Hhmmm.just watched 8 jake walk across tbe middle of a, 1/4 mile, plowed field then hay then plowed. They didn't even flinch at calls. Where did they go without stopping once? Right to the ground blind on land where the tom was shot yesterday. They stopped there and seem to be " milling around". Note to self ,check crop if I bag one. Mob of jakes I feel bad for the mature toms in the area. I've seen some nasty attacks over the years from just a few. Movements are about to change. All corn fields are getting drenched in liquid gold..I pray the winds remain N/W . Oh geezs he's actual spraying it not chiseling it. Well that could possible bring them in , though he has several fields. Only one boarders us.
Went turkey hunting for the first time Saturday. We came really close to getting a turkey. Easton and I hunted with a friend from church on their family farm. Around 8:30, we were moving from one calling set up to a new field. Easton was in the lead and took one step out the woods into a field and immediately stepped back, 70 yards away were two gobblers strutting. Since my gun could shoot further, I snuck through the woods to try and get close enough for a shot while Easton and my buddy stayed put in case I spooked the turkeys back towards them. Unfortunately, before I could get into position the turkeys wandered back into the woods where it was too thick to see them. Around 9am we heard a gobbling about 500 yards in another field. We got to the edge of the other field and saw four turkeys across the field about 200 yards away. We tried calling and watched two of the gobblers get worked up and start fighting, but nothing ever got interested enough to come in to the calling. We ended up seeing 7 turkeys total, five gobblers and two hens. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
So that was exciting and SCARY! I get to blind and fog and rain roll in. Just at pre dawn I do a lite call to have a hen let loose on me. I look out the window and up. She is sitting 40 ft up and 10 yards away. We talk a bit then I hear strange noise around the blind. Next thing I know the entire gypsy blind is rocking and something very heavy is on my roof. I have zero idea what, but thinking a bear then cat(bob) or fisher. The hen flew silently off down hill. Then the toms light up. Hens and I talking but she's between me and tom. Then another hen flies down. I have a tom getting closer but won't cross gully. What ever was on the roof left via tree never saw it.
So pic is all I got of the tom the hen and I were talking to. Less than 20 yard shot! As I typed last post I was calling but hen wasn't. Then I hear him thunder 70 yrds out in the thick stuff. I got binos to barely see a mature huge fan in the beech saplings. Then the hen popped out and was running to me. Well Mr Tom broke strutt and turned into the road runner. Igot my gun up and ready but he was moving so fast I couldn't get a Bead on him and she had changed course for the field. I saw his direction and found a spot he'd go through. He did and even paused a second to look across a log boom! He immediately went to flight and I had to change windows to get a follow up. He was gone by then . Straight to open field. I went out and glassed the fields, then came back to look for hit signs . The pic is all I found no blood. Dang he was at least a 10" er. I hope he just broke feathers going into a woods flight. Believe I shot clean over his head. I saw zero damage to log he was behind or the log he had just past. Wow exciting morning! Oh just had a deer trace my path out to field.
Fun! I have to say it seriuosly put a fright in me when the blind was rocking and that thing was walking around right over my head. The roof is only 2 bent rebar mesh panels with landscape fabric and a camo tarp. Arches are strong and supported, but thats a heavy wood blind to have been moving so much. I was on a swivel trying to cover all windows in case it tried dropping through one. Disappointed on miss. At least he flew out into an area that if he dropped he'd be clearly seen. It was a long flight to get out of that field. I've never had a hen break and run from a tom, nor seen a tom, not in fear, run like he did through the brush. He certainly is a pretty bird though. I'll give the area a rest then try again. He came in from below and the other tom/jake? was to my north on the ridge. Only two hens were roosted around me, that I saw. Rain and colder temps coming in the next few days.
Ps I have not used one commercial call yet, just my vocals. That has been great on bringing in the hens and keeping them in the area. This years hens have really let me hone in on new vocals and improve the old They do a lot more what I call cordaling . Not sure if thats an actual word but descibes the under tones I hear and mimic.
Well after being jarred awake by many howling coyotes out back last night , turkey get a break today. They usually aren't packed up like that this time of year here. They should be bred and actually feeding pups. The pups should still be relatively small and still in dens. That explains, besides neighbor releasing his dog on them, the roost shift
So in the garden is nearly live from the stand . As I finished planting onions I was headed out to check the farmer. He's working the field the tom flew into. As that plan took root I hear gobble, gobble gobble right from the area I'd shot. I'll see the field tomorrow at dawn from the blind.
