bamaranger
New member
As has been my custom in past years, I will run a brief account of my 2020 gobbler season. The season in my section of the state opened 28March. Further south, it opened 15March. In some years past, I hunted that early season a bit, and killed a few birds, but having to get up a 2:30-3:00 AM and drive over an hour and hope to get in on some public land before the crowd, got old after a while. I've found that time better spent scouting close to home.
Things got interesting this season even before our opener, as a tornado swept across our county and neighboring Tishomingo MS as well. Lots of damage, no loss of life and only a few injuries, thank heaven. The twister also played hob with the main road on my favorite hunting lease. A day with a chainsaw and a young helper let me cut a path to get the ATV through. The overseer has since hired a frontend loader, but my afternoons work allowed me to get where I wanted to be on the first AM.
Day1- Up super early, down the ATV path, and off on foot to get through a pine plantation to the hardwoods on the other side. Got off my subtle path in the dark and in a hurry, thrashed around for a good 15-20 minutes till I got straightened out. Lots of time though, and I got to the open woods, cooled down, and was all set at first light. I did not call, and heard no gobbles, but at 7:10, a mere 30 minutes or so after daylight I heard a rustling noise behind and off my right shoulder....thought it was a squirrel.
Glancing, there stood an enormous gobbler not more than 10 yds away. He ducked behind a big white oak, and I got the gun up and leaned way out on one knee to see if I could catch him in his "walk away behind the tree trick" and it worked. Out popped his head about 30 yds away, I lined up to shoot........and a second head popped into the scope (this is the second season I've scoped a turkey shotgun) For a moment, my dark side said "kill'em both" but better judgement prevailed and I held off. But anxiety was building, and when they separated, I rushed the shot on the bird I could see. I knew I wasn't on him when the gun went off. He rolled, flushed and flew off to land in a tree about 150 yds off, so did his partner. After about 5 minutes, the bird I shot at flew off strongly from his treetop, as did his pal a short while later. I was crushed, but the only consolation is that all I did was educate them...I feel pretty certain the winged bird was not hurt badly. At 30 yds, I'm working with a pattern about basketball size, and I just did not have him centered. A lot of hard work and woodsmanship down the drain.
About an hour later, a gobble from the opposite ridge drew me across the hollow, to work that bird for a bit over an hour. He answered 3-4 times, but never closed, and then shut up, likely with hens. The temperature soared, it must have been in the mid 80's when I got back to the Bronco, and I was done for. I double check the zero on the gun back at the house, it's good. Nothing to blame but myself.
Day2- A predawn storm convinced me to field hunt on pvt land near home rather than back into the big hollow. Turkeys seem to like open areas after wet weather. Almost to the location, there are red lights, vests, people about, a tree down across the county road. I U-turn and drive like a mad man to loop around on another road net, but it costs me 15-20 critical minutes. I storm across the field, stick the dekes in the ground, and hop in the pop-up blind. Almost immediately, no more than 100 yds away on public land adjacent, a guy does a terrible owl imitation on a hooter. Sounds like a Lionel train!!!! Then an equally worse gobble on a box call. Over the course of the next hour, the guy calls terribly with a mouth call, and then a final blast with a crow call, then silence. Eventually I hear a truck crank up over near the public land gate. I give it 45 minutes and call sparingly and repeat the process 3 times of the next hour.....nothing. I sit tight and ponder and maybe even snooze a git for the next hour. At 10:00 AM I repeat my light calling....nothing. Looks like a bust.
At 10:45 I am surprised to see a big gobbler on the field edge, 100 yds away, eyeballing my decoys. He doesn't seem really interested, so I call, softly now mind you. He whirls, stands tall, and stalks off into the brush.....and takes a second gobbler with him I did not see. NUTS. Crushed , looks like its gonna be one of THOSE years. I sit there, disappointed (again) and decide that the birds must be call shy from dudes fooling with them before season, there is no reason that bird should have been that spooky. My calling was not THAT bad! I decide I'll stay a wee bit longer......maybe there are some jakes about.
I was flabbergasted 20 minutes later to see what almost had to be the same pair of big gobblers slipping toward my decoys (2 hens) from the same direction. Very wary, but slowly one eases into range. I am very careful in quartering his wattles with the crosshairs, and then press the trigger like I was shooting a match rifle. He goes down in a tangle. When I hustle over to him I an surprised how far it is, so much so that I will not repeat it in print, but it was farther than I've ever killed one.....open fields make it tricky to judge distance. Later, the tape and scales show 17 lbs, a 10-1/2" beard, and 1-1/16" spurs.
