gobble157
Senior Member
Another fine set of hunts go into the book of my pursuit to the 49 state slam.
The story goes like this….
Day One: One of my best buds and I left on 4/15 to hunt the Black Kettle National Grassland in Oklahoma. We met in Birmingham, AL, loaded up, and headed to Cheyenne, OK. Needless to say, we drove all night and arrived at the Black Kettle around 4 am. We got situated and chatted with my NASA engineer buds that hit the Kettle each year around the same time. I went by myself to unit 71 and then Nick went with one of the NASA engineers to unit 77. I got there early and heard one bird off in the distance and took off after him. Got set up in a small creek bottom and started calling. After 30 minutes I heard the longbeard and a group of hens coming down my way. I really didn’t say much unless the hen started talking. I got her attention and called her down the path until I heard what sounded like a sick box call. After that I heard a truck door close the longbeard walked right out of my life for the day. I then decided to take a little walk to a new unit and sit tight and see what signs I could see. I got to the new unit and walked in from the east and headed south. I saw a lot of turkey signs and after an hour I heard a longbeard gobble. I instantly got as close as I could and did a little calling. The group of birds moved my way, but stayed right out of shooting distance. I then cutt to my right and the group of birds came just into gun range through some thick stuff. At that point I saw three jakes, a hen, and one longbeard. The longbeard still had his skinny head on and was in the back. I really didn’t know untill they moved out of shooting distance. Guess the jakes were running the show in the Kettle. That wasn’t the last time I’d encounter a group of 5 or more jakes in a group. After keeping Nick waiting for 2+ hours at my drop off point, I finally made it back to the truck and we set off to the camping area. We set up camp at unit 33 and got all essential items out for the coming days at the Kettle. Once camp was set up Nick and I went to two different spots and tried to roost some longbeards.
Day Two: I went to a spot that I gained access to via an adjacent unit and waited for some birds to gobble. The wind as usual is an issue, so it’s quite difficult to hear one gobble unless you’re really paying close attention between the breaks of gusting winds. Well, off in the distance I heard one gobble, so I took off and got situated before making any calls. I got within’ 80 yards of a longbeard and waited till fly down to call. After five minutes I heard a few hens start tree yelping and then they all started flying down like a B-52 Stratofortress coming in to land. They were all over! I have never seen so many super- jakes and hens in my whole life. I made a few calls after fly down and the longbeard would gobble, but didn’t commit to my calls. He was wrapped up with a slew of hens and didn’t gobble at anything I threw at him. I then came out of the woods and picked up Nick at his spot. After that we went to camp ate some lunch and came up with a game plan for the afternoon. We drove around and checked out some northern units before coming back to camp and hitting the woods in efforts to roost a few birds. That afternoon Nick stayed in to rest up for the morning hunt. I on the other hand went into the same unit I hunted early that morning and got a lot of gobbling action, but not one longbeard would commit to my calls and come my way. After doing a little bino scouting from the distance I could see why they wouldn’t come in. Around 6pm I saw three longbeards with 10 hens. They went back and forth across this pond strutting for the hens. They continued this until 8:17pm and instantly broke strut and took off to their roosting tree. At that point I knew exactly where I needed to be early in the am.
Day Three: This morning I went back to the spot I was hunting the day before. I got to my spot where I wanted to be and did my own kind of tree hopping. I couldn’t find the right tree to sit up against. Either it wasn’t comfortable enough or my shooting lane wasn’t clear enough. I probably hopped from one tree to the next 4 times…LOL! After all the madness I finally found the tree I felt was right for me that morning. Needless to say, the birds did the opposite and went up this big ridge and headed towards a peninsula of dogwoods. I then backed out and tried my best to circle around and get in front of them. I got to a point I thought would be best to set up and started calling. After 10 minutes I heard a gobble and dominate hen making their way towards me. The hen got louder and louder and I mimicked every call she made. After 10 minutes I saw 8 jakes, 4 hens, and a lonely longbeard. I put the crosshairs on his head and pulled the trigger. That Rio Grande dropped in his tracks and I could finally cross Oklahoma off my US slam
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Day Five: The first morning at Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico was a good one. The previous evening I roosted a bird and marked it on my GPS. I looked it up on Google Earth and figured out a game for the longbeard I heard. I got to my spot and listened for a few minutes before hearing a longbeard fire off only 80 + yards off. I got as close as I could and set up. This spot was a difficult one to set up at since I was on the side of a mountain. I waited till fly down gave a few tree yelps and did a fly down cackle. At that point both Merriam longbeards were tearing it up! Double, and triple gobbling every second or so. I’ve heard Merriams get fired up, but definitely not like this. After 5 minutes they both flew down and worked their way towards me. After 4 more minutes I finally caught glimpse of that white fan strutting up the ridge and my heart nearly came out of my chest. I got absolutely tore up and the first opening shot I had I took it. Yup! Once again, I missed for the fourth time this season. I was so disgusted with myself. I couldn’t believe what just happened. Text book hunt and I couldn’t shoot straight. After getting myself together I left the woods and came back to the ridge later that afternoon. I worked a few more birds and had one at 50 yards, but didn’t have the confidence to pull the trigger. I let him walk and took my chances the very next morning on these birds. I pulled out of the woods and headed back to camp.
