Intro: Hill Country's Miss Hope and Faith....(roster added on page 2)

[threeunder]

That's awesome!  I'd love to see one.

Keep at it Mike.

[threeunder]

That's awesome!  I'd love to see one.

Keep at it Mike.

[raghorns]

Mike,

I really enjoyed chasing those reluctant gobblers with you. I would like to say they have straightened up their act, but they are still messed up with this strange weather.

Thanks for all the help on the bows...and for your answering my 1,000 questions about bows, arrows, hunting, and gardening.

Lyle

[Terry Green]

Those that end up with the bows last...please hold them till the action is over so you can ship them to the winner.

Thanks!!!

[Mike Yancey]

Hunted Arkansas this morning and heard three birds. Called one into around forty yards but he would not come around a blown down oak tree. Stayed there for an hour but wouldn't come any closer.

[tecum-tha]

Miss Faith arrived here today and the forcast for the weekend is not like much turkey hunting. The TN Classic this weekend will probably be more or less a "rain event", at least Friday and Saturday. I'll see what time I can put in to try to chase birds. Saison ends in 10 days...

[Mike Theis]

Miss Hope showed up this morning. She sure thumps an arrow.

Rain forecast off and on this weekend. Luckily the birds have been slowed by the colder weather this year, which should make the later seasons better than last year. Looking forward to some blind time, and the sounds of the birds waking up the squirrels in the morning.

Good luck to both of y'all!

[Mike Theis]

Today was the first day I could hunt on one of my 7 day turkey tags, although it is the 4th day on the tag. Here in WI, you buy them for a week at a time, starting on a Wednesday, and ending on a Tuesday.

I will admit, I am no turkey expert like you southern boys, so I make no such claims here. I learn something new every time out, and I don't think I'll ever quit learning. With our short seasons, it is hard to put much time in on turkeys, really.

So here goes . . .

I setup a blind some time ago, in hopes the turkeys would get used to it. My trail cams show that they have, as they haven't altered their travel patterns because of the blind. I have a small meadow which seems to funnel the birds from one piece of woods to another. They seem to feel secure here, or so I thought . . .

 

[Mike Theis]

I got into the blind a little late. It was still dark, but not as early as I would have liked. First day out always has you collecting that one last item to stuff in the pack. But as the light came up in the woods, I was where I was supposed to be, in the blind listening to the toms gobbling off their roosts.

The one thing about my turkey hunting spot, I have found that the toms come in later in the day once they are done with the live hens. They tend to favor the higher hay fields, vs mine which are a little lower. So you need to stick it out, and not give up too easy.

So, I set my decoys out, hit the call a few times to let them know my foam 'honeys' are on the ground, and wait a spell to see how the chatter among the live birds develop.

 

[Mike Theis]

The birds were down off the roosts around 5:30-6 am, but true to form, my first bird in was around 9. But darned if he didn't come in on the wrong side of the fence. Most of the time, the birds run the fenceline, but MY SIDE of the fenceline. Except today. Here he is, at 35 yards staring lovingly at my foam offerings.

 

[threeunder]

Keep at 'em Mike!

Great pics!

[Mike Theis]

Now this fenceline has plenty of breaks in it. From the picture above, there is one to the left only about 5 yards. There is another to the right about 15-20 yards. So he had opportunities to walk on through to the decoys. But he was hung up, and hung up good. I don't think it was the blind, as he would have left had I given him reason to.

He strutted on the other side of that fence, for and hour and a half!  Here he seems to be contemplating, "Is she worth it, or not?"

   

I have coaxed turkeys around fences before, but this guy was having none of it. I would let him get all lathered up, cool down, then tap on the box call real lightly, then he would get lathered up again. I would let him get close to the fence opening before I work him up again. I let him wander off in the direction of the other break in the fence, thinking he may have crossed 50 yards farther up the fenceline, then I brought him back again. I knew it was the same tom from the split in his tail feathers. He was definitely interested in those decoys, just not crossing the fence to get at them. He had another smaller tom with him that fed but never displayed. I thought that kind of strange.

A question for the turkey experts; What do you think was causing this tom to hang up so? He certainly was interested to stick around sooooo long. He must have been really disgusted with that foam hen.

I finally let him drift off feeding with the other bird, in hopes of drawing in a different bird. Around 1 pm, I had 4 different birds gobbling, but they didn't want to come off of the ridge. They had a great competition going among them trying to bring in that reluctant hen. So it's a good spot for tomorrow, but I setup another blind this afternoon, a little farther to the south in a large field. I'll be there in the morning. Perhaps 'Ms. Hope' can bring me some magic and draw old Mr. Split-tail over the fence in a different spot.

[59Alaskan]

Good luck today Mike!!!

Thank you for sharing and the cool pics.  It's great to see the girls out in the field!

I can offer you no insight on getting them around the fence.  The only turkey I've gotten past a fence is a butterball in the trunk of my car!!

I have come to really enjoy turkey hunting, but I only have 3 seasons under my belt and I have quickly learned that they are  a lifetime endeavor!!

Good luck, Mike!

Bisch

[Shinken]

You can DO IT Mike!

               

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[Mike Theis]

The forecast was good, high pressure moving in, & mild temps. The day was going to be a good one for the turkeys, and hopefully for one hunter.

Got to my new blind and setup the decoys. The birds were talking and getting excited.The little birds were getting at it too. Everybody was waiting on the sun, me included.

I wasn't hearing quite as many birds as the day before, but still 2 or 3 up on the ridge. Turkeys in our area like to rotate around a bit, working a total of three ridges over a couple of days.

I worked the call sparingly, a little every half hour or so if I don't get a bird that flies down right away from the roost. The roosts are generally on the ridges here, so my little fields aren't always first choice for breakfast for the birds. I more often end up serving lunch and dinner.

So things are going as usual, I am relaxing in the blind, reading a little 'Once upon a Tine' by Uncle Barry, when I hear a "BOOOM" up on the ridge a few minutes before 8. Oh OH. A weekender up on the ridge hunting. The gobblers up on the ridge just received an education. Rats. Such is life where land division is in parcels under 100 acres. You have a lot of company on the weekends.

After that shotgun report, the birds shut down for the day, sad to say. I stayed out until 11, but never heard another gobble. I am sure that they are still there, they were no longer in the mood and probably a little call shy. I'll have to wait a few days of non harrassment for them to fire up again.

But the forecast is for sun the next few days, and no tom turkey can resist that for too long. I'll just have to sneak out before work and hope that they fly down to my fields a little earlier than usual. That, and I'll get out a few evenings too.

Stay tuned.

 

[Shinken]

Thanks for the update Mike!

Way to stay after them!

A couple days rest and they'll have that romantic feelin' again.

               

Just be patient - you'll get your reward!

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[tecum-tha]

Miss Faith went hunting with me for only 3 days. The weather was extremely wet in the days I had her for turkey season, especially on the weekends. The mornings I could go, the birds were not really motivated to even come close. I guess there were many hens with destroyed nests around from the bad weather calling again to be bred. Anyways, I hold her for the highest bidder of the auction and send then to him upon notice that the money is received.
Due to the wet conditions, I left my camera at home,too. Didn't want to get it muddy and scratched up..

[threeunder]

The winners are going to get a couple of awesome powerhouse bows that dripping with mojo.

I had a blast hunting with Faith in December.

Let's bid'em up guys!