Things got interesting this season even before our opener, as a tornado swept across our county and neighboring Tishomingo MS as well. Lots of damage, no loss of life and only a few injuries, thank heaven. The twister also played hob with the main road on my favorite hunting lease. A day with a chainsaw and a young helper let me cut a path to get the ATV through. The overseer has since hired a frontend loader, but my afternoons work allowed me to get where I wanted to be on the first AM.
Day1- Up super early, down the ATV path, and off on foot to get through a pine plantation to the hardwoods on the other side. Got off my subtle path in the dark and in a hurry, thrashed around for a good 15-20 minutes till I got straightened out. Lots of time though, and I got to the open woods, cooled down, and was all set at first light. I did not call, and heard no gobbles, but at 7:10, a mere 30 minutes or so after daylight I heard a rustling noise behind and off my right shoulder....thought it was a squirrel.
Glancing, there stood an enormous gobbler not more than 10 yds away. He ducked behind a big white oak, and I got the gun up and leaned way out on one knee to see if I could catch him in his "walk away behind the tree trick" and it worked. Out popped his head about 30 yds away, I lined up to shoot........and a second head popped into the scope (this is the second season I've scoped a turkey shotgun) For a moment, my dark side said "kill'em both" but better judgement prevailed and I held off. But anxiety was building, and when they separated, I rushed the shot on the bird I could see. I knew I wasn't on him when the gun went off. He rolled, flushed and flew off to land in a tree about 150 yds off, so did his partner. After about 5 minutes, the bird I shot at flew off strongly from his treetop, as did his pal a short while later. I was crushed, but the only consolation is that all I did was educate them...I feel pretty certain the winged bird was not hurt badly. At 30 yds, I'm working with a pattern about basketball size, and I just did not have him centered. A lot of hard work and woodsmanship down the drain.
About an hour later, a gobble from the opposite ridge drew me across the hollow, to work that bird for a bit over an hour. He answered 3-4 times, but never closed, and then shut up, likely with hens. The temperature soared, it must have been in the mid 80's when I got back to the Bronco, and I was done for. I double check the zero on the gun back at the house, it's good. Nothing to blame but myself.
Day2- A predawn storm convinced me to field hunt on pvt land near home rather than back into the big hollow. Turkeys seem to like open areas after wet weather. Almost to the location, there are red lights, vests, people about, a tree down across the county road. I U-turn and drive like a mad man to loop around on another road net, but it costs me 15-20 critical minutes. I storm across the field, stick the dekes in the ground, and hop in the pop-up blind. Almost immediately, no more than 100 yds away on public land adjacent, a guy does a terrible owl imitation on a hooter. Sounds like a Lionel train!!!! Then an equally worse gobble on a box call. Over the course of the next hour, the guy calls terribly with a mouth call, and then a final blast with a crow call, then silence. Eventually I hear a truck crank up over near the public land gate. I give it 45 minutes and call sparingly and repeat the process 3 times of the next hour.....nothing. I sit tight and ponder and maybe even snooze a git for the next hour. At 10:00 AM I repeat my light calling....nothing. Looks like a bust.
At 10:45 I am surprised to see a big gobbler on the field edge, 100 yds away, eyeballing my decoys. He doesn't seem really interested, so I call, softly now mind you. He whirls, stands tall, and stalks off into the brush.....and takes a second gobbler with him I did not see. NUTS. Crushed , looks like its gonna be one of THOSE years. I sit there, disappointed (again) and decide that the birds must be call shy from dudes fooling with them before season, there is no reason that bird should have been that spooky. My calling was not THAT bad! I decide I'll stay a wee bit longer......maybe there are some jakes about.
I was flabbergasted 20 minutes later to see what almost had to be the same pair of big gobblers slipping toward my decoys (2 hens) from the same direction. Very wary, but slowly one eases into range. I am very careful in quartering his wattles with the crosshairs, and then press the trigger like I was shooting a match rifle. He goes down in a tangle. When I hustle over to him I an surprised how far it is, so much so that I will not repeat it in print, but it was farther than I've ever killed one.....open fields make it tricky to judge distance. Later, the tape and scales show 17 lbs, a 10-1/2" beard, and 1-1/16" spurs.
There's feather flying everywhere, gobbling and fighting purrs , and flapping wings from all four rock the woods! All of it a mere 25 yds distant as I stand there and watch. 
Eventually, one spots me and they disperse.