Well turkey season ends this Saturday in Utah.  It’s been a long one, but a fun one none the less.  Weasel and I have put many miles on the old boots and perhaps today will be my last for this season…time will tell.  But we are headed back out to try it one more time.  Weasel has had his try alone the last three trips out and the birds have out foxed him all three times.  So, today, who knows what will happen.  It’s been almost a full week since his last attempt and maybe, just maybe the other hunters using this same piece of property have given up.  If they have, then the birds have been pretty much left alone and they might be caught off guard this morning.

I’m not giving up hope, but I also know that turkeys don’t generally do what you think they will do.  You can watch them travel up the same trail day after day and when you place yourself on that trail, knowing they will do it again, they go a different direction, or else they aren’t even in the same county.  Weasel set himself up in the same meadow where I had them less than 5 feet away from me fighting, for three days in a row, and all three times they went a different direction.  So the big question for today, Do we set up in the blind together, or do we split up?  My gut feeling is to split up, however, if we were together we could cover two directions at the same time.  This might be my last trip for the season and it sure would be a nice one to bring home a big old gobbler.  I’d like to see Weasel at least get a shot at one.  He did get to aim once this season but it isn’t the same as pulling the trigger.

It’s very late in the season and all the hens are nesting, broods are beginning to hatch and the old toms are all lonely and bunched up in bachelor groups.  We would probably be better off going up to the snow line in search of the birds, but we have a little known haunt down low where we know they like to hide out.  A flock of some 8 to 10 birds and we only need two to fill out tags.  Two dumb ones is what we need.  Is there such a thing as two DUMB turkeys?  Even the two jakes that have been stomping around our home town of Willard are not dummies.  They hang right with the rest of us dummies, yesterday even sporting themselves in a newly cut alfalfa field….close to a shooting spot, but not quite there.  The next place we are likely to see them is on the city council.

So with 4 days left of the season is this our last day afield?  More to come later.

Bears Butt

May 28, 2014

POST HUNT REPORT

Weasel and I got to our hunting spot right on time.  A perfect morning was in store with it being very warm and a slight breeze blowing down the draw.  If the birds were in their usual roost, they should fly down right where they did the time I had them fighting behind me.  On our drive out there we decided to split up.  Weasel would take the upper meadow and I would take the open hill down below.  We also decided to split up the decoys.  He would take Gretchen and I would take Tommy.  Gretchen made all the sense in the world for Weasel to take, as if the birds flew down the toms would probably cater to her more than they would a big old tom, while the tom made sense for me as it would be more visible should the birds fly in my direction.  They might be intending to fly over top of me, but they would see the decoy in plenty of time to shorten their flight and land in front of me.  At least that is what us novice turkey hunters thought.

As the morning light got brighter and brighter the other birds began their usual morning wake up calls.  Soon we could hear a flock of geese passing high over head and with their honking the gobblers began to call out in earnest!  The whole hillside where they usually roost was alive with gobbling!  We even had a hen calling behind my position and up high on the hill.  Surrounded by turkeys!  Two distinct gobblers were below us, while the rest were right where they needed to be for us to possibly get a shot.  They sounded off with every sound a turkey makes, including what I would call putting, but not like an alarm putt.  I’m sure there is a word for that type of call.  The noises they were making went on for over 5 minutes before the first bird came flying down out of the trees.  Just before she lifted off, she made a “fly down” call, which is a series of rapid short clucks.  Her path took her right into Weasels lap!  I thought to myself, YES!  Now if the gobblers will just do the same, he might just get a shot.

Looking up the hill to the roosting area, I saw two more come out of the trees on the wing, these two were coming right at me!  They made a slight adjustment in their flight path and landed just up the hill behind me.  I could hear them making funny turkey sounds as they touched the ground.  I was on my shotgun and holding steady with it pointing toward Tommy.  I just knew they were going to come running right down and knock him over.

In the meantime, I did take a second and looked back up toward the roosting hill, suddenly again, the trees came alive with flying birds and down they came and landed right where Weasel was set up!  I thought YES again and then got back on my shotgun and waited for my birds to come into view.

BLAM!  I heard a shot from Weasels direction and then silence.  Suddenly a flock of six or seven birds sailed over my head and down the hill towards safety.  And then Weasel let out a very loud YEEEEHHHAAAAAA!  I knew he was standing there with his bird in hand!  I thanked God!  And then kept waiting for my birds to come into view.  I could hear them behind me, but they decided to go North instead of East.  The last I heard of them was a distant gobble over the hill to my left.  I continued to wait another half hour before abandoning my position and headed over to where Weasel was set up.  He had closed shop before I got up and was above me on the hill waiting for me to come up.

Sure enough!  Weasel bagged his first ever gobbler!

It was barely 6:30 a.m. and here we were with a bird in the hand!  Congratulations Weasel!  Fine bird!

Back at the truck, I had two cold beers waiting in the cooler.  They have been waiting for this moment for weeks!  Yes, I know it isn’t even 7 a.m. yet, but who cares when it’s time to celebrate!

Great job Weasel!  Next time it’s Conners time!

Bears Butt

May 28, 2014