Well folks, let me share my weekend with you and a dilemma that I faced. I had planned to drive home and see my Mom & Grandmothers as well as another Spring Turkey hunt for Saturday, so I drove back home after work on Friday. As I was about an hour from my Mother’s home my good friend called me, he was driving in as well and wanted to fit in a canoe trip on the river. I never get to canoe with him anymore and I knew it’d be great, but I also was really wanting to turkey hunt Saturday morning because so far this season they’ve given me the slip every time! I ended up being at his house until TOO LATE Friday night and it was pouring the rain…knowing he’d sleep in, I opted to gobbler hunt.
I woke up Saturday morning at 4:30 AM to HIGH WINDS and rain hitting the window. I layed there for a few and listened to it and then ended up rolling out of bed around 4:45 AM. I got some coffee and watched the rain hit the windows and the wind blow it all around, but still decided to head out to the farm.
At 5:45 AM I was listening at a ridge top and could hear a gobbler across a big field. I booked it across in the light rain. With the cloud cover it was going to get daylight a little later. As I was getting closer to the woods he gobbled a few more times and I setup with my decoy in a pine thicket around 100 yards from where I thought he was.
He stayed on the roost for a while, and after it was daylight I gave a few soft yelps which he immediately gobbled back to. I shut up, knowing that he was aware of me and waited.
The high wind and rain must have kept him on the roost even longer because it was close to 7:00 AM before he ruffled his feathers and flew down from the roost. When he did ruffle his feathers I finally caught a glimpse of movement and he was really only about 50 yards away in the tree! I had setup closer than I like to be, probably due to the high wind.
When he flew down, I adjusted my position a little but kept my shotgun on my knee and ready. For about 10 minutes I waited for him to show himself in the brush but I didn't see him. I yelped a few times and he interrupted me with a gobble and I knew he hadn't moved much. Within a few moments I could see his white head coming around some brush and at 30 yards I took the shot. He flopped and I ran to him, absolutely thrilled.
After getting him checked in, I showed him to my family and my Grandma was really into checking him out. She surprised me and held him up and admired him!
This is my best bird to date. He weighed 20 lbs & 2 oz, has an 11" beard, and 1 1/4" spurs.
I woke up Saturday morning at 4:30 AM to HIGH WINDS and rain hitting the window. I layed there for a few and listened to it and then ended up rolling out of bed around 4:45 AM. I got some coffee and watched the rain hit the windows and the wind blow it all around, but still decided to head out to the farm.
At 5:45 AM I was listening at a ridge top and could hear a gobbler across a big field. I booked it across in the light rain. With the cloud cover it was going to get daylight a little later. As I was getting closer to the woods he gobbled a few more times and I setup with my decoy in a pine thicket around 100 yards from where I thought he was.
He stayed on the roost for a while, and after it was daylight I gave a few soft yelps which he immediately gobbled back to. I shut up, knowing that he was aware of me and waited.
The high wind and rain must have kept him on the roost even longer because it was close to 7:00 AM before he ruffled his feathers and flew down from the roost. When he did ruffle his feathers I finally caught a glimpse of movement and he was really only about 50 yards away in the tree! I had setup closer than I like to be, probably due to the high wind.
When he flew down, I adjusted my position a little but kept my shotgun on my knee and ready. For about 10 minutes I waited for him to show himself in the brush but I didn't see him. I yelped a few times and he interrupted me with a gobble and I knew he hadn't moved much. Within a few moments I could see his white head coming around some brush and at 30 yards I took the shot. He flopped and I ran to him, absolutely thrilled.
After getting him checked in, I showed him to my family and my Grandma was really into checking him out. She surprised me and held him up and admired him!
This is my best bird to date. He weighed 20 lbs & 2 oz, has an 11" beard, and 1 1/4" spurs.
