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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 9, 2006 4:02:22 GMT -5
Well, see what time it is? Yep, that means life sucks right about now. Man am I ever tired. Gotta run out to the farm before daylight to start getting a good idea where the big ones are roosting.
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 9, 2006 17:38:00 GMT -5
Well, I got everything out of this morning as planned! Started getting light quick and I was bookin down the road. I can make it to my spot if I really push the limit (speed that is) in about 35 minutes. On my way there it was light enough to start seeing tree limbs... and wouldn't you know it... I saw a tom roosted in a tree right beside the main road I was traveling on. I couldn't believe it... he was only about 10 yds from the side of the road in a very open spot. So I stopped right there in the middle of the road to try to get a pic but there wasn't enough light for the camera. He had a nice rope on him but was nowhere near my huntin spot. It was cool though. Anyways, I hit up the spot about 6:00 and pulled off to the side of the road in my regular listening spot....  I turned the truck off and waited only about 20 seconds before the woods were lit up with tree yelps and booming gobbles from SEVERAL gobblers! (I've got vid and am waiting for the approval for it to be hosted and will add to this post later) They sounded relatively close and before then I had only a good idea where they may be roosting (based on years past) but had no hard evidence that this was the case right now... but it was in fact confirmed when I looked out the window and saw a few little dots in the trees about 300 yds from the truck in the hardwoods. So of course I thought they were birds and I brought up the binos to confirm... sure enough!! About 5 birds all in the same vacinity of each other. I know two were gobblers but couldn't confirm if they were toms or jakes. The woods went crazy this morning! I've never heard so much hen racket in the woods before! The boys were goin just the same. I sat there and watched for a long time through the binos patiently waiting for them to pitch down so that I could see what side of the woods they favored off roost. They stayed on roost for quite some time this morning... I believe it may had to do with the fact that they may have been able to see me from their perch. First flydown cackle was about 6:45... the last bird to fly down was at about 7:15... and they favored the side of the woods that I figured they wood. The pieces were starting to fit. At about 7:15 I decided to run to a couple of other spots close by that I can hunt to check to see if there were birds out... but there wasn't. Got back to my original spot of the morning and the birds had made their way to the same field that they have been frequenting the last 2-3 weeks. This time I made sure to be there before they started coming out so that I could see what part they were entering in. And I did... pinpointed them because I know exactly what trail they would have used coming into the one corner that they did. There were about the same amount of birds in this group....  but the thing is... is that for the last several days there has been 2 or 3 more smaller flocks that have joined up with the larger flock but they didn't this morning. Only 5 toms in this flock this morning instead of the 11 I've been seeing... they must be breaking up now. I heard other distant gobbles to the east end of the ridge but it was hard to identify and locate exactly where it came from. Thirdleg (because his beard looks like an extra leg it's so damn long!), Ropebrush (Long as a rope thick as a paint brush) and a new tom I dubbed "Hightower" because of his high fan and how far up and above his head they are (all of his mid tail feathers are a little bit higher than his others... definitely not a jake and is swinging a VERY respectible rope) all were there along with other average toms.... Thirdleg: Hightower:(Pic is blurry, but he's directly in the middle and you'll see how high up his fan goes if you can spot him!)  Ropebrush: And another good tom:  After the activities of the morning I made a swing around the backside of town and found a juicy plot of land that got me droolin! Saw two toms struttin WAY out in the furthest field. I stopped in to ask the landowner permission to hunt but his wife was there and he wasn't. Left my phone number (yeah, like that's gonna work) and we'll see where that goes... but if I do in fact obtain permission it sure will be some sweet property to hunt that's for sure! Great morning... the pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together as we approach the opener. I've got a feeling things are gonna do one of two things here... either the habbits are gonna change and do so at the drop of a hat or they're gonna stay very similiar to their pattern they're currently in. Time will tell.... to be continued.  |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 11, 2006 19:24:59 GMT -5
Just got permission to hunt some PRIME land for the turks! I hit the pavement hard today and knocked on a lot of doors and I got permission from one of the landowners that I spoke with. He's a really nice guy with a great sense of humor and I saw so many birds there just in my visit and ride back there tonight! I'm looking forward to hitting it up a time or two this year. I try to get permission on at least one new spot every year so I did the deed this year!
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 14, 2006 19:23:50 GMT -5
Some video of birds gobbling last Sunday the 9th two posts up:  |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 16, 2006 3:54:47 GMT -5
Yep, that time of mornin again... only means one thing... I'm goin out scoutin. And it always sucks. This time I've got heartburn (had Sicilian pizza last night). GG is going out with me this morning too. Hopefully the birds will be vocal this morning. We shall see.
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 16, 2006 18:40:07 GMT -5
Well, this morning was quite a good one. Didn't see any where near as many toms as I have been but they're there... I heard 'em this morning on roost. They just are keepin in the woods now and have dispersed quite a bit over the last week. 4 toms showed up and were definitely showing different patterns which is good... I was hoping it wouldn't be a crap shoot come opening day due to the rather large size of the flock and how anything goes with these birds. Anyways, here's some pics of the mornings event from 5:30 am to about 9:30... Sunrise in the sideview mirror:  Nice tom (pencil beard but what a HEAVYWEIGHT!):   A real nice bushy bearded tom... hard to see but real good bird!:  Some Misc. Wildlife:   Hope you enjoyed!  |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 22, 2006 10:34:55 GMT -5
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 23, 2006 3:54:13 GMT -5
Ok, I think I'm crosseyed now. At least the screen looks that way to me right now. Got up about 4 and it's about ten til 5 right now. GG and I are going out again to do some final scouting (next weekend will be the last scouting opp). It rained ALL DAY yesterday and has been this morning as well. Hopefully it will clear up some and not affect their pattern as much today for better scouting. We'll see.
