May 10….Turkey hunting this morning with the Weasel…will we bag a gobbler?  I’d like to think we will.  I have learned one thing this year about wild turkeys and that is, if you aren’t out in the woods you won’t see one.  I just love getting out early in the morning and hearing all the sounds of the forest just waking up.

It’s dead silent as you walk in and get settled into your ambush spot.  And then little by little the birds and other critters begin to stir.  First the song birds with their soft chirps and then the robins with a bit more robust song begin to sound off.  An occasional distant crow, a male pheasant and suddenly the bird of choice gobbles in the far off distance!

You know you are set up in the right place at the right time.  Decoys in the open for him to see when he finally gets his eyes open.  The fly down sound of huge wings beating against the oak tree branches as he clears the tree and sails in your direction.

That is turkey hunting in the early morning.

Wish us luck!

Bears Butt

May 10, 2012

Post Hunt report:

We ended our hunt at 11 p.m., back at the truck.  We had a wonderful morning of listening to the gobbling going on in the forest.  What a great thing to hear.  No fly down near us and so we did not get to hear that part of the fun.  Later we met back up and were deciding whether to attack gobbler one or gobbler two.  Gobbler two sounded off and we got a visual on him and 4 hens.  Our plan was made and we hustled to a set up spot.

Quietly we slipped in and set up the two decoys.  The Weasel settled in about 20 yards from the decoys and I went out about 100 yards to begin calling.  No response to the calling, but we felt good that the birds were still in the area.

I made a slow stalk around the setup, calling softly every 50 yards or so.  I expected to see or hear the gobbler, but nothing came of it.  Back with the Weasel, we ate a piece of jerky and suddenly right in front of us were two hens getting a drink from a small spring.  They were visible through the brush as they bobbed and traded places.  Then as quickly as they appeared, they were gone.

We hung out for another hour with no more sightings and we called it a day.  A beautiful day it was, seven turkeys seen.  How could it get better without bagging one?

Driving up the road, eating a sandwich and drinking a coke, I looked to my left and there were two turkeys….A red headed tom and a white headed hen!  Skidddddddd to a stop and bailed out.  We grabbed our guns and shells and loaded on the run but never saw the tom again.  We did see the hen sneaking away.

Nine birds total for the day!  Two toms!

Bears Butt