Day Six: This day Nick and I called it quits early due to 50 + mph winds. We went back to Ruidoso, NM, had lunch/dinner and hit the sack early since we both were running on fumes.
Day Seven: This was our final morning hunt at Lincoln National Forest. It was quite depressing since at this point I thought my only opportunity had come and gone and I wouldn’t see another turkey in NM. Well, I got to my spot I looked at on Google Earth and sat down and waited till first light or first gobble. While waiting I saw three different shooting stars. It’s absolutely amazing when you see one at 7100 feet and it’s completely dark without any light pollution. Those jokers are bright and it seems like you can see one for a longer distance than usual. Any who, after 15 minutes I heard a bird gobble maybe 150 yards away from me. I took off after him and tried to find a good place to setup. I sat down and waited a bit before hearing some hens tree yelp next to him. About that same time a dang Skunk came right down the ridge from me and absolutely freaked me out. I was worried I was going to get sprayed and have to drive across America with my buddy smelling like a dang skunk! Luckily, that joker took a sharp left and went behind me and disappeared off into the distance. At this point the longbeard and hens were on the ground and working away from me. I then got up, took off my vest, and made my way up to where they were. I then said it was do or die and I decided to try my efficient Mohican Sneek method. I got to where I needed to be and tried to drop down in front of the hens and longbeard, when all of a sudden I got busted by another group of hens and longbeards! I didn’t even know there was another flock of turkeys in front of the ones I was going after. At this point I was really down and thinking about when I would return to New Mexico to try and get my longbeard. Welllll, I got back on the ridge and walked it all the way out to where I missed a few days earlier. I didn’t hear squat all the way out and basically called it quits as I walked up the dirt road to where Nick dropped me off. I checked the road for tracks as I made my 2 mile journey to my drop off point. After going past my drop off point I decided to go on up and get to a high point so I could shoot Nick a text message telling him lets hit the road and head on home. Well, after a few texts and phone calls I noticed a black moving object in the distance. I looked with my binos and really couldn’t make out the turkey. I then backed out and dropped into the bottom where they were headed. I waited for 30 minutes and never saw those turkeys. I got out my slate call and tried calling, but was unsuccessful. I got up and headed back to my vest and texted Nick to meet me in the same area I missed my turkey a few days earlier. On my way out the ridge I gave it one more shot and did some aggressive calling from the top ridge three or four times. On the fourth run of aggressive yelping and cuts I heard a turkey gobble. I had an idea where he was so I ran down the mountain to a flat area in this draw and setup. After getting situated and my gun up I made two more calls with my mouth and he had already cut the distance in half and was literally in my lap. Two minutes later I see this beautiful white fan coming over this little ridge and down towards me. He strutted all the way into my 10 ga. I pulled the trigger and he instantly flopped. That’s what I call coming down to the last seconds of a hunt. I thanked the Good Lord and made my way out of the forest. I can now scratch New Mexico of my US Slam!
By far, this was an awesome trip. I have never seen such gorgeous terrain like that in New Mexico. I probably walked 16 miles, but it was totally worth it. All in all, I’m quite happy with 2011. I lost a lot in the previous year, but all a man needed was some good ole’ turkey hunting therapy. Check out the pictures attached and I’m sure Nick can attach a few if he wants to. I hope everyone had a safe and blessed season.
David
First round of pics are from the Black Kettle National Grassland in Oklahoma near the city of Reydon. Enjoy!