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 23, 2006 15:58:14 GMT -5
Well, went out scouting once again this morning. The final countdown has begun! One week left! Well, the weather was real nasty this morning... a bit colder and WET! It has been raining constant since yesterday early morning. That didn't stop the birds, as usual they flock to the fields when it's raining and we were there to watch. Man, were those gobbers hammerin this morning! When they were out in the field they were chasing off the jakes pretty hardcore and I got some of the action on video ...the last tail end of the vid you can hear their fighting purrs as they chased the younger birds off... sound came out pretty good  . :  |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 23, 2006 15:58:58 GMT -5
Goin out tomorrow to get some footwork done in the woods. Maybe set up a blind or two and check the area fully.
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 25, 2006 10:48:10 GMT -5
Well, the birds weren't out in the fields this morning... for the most part that is. Did end up seeing two nice toms existing the upper alfalfa field into the woods in the SW corner. But they were gobbling hard down in the woods about 75-100 yds in from the corner of the Pistol Field that we saw them in last Sunday! Got permission to hunt on another 220 acre farm this morning! Russel was the farmer and is a great guy. Was hesitant at first but then gave me the ok, one condition though... can't hunt there until after the first week of the season. He's already got "one" guy that is hunting out there and I guess he gets first dibbs... which is fine. Said that he'd be driving a grey/silverish shortbed dodge truck w/ a cap on it. Here's the property aerial w/boundries:  |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 29, 2006 3:48:18 GMT -5
I've been doing all my scouting from afar and it was time to get in there and start doing some deductive reasoning behind their patterns they've shown me thus far. As it stands, I've been hearing them gobble on roost about 75 yds inside the woodline about half way up a ridge on the North slope. I've then witnessed them making their way down in to the field below and/or traveling west to an alfalfa field thats a bit higher up and about 250 yds from their roosting sites. Now since sometimes they pitch down and travel to the alfalfa field, they do so in the cover of the woods. I can't see them and therefor do not know their travel route, or at least the preferred route. So it's just been eating away at me and I just had to get in there and look around for the signs that would reveal their "inner woods" pattern. So I started around the edges of the field I've been seeing them go to every now and then and also it's right in the area of where they roost. I saw some sign on the perimiter but I already knew that they go there. So I decided to make a journey up the ridge to find their roosting trees... and, well, I went there for a reason and you didn't think I wouldn't find it did you? Lol...  Notice the turkey dropping in the upper left corner of the pic. There were lots of this sign all around. Feathers and droppings spread throughout. Bingo! Ok, now I had to find a location in which I felt they would pitch down to. After traveling down a path of least resistance, I started traveling toward the alfalfa field. Trying to think like a turkey (which ain't hard since they have a brain the size of a walnut... what a coincidence... my fiance says I do too!  ). So I'm just searching trying to find a route they would take. It aint easy in the big woods to do that so I just started sweeping the area and looking for probable routes. And, like a hound, I found the hot track:    There's a longbeard in those tracks! Then, as I approached the field I got to a spot that just begged for a pic to be taken:  Ok, so I've got a bit of a better idea on what's goin on "in" the woods. Now I had to go back and set up a natural blind down in the original field I started in. Cleared out a bunch of shooting lanes and built it from what I cleared... pine branches! Then I cleared a direct path to it so that I wouldn't make noise coming to it in the morning and also cleared out a nice little spot void of leaves and twigs and such for a more quite, comfortable sit opening morning. Here's what I came up with:  And the inside I cleared out:  I sat in it to test it out and get a good idea on where my shooting lanes where and while I sat there loving the view I heard a gobbler sound off within about 150 yds from me! I had no choice but to sit there and hope he walked off. It was time to get out of there! Well, that's about it for me. Only 4 more days and a wake up before I'm out there with the real deal gun in my hand ready to blast a big boy! From here on out I'll be going there just to watch 'em roost and then in the mornings to be sure they're staying in the same vacinity. It's go time! |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 29, 2006 3:48:40 GMT -5
Test Run #1... Rolled out of bed at 4:14 a.m. Probably will have to be up earlier. Sunrise is at 5:54 which means first light is at 5:24 which means I have to be outta here by 4:55 this morning to make it there before the birds wake up which means on Monday sunrise will be at 5:52 which means (depending on where I meet up with Biggie) first light is at 5:22 which means I have to leave here by 4:15 to get to the spot and be all set up with some time to spare before first light. Which means I'll have to set the alarm for 3:00... ugh. Goin out in a few minutes. |
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 29, 2006 9:10:12 GMT -5
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Post by THE GOB-FATHER on Apr 29, 2006 9:10:58 GMT -5
Here's some video that I took of 'em struttin: 
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R&S 
OWNER/PRESIDENT
):
). So I'm just searching trying to find a route they would take. It aint easy in the big woods to do that so I just started sweeping the area and looking for probable routes. And, like a hound, I found the hot track:
