Making a game plan for the morning, big bird roosted behind my buddy's house and his hens are on the other side of his property, they meet up in his front field. I'm hunting the tom out back, and he wants the bearded hen. Should be an interesting morning!
My season starts today, won't be able to make it out until Saturday (working). Finishing up getting some things figured out and practicing my calls.
Well my buddy got his bearded hen, he's pretty excited. Old bird that had been on his property since he bought it 4 years ago. The Tom hung up on the neighbors where it evidentially roosted. We got permission and went over, got eyes on him and while trying to get to a position to call got busted by another (bigger) bearded hen and another hen with her. On my way from there I saw 2 strutter and 4 hens in a posted field, the closest hen running in my direction was also bearded. I've seen 2 in my life one of which was in Missouri while bow hunting and then 3 this morning... Crazy!
Of course, yesterday evening when I got home from work there were 3 Toms in the food plot. Can't seem to get them to cooperate early in the morning. This is our last weekend coming up. Going to have to try something different.
Well I'm as ready as I'll ever be. It'll be the first time I head into the woods with the intention to kill a turkey. Not sure what calls I'll use. But I'm gonna bring em all and make a judgement call.
I need our season to be longer than 1pm. Most evening when I come home there are 3 Toms in the food plot.
I agree Anthony. Definitely doesn't effect the amount of birds in KS. You can only kill one a day also.
I can't believe that!!! There's more than enough turkeys around for more than one bird and longer hunting hours!!!
Went first time this morning. Didn't know what to expect. Had a turkey come out of nowhere. So it for about five seconds then it disappeared in the brush. Also saw four deer.
It didn't turn out like I hoped it would. The morning was fairly uneventful. Heard a couple of gobbles way off to the east of me. About 8 I decided to take a walk to see if the one that gobbled 2 times pretty close to me was in Tornado Alley, food plot that the Tornado went through last year. Sure enough, there was a Tom there. He also had a hen with him. I slipped from on multi-flora rose bush to another but ran out of options and wasn't able to get close enough to squeeze off a shot. Mid-day. Finished mowing the drive and around the pond. It is now noon. The wife and boys are home from church. We're all going to go inside and eat lunch but I thought I'd go out in the drive to listen if I could hear a lonely gobbler call. Sure enough, no more closed the outside garage door and he gobbled. Made a mad dash for the camo coat, bow, diaphragm call, and my release. I was headed to the blind. It is tough to run-n-gun with a bow. Just before I stepped in to the timber I called. Sure enough, they, yes I said they, answered. There are 2 of them. These are the 2 that rule the roost around here. I make it to the blind and call again. "I'm down here boys", I'm thinking. It is no time and they are both right where I first gobbled before I stepped in the timber. We play cat-n-mouse for what seems like forever. My wife calls, they are both strutting and gobbling straight south me on the edge of the timber/food plot. I'm down in the bottoms about 80 yds from them. They finally get tired of me not answering their beck and call and head east on a trail that was built in the timber by the previous owner and gobbling the whole way. This trail is in the timber approx. 20 yds. They get to an opening, I'm assuming, and stop to continue gobbling. It is really wooly at our place with numerous gooseberry and multi-flora rose patches. I give up this waiting game and get out of the blind. Here goes the run-n-gun nightmare with a bow. It is MUCH easier with a gun. It's pretty darn hard to shoot from your belly with a compound bow. Anyway, here we go. I get moving up the hill from wooly spot to wooly spot. I finally make it within 30 yds of the opening where my wife was watching them strut. I called a few times on the way up the hill and they answered. I called one last time once I made my ambush point. It was quiet with light rain falling when after a few minutes I swore I could hear the spit and drum of a Tom. My worst fear of being out of the blind in blue jeans and a camo coat is the silent one that sneaks up to see what all the noise is. Sure enough, I look down the hill, coming around the corner in the trail and up the hill are the 2 Toms that have been answering. I'm about 30 yds from them when they come in to view. I'm hunkered down as low as I can get behind the gooseberry bushes. I have the bow laid flat with my hand on the release just waiting for them to walk past so I can draw. I'm peeking between the riser and my quiver with my hat pulled down. The lead Tom comes by me at about 15' when he steps in this little gap btw a 4" tree and one of the gooseberry bushes. He looks me right in the eye, then his head disappears back down the hill. I peek through the gooseberry bushes. Gigs up. They start to putt not knowing what is wrong but something is definitely wrong to them. They start walking, heads up, down the hill. I can tell since their heads are up they weren't sure what they had seen but it wasn't right. I start to draw behind the gooseberry and stand up. They are at 15' yds now moving away. I come to full draw on the one to the right. Now it is serious, they are running, I need a shotgun, oh well. They win. Really event end to a short season. Sorry guys. I didn't score for us.