The story goes like this….
Day One: One of my best buds and I left on 4/15 to hunt the Black Kettle National Grassland in Oklahoma. We met in Birmingham, AL, loaded up, and headed to Cheyenne, OK. Needless to say, we drove all night and arrived at the Black Kettle around 4 am. We got situated and chatted with my NASA engineer buds that hit the Kettle each year around the same time. I went by myself to unit 71 and then Nick went with one of the NASA engineers to unit 77. I got there early and heard one bird off in the distance and took off after him. Got set up in a small creek bottom and started calling. After 30 minutes I heard the longbeard and a group of hens coming down my way. I really didn’t say much unless the hen started talking. I got her attention and called her down the path until I heard what sounded like a sick box call. After that I heard a truck door close the longbeard walked right out of my life for the day. I then decided to take a little walk to a new unit and sit tight and see what signs I could see. I got to the new unit and walked in from the east and headed south. I saw a lot of turkey signs and after an hour I heard a longbeard gobble. I instantly got as close as I could and did a little calling. The group of birds moved my way, but stayed right out of shooting distance. I then cutt to my right and the group of birds came just into gun range through some thick stuff. At that point I saw three jakes, a hen, and one longbeard. The longbeard still had his skinny head on and was in the back. I really didn’t know untill they moved out of shooting distance. Guess the jakes were running the show in the Kettle. That wasn’t the last time I’d encounter a group of 5 or more jakes in a group. After keeping Nick waiting for 2+ hours at my drop off point, I finally made it back to the truck and we set off to the camping area. We set up camp at unit 33 and got all essential items out for the coming days at the Kettle. Once camp was set up Nick and I went to two different spots and tried to roost some longbeards.
Day Two: I went to a spot that I gained access to via an adjacent unit and waited for some birds to gobble. The wind as usual is an issue, so it’s quite difficult to hear one gobble unless you’re really paying close attention between the breaks of gusting winds. Well, off in the distance I heard one gobble, so I took off and got situated before making any calls. I got within’ 80 yards of a longbeard and waited till fly down to call. After five minutes I heard a few hens start tree yelping and then they all started flying down like a B-52 Stratofortress coming in to land. They were all over! I have never seen so many super- jakes and hens in my whole life. I made a few calls after fly down and the longbeard would gobble, but didn’t commit to my calls. He was wrapped up with a slew of hens and didn’t gobble at anything I threw at him. I then came out of the woods and picked up Nick at his spot. After that we went to camp ate some lunch and came up with a game plan for the afternoon. We drove around and checked out some northern units before coming back to camp and hitting the woods in efforts to roost a few birds. That afternoon Nick stayed in to rest up for the morning hunt. I on the other hand went into the same unit I hunted early that morning and got a lot of gobbling action, but not one longbeard would commit to my calls and come my way. After doing a little bino scouting from the distance I could see why they wouldn’t come in. Around 6pm I saw three longbeards with 10 hens. They went back and forth across this pond strutting for the hens. They continued this until 8:17pm and instantly broke strut and took off to their roosting tree. At that point I knew exactly where I needed to be early in the am.
Day Three: This morning I went back to the spot I was hunting the day before. I got to my spot where I wanted to be and did my own kind of tree hopping. I couldn’t find the right tree to sit up against. Either it wasn’t comfortable enough or my shooting lane wasn’t clear enough. I probably hopped from one tree to the next 4 times…LOL! After all the madness I finally found the tree I felt was right for me that morning. Needless to say, the birds did the opposite and went up this big ridge and headed towards a peninsula of dogwoods. I then backed out and tried my best to circle around and get in front of them. I got to a point I thought would be best to set up and started calling. After 10 minutes I heard a gobble and dominate hen making their way towards me. The hen got louder and louder and I mimicked every call she made. After 10 minutes I saw 8 jakes, 4 hens, and a lonely longbeard. I put the crosshairs on his head and pulled the trigger. That Rio Grande dropped in his tracks and I could finally cross Oklahoma off my US slam
. Day Five: The first morning at Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico was a good one. The previous evening I roosted a bird and marked it on my GPS. I looked it up on Google Earth and figured out a game for the longbeard I heard. I got to my spot and listened for a few minutes before hearing a longbeard fire off only 80 + yards off. I got as close as I could and set up. This spot was a difficult one to set up at since I was on the side of a mountain. I waited till fly down gave a few tree yelps and did a fly down cackle. At that point both Merriam longbeards were tearing it up! Double, and triple gobbling every second or so. I’ve heard Merriams get fired up, but definitely not like this. After 5 minutes they both flew down and worked their way towards me. After 4 more minutes I finally caught glimpse of that white fan strutting up the ridge and my heart nearly came out of my chest. I got absolutely tore up and the first opening shot I had I took it. Yup! Once again, I missed for the fourth time this season. I was so disgusted with myself. I couldn’t believe what just happened. Text book hunt and I couldn’t shoot straight. After getting myself together I left the woods and came back to the ridge later that afternoon. I worked a few more birds and had one at 50 yards, but didn’t have the confidence to pull the trigger. I let him walk and took my chances the very next morning on these birds. I pulled out of the woods and headed back to camp.
