ryanwhit
Senior Member
#1 for the year is down!
I came over to Alabama on Monday afternoon. Looked at a few places and was ready for the opener. Monday's long story short: Rain lasted longer than forcasted, bad turkey weather. Got on some birds around lunch, had a chance to shoot a bird that busted me from behind and flushed to a tree but opted out. No more turkey sounds for the rest of the day.
This morning I was on the same property, and owl hooted from high on a ridge at first light. There was no answer, so I continued down the ridge and up the next one to hoot again. No answer. I was in a spot w some good sign, so I just picked a tree and leaned against it. I had just sat down and a bird hammered down in the hardwoods. Problem was he was on an adjoining property. I repositioned and let him know I was there. Then one gobble became 2. For the next or 3 hours those birds moved a grand total of 150 yds. I mean from the tree until 10 am! They would gobble at me and gobble on there own, but I heard some hens with them and I'm sure they were just occupied.
Some time after 10 I decided to go look for something else. I walked the ridge out a ways heard a faint gobble. I walked it out some more so I could get closer to this bird and try to get a fix on him. He was gobbling very regularly, so it didn't take long to figure out about where he was. He was on the next ridge and I had to do a big semi circle. When I got on the same ridge as him, there was a loading dock and some distance of woods between us, and about this time he shut up. We thinned these woods 3 yrs ago, so the skid rows have grown up with blackberry and other vegetation, in addition to the logging slash left in the rows. It's hard to walk around quietly. I did another circle around the loading dock so he couldn't see me. I eased my way up to where I last heard him cautiously, but by this time it had been 20 minutes since his last gobble and I was sure I had boogered him.
I found a nice tree to sit down at and decided that I would just let him know I was there and we'd see what happened. I've been rotating calls yesterday and today at every new set, and this time it was time for my new Halloran Crystal Mistress. I gave it a few easy yelps and some clucks, and set it down. About 5 minutes later, I thought I heard some footsteps, but couldn't determine the source or exact direction. Another minute later, a hen yelp and then GOOOOOBBBBBLLLLLLLEEEEEE. 2 birds exploded from just below me on the ridge. 75 yards max! I gave it a minute or so and then yelped and cut on the pot call. They cut me off. Get the gun up and settle in. Now I begin to hear some hens behind me as well as from the direction of the gobbles. I give it a few minutes and then give some soft yelps as the pot lays in my lap. They cut it off. A minute or so later I see a red head bobbing its way to me. Then another. I let the first one clear some brush to check the beard. The second one is close to him, so I let him get out so I can see his. They're both 2 year olds. They are less than 15 yards now, and I see a white head of a strutter behind them, spitting every chance he gets. The 2 front ones are looking for the hen, and with them within 15 yards and the strutter at 16 yards, they all gobble! It looks like the strutter is not gonna come out for a good look, but I decided to send a load of #7 nitros his way, and now he's floppin! He's a 2 year old too, 9.5 in beard, spurs a little over 3/4. Nice icebreaker
I came over to Alabama on Monday afternoon. Looked at a few places and was ready for the opener. Monday's long story short: Rain lasted longer than forcasted, bad turkey weather. Got on some birds around lunch, had a chance to shoot a bird that busted me from behind and flushed to a tree but opted out. No more turkey sounds for the rest of the day.
This morning I was on the same property, and owl hooted from high on a ridge at first light. There was no answer, so I continued down the ridge and up the next one to hoot again. No answer. I was in a spot w some good sign, so I just picked a tree and leaned against it. I had just sat down and a bird hammered down in the hardwoods. Problem was he was on an adjoining property. I repositioned and let him know I was there. Then one gobble became 2. For the next or 3 hours those birds moved a grand total of 150 yds. I mean from the tree until 10 am! They would gobble at me and gobble on there own, but I heard some hens with them and I'm sure they were just occupied.
Some time after 10 I decided to go look for something else. I walked the ridge out a ways heard a faint gobble. I walked it out some more so I could get closer to this bird and try to get a fix on him. He was gobbling very regularly, so it didn't take long to figure out about where he was. He was on the next ridge and I had to do a big semi circle. When I got on the same ridge as him, there was a loading dock and some distance of woods between us, and about this time he shut up. We thinned these woods 3 yrs ago, so the skid rows have grown up with blackberry and other vegetation, in addition to the logging slash left in the rows. It's hard to walk around quietly. I did another circle around the loading dock so he couldn't see me. I eased my way up to where I last heard him cautiously, but by this time it had been 20 minutes since his last gobble and I was sure I had boogered him.
I found a nice tree to sit down at and decided that I would just let him know I was there and we'd see what happened. I've been rotating calls yesterday and today at every new set, and this time it was time for my new Halloran Crystal Mistress. I gave it a few easy yelps and some clucks, and set it down. About 5 minutes later, I thought I heard some footsteps, but couldn't determine the source or exact direction. Another minute later, a hen yelp and then GOOOOOBBBBBLLLLLLLEEEEEE. 2 birds exploded from just below me on the ridge. 75 yards max! I gave it a minute or so and then yelped and cut on the pot call. They cut me off. Get the gun up and settle in. Now I begin to hear some hens behind me as well as from the direction of the gobbles. I give it a few minutes and then give some soft yelps as the pot lays in my lap. They cut it off. A minute or so later I see a red head bobbing its way to me. Then another. I let the first one clear some brush to check the beard. The second one is close to him, so I let him get out so I can see his. They're both 2 year olds. They are less than 15 yards now, and I see a white head of a strutter behind them, spitting every chance he gets. The 2 front ones are looking for the hen, and with them within 15 yards and the strutter at 16 yards, they all gobble! It looks like the strutter is not gonna come out for a good look, but I decided to send a load of #7 nitros his way, and now he's floppin! He's a 2 year old too, 9.5 in beard, spurs a little over 3/4. Nice icebreaker
