Day #2
Got out of work at 2:pm raced to meet Barry South (DeerBoy) in Concord then we ran over to the farm that got all the early season pressure. We did a quick drive around to see if any toms were out in feilds... Nope. We decided to hit it anyway because of the number of hens i keep seeing here and knowing there are still some good birds on neighboring farms that could of wandered over and be in the woods. As we got our stuff ready a Gobble sounded in the woods over an alphalfa feild ridge. We did a big loop and slipped into a position between the gobble and the feild with the hens. Barry called and ran the camera while still having time to laugh at my work boots I was wearing cause I had accidently brought my kids hunting boots that would in no way ever fit over my feet.
We had several ansers that just kept getting farther away. We abandened ship in true aggressive hunting form and started following the birds across the woods stopping every now and then yelping out some begging pleas for them to come back. This is a tactic that seldom works but is often attempted. It does help build charecter though So we get up on this ridge to ease towards my turkey freinds and see a turkey about 20 yards away walking towards us. Just a hen, but I waited with the gun up just in case it was that bearded hen from last year (same farm). The hen walked within 15 yards before noticeing my pretty work boots Sooo we slipped closer to the toms that were now gobblin up a storm. They seemed to be in a big feild heading across. So we bellie crawled to within 40 yards of the feild and attempted to call them back into the woods This is a tactic that seldom works but is often attempted. It does help build charecter though The Toms just walked off laughing as usual. 5:00 BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Day #3
Raced over to Daves house who was nice enough to get laid off today. So I got invited to one of his gooood farms The land owner will only allow bow hunting, but thats OK with me.... We get to the farm and there is a huge Tom out in the corn feild with two hens. So we race around to the other side of the farm to get into position and as we pull into the drive way there is a nice bird dragging a beard all by himself trotting away from the drive way towards a wooded ridge. We park the truck and decide to split the birds and take a position between them.
I start yelping my best horny hen immitation and imeadiatly get an answer from the tom that is up on the ridge. He gobbled about 4 or 5 times from the 1st yelp. I waited a few minutes and asked the ol boy over again... GOBBBBBLE. He just kept gobbling but wouldn't come through a thick valley. The tom in the field would look my way every now and then, but no gobble or strutting. SOooo we decided to try to slip around to the far end of the ridge that the tom was gobbling on and call from there.
As we neared the oppisite end of the ridge that the Tom was on I looked up and realized he was no longer on the other end of the ridge... his big ugly head was sticking up out of the brush like a telescope and off he went. He didn't hear me call from that position so I thought maybe, we could get a second chance if I backed off a little and tried somewhere else on the farm and hit that spot again before the dreaded buzzer.
We went to a swampy end of the farm where I bagged a nice handfull of feathers last year when my arrow flew through ones feathers just between his beard and chest.
We set up and called fully expecting 100's of turkeys to charge from every direction. No luck not even a small one... Sooooo with almost a full 20 minutes left we ran back up to the ridge tom to give him one more chance to die... this time we circled in from a new direction to better access the ridge and to fool with the bird.
We crawled up the ridge making sure not to make any noise or get seen. I sent dave over to a fallen tree to set up the camera once again while I got against a big pine tree and started my horny hen up. Yelp,,, Yelp. No answer's, wait a while, yelp, yelp, yelp....Not a peep. Heck we still had a full 5 minutes so, why not crepe down the ridge and see if we can spot the bird down in one of the feilds below.... Surly he was not on this ridge with us or he would of came in or gobbled.... Right? Soooo we get about 20 paces and THERE HE IS!!!!!!! Crouched down hiding on a trail leading to where we were calling from I draw the bow in one quick motion as Tommy boy looks up with those big "Please don't shoot me" eyes. I settle the pin on the bird and wisper... Dave? You on him? What? you see somthing Dave says. The bird rise's to his feet and starts a quick nervous walk as my pin stays locked... YOU ON HIM. My voice got a little louder. Hold on, Dave replies. The bird starts to run. Still a makable shot... Whoosh, he takes flight. Flys off into no kill land. I put my arrow back into the quiver... BUZZZZZ