Day Six: This day Nick and I called it quits early due to 50 + mph winds. We went back to Ruidoso, NM, had lunch/dinner and hit the sack early since we both were running on fumes.
Day Seven: This was our final morning hunt at Lincoln National Forest. It was quite depressing since at this point I thought my only opportunity had come and gone and I wouldn’t see another turkey in NM. Well, I got to my spot I looked at on Google Earth and sat down and waited till first light or first gobble. While waiting I saw three different shooting stars. It’s absolutely amazing when you see one at 7100 feet and it’s completely dark without any light pollution. Those jokers are bright and it seems like you can see one for a longer distance than usual. Any who, after 15 minutes I heard a bird gobble maybe 150 yards away from me. I took off after him and tried to find a good place to setup. I sat down and waited a bit before hearing some hens tree yelp next to him. About that same time a dang Skunk came right down the ridge from me and absolutely freaked me out. I was worried I was going to get sprayed and have to drive across America with my buddy smelling like a dang skunk! Luckily, that joker took a sharp left and went behind me and disappeared off into the distance. At this point the longbeard and hens were on the ground and working away from me. I then got up, took off my vest, and made my way up to where they were. I then said it was do or die and I decided to try my efficient Mohican Sneek method. I got to where I needed to be and tried to drop down in front of the hens and longbeard, when all of a sudden I got busted by another group of hens and longbeards! I didn’t even know there was another flock of turkeys in front of the ones I was going after. At this point I was really down and thinking about when I would return to New Mexico to try and get my longbeard. Welllll, I got back on the ridge and walked it all the way out to where I missed a few days earlier. I didn’t hear squat all the way out and basically called it quits as I walked up the dirt road to where Nick dropped me off. I checked the road for tracks as I made my 2 mile journey to my drop off point. After going past my drop off point I decided to go on up and get to a high point so I could shoot Nick a text message telling him lets hit the road and head on home. Well, after a few texts and phone calls I noticed a black moving object in the distance. I looked with my binos and really couldn’t make out the turkey. I then backed out and dropped into the bottom where they were headed. I waited for 30 minutes and never saw those turkeys. I got out my slate call and tried calling, but was unsuccessful. I got up and headed back to my vest and texted Nick to meet me in the same area I missed my turkey a few days earlier. On my way out the ridge I gave it one more shot and did some aggressive calling from the top ridge three or four times. On the fourth run of aggressive yelping and cuts I heard a turkey gobble. I had an idea where he was so I ran down the mountain to a flat area in this draw and setup. After getting situated and my gun up I made two more calls with my mouth and he had already cut the distance in half and was literally in my lap. Two minutes later I see this beautiful white fan coming over this little ridge and down towards me. He strutted all the way into my 10 ga. I pulled the trigger and he instantly flopped. That’s what I call coming down to the last seconds of a hunt. I thanked the Good Lord and made my way out of the forest. I can now scratch New Mexico of my US Slam
!By far, this was an awesome trip. I have never seen such gorgeous terrain like that in New Mexico. I probably walked 16 miles, but it was totally worth it. All in all, I’m quite happy with 2011. I lost a lot in the previous year, but all a man needed was some good ole’ turkey hunting therapy. Check out the pictures attached and I’m sure Nick can attach a few if he wants to. I hope everyone had a safe and blessed season.
David
First round of pics are from the Black Kettle National Grassland in Oklahoma near the city of Reydon. Enjoy!
