bamaranger
New member
Folks in AL have been hunting spring gobblers since 15March. Season has come in my zone 31March. I no longer make the drive south to hunt in March, so started hunting locally this past Sat. With access to quite a bit of property, I had about 12-15 gobblers located before season.
31March- I roosted the evening before, and heard turkeys go up left and right of me in a certain hollow. No gobbles. The next AM, multiple birds gobbling well to the south......somebody shot at 7AM. Another bird well to the west cranked up at 9AM, well to the west, and sombody shot. The birds in my hollow did not gobble. I heard the rt hand bunch fly down, nothing came to call, I left a bit flat at 1:00PM
1April Easter Sunday- in deference to my beliefs, I did not hunt Sunday AM, but went to service, then another. A big Easter meal at 2PM. I slipped off near dusk to roost near home.....and promptly flushed a BIG bird from the roost walking in.....arrrrrgh. A second (?) gobbler sounded off 10 times way off in the big hollow to the SW, too far to pin down. Up where I was, there had been 2 gobbling before season....I elected to return the next AM despite bumping the roosted bird. Seemed foolish to leave turkeys to find turkeys.
2April-Set out dekes and a put up blind, right on the edge of the pines/cutover from the evening before. At daylight turkeys started sailing out of the trees into the cutover, and another walked down the skidder path right past my blind, all hens. No gobbles, even from the SW, where I now there was a bird the night before.....I heard him. Very foggy. Did some light calling. About 8AM, a bird appears front center, just beyond the decoys, 35 yds +. Its so foggy, hard to make out details, but eventually I see a beard swing, and color on the head. An easy shot, and down he goes. The new See All sight on the old 870 is areal boon to my 60 yr old eyes, I will do a separate post. The gobbler has mature, full fan, but very petite. Not quite 14-3/4 lbs, 8-1/2" beard, little more than blisters for spurs, barely 1/2" inch. Half jake, half tom, but in the bag.
That evening, I roost in a new location, and hear two in the distance, I will start "over there" the next AM.
3April- a long ATV ride, and a down/up to the next ridge, puts me about where I think the birds from the night before will be. At dawn, I hear gobbling to the south, but nothing seemingly close. After 20 min or so with better light, I drift south along the ridge crest. Further I go, clearer the gobblng gets. Its WINDY, but in a lapse, a gobble rings out clearly, close. I'm there...the wind was deceiving me, these birds are much closer than I thought! I drop to all fours, and scamper to the nearest big tree. As I swing myself into a sitting position, the gobbler pitches out of a tree to my left, a mere 125 yds or so away, and lands out of sight on the point of the ridge to my front. I figure he saw me. But much to my delight, a minute or so later, I hear not one, but two gobbles. Mouth call yelps brings a pair of gobbles in response. A minute or so later, a gobbles again, closer still but right. I swing the gun right , and answer, and get gobbles in reply.......then a long silence. Look HARD. By magic, as my eyes dart left and right, a gobbler head appears, in range to the right, but past my gun barrel. He steps in the open, but I cannot move. He preens, moves more right behind some foilage, and I swing over to where I think he will emerge. When he does, the same cover obstructs a shot, and I hold off. I am at the limit of my swing to the right.....my arms burn. my left knee and hip are killing me. He goes behind a big tree, it is clear beyond, I've got him now!!!!!!!!! I adjust and wait. I see the second gobbler trailing go through the initial opening. They are both right there. I wait for #1 to appear, and wait, and wait......till I can wait no more, the old 870 feels like an Olympic bar. I lower the gun. No more gobbles, no more turkey....I've been beaten. I stick in the area for another 2 hrs, till a lunch date obliges..I roost that evening in a new location, but hear nothing.
4April-back to the pine/cutover set up. At daylight, 2 gobblers get with it half mile or more to the SW, in the big hollow, then silence as they likey get in the open of the big cutover. More high wind. I call off and on for over 3 hrs, no answers, no gobbles. That evening, I set up the blind and dekes at yet another location and see or hear nothing, and roosting there yields nothing either.
5April-back to the area of my first days hunt. The first ridge I'm on, I hear birds to the N., way off. After 30 min, I fire up the ATV to move that way, but hold up about half way to listen down another hollow. Immediately, I hear gobbles. Ride that way, and upon topping a rise, there sets a truck. I back off and let that guy have at it. I continue back N. but hear no more gobbles there. I also hear no shots back where I was. I ride to a third ridge, and immediately hear gobbles, WAY to the north. It is a long way over there, all by foot, and I hesitate. The hip the doc's want to replace is killing me. When that bird really cranks up an hour later, I start off. By the time I make it over there, and up the steep side, he's gone around the point and out of hearing. I should have started that way upon first hearing him, but hoped I'd hear one closer. I hobbled back to the ATV, whooped again.
