The twist almost worked!  As it turned out Weasel wanted to try his hand at sitting under or very near a roost tree.  We snuck in under the cover of darkness and he set himself up.  I kept going up and over to another spot, one in which Dry Dog knows very well.  I staked out Gretchen and then went to building myself a blind next to one of the only oak trees in the area.  I was positioned about 15 yards from my decoy (Gretchen).  My blind went together really well considering I was working almost exclusively without my head lamp.  I didn’t want one of the birds to wake up and see me playing around less than 100 yards from where we suspected they were sleeping.

Once my blind was put together, I snuggled into it and began my long wait for daylight.  The day was overcast with a very slight breeze.  The birds woke as usual:  First the robins, then the tweetie birds, followed by the magpies, crows and pheasants….and then the distinct and very close call of a gobbler!  Right where we wanted it!  YES!

I figured Weasel must be sitting in its poop under the roost tree and he probably added a bit to it as well when that bird sounded off.

I laid out a couple of soft purrs and a cluck or two hoping that when the bird flew down he would come over to check Gretchen out.  Gretchen is one sexy little beast.

Now remember my hearing is terrible and even though the birds were on the roost less than 100 yards away, I could not hear any hens, only the gobbles of the birds and it sounded like there could have been 3 in there.  It wasn’t long before the sun was trying its best to poke through the clouds, but obvious at the same time it was not going to happen.  That is when I heard the distinct sound of a PUTT!  What on earth is a bird putting for?  We are both hidden very well and not making any noise.  But putting was for sure what I was hearing and it was going away and down hill from where Weasel was.  I never saw the bird.

Later, I could hear the distinct sound of a gobbler drumming his wings on the ground.  That sound will never leave you once you hear it.  I’ll describe it as a soft and very low drum beat with a fast cadance…..boomp, boomp, boomp, boomp…..This went on and off for the next several minutes and then I heard the gobbler call out, but he was not coming my way, instead going down hill and away from my position!  He will come back up, I kept telling myself.  I continued to offer seductive sounds of a hen in heat, about 5 minutes apart.  Some louder than others, but no response.  I figured he was coming in silent and so after each series of calls, I put the call down and the gun up to my shoulder, aiming at Gretchen the whole time.  I expected to see the red head come popping up just over the decoys back and I wanted to be ready for action.  Nothing.  This went on for over an hour and I never heard another gobble anywhere around us.

I did see a distant red fox however!

Soon Weasel came over to my spot and told me he had had a great morning.  Here is what I remember of his story:

I was hidden pretty good but when that first Gobble sounded off, I about crapped my pants.  He was about 15 yards from me and up in the tree.  I could see him through the branches.  I was ready for when he came down, I was going to blast him to smitherins!  The hens were all making their sounds as they all were waking from their nights sleep.  There were at least 3 gobblers sitting in the branches around me and I wish I had been about 15 yards farther down the hill from where I was and pointing a different direction but I couldn’t do anything about it now, it was too light and they would have seen me for sure.  So, I just tucked myself down and held fast.

It didn’t take long once it got light for the hens to come off the roost.  They just fluttered straight down.  As I sat there pointing my gun at a small rise in front of me, up popped the head of one of the hens!  BLAM (not a gun blast but more of a swear word)!  She spotted me right off and began to Putt!  Once she started that, the gobblers all shut up and stayed in the trees.  She putted off down the hill and to my right taking all the other hens with her.  Then the gobblers flew down about to where I thought the hens were and off they all went.  The first gobbler that hit the ground came through a small opening about 35 yards out  and I was on him, but not 100% sure it was a gobbler so I didn’t shoot.  Had I known for sure, I would have taken the shot.  (Weasel is shooting a 3 inch 20, loaded with Heavy Metal Turkey loads, 35 yards is not too far for that load)

So, there you have hunting day 6 for us….Turkeys 6, hunters 0.  At least Weasel got to aim at one!  That was the first one he has aimed at in his life!

We came off the mountain and I had some business to take care of, so no extended hunt was allowed for us today.

Bears Butt

May 12, 2014

So, I left Winemaker and MaPa’s sleeping while Weasel and I went in pursuit of the wiley Turkey.  It was 4 a.m. when I picked up Weasel and off we went….heading for our usual beginning hunting spot.

We arrived in perfect time to get signed in and make the mile long hike in the dark.  The weather was not what you would call Great, but we bundled up and made the best of it.  Not to say the turkeys couldn’t see and/or hear us shivering in our blinds long before they flew off the roost.

We toughed it out until first light and then we heard the distinct call of a gobbler on the roost….exactly where they were supposed to be this time!  I was a happy guy, knowing they would soon be busting up the hill right into my waiting Gobbler Getter!  There had to be at least 6 gobblers sounding off down in the holler and I was pretty excited, even though I was freezing my toosh off.  I kept my thoughts on the prize.

As the morning progressed, I could hear one gobbler getting closer, but not close enough.  Time marched on and the whole lot of them took a long break without making any sounds.  I expected one to pop up in view any second.

Today was a bit different than we have seen in the recent past.  There didn’t seem to be the numbers of deer that we usually see, I think I counted 15, where last time I counted nearly 50.  I guess they have migrated through.  My little friend Chipmunk didn’t show up this morning either.  Too cold I suppose.

So, there we sat, frozen or in the process of becoming that state and the big birds just would not sound off.  About 9:30 Weasel came to my blind to make sure I was alive.  He had seen a big Tom travel up a trail in the bottom of the holler and wanted to go try and make it wake up.  So we made a big circle and ended up on the trail high above where it was likely to be heading.  We called, walked quietly, called some more, walked some more, called….Nothing!  So back to the rig we went.

