yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I hunted the same area the day before along the pipeline at our pine farm. Although there was not much gobbling on Friday, each time I worked my way from the pines on to the pipeline, I could see a gobbler down on the field we call G8. I approached him though the pines several times but go no response to my calling. I’ve been dealing with some back issues and it has been very hard to sit on the ground and hunt gobblers. I’ve never been a fan of hunting gobblers from a blind. Turkey hunting is a very auditory endeavor and I somehow felt like I would be isolated in the confines of a blind. However, with my back issues, I decided to give it a try. This would let me sit in a comfortable chair and ease my back issues.
I quickly shrugged off the rudeness of the sudden shock of the alarm buzzer and got ready for the hunt. It had not rained the night before, but storm clouds had moved through and the winds were gusty. I wasn’t expecting much gobbling activity, so I figured I wouldn’t be missing that much in the blind. It was quite warm and pitch black when I left the truck. I wanted to make sure I could cross the pipeline to the new blind I had installed Friday afternoon along G8. I got into the blind quickly and quietly and got setup.
I was surprised when I heard my first gobble directly behind me. It was a little hard to estimate direction and distance in a blind, but the bird was definitely roosted behind me. Soon, a second bird sounded off. It was clearly a jake. I could tell by his broken high pitched gobble. They both gobbled a few more times in the tree and then the long-beard gobbled a couple times on the ground. I made a few soft calls and the woods fell silent.
Finally about 0730 crows started screaming and a long-beard started hammering back at them. He sounded like he was behind me and to my right. I leaned forward in my blind and looked down the gas line to my right. I could see birds in the next field down a few hundred yards away. A quick look through the binoculars told the tale. It was a long-beard with 4 hens and a jake. I started making some soft calls trying to get the hens to feed in my direction bringing the gobbler with them. The gobbler would gobble at my calls, but he was not about to budge from those hens. Every now and then, when the jake would get to close to the hens, he would chase it for a few yards keeping himself between the jake and the hens. It was pretty cool to watch. Unfortunately, my calls were not bringing the hens my way. In fact they started heading south, away from me. I stepped up calling a bit but to no avail, they were slowly feeding away. I sat back in my chair and looked out the other window and saw a bird about 20 yards from the blind. My first thought was another gobbler since this was the exact spot I kept seeing the gobbler the previous day. It turned out to be a hen. “Great”, I thought, “a live decoy”. I went back to soft feeding calls and sure enough, when the other hens saw the one near my blind, they started feeding my way. The hen near my blind started feeding their way. They met about 80 yards to my south.
I’ve been hunting spring gobbler for many years now and have harvested a lot of birds, but in all the years I’ve hunted them, I’ve never before actually witnessed what was to follow. Pretty soon one of the hens squatted and the Tom mounted her. I was amazed at how long the process took. When she finally scooted out from under him, she headed into the clear-cut a few yards away. Another hen almost immediately went face to face with the Tom. The sort of did a little dosey-doe and then she squatted for him. I kept making very soft feeding type calls while the long-beard worked his way through the harem. Watching this whole event made me thankful I’m not Mormon (at least certain sects). The jake mostly kept watch but he slowly worked his way toward me occasionally taking a respite from his tutorial to feed on the clover. He eventually was well within shooting distance for me, but I was not interesting in harvesting a jake. I had my sights set on the full-fan getting all the action. I was hoping that when the long-beard was done with his duties, he would join the jake and I’d get a shot. Unfortunately, that was not to be. He headed directly south walking at a fast pace down the road on the other side of the pipeline with the jake in tow at a respectful distance.
Well, my hunt was an unbridled success at this point. I didn’t care if I didn’t hear another gobble all day. I just sat back in my chair and savored the wonders of creation. About 30 minutes passed when I heard another gobble. I responded with a call and got another gobble in return. I leaned forward in my seat again and looked south. It was the long-beard standing a field away where I had first seen him. I started calling and he responded to each call. He started feeding my way. I thought I was in luck. I then saw a hen a couple hundred yards to his south in another field on the pipeline, but he was still headed my way. Suddenly, I heard the low rumble of an ATV going slowly close by to my North on an adjacent property. I turned my head and looked north but I couldn’t see anything through the thick stand of bicolor lespedeza. When I turned my head back both the gobbler a field a way, and the hen two fields away were gone. I didn’t know if the gobbler was spooked by the ATV or if he saw the hen and figured a hen showing herself was a better bet than one calling that he couldn’t see. Either way, he was gone.
I sat quiet and about 15 minutes latter he started gobbling again. He was not back in the field, but somewhere in the mature pines along the field. I called, but he would not answer. He gobbled off and on for another 15 minutes and then got quiet. I waited until about 1030 before calling it a day and leaving the blind. I slipped through the pines behind the blind to a trail that parallels the pipeline about 100 yards into the pines. I stopped and called a few times but got no response. That trail turns and comes out south of the field when I saw the last hen. Sure enough, when I stepped out on the pipeline and looked north, I could see a bird in the field. It saw me and headed back into the pines. I couldn’t get my binoculars on it in time and couldn’t tell if it was a gobbler or hen.
