Skychief
69 Cal.
As many of you know, I had knee surgery on our Indiana turkey opener (April 25). I was unsure if I would be able to turkey hunt at all this year, but, that changed this morning.
I went to a friend's property where we do a lot of rabbit hunting on a low lying cattle pasture. This pasture is full of locust and osage orange trees and rose bushes, yet, open enough to be attractive to turkeys as well as bunnies.
I waited until light at my truck to avoid risk to my knee in the dark then slowly made my way to this bottom pasture through the wooded ridge above it. I listened intently for any gobbling. Finally at the edge of the pasture, I heard four different toms on a neighboring property about 500 yards away. I set up and called to the distant birds with no results for about an hour.
Since they didn't want to budge, I moved away from them a couple hundred yards, calling all the while. This seemed to do the trick as I could hear one of the group gobbling toward me. I found another locust tree and knocked off it's offending thorns where my back would lean and waited. With just a few more clucks from me, I had a dandy, thick-bearded, gobbler drumming 30 yards away. WHAT A SIGHT! I watched him above my bead with "Ole Betsy's" hammer laid back for 4 or 5 minutes. Back and forth he went, around and around the rose bushes in the shin-high grass at 30 yards. Did I mention he was THIRTY yards away?
I don't trust my gun that far.
Eventually I watched as he half-strutted his way toward the wooded ridge I had descended on my way in. I had not placed any dummies. Perhaps a decoy would have made a wonderful difference. :hmm: Maybe not. :idunno:
After his exit, he kept gobbling at crows about 150 yards away, so, I grabbed my gear and limped in a big semi-circle to re-position.
Set up in this new spot, I set out my hen and jake and resumed my love calls. Soon enough, it was apparent that the old boy was on his way to the top of the ridge. Probably a preferred strutting area. I continued to call from this hide.
In no time I heard another gobble within fifty yards over my right shoulder. :shocked2:
Quickly and quietly I revolved 90 degrees around the base of my tree. I clucked and purred for the next half hour with two birds gobbling at me within30-50 yards, but, behind a rose bush the size of a small cabin! :haha:
Finally, I shut up with my twelve gauge trained to the left edge of this rose bush. My arms were tiring and I hoped something would happen SOON.....and it did.
From behind the rosebush, a blue and white head could be clearly seen moving from my right to left. Now , quite in the clear and 23 yards away, a turkey's body (along with the blue/white head) completed the picture. Not a blade of grass between he and I. Perfect!
Through the smoke, I saw his buddy depart for parts unknown, while my bird did the familiar flapping we have all come to love at the end of a perfect morning. :thumbsup:
I can think of no better therapy for this turkey hunter's post-surgery knee than a close encounter with a monster gobbler earlier, and, taking my first jake ever after an excellent game of cat-and-mouse. :hatsoff:
Gobble, Gobble, Skychief.
I went to a friend's property where we do a lot of rabbit hunting on a low lying cattle pasture. This pasture is full of locust and osage orange trees and rose bushes, yet, open enough to be attractive to turkeys as well as bunnies.
I waited until light at my truck to avoid risk to my knee in the dark then slowly made my way to this bottom pasture through the wooded ridge above it. I listened intently for any gobbling. Finally at the edge of the pasture, I heard four different toms on a neighboring property about 500 yards away. I set up and called to the distant birds with no results for about an hour.
Since they didn't want to budge, I moved away from them a couple hundred yards, calling all the while. This seemed to do the trick as I could hear one of the group gobbling toward me. I found another locust tree and knocked off it's offending thorns where my back would lean and waited. With just a few more clucks from me, I had a dandy, thick-bearded, gobbler drumming 30 yards away. WHAT A SIGHT! I watched him above my bead with "Ole Betsy's" hammer laid back for 4 or 5 minutes. Back and forth he went, around and around the rose bushes in the shin-high grass at 30 yards. Did I mention he was THIRTY yards away?
I don't trust my gun that far.
Eventually I watched as he half-strutted his way toward the wooded ridge I had descended on my way in. I had not placed any dummies. Perhaps a decoy would have made a wonderful difference. :hmm: Maybe not. :idunno:
After his exit, he kept gobbling at crows about 150 yards away, so, I grabbed my gear and limped in a big semi-circle to re-position.
Set up in this new spot, I set out my hen and jake and resumed my love calls. Soon enough, it was apparent that the old boy was on his way to the top of the ridge. Probably a preferred strutting area. I continued to call from this hide.
In no time I heard another gobble within fifty yards over my right shoulder. :shocked2:
Quickly and quietly I revolved 90 degrees around the base of my tree. I clucked and purred for the next half hour with two birds gobbling at me within30-50 yards, but, behind a rose bush the size of a small cabin! :haha:
Finally, I shut up with my twelve gauge trained to the left edge of this rose bush. My arms were tiring and I hoped something would happen SOON.....and it did.
From behind the rosebush, a blue and white head could be clearly seen moving from my right to left. Now , quite in the clear and 23 yards away, a turkey's body (along with the blue/white head) completed the picture. Not a blade of grass between he and I. Perfect!
Through the smoke, I saw his buddy depart for parts unknown, while my bird did the familiar flapping we have all come to love at the end of a perfect morning. :thumbsup:
I can think of no better therapy for this turkey hunter's post-surgery knee than a close encounter with a monster gobbler earlier, and, taking my first jake ever after an excellent game of cat-and-mouse. :hatsoff:
Gobble, Gobble, Skychief.
