We do a fishing hunting trip each spring We find birds every year but just never seem to connect. This year found my younger son and I Thursday morning listening anxiously since the landowner said he hadn't been seeing much. I was dozing off in the hedgerow when my son jumps up and says lets go we got one to the east. We move in and set up and several toms answer but want to go out the other side of the woodlot. One move brings us overlooking the field but the birds are in a dip and can't be seen. We circle out and find 3 gobblers and 5 hens as we drive down the road.
My older son arrives that night and next morning the three of us sneak just inside wood line and set up 60 or so yards apart and are settled in by 430. After 15 minutes that seem like eternity a tom sounds off just where I'd hope they'd be. Several times I thought about moving 10 yards to a better tree on my left but decided against it. Good thing, because after a dozen or so gobbles from deep in the woods a tom sounds off above me and a slow peek to my left I can see him in the tree I almost moved to. A second tom then sounds off and I have 2 birds within 15 yards, both have nice beards dangling.
A couple hens slip through the trees and hit the field. The deeper tom now seems to be on the ground which makes me feel better because the two toms above are going to drop to the field and soon do. They gobble directly behind me and the gobbler I'm keyed on answers and soon see him slinking up the path. Trees obstruct my shot and he gets closer than I like and hit him as he clears a tree at about 10 yards. Birds start to scatter and I let mine do some flopping and sit for about 5 minutes. The texts soon start flying between us and it's determined the others have left the field. We circle around and try for a response but no takers sends us fishing but we'll be back next morning. Next morning they moved across the street and game over.
Hunted this spot opening day and birds gobbled in distance. My son scouted it in April and had a tom answer and almost run him over it came in so quick. Thursday he hunted it again and no gobbles early but got a response on the way out but he stayed just out of range. Friday we were back and tried a different approach. We sat where we could hear both sides of the knob thinking he was roosted low on the far side and we were just never hearing him from the roost.
My plan was to sit till 6-615 and then venture in and set up where he had the last two encounters, Ryan wanted to head in by 540 but I advised against trekking 300 yards into the woods so early. We were rewarded by some tree yelps and one single gobble from 100 yards in. After swapping positions I softly answered the hens and even cackled once but no response. Neither of us saw or heard them fly down but soon two hens were approaching and angling perfectly to our left. I thought they would pass by at 25 yards and enter the field but stopped just inside the woods and milled around. The gobbler appeared on the same line and just as he got in range the hens caught something and the putting began. I couldn't see the tom but knew it would soon be over. I whispered shoot him and Ryan never moved. I now see the gobbler as he turns to leave and a more emphatic SHOOT HIM brings the gun up as he passes behind a large oak and dumps him as he clears the tree, great 40 yard shot on what could have ended in disaster. Wood lot to truck couldn't have been more than a 500 yard round trip.
My older son arrives that night and next morning the three of us sneak just inside wood line and set up 60 or so yards apart and are settled in by 430. After 15 minutes that seem like eternity a tom sounds off just where I'd hope they'd be. Several times I thought about moving 10 yards to a better tree on my left but decided against it. Good thing, because after a dozen or so gobbles from deep in the woods a tom sounds off above me and a slow peek to my left I can see him in the tree I almost moved to. A second tom then sounds off and I have 2 birds within 15 yards, both have nice beards dangling.
A couple hens slip through the trees and hit the field. The deeper tom now seems to be on the ground which makes me feel better because the two toms above are going to drop to the field and soon do. They gobble directly behind me and the gobbler I'm keyed on answers and soon see him slinking up the path. Trees obstruct my shot and he gets closer than I like and hit him as he clears a tree at about 10 yards. Birds start to scatter and I let mine do some flopping and sit for about 5 minutes. The texts soon start flying between us and it's determined the others have left the field. We circle around and try for a response but no takers sends us fishing but we'll be back next morning. Next morning they moved across the street and game over.
Hunted this spot opening day and birds gobbled in distance. My son scouted it in April and had a tom answer and almost run him over it came in so quick. Thursday he hunted it again and no gobbles early but got a response on the way out but he stayed just out of range. Friday we were back and tried a different approach. We sat where we could hear both sides of the knob thinking he was roosted low on the far side and we were just never hearing him from the roost.
My plan was to sit till 6-615 and then venture in and set up where he had the last two encounters, Ryan wanted to head in by 540 but I advised against trekking 300 yards into the woods so early. We were rewarded by some tree yelps and one single gobble from 100 yards in. After swapping positions I softly answered the hens and even cackled once but no response. Neither of us saw or heard them fly down but soon two hens were approaching and angling perfectly to our left. I thought they would pass by at 25 yards and enter the field but stopped just inside the woods and milled around. The gobbler appeared on the same line and just as he got in range the hens caught something and the putting began. I couldn't see the tom but knew it would soon be over. I whispered shoot him and Ryan never moved. I now see the gobbler as he turns to leave and a more emphatic SHOOT HIM brings the gun up as he passes behind a large oak and dumps him as he clears the tree, great 40 yard shot on what could have ended in disaster. Wood lot to truck couldn't have been more than a 500 yard round trip.
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