ChattNFHunter
Senior Member
View attachment 871367
came home for spring break and hunted hard for 7 days out of a total 9 days off. Colder weather and very windy mornings had the birds I was hunting less than willing to gobble. Finally, I found some gobbling birds Thursday and Friday mornings, but just couldn't get it done. A buddy came up to join the fun for Saturday and Sunday and we gave it our best shot. Struck out on Saturday, but Sunday went a little different. We woke up late after camping that night and didn't get to our spot until 7:40... Oops... When we got there our spot had been taken... Double oops. We moved on down the forest service road and I stopped to brush my teeth and develop a plan for the remainder of the morning. Even though it was 35 degrees, as I stepped out of the truck I realized that the wind was absolutely zero. I just felt like they ought to be gobbling. I hit the box and nothing happened. As I went to put it back in the truck, a woodpecker sounded off and immediately one gobbled on the ridge top just down the road from us. We scooted down there and sure enough he hammered to an owl hoot. We eased our way up a a little spring to try and get even with the bird in elevation.
We set up and I called a little and then let out a couple yelps. Not a sound. We set there for about 45 minutes and I called two or three more sequences and nothing happened. As I set there I realized that the only viable possibility was that the bird must have went off the other side of the ridge top and into the next cove. Either that or he was abducted by aliens.... So we found a logging road and eased around to the underside of the ridge we had heard the bird on.
We got on top and caught our breath and then I let out a few clucks and then one 5 note yelp. He hammered it all the way across the cove half way up the next ridge. I called one more time and he hit it again. We smoked it over a second and decided to keep our elevation advantage and made the 3/4 mile walk around the head of the cove on a slope so steep I could reach to my right and hold on to the the ground standing up without leaning too far.
Long story short, we eased down a lead halfway into the bottom and settled in. I clucked 3 times and purred and he hammered back at 100 yards or so. I never made another sound and he strutted to the gun without another sound until he started flopping. My buddy rolled him!! We celebrated, and took lots of pictures, and the week was completed with a great memory!! Have to love those mountain birds!! Thanks for reading!!!
21 lbs 10" beard 1&1/8" spur and a broke off other one at 3/4"
came home for spring break and hunted hard for 7 days out of a total 9 days off. Colder weather and very windy mornings had the birds I was hunting less than willing to gobble. Finally, I found some gobbling birds Thursday and Friday mornings, but just couldn't get it done. A buddy came up to join the fun for Saturday and Sunday and we gave it our best shot. Struck out on Saturday, but Sunday went a little different. We woke up late after camping that night and didn't get to our spot until 7:40... Oops... When we got there our spot had been taken... Double oops. We moved on down the forest service road and I stopped to brush my teeth and develop a plan for the remainder of the morning. Even though it was 35 degrees, as I stepped out of the truck I realized that the wind was absolutely zero. I just felt like they ought to be gobbling. I hit the box and nothing happened. As I went to put it back in the truck, a woodpecker sounded off and immediately one gobbled on the ridge top just down the road from us. We scooted down there and sure enough he hammered to an owl hoot. We eased our way up a a little spring to try and get even with the bird in elevation.
We set up and I called a little and then let out a couple yelps. Not a sound. We set there for about 45 minutes and I called two or three more sequences and nothing happened. As I set there I realized that the only viable possibility was that the bird must have went off the other side of the ridge top and into the next cove. Either that or he was abducted by aliens.... So we found a logging road and eased around to the underside of the ridge we had heard the bird on.
We got on top and caught our breath and then I let out a few clucks and then one 5 note yelp. He hammered it all the way across the cove half way up the next ridge. I called one more time and he hit it again. We smoked it over a second and decided to keep our elevation advantage and made the 3/4 mile walk around the head of the cove on a slope so steep I could reach to my right and hold on to the the ground standing up without leaning too far.
Long story short, we eased down a lead halfway into the bottom and settled in. I clucked 3 times and purred and he hammered back at 100 yards or so. I never made another sound and he strutted to the gun without another sound until he started flopping. My buddy rolled him!! We celebrated, and took lots of pictures, and the week was completed with a great memory!! Have to love those mountain birds!! Thanks for reading!!!
21 lbs 10" beard 1&1/8" spur and a broke off other one at 3/4"
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