petey
05-24-2005, 03:52 PM
Well,
I haven't got to get out much this season, in fact only 4 times starting last Monday to today. My first day out I had a smart old bird in gun range twice but couldn't get a shot. (I think he was a ghost!) With the way our forest is getting "green", I had him real close but never saw enough of him to shoot. He wasn't all that hot, and I called his half-crazy cuttin hen into 10 yards, but that's another story.
I went out 2 days later and he was roosted about 300 yards away, only gobbled 4 times on the ground and was gone. I nicknamed him the "Runner"
Saturday, he was roosted 50 yards up the hill from where he was on Monday. He gobbled 1 time in the tree, hit the ground and was off again. Running across another field, hen in tow. I told my neighbor and buddy from work where he went and at 10:00 am he called in that same cuttin' crazed hen with the old boy following up the rear. He strutted 30 yards out in front but with his setup he never saw him. (why he just didn't stand up and shoot him I have no idea?) So he lived again another day. If you recall from our hunt last year, this same buddy killed what we believe was this ol’ boy’s twin. They hung together last year and always flew into the fields and stayed there safe from anything. That bird was a 4 year old he killed last year and we never did get his buddy.. the “Runner” .
I’m figuring this old boy is at least 5 years old and he’s a smart one. Those are the ones I like to go after. It kind of keeps you on your toes to invent new ways of getting in on him and giving him a bowl of 2oz #6 for breakfast.
Well knowing there are only 4 days left of season, only hunting about 4 hrs up to this point and seeing signs of rain in the future, I figured I’d roll the dice and guess where he may be roosted. Oh, I didn’t tell you I saw a small flock from the road in the back end of this field (note the yellow trail) last night on my way home from work. I knew they would be in there this morning.
My plan of attack: Well up to this point I had been walking in from this powerline which was about an easy 15 minute walk from the truck. 200 yards from the field (not visible in the picture) a gas line intersects with the powerline. This morning I figured I’d hang a left at the gas line, walk it another 10 minutes until I hit the backend of the field he ran across on Saturday and come in from that direction. Just guessing, I thought he may be roosted on that same hill side and once he hit the ground, come towards the big field in the lower left of the picture. (just like he did on Saturday).
After quietly sneaking into where I thought he may go, I got set up with the field to my back and started looking around. I was in setup around 5:20. After about 5 minutes I noticed a dark object sitting in a tree about 40 yards to my left on a limb over hanging the field. Once I looked in my binoculars I determined that it was a turkey, so got situated behind the tree and was kneeling b/c I didn’t want to get in another situation where I was too low and couldn’t see him when he hit the ground. He stuck out like a soar thumb, that’s for sure. About 10 minutes later he starts moving around in the tree and I’m trying to make out a beard but I can’t. All of a sudden I hear a hen out in the field starting to cluck and the bird goes into a full strut on the limb (full fan) so I figure this is my bird. The hen was on the nest and must have been sitting. I see him looking out in the field and he must see that hen and it’s only about 5:40 or so. I’m no longer looking through my binoculars, but ready for him to pitch down. He turned just enough for me to see a small portion of his beard hanging. Well he pitches out into the field and he hits the ground about 40 yards away, I give a few calls so he stretches his head out and I shoot him. I walk up to him waiting to see these 1.5” spurs and a big ol beard on him and when I got up to him I said “boy that’s a small bird”. I rolled him over and he only had like a 5” beard on him! Spurs were like 5/8” and I was dumbfounded. This definitely couldn’t have been the bird I was hunting, but it was odd that he was all alone. He had all the signs of a 2 year old but his beard was like a Jake’s. I guess it was just one of those deals where I thought he was bigger than he was b/c he was all alone roosted right where I’ve been hunting that “Runner”, had a full fan, and pitched out to his hen, but ended up being smaller than what I expected. I tagged him up and left the area, still scratching my head.
I never heard a bird gobble this morning. Although it is #60 for me and my second of the year in two States, somehow I wish it was “Runner” than this young bird. It could be him, but I seriously doubt it. I think this was just a satellite tom, that’s been beat up enough to know to keep quite in the mornings. How he had a full fan, 5/8” spurs but only a 5” beard is beyond me. I’ve killed enough birds in my day to know that it just shouldn’t add up, but it’s right here before my eyes and still makes me scratch my head. In reality, had I been working this bird more on the ground and called him in, I would have passed. What’s done is done though. Oh well, if “Runner” makes it through another year, he may die of old age, before he gets killed by me. Maybe I can help my buddy get him on Saturday?
I’ll have pictures soon, and the rest of the story from the earlier hunts. Attached is the week of events as it unfolded.