It was about 1100 when I finally made it back to the truck and called it a day. After a fantastic hunt like that, I’ve got to admit, I was blind about blinds but now my eyes have been opened!
I quickly shrugged off the rudeness of the sudden shock of the alarm buzzer and got ready for the hunt. It had not rained the night before, but storm clouds had moved through and the winds were gusty. I wasn’t expecting much gobbling activity, so I figured I wouldn’t be missing that much in the blind. It was quite warm and pitch black when I left the truck. I wanted to make sure I could cross the pipeline to the new blind I had installed Friday afternoon along G8. I got into the blind quickly and quietly and got setup.
I was surprised when I heard my first gobble directly behind me. It was a little hard to estimate direction and distance in a blind, but the bird was definitely roosted behind me. Soon, a second bird sounded off. It was clearly a jake. I could tell by his broken high pitched gobble. They both gobbled a few more times in the tree and then the long-beard gobbled a couple times on the ground. I made a few soft calls and the woods fell silent.
Finally about 0730 crows started screaming and a long-beard started hammering back at them. He sounded like he was behind me and to my right. I leaned forward in my blind and looked down the gas line to my right. I could see birds in the next field down a few hundred yards away. A quick look through the binoculars told the tale. It was a long-beard with 4 hens and a jake. I started making some soft calls trying to get the hens to feed in my direction bringing the gobbler with them. The gobbler would gobble at my calls, but he was not about to budge from those hens. Every now and then, when the jake would get to close to the hens, he would chase it for a few yards keeping himself between the jake and the hens. It was pretty cool to watch. Unfortunately, my calls were not bringing the hens my way. In fact they started heading south, away from me. I stepped up calling a bit but to no avail, they were slowly feeding away. I sat back in my chair and looked out the other window and saw a bird about 20 yards from the blind. My first thought was another gobbler since this was the exact spot I kept seeing the gobbler the previous day. It turned out to be a hen. “Great”, I thought, “a live decoy”. I went back to soft feeding calls and sure enough, when the other hens saw the one near my blind, they started feeding my way. The hen near my blind started feeding their way. They met about 80 yards to my south.
I’ve been hunting spring gobbler for many years now and have harvested a lot of birds, but in all the years I’ve hunted them, I’ve never before actually witnessed what was to follow. Pretty soon one of the hens squatted and the Tom mounted her. I was amazed at how long the process took. When she finally scooted out from under him, she headed into the clear-cut a few yards away. Another hen almost immediately went face to face with the Tom. The sort of did a little dosey-doe and then she squatted for him. I kept making very soft feeding type calls while the long-beard worked his way through the harem. Watching this whole event made me thankful I’m not Mormon (at least certain sects). The jake mostly kept watch but he slowly worked his way toward me occasionally taking a respite from his tutorial to feed on the clover. He eventually was well within shooting distance for me, but I was not interesting in harvesting a jake. I had my sights set on the full-fan getting all the action. I was hoping that when the long-beard was done with his duties, he would join the jake and I’d get a shot. Unfortunately, that was not to be. He headed directly south walking at a fast pace down the road on the other side of the pipeline with the jake in tow at a respectful distance.
Well, my hunt was an unbridled success at this point. I didn’t care if I didn’t hear another gobble all day. I just sat back in my chair and savored the wonders of creation. About 30 minutes passed when I heard another gobble. I responded with a call and got another gobble in return. I leaned forward in my seat again and looked south. It was the long-beard standing a field away where I had first seen him. I started calling and he responded to each call. He started feeding my way. I thought I was in luck. I then saw a hen a couple hundred yards to his south in another field on the pipeline, but he was still headed my way. Suddenly, I heard the low rumble of an ATV going slowly close by to my North on an adjacent property. I turned my head and looked north but I couldn’t see anything through the thick stand of bicolor lespedeza. When I turned my head back both the gobbler a field a way, and the hen two fields away were gone. I didn’t know if the gobbler was spooked by the ATV or if he saw the hen and figured a hen showing herself was a better bet than one calling that he couldn’t see. Either way, he was gone.
I sat quiet and about 15 minutes latter he started gobbling again. He was not back in the field, but somewhere in the mature pines along the field. I called, but he would not answer. He gobbled off and on for another 15 minutes and then got quiet. I waited until about 1030 before calling it a day and leaving the blind. I slipped through the pines behind the blind to a trail that parallels the pipeline about 100 yards into the pines. I stopped and called a few times but got no response. That trail turns and comes out south of the field when I saw the last hen. Sure enough, when I stepped out on the pipeline and looked north, I could see a bird in the field. It saw me and headed back into the pines. I couldn’t get my binoculars on it in time and couldn’t tell if it was a gobbler or hen.
It was about 1100 when I finally made it back to the truck and called it a day. After a fantastic hunt like that, I’ve got to admit, I was blind about blinds but now my eyes have been opened!
