So, Sunday morning, the last day of the youth weekend we were up early again and went to one of my favorite all time spots to hunt turks.
Scouting had proven that there were a few gobbling birds and if I had to pick one spot to go to when the chips were down and I wanted to get into some action....this spot would be it!
We set up with plenty of time in with the sky behind us to the east just barely starting to lighten the horizon.
We got everything set up and waited for the show to begin....
We waited, and it got a little lighter.....we waited some more just knowing any second the morning stillness would be shattered...we waited some more....
Hmmmmm....something was wrong....it was way past time for a bird to start gobbling and it just wasn't happening...dang it!
For whatever reason, the birds just weren't there this morning....but we gave it an hour to see if anything would reveal itself....nothing....we packed up and headed for the spot we hunted the morning before...
As we were pulling into the orchard, just past the last house on the road leading in I look up ahead and see a gobbler with 2 hens!
They had already seen us and were heading up on a knob in the front part of the orchard that I usually don't hunt because I've never seen them up there.
We drove right on by, parked, and headed into the orchard to a spot that I thought we could get to without them seeing us.
The plan was to set up, get everything ready except put our black gear on, then get out of the blind closer to where the birds were over the hill and call to them to let them know a willing hen was ready for some love....then retreat back to the blind.
We gave it some time then got out and slowly walked closer using the rise of the hill to our advantage, when we were as close as I dared get, I called...cluck, cluck...yelp, yelp, yelp, yelp...
We instantly got a response from the bird we'd driven past!!!
Although he had hens, I was still confident we might persuade him to us.....now we headed back to the blind.
We got in and were both putting our back gear on....I mean we weren't back in the blind for 20 seconds when I looked out a side window of the blind and see a bird come into view not 5 yds from the blind!
I tell Cade not to move as it was a hen, but then I see it's a bearded hen!
I asked Cade if he wanted to try for her and he quickly whispered....YES!!!!!!
But the problem was he had his black jacket only half on, no face mask, and he didn't have his bow in his hand!!
She was mad at the intuders and was headed directly for the hen deke in front of the strutter jake deke(Papa Strut), but she was so close to the blind now, probably 3-4yds, that when Cade reached for his bow she noticed it and started to angle away from us and by the time got in position to shoot she had gotten about 20yds away and was just too far and still walking....he had to pass.....
Just then I noticed out of the same window a Jake come into view, and then another behind him...but they were angling toward the bearded hen that was now about 30yds away....so the jakes passed at about 20yds....again, just a little too far for Cade...dang it!
Not 10 seconds later in walks another hen, and of course she walks by totally oblivious to us 7-8yds away....but she has no beard, so she's not a legal bird....what excitement!!!
The worse part is that it happened so quick I never got anything on video!
I called to try to get them back, and also after a while tried to call the big gobbler over the hill....we got some responses...but nothing was coming in.
Cade yawning, doing some schoolwork...
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Cade's set-up... My Kempf Raven "Bonita" blacked out with athletic tape, CX Predator .700 arrow, and 250 gr. 2 blade VPA Penetrators, Selway slide-on with string tracker attached...
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Packing for two...
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My boy...
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By next year he'll be as tall as me!
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We got to the car and started out and what do we see...but all the birds were right back where they were when we drove in....including this big gobbler!!!
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Those pix were taken right from the truck!
Off to his baseball game...
Topic: The Long Overdue Spring 2013 Turkey Thread....update w/ new video's pg.4&5..... (Read 799 times)