I haven't got to get out much this season, in fact only 4 times starting last Monday to today. My first day out I had a smart old bird in gun range twice but couldn't get a shot. (I think he was a ghost!) With the way our forest is getting "green", I had him real close but never saw enough of him to shoot. He wasn't all that hot, and I called his half-crazy cuttin hen into 10 yards, but that's another story.
I went out 2 days later and he was roosted about 300 yards away, only gobbled 4 times on the ground and was gone. I nicknamed him the "Runner"
Saturday, he was roosted 50 yards up the hill from where he was on Monday. He gobbled 1 time in the tree, hit the ground and was off again. Running across another field, hen in tow. I told my neighbor and buddy from work where he went and at 10:00 am he called in that same cuttin' crazed hen with the old boy following up the rear. He strutted 30 yards out in front but with his setup he never saw him. (why he just didn't stand up and shoot him I have no idea?) So he lived again another day. If you recall from our hunt last year, this same buddy killed what we believe was this ol’ boy’s twin. They hung together last year and always flew into the fields and stayed there safe from anything. That bird was a 4 year old he killed last year and we never did get his buddy.. the “Runner” .
I’m figuring this old boy is at least 5 years old and he’s a smart one. Those are the ones I like to go after. It kind of keeps you on your toes to invent new ways of getting in on him and giving him a bowl of 2oz #6 for breakfast.
Well knowing there are only 4 days left of season, only hunting about 4 hrs up to this point and seeing signs of rain in the future, I figured I’d roll the dice and guess where he may be roosted. Oh, I didn’t tell you I saw a small flock from the road in the back end of this field (note the yellow trail) last night on my way home from work. I knew they would be in there this morning.
My plan of attack: Well up to this point I had been walking in from this powerline which was about an easy 15 minute walk from the truck. 200 yards from the field (not visible in the picture) a gas line intersects with the powerline. This morning I figured I’d hang a left at the gas line, walk it another 10 minutes until I hit the backend of the field he ran across on Saturday and come in from that direction. Just guessing, I thought he may be roosted on that same hill side and once he hit the ground, come towards the big field in the lower left of the picture. (just like he did on Saturday).
After quietly sneaking into where I thought he may go, I got set up with the field to my back and started looking around. I was in setup around 5:20. After about 5 minutes I noticed a dark object sitting in a tree about 40 yards to my left on a limb over hanging the field. Once I looked in my binoculars I determined that it was a turkey, so got situated behind the tree and was kneeling b/c I didn’t want to get in another situation where I was too low and couldn’t see him when he hit the ground. He stuck out like a soar thumb, that’s for sure. About 10 minutes later he starts moving around in the tree and I’m trying to make out a beard but I can’t. All of a sudden I hear a hen out in the field starting to cluck and the bird goes into a full strut on the limb (full fan) so I figure this is my bird. The hen was on the nest and must have been sitting. I see him looking out in the field and he must see that hen and it’s only about 5:40 or so. I’m no longer looking through my binoculars, but ready for him to pitch down. He turned just enough for me to see a small portion of his beard hanging. Well he pitches out into the field and he hits the ground about 40 yards away, I give a few calls so he stretches his head out and I shoot him. I walk up to him waiting to see these 1.5” spurs and a big ol beard on him and when I got up to him I said “boy that’s a small bird”. I rolled him over and he only had like a 5” beard on him! Spurs were like 5/8” and I was dumbfounded. This definitely couldn’t have been the bird I was hunting, but it was odd that he was all alone. He had all the signs of a 2 year old but his beard was like a Jake’s. I guess it was just one of those deals where I thought he was bigger than he was b/c he was all alone roosted right where I’ve been hunting that “Runner”, had a full fan, and pitched out to his hen, but ended up being smaller than what I expected. I tagged him up and left the area, still scratching my head.
I never heard a bird gobble this morning. Although it is #60 for me and my second of the year in two States, somehow I wish it was “Runner” than this young bird. It could be him, but I seriously doubt it. I think this was just a satellite tom, that’s been beat up enough to know to keep quite in the mornings. How he had a full fan, 5/8” spurs but only a 5” beard is beyond me. I’ve killed enough birds in my day to know that it just shouldn’t add up, but it’s right here before my eyes and still makes me scratch my head. In reality, had I been working this bird more on the ground and called him in, I would have passed. What’s done is done though. Oh well, if “Runner” makes it through another year, he may die of old age, before he gets killed by me. Maybe I can help my buddy get him on Saturday?
I’ll have pictures soon, and the rest of the story from the earlier hunts. Attached is the week of events as it unfolded.