is over.
He was about 1/2 pound shy of 20 lbs,, sporting a 9-3/4" beard. And,, we just finished dinner a bit ago. Turkey breast, homemade mashed potatoes,, corn on the cob,,, green beans,,, all made me smile. Gotta wait a whole year to do it all over again.
