Bowtech84
Well-Known Member
After playing cat and mouse with the turkeys the past few weeks I finally connected. It's been a pretty tough year for me. Never had a single tom commit to the decoys.
This morning was no different. Yesterday morning I set up on a ridge and was surrounded by toms on the roost. After fly down the toms shut up and never made an appearance. Figured they must of went down to the valley below me so this morning I set up in the valley figuring they would pull the same stunt.
As daylight approached I heard a lone gobbler a couple hundred yards in the timber behind me. I sat and expected to hear more but he was the only vocal turkey in the area. At that point I decided I was going to get aggressive so I headed into the timber and set up about 100 yards from his roost. At fly down he headed the opposite direction so I sat for a while and thought about my next move.
The wind had picked up and I couldn't hear much (not that they would gobble back anyway) so I decided to pack it up and head for home to go fishing. On my way home I spotted two toms and a couple hens standing in a freshly planted corn field. I drove past them a couple hundred yards and parked, grabbed the fan and headed down the creek to circle around them.
I did a decent job of staying quiet going through the timbered creek but once I got to the field edge there was about 10 yards of chest high shattercane between the turkeys and I. I knew getting through it was going to be loud so at that point I decided to just put the fan in front of my face and walk through it standing straight up. To my amazement it worked and once at the field edge I got down and started to crawl.
The hens must of known something wasn't right because they headed for cover at a fast pace but the toms just stayed in strut at 80yards. I slowly crawled on my knees and hands gaining ground with every push foward. I eventually made it to 30 yards and decided I was close enough, so I layed flat and readied the gun. I had a hell of a time trying to get the tom in the scope and hold the fan but I got it figured out and made the shot. Looks to me like the typical two year old. 9-10" bird and 1" spurs. Congrats to those who have tagged and good luck to those still trying. Thanks to all who share.
This morning was no different. Yesterday morning I set up on a ridge and was surrounded by toms on the roost. After fly down the toms shut up and never made an appearance. Figured they must of went down to the valley below me so this morning I set up in the valley figuring they would pull the same stunt.
As daylight approached I heard a lone gobbler a couple hundred yards in the timber behind me. I sat and expected to hear more but he was the only vocal turkey in the area. At that point I decided I was going to get aggressive so I headed into the timber and set up about 100 yards from his roost. At fly down he headed the opposite direction so I sat for a while and thought about my next move.
The wind had picked up and I couldn't hear much (not that they would gobble back anyway) so I decided to pack it up and head for home to go fishing. On my way home I spotted two toms and a couple hens standing in a freshly planted corn field. I drove past them a couple hundred yards and parked, grabbed the fan and headed down the creek to circle around them.
I did a decent job of staying quiet going through the timbered creek but once I got to the field edge there was about 10 yards of chest high shattercane between the turkeys and I. I knew getting through it was going to be loud so at that point I decided to just put the fan in front of my face and walk through it standing straight up. To my amazement it worked and once at the field edge I got down and started to crawl.
The hens must of known something wasn't right because they headed for cover at a fast pace but the toms just stayed in strut at 80yards. I slowly crawled on my knees and hands gaining ground with every push foward. I eventually made it to 30 yards and decided I was close enough, so I layed flat and readied the gun. I had a hell of a time trying to get the tom in the scope and hold the fan but I got it figured out and made the shot. Looks to me like the typical two year old. 9-10" bird and 1" spurs. Congrats to those who have tagged and good luck to those still trying. Thanks to all who share.
