I’m back home in KS for four days of turkey hunting, first with a bow and came so close to connecting. I hunted deer with a recurve about 10 years ago but I wasn’t ready for the commitment of bow hunting let alone trad hunting. I enjoyed shooting the bow and always thought about getting another one. Last fall made the decision to jump in again and been having a great time shooting. Where I live I am limited to my back yard but have been spending as much time is allowed and felt confident to try my hand at taking a turkey this spring.
This morning’s hunt: Sunrise was 6:48, cloudy with the temps in the 50's. In the woods at 6:00, still dark and dead quiet. Got to my blind about 6:10 and hoping I was going to hear something. Was a bit concerned that I didn't hear anything and everyone had been saying things were far along for opening week. After about 10 minutes I heard my first hen, followed buy a faint gobble. The calling progressed throughout the morning and me and my uncle felt pretty sure there were four birds sounding off.
Started to get light around 6:30 and the first hen showed up around 6:50. What followed her was amazing. I had been hearing at least one bird on the ground and was coming closer, when I saw the hen I just knew a bird could not be far along. Sure enough, a nice tom pops out of the trees and is putting on a show about 100 yards out. The hen is to my left and the tom to my right. They looked like they were going to meet right in front of me! As the tom worked closer we hear another big gobble. Sounded real close and about 50 yards behind the tom comes another and then another and another and another and another, until a line of 5 toms all in a line are trailing him. What a show! All strutting and gobbling at every call. A few more hens show, so we now have 6 toms and a few hens all around us.
The first and I presume boss tom worked all around and behind us for about 15 minutes just out of range. The group of 5 skirt in front of us at about 30 yards until they all meet up to my left. Finally the first tom is at about 15 yards working hard for a real hen when my uncle who is not a bow hunter is whispering "shoot, shoot, shoot." I don't think I was nervous but being my first shot at an animal, seeing his whole tail from behind I take my shot. The arrow goes right through his tail as he is fanned out and the bird jumps a bit but stays around. I didn't pick a spot but just shot at the bird. The birds hang out but I did not get another shot as they worked back around to my right and eventually behind us to another pasture.
I slip out and retrieve my arrow and wondering if we pick up or stick it out a while longer. Not but 5 minutes later we hear another gobble from the creek in front of us. We were able to work this bird who later turned out to be a pair of toms for about 20 minutes until the appeared. They looked like two years olds and seemed scared of my jake decoy. They gobbled like crazy but would only strut about half way and stayed about 50 out of the decoys. They eventually went behind us and stayed there for about 30 minute’s gobbling. Got a cool video of one of the birds strutting while standing on a log. While these birds are gobbling another one sounds off from the creek. At about 10:00 the last birds pops out about the same time a hens comes back from behind us. This third tom stays back until the hen is feeding right in front of us at 10 yards. He then walks right in very casually feeding toward the hen. The other two toms that have been behind us forever see these two and come around to meet them from my left.
When I see them they are at about 10 yards and broadside. They are in line with each other so I am waiting on my shot. Thinking the whole time to pick a spot and be patient. They worked out to about 15 yards when I released my arrow. Right on line but just over his back. I missed again! They spooked to about 25 yards and did not present me with another shot and eventually went behind us to meet up with the first big group of the morning.
All in all we had 9 toms, 4 jakes and approx 6 hens all within range. Had I just taken my shotgun like years before I would have tagged out with the first bird and missed so much. I heard more gobbling this morning than I ever have before, saw more toms in one hunt than ever before and had more fun than ever before. Even though I missed I feel confident that I am not just flinging arrows and hope to make it happen in the next few days. I will post some more if I have some worthy hunts over the next three days.
Topic: Oh so close! (Read 162 times)
