Early, Miller and Seminole Counties

The last buck pictures posted at a scrape has become a pond since the last rains. Finally recovered the camera there and had lots of pictures, mostly does and yearlings and some too far to tell. But got some nice pictures of this buck. He posed for several and seemed comfused because the scrape is underwater. But he can still chew on the limb.

Son, its about time for some good ol naps in that blind til that mean ol gobbler wakes you up gobbling! We all know what happens then,,,,, Booomm, Pics at 5pm. Update at 6pm. OYEA

I have a couple spotted that could wake me up. But only if i have the thermacell going to keep the bugs from biting. I've been looking, but havn't seen the gobbler I was after last season. He had white wing feathers. Hope nothing got him, cause he is a real challenge and I enjoyed working him last year. Been glassing several nice gobblers that will do though. I've learned to light my thermacell in the truck, let it heat up before getting out in the skeeters. And I keep the cell going all the way to the blind. This keeps skeeters from trailing me. At the blind, couple minutes inside, then the thermacell goes outside in front. Bug suit will be employed too. While in the woods yesterday, took a picture of this nice rododendrun. It's the orange/yellow variety, and I marked it last year to get some to plant at home, but never did. That's why you see the ribbon on it.

Those are nice,Good luck getting some of them.

Thanks, will post pictures if I get lucky.

Ga gobbler opens tomorrow. Not going to be a good weekend for turkey hunting if that weather moves in. And, the mosquitos are hatching out by the millions. It will be a themacell hunt if I go.

Smoke off the Thermacell before you leave the truck Mr.Son, and if you tap one, make sure to post a pic, if they don't cooperate, you can always go back and feed up at camp.

Went to town and bought another thermacell, plus spare fuel and pads. Now, I have two. Prepared for those bugs now. One on each side of the blind. Outside of course, don't want to breath that stuff. Looks like rain again tomorrow. So far we've had a couple hard rains this afternoon.

Son,sounds like them skeeters have you worried,lol

Big skeeter hatchin around my place. They are terrible first thing is the morning till about 10 then right at dark. Must be from the dry times we been having, and now had a little rain. I don't know, but I hate em. Ya'll can have every turkey that roams the woods as far as i care.

Skeeters were in thick swarms this morning when I went turkey hunting. Lit the thermacell before leaving the truck so it would be working when I got to the blind. Called once at daybreak, and soon after saw three hens and four big jakes coming in. Really enjoyed watching the jakes try and intimidate my decoy. Got to watch em for about 20 minutes before they moved on. later on, a doe almost walked right by the blind before noticing it. Sat there until about 10 and nothing else showed up, so gave it up for the day.
I used to own three popups and two chairblinds. Back during deer season, discovered somebody had exchanged one of my new popups for one they had with the top rotted out. Well, today, found out one of my chairblinds was gone too. I leave my camp trailer unlocked so thieves wont destroy the door. I'm down to two popups and one chairblind. Guess I'm going to start bringing everything home when not hunting.

Went turkey hunting this weekend and noticed somebody was cruising the timber, marking the pines with blue paint. So, today, decided to go pull my last camera before they got to it. Too late, they've already marked the tree and took my camera. I'm really disappointed, that a cruiser would steal a new trail camera that was turned on. Left em a note at the incoming road. "I want my camera back, leave it right here, or I'm going to the company and find out who you are"
I will be hunting this week every day, so will be looking for the culprit. Hope I can keep my cool. Just can't stand a thief. Now, I'm worried about the stands we have in the 650 acre lease. Early Co. Ga.

Stay Cool, Mr.Son, you got thieves anywhere we go today, this economy has people doing things they know are not right, but they also are oppurtunists.

I waited for the cruiser this morning, and got my camera back. All turned out well. He showed up around 10 am. Heard some gobblers and saw two hens. thousands of big skeeters, so the morning was interesting to say the least.

thats a good deal

What a morning, turkey hunting. If ya'll have time to read, i'll tell the story.
Setup in my first choice before daylight. I had a gobbler there yesterday, but never felt comfortable with the shot, so let him be. Well, here I was in a blind listening to one hammering it in a nearby cypress swamp. Figuring i was watching the closest clear ground to him, I just sat silent. Fly down time, he went about three hundred yards out into the field. Ok i said to myself, it's time to start talking to this bird. I cut a bit and he started my way. Gobbling every ten yards or so. When he was coming around a little point of swamp, he locked up and got real tall. Then started running the other way. I know he didn't see me, because he was over 1 hundred yards distance. 8:30 fog rolled in, thick and I couldn't see more than fifty yards. 9:30 fog rolled out, so I started looking for the gobbler. Instead, there was a huge rack buck walking across in front of me. I've seen this buck before, on a trail camera picture he had 11 points. Wow, where was he during deer season? About 30 minutes later, out came some does and yearlings. The fed across the clear field on new growth until they got where the gobbler spooked. A large red coyote broke from the brush and took after a yearling. I watched em run across about 400 yards of field, and it looked like the coyote was closing the distance when they got to the woods. Deer were going everywhere. Figuring that was what spooked the gobbler, I decided to give up for the morning. On the way to camp, decided to setup again on the other side of our property. Put Gertrude out (my ragged ol decoy), did some cutting and clucking, then began watching. Don't know when, but I fell asleep. Awakened about 11:15 and noticed a nice long beard about fifty yards to my west looking my way. Looked over at the decoy, and there was this gobbler strutting. Whoa, had to get turned around, get the ol 30 dollar shotgun up, and remember thinking. I can't get this gun tight against my shoulder, it's gonna kick me pretty good. Boom, and it kicked me and the gobbler. The other gobbler was still looking, but I got out and let him go on. I only shoot one per day, no matter how many shows up. When getting to the downed gobbler i noticed he had strutted around that hen decoy so much he had a circle drawn in the sand around it. Several circles in fact, no telling how long he had been there. Double beard, neither long, but the two total 9 inches. It's His spurs that got him shot. When I first looked thought it was a jake, but then noticed the full fan. Looked down and saw the spurs. I'll take a gobbler with spurs like these anyday. 1 3/8's is what the shortest one measures. The other is a fraction longer. Wish ya'll coulda been there with me, it was an unusual morning, but a great hunt.

Sounds like a very interesting day.

Can't beat the outdoors for excitement sometimes.

Maybe your bucks don't drop there horns, lol

Good hunt this morning. Saw four hens and two gobblers. One gobbler came to within 25 yards in gallberries. Could have taken his head off a couple times, but he never got to where I could confirm him as mature, so let him go on. He refused to come on out into the open. Later when he crossed the road west of me i saw why. He was with a hen. Another fine gobbler was tagging along. Both had long beards, confirmed with the binocs. They didn't yodel much this morning. Couple times and they shut up.