5 Pines Farm turkey season wind down

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

This year I elected to hunt the late archery season May 1st to May 29th, rather then try to draw one of the early 5 days shot gun slots and hunt it with a bow.

While I can't say I have been out every day of the last 26, I have been out most of them. The 4 am wakeups are starting to get a little old.

On last Friday's am hunt I spotted 3 toms chasing 2 jakes with one tom in particular being very aggressive . He is very recognizable due the fact half of his tail feathers are missing.

I spoke to next door neighbor who owned the field the birds were in and obtain his ok to hunt there. I drove up his logging road and set a blind.

Then I came down with some killer flu virus and spent the next 36hours flat on my back in bed.

I finally felt well enough to go out today and was really glad I made the effort.

I normally just set out a hen decoy late in the season. But since that Tom was being so aggressive. I decided to set out a jake  decoy too

 I called in those3 toms from a 1/2 mile away only to have them hang up at 35 yards!  They came from the far timber in the upper right hand corner. old broken fan led the charge until he lost his nerve at 35 yards. ( the gopro makes 35 look more like 85.)

 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The lead bird and his 2nd mate stayed quite close and seemed to gobble in unison. The 3rd bird hung back and was even very cautious.

   
 
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Eventually they drifted below and around me. The hen that are in the video come in after one before them and she came in after I had snuck out and snatched the Jake.

One hour later three different toms came from the opposite direction. I knew they were different because they had all of their tail feathers! But they chased off after the live hens that had passed thru earlier.

Tonight I was on the opposite side of the field on another neighbors and called in a single Tom to 80 yards. A beautiful bird with all of his plumage intact. But another live hen walked thru my set up and pulled him away.

I have three more days to hunt and then the season is down. Better head to bed 4 am is just a few clock ticks away.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

his is a bit of unedited video of old 1/2 fan doing his thing. He is a warrior . I was certainly surprised at his freeze up

 https://flic.kr/p/nKwajg

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Great Videos Jim.  Good Luck!

[Jayrod]

Awesome video and details as always Jim GOODLUCK ..KEEP,AT EM!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Same birds plus one more, different  day, slightly different spot, still no shot.

my view out the blind
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

it was Gobble Palooza today!! . The sound of Gobbles were coming from every direction. Perhaps it was the heat and humidity of the dawn.

 Or perhaps not.

I was positioned on the West end of the field where  I had been last night. I had 2 hen decoys out both set at 22 yards. I was trying to make it look like they had just flown down and were making their way to the clover on the north side of the dirt field. I was hoping to draw a Tom in between me and the deeks.

1st bird was spotted on the East end. Darn should be where I was yesterday am! But then I spotted a lone hen in the middle of the dirt field heading my way. The Tom had her pegged and following along.

Gobbles to my right. It's old broken fan and his 2 nd mate Torn tail feather. For a minute it looks like its going to be a fight.
 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

But cool heads prevailed and they became the same gang they were yesterday.

 

 

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The hen had given them the slip and they were now headed in my direction!

 

When the three toms were about 1/2 down the field from me at about 80 yards, a new Gobbler started hurling insults in their direction from just over the rise on the other side of the decoys.

He was close! Suddenly a Red and Blue neck and head appeared. I don't think I moved but he appeared to shy at the blind. He darted into the woods edge to my left. The Three toms downfield triple gobbled. He gobbled back. I could hear him walking in the leaves just inside the woods directly behind me. His gobble was so loud it almost pushed me off my stool.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

The sun was high enough now that it was becoming uncomfortable in the blind. I was carefully removing bits of facial and hand coverings trying to see thru the sweat.

The gobbles rang back and forth for the next 2 hours. The tom behind me would get right up to woods edge gobble and then fade away only to return. The three in the field moved left and right with never really making any progress in my direction.

I was keeping my box call quiet and letting the boys do all the talking since my calls weren't doing anything to bring them in close enough to bow kill.

Finally the one behind was quiet, was he gone? The three in the field , headed over the rise and they were quiet too. It was hot! Sweat was pouring off me. I leaned forward to grab my water bottle  and spotted the Tom that had been behind me sneaking off. He had crept in just below the decoys and looked up just at the worst possible moment catching me moving.  Sometimes big windows betray the hunter and today it sure did.

But then, one of the three let out a gobble. I made a few soft calls and back they came slowly up over the rise . About 45 yards distant.

 

They all displayed right in front of the apple tree that is straight ahead from the decoy on the right. Ever so slowly , they were coming forward.  My widow was in my hand . But then  for no apparent reason they turned to my left and walked off along that little rise and into the woods.

They gobbled! I called back they turned around !They passed just beneath that little green rise. But I could tell they were in full strut.  Their extended fans looking ever so much like copper shark fins swimming to and fro in an ocean of green.

There was a gobble from the 4th Tom I never saw , now heading away and the Three turned followed his lead. And that was it. A 4 hour AD rush.

[Bernie B.]

You tell a good story Jim!  Good luck with the rest of the season!

Bernie

[mnbwhtr]

Jim, you're right today was wild! Tried a new farm and came home empty handed but had 17 birds in sight a one time. 2 hens and 15 Gobblers. Moved my blind before I left to a spot several crossed through the fence. Maybe tomorrow!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Utterly fooled.

Utterly humiliated.

Utterly insulted.

Take your pick any of the above 2 word descriptions fit this Am's hunt.

We had thunderstorms last night and it was raining when I left the yurt at 4 30.am

I had removed yesterdays blind and reset a different blind on the Eastern end of the field. I put out 2 hen decoys at about 25 yards , up against a three strand barbed wire fence. A gate and field road was on my right at 15 yards. I hoped the birds would come down field and if they shied the decoys the fence would make the shy my way. Or if they wanted to go into the next field of clover , nothing would be blocking the gate.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

So at 7:05 I look down field and here they come
 

 

One or two half hearted displays, a weak gobble, but they were headed my way.

At 50 yards from me they slightly angled toward the decoys but stop short 40 yards out. They seemed to confer with each other and duck under the fence and head down hill into the next valley.

After 20 minutes. I run out grab the decoys and move them down field another 25 yards but keeping them along the fence. hoping more toms will show and the wider gap between me and the decoys will send the big birds past me .

At 8 05 I look down field and spot the same birds returning.

 

This time the birds are walking along the edge of the field on my side. Walking , walking ,walking.

I have my bow in hand. Didn't put out the Gopro due to the rain.

This time the boys walk right into the decoy set ( which is now a good 45 yards from me) and walk right up the prettier of the two.

The larger bird climbs up on the hen and breeds her. He keeps breeding her right on up until the stake folds underneath them .  Then he just stands there while  his counter part got all jittery and ran around in circles.

When he climbs off he looks my way, throws me the bird and they walk back the way the came until they both exit the field.

[lt-m-grow]

I feel your pain Jim.  Been there and that is why I keep the dekes real close to the blind.   But of course that doesn't alway work either :-(

I am beginning to think the best plan of attack for late season is a full fan deke and hen set as the toms seem to be back hanging out together.  My guess is most of the pecking order is known so fighting is done and they are back to being buds again.  Good luck.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

Despite hearing some gobbles yesterday my season slipped by again without punching my MN turkey tag.  Those Toms I have been chasing moved on up the valley But what a great season it was.

Yesterday these two hens walked right in and gave me high hopes that it could still happen.


 
 but after it started to get hot in the blind my backlogged list of things I've ignored for the last 30 days got the best of me and I threw in the towel .

[JJB]

Great write ups and pictures, thanks for taking us along.
-Jay