Limb Chicken
Active Member
Picking a spot to set up was a coin toss for me yesterday morning. I couldn't decide where I wanted to go. Well hitting the alarm snooze button determined I wouldn't be going far.
Begin first hunt:
On the way I thought about a spot and where the birds may be. Not being 100 percent positive where they would be roosted I decided to play it safe and put the decoys real close and hopefully out of view of anything that could be roosted close. Morning broke and a lone gobbler sounded off in an area that I had walked right under. He kept mouthing off and I threw him some soft tree yelps and he hammered right back. I set the call down and waited for him to fly down. I heard him drop and picked the call up and cackled, another immediate answer and I decided to give him the silent treatment since, I had heard no other hens. He was on his way, I could see him strutting right towards my setup. All of a sudden the landowner drives by, stops, gets out of his vehicle and was doing something ( I have no idea what ) and in the mean time I am getting nervous and so is my dinner.
The tom runs directly behind my blind, the landowner leaves and the bird is back to drumming three steps behind my blind. I have the camera set up on a tripod pointing directly at the pretty boy which is placed a mere three steps from my blind so I could capture all the action. Well that plan changed and I was trying to shut the front of the blind and take the camera down and I was just going to punish him out of the back. Well as soon as I reached for the window, he decided to see what was in the front of the blind. He walked around and saw Uncle Rico and was not happy with what was going on with one of his hens. I am trying to figure out how I was going to get the front of the blind back open when this clown is standing 3 steps away. He turned slowly and I opened it back up enough for a shot. I decided to just shoot and not get video. I had to wait until he got from behind the Pretty boy and when he did I let er go. I knew the shot wasn't the greatest so I got another arrow knocked and let er eat. That one also hit but still didn't bring him down.
Begin second hunt:
Crap, what now. I knew he was hurt bad and wouldn't make it so, I waited an hour and headed to the other side of the property to try to get another one while I was waiting to take up the trail of this one. I decided I would leave him until noon and then take up the trail. After talking to some henned up toms I decided to go and look for him. I had bumped him when I walked out but due to a steep embankment I couldn't see what direction he went.
Begin third hunt:
So begins my journey. This property may as well be the foothills of the black hills. Very hilly and a lot of places for a turkey to hide. After looking all of the open areas I decided there was no way he could cross a woven wire fence so I started to walk the fence in the direction he went. After some walking and starting to get real upset with myself I looked down the steepest ledge on the place and there he was in a little crack doing his best to look like a rock and he was very much still alive. I hurried to get my arrow knocked but no dice, he was having none of that. He managed to get in the air again and I start to run straight down then straight back up and I am gassed and really mad now. He headed for a autumn olive thicket that you have to get down on your hands and knees to get through it. So, in I went getting poked prodded scratched and sweatin like a stuck hog. Just about to hang er up I looked down and saw a feather, looked a little further and there he was laying down again. This time I acted like I didn't see him. Turned around and knocked another arrow and let er rip. This time he was anchored to the ground and wasn't going anywhere. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to put my hands on this bird. I haven't lost a bird in a long time and was going to be sick if I lost this one because I knew I just rushed the shot. So here's to you Mr. knock em down with an arrow and kill em with a big stick. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
Begin first hunt:
On the way I thought about a spot and where the birds may be. Not being 100 percent positive where they would be roosted I decided to play it safe and put the decoys real close and hopefully out of view of anything that could be roosted close. Morning broke and a lone gobbler sounded off in an area that I had walked right under. He kept mouthing off and I threw him some soft tree yelps and he hammered right back. I set the call down and waited for him to fly down. I heard him drop and picked the call up and cackled, another immediate answer and I decided to give him the silent treatment since, I had heard no other hens. He was on his way, I could see him strutting right towards my setup. All of a sudden the landowner drives by, stops, gets out of his vehicle and was doing something ( I have no idea what ) and in the mean time I am getting nervous and so is my dinner.
The tom runs directly behind my blind, the landowner leaves and the bird is back to drumming three steps behind my blind. I have the camera set up on a tripod pointing directly at the pretty boy which is placed a mere three steps from my blind so I could capture all the action. Well that plan changed and I was trying to shut the front of the blind and take the camera down and I was just going to punish him out of the back. Well as soon as I reached for the window, he decided to see what was in the front of the blind. He walked around and saw Uncle Rico and was not happy with what was going on with one of his hens. I am trying to figure out how I was going to get the front of the blind back open when this clown is standing 3 steps away. He turned slowly and I opened it back up enough for a shot. I decided to just shoot and not get video. I had to wait until he got from behind the Pretty boy and when he did I let er go. I knew the shot wasn't the greatest so I got another arrow knocked and let er eat. That one also hit but still didn't bring him down.
Begin second hunt:
Crap, what now. I knew he was hurt bad and wouldn't make it so, I waited an hour and headed to the other side of the property to try to get another one while I was waiting to take up the trail of this one. I decided I would leave him until noon and then take up the trail. After talking to some henned up toms I decided to go and look for him. I had bumped him when I walked out but due to a steep embankment I couldn't see what direction he went.
Begin third hunt:
So begins my journey. This property may as well be the foothills of the black hills. Very hilly and a lot of places for a turkey to hide. After looking all of the open areas I decided there was no way he could cross a woven wire fence so I started to walk the fence in the direction he went. After some walking and starting to get real upset with myself I looked down the steepest ledge on the place and there he was in a little crack doing his best to look like a rock and he was very much still alive. I hurried to get my arrow knocked but no dice, he was having none of that. He managed to get in the air again and I start to run straight down then straight back up and I am gassed and really mad now. He headed for a autumn olive thicket that you have to get down on your hands and knees to get through it. So, in I went getting poked prodded scratched and sweatin like a stuck hog. Just about to hang er up I looked down and saw a feather, looked a little further and there he was laying down again. This time I acted like I didn't see him. Turned around and knocked another arrow and let er rip. This time he was anchored to the ground and wasn't going anywhere. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to put my hands on this bird. I haven't lost a bird in a long time and was going to be sick if I lost this one because I knew I just rushed the shot. So here's to you Mr. knock em down with an arrow and kill em with a big stick. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