6, 7April- weather down right awful, temps drop 20 degrees, rain, thunder, I rest up at home, go to a wedding Sat PM. Obligated on Sun, but I will roost Sun PM, and hopefully be on one for Mon. Keep you posted.
31March- I roosted the evening before, and heard turkeys go up left and right of me in a certain hollow. No gobbles. The next AM, multiple birds gobbling well to the south......somebody shot at 7AM. Another bird well to the west cranked up at 9AM, well to the west, and sombody shot. The birds in my hollow did not gobble. I heard the rt hand bunch fly down, nothing came to call, I left a bit flat at 1:00PM
1April Easter Sunday- in deference to my beliefs, I did not hunt Sunday AM, but went to service, then another. A big Easter meal at 2PM. I slipped off near dusk to roost near home.....and promptly flushed a BIG bird from the roost walking in.....arrrrrgh. A second (?) gobbler sounded off 10 times way off in the big hollow to the SW, too far to pin down. Up where I was, there had been 2 gobbling before season....I elected to return the next AM despite bumping the roosted bird. Seemed foolish to leave turkeys to find turkeys.
2April-Set out dekes and a put up blind, right on the edge of the pines/cutover from the evening before. At daylight turkeys started sailing out of the trees into the cutover, and another walked down the skidder path right past my blind, all hens. No gobbles, even from the SW, where I now there was a bird the night before.....I heard him. Very foggy. Did some light calling. About 8AM, a bird appears front center, just beyond the decoys, 35 yds +. Its so foggy, hard to make out details, but eventually I see a beard swing, and color on the head. An easy shot, and down he goes. The new See All sight on the old 870 is areal boon to my 60 yr old eyes, I will do a separate post. The gobbler has mature, full fan, but very petite. Not quite 14-3/4 lbs, 8-1/2" beard, little more than blisters for spurs, barely 1/2" inch. Half jake, half tom, but in the bag.
That evening, I roost in a new location, and hear two in the distance, I will start "over there" the next AM.
3April- a long ATV ride, and a down/up to the next ridge, puts me about where I think the birds from the night before will be. At dawn, I hear gobbling to the south, but nothing seemingly close. After 20 min or so with better light, I drift south along the ridge crest. Further I go, clearer the gobblng gets. Its WINDY, but in a lapse, a gobble rings out clearly, close. I'm there...the wind was deceiving me, these birds are much closer than I thought! I drop to all fours, and scamper to the nearest big tree. As I swing myself into a sitting position, the gobbler pitches out of a tree to my left, a mere 125 yds or so away, and lands out of sight on the point of the ridge to my front. I figure he saw me. But much to my delight, a minute or so later, I hear not one, but two gobbles. Mouth call yelps brings a pair of gobbles in response. A minute or so later, a gobbles again, closer still but right. I swing the gun right , and answer, and get gobbles in reply.......then a long silence. Look HARD. By magic, as my eyes dart left and right, a gobbler head appears, in range to the right, but past my gun barrel. He steps in the open, but I cannot move. He preens, moves more right behind some foilage, and I swing over to where I think he will emerge. When he does, the same cover obstructs a shot, and I hold off. I am at the limit of my swing to the right.....my arms burn. my left knee and hip are killing me. He goes behind a big tree, it is clear beyond, I've got him now!!!!!!!!! I adjust and wait. I see the second gobbler trailing go through the initial opening. They are both right there. I wait for #1 to appear, and wait, and wait......till I can wait no more, the old 870 feels like an Olympic bar. I lower the gun. No more gobbles, no more turkey....I've been beaten. I stick in the area for another 2 hrs, till a lunch date obliges..I roost that evening in a new location, but hear nothing.
4April-back to the pine/cutover set up. At daylight, 2 gobblers get with it half mile or more to the SW, in the big hollow, then silence as they likey get in the open of the big cutover. More high wind. I call off and on for over 3 hrs, no answers, no gobbles. That evening, I set up the blind and dekes at yet another location and see or hear nothing, and roosting there yields nothing either.
5April-back to the area of my first days hunt. The first ridge I'm on, I hear birds to the N., way off. After 30 min, I fire up the ATV to move that way, but hold up about half way to listen down another hollow. Immediately, I hear gobbles. Ride that way, and upon topping a rise, there sets a truck. I back off and let that guy have at it. I continue back N. but hear no more gobbles there. I also hear no shots back where I was. I ride to a third ridge, and immediately hear gobbles, WAY to the north. It is a long way over there, all by foot, and I hesitate. The hip the doc's want to replace is killing me. When that bird really cranks up an hour later, I start off. By the time I make it over there, and up the steep side, he's gone around the point and out of hearing. I should have started that way upon first hearing him, but hoped I'd hear one closer. I hobbled back to the ATV, whooped again.
6, 7April- weather down right awful, temps drop 20 degrees, rain, thunder, I rest up at home, go to a wedding Sat PM. Obligated on Sun, but I will roost Sun PM, and hopefully be on one for Mon. Keep you posted.