Our next stop for turkey hunting would be….well, I can’t tell you or it would not be a secret….but we took a detour and visited a friend who needed to know the type of animal furs her deceased husband  (and our very good friend) had stored in the house.  Seems she is going to go to Rendezvous and participate in “kids day” to show the kids the different types of furry critters we have in and around our woods.  We had a great visit with her, even though it was short.  And then OFF we went to our next hike.

LONG story SHORT!  All we found was….Well…A…Well, another….GeoCache!  Weasel was the one who spotted it this time.

It is becoming obvious that turkey hunters are natural GeoCache finders.  And after signing our names, I plopped down another of my famous cards!

Oh Ya!  It isn’t every GeoCache that contains a “Bears Butt Dot Com” card….by the way….Don’t forget the “S”!

Bears Butt

May 8, 2014

This little Gobbler is the one we want!  Today is our 5th day trying to find one like this little guy and will we do it today?  Only time will tell.

It’s 3 a.m. and I pick up Weasel in an hour for our trip to the usual morning haunt.  Not once have the birds done what they have done for the past four years, will they do it today?  I’m telling you, turkey hunting is not easy.  The first time I went turkey hunting was in Missouri with my friend Bo, and he had one come in “on a string” (that’s what they call it when one comes running in straight at you).  The season started at 7:05 and by 7:30 we were taking pictures of me with my 26 pound bird.  Have I found that to be the case here in Utah……?…….Not yet.

Well, maybe today.  They say that you have to have faith in where you are hunting and the method you are using to hunt them.  I have faith in both of those things.  Yesterday it rained like the dickens and I highly doubt any hunters ventured out, so the birds got a break from the hunting pressure.  Maybe it was just enough to relax them a bit for todays hunt.

I talked with a lady the other day at the store who owns a mountain cabin near where we have been hunting and she said the turkeys are such a nuisance, she has had as many as 50 birds roost in the overhead of her patio awning and poop all over her furniture and she wishes they would all get killed.  I laughed.  She went on to say that when they first bought the cabin it was such a treat to see the turkeys come into their yard and strut around and how they fed them to make sure they came back.  Now with 50 or more birds coming around she wishes they hadn’t even seen the first one.  I laughed again.  Isn’t mother nature a funny one?  Maybe Weasel and I should go set up on her back lawn…..Coffee, Donuts and a big old yard bird!

There is a fish they call the “fish of a thousand casts”, I’m thinking turkeys are just like that…”The bird of a thousand trips”…..

It’s pretty funny when you think of it, here we are stomping over an area 10 miles, trip after trip and people are complaining about them in their back yards…something doesn’t seem right here.

More to come later, but for now I have to get ready for todays hunt!

Bears Butt

May 8, 2014

The day’s turkey hunt took us to our usual first spot, but the birds were roosting about a half mile farther South than usual.  Just our luck.  A perfect morning too.  Nice and cool, but not cold, absolutely NO wind, which is really unusual.  We thought we had it made in the shade this morning.  But, the birds got the best of us one more time.  We did see a big old strutting tom and 5 hens, but they were over a thousand yards away.  No chance to get a sneek in on them.

In addition to the turkeys we saw close to 50 deer and one coyote.  I kept hoping the coyote would come popping over the ridge into my waiting gun, but it didn’t happen.  He was last seen coming my way on a good clip.  He needs to die!

So we headed to points 2 and 3…Point 2 had nothing and so on to point 3.

Point 3 takes us on a nice long hike and it is really a nice hike to be sure.  Lots of game can be seen if you care to take time and watch for it.  We saw a whole lot of deer and several pine hens.  Turkeys?  Well, not today.  Our hike today was over 3 miles one way and not too shabby when it came to being “steep”…In my younger days I would have been exhausted, but now that I’m older and in better shape it was a fun hike!  We wanted to go further, but we ran into a very deep snow shoot…..Here is Weasel at the end of the trail.

And one can’t do much these days without taking a “selfie”….

By the time we arrived at this location it was after 2 p.m. and when you look up the shoot the top of the snow is over 300 yards, nearly straight up, we did not want to go up there to cross over and the snow was WAY TOO deep behind Weasel to cross there.  It was time to go back to the truck.

Of course up to the end of the trail we had to take a break and here is Weasel eating some Kippers and Bacon flavored Ritz crackers….Now folks, THAT is a good combination of tastes!

Now a break from a strenuous hike is a good thing, but as we sat there enjoying crackers and Kippers we heard a noise and wondered what it was.  It didn’t take long for some critters to come visiting us….Turkeys?  No!  We wish.  So now go back up to the first picture on this post and see if you can see the critters.  No going on, until you go back.

Now see if you can see the critters in the next several pictures:

How many critters do you see in the last picture?

We decided our camo worked very well.  You see these pics are taken with my “not to expensive” cell phone camera and for those deer to look that good, you know they had to be very close.

So, there you have our day.  Tons of deer!  One coyote!  Several grouse!  Six turkeys, one of which was a nice gobbler!  Very sore muscles and my blister….well it will heal.

Bears Butt

May 5, 2014

It’s our 4th attempt to fool the big birds of the forests!  We know a little more about what they do and how they react to the little things that people do.  Stay still, stay focused and when the time comes, aim small!

My blister is acting up this morning, but with some bandaids and a little luck I should be OK to hike around.

More later, as right now it’s time to head out!

Bears Butt

May 5, 2014 (Sink full of Mayo)