Success Duplicated

Gobbler #2 of the 2016 Season

 

3/31/2016

      Yesterday morning I experienced one of the more exciting turkey hunts I've been blessed with in quite some time.  I parked before dawn at our cabin, on the northeastern corner of the property and headed south along the river.  Eventually hearing a few gobbles on the south portion of the property I snaked my way along roads, hardwood bottoms, and pine plantations until I could get close to the vocal gobbler.  Once I did he got quiet and me, being one of little patience, moved on.  

      My original purpose was to scout a gobbler for the upcoming 44th Wilcox Academy Turkey Hunt and my old friend Barnett Serio who would be my guest for the weekend.  I already knew where a few birds would most likely be for us on Saturday morning, but the more knowledge I have of prospects the better.  I decided to make one sweep toward our southwestern property line before I called it a morning.  

       At my turning around spot, on the far west side of our property, I yelped.  A turkey answered.  He was no more than 150 yards away, in a pine plantation bordering a wet hardwood drain that is blessed with a great deal of beautiful cypress.  A turkey in this location is always going to want to walk the edge of the water and I knew I would need to be close to it to kill him.  But having no intention of such I stopped short of the water.  

       Again I yelped and again he answered.  I rested against a large pine and waited and soon he did just as expected and was 60 yards in front of me on the edge of the wet hardwood drain.  Back and forth he strutted and drummed for at least 15 minutes.  Then he proceeded to move to my right and eventually walked out of sight.  I decided to crawl closer to the water and just see if maybe I could call him back in the direction he just left.  

       I pulled out a pot call and asked him if he would be interested and coming back for another look.  He immediately answered a loud and boisterous "maybe."  He walked back closer to me and in good view through the open pines but stopped at 60 yards.  For the next 45 minutes he went back and forth between two areas in the pines and at each stop he strutted, drummed, and gobbled incessantly, stopping only to peer in my direction for the hen he was told was there.  

        Eventually he broke the routine and walked in the opposite direction and again, out of sight.  I pulled out the call again and asked him please would he come back.  He reappeared and this time his movement was directly at me and sometime told me he had finally committed to coming.  

        He continued to walk towards me and at 35 yards began to work to my left towards the edge of the water.  Time and again he stopped and strutted but always behind a large pine that prevented a shot.  He got nearly to a nine o'clock position before an opening presented itself for a shot. 

        But wait, I was only scouting....right?  Well, when he committed and came my way I decided that my friend Barnett would get to hunt another turkey on Saturday.  I had too much fun invested in this bird and having finally talked him into range I was going to have to close the deal.  

        I did.  And it sure was fun.  

(By the way, my walk for the morning tallied 4.5 miles.)