|
Post by Dan The Man on Mar 26, 2009 20:52:28 GMT -5
A cold rain has been hanging around for three days and nobody is hearing anything. Ive seen birds out in the fields, and I just hope they stay where I heard them last week.Ive pretty much decided where I will be opening day, back to the two power lines. I heard 7 gobblers in there last week, but they werent really tearing it up. One good thing though is that several of the toms were way back up where we park. We'll have to walk a little further so as not to bump them off the roost.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Mar 29, 2009 8:14:15 GMT -5
Rain for 4 straight days. The youth got to hunt yesterday, and from what I heard four youth hunters were succesful. It was not raining at daybreak, and it didnt start until about 10:30. I attended a banquet for my daughter at her college, and couldnt take anyone. It is clear this morning, windy, and the forcast for the coming week is cloudy and possible thunder strorms. Rain or shine, it's on wednesday. Let the game begin!
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 2, 2009 16:00:45 GMT -5
I'd like to report a kill, but Ive been skunked for two straight days. Ive been covered by jakes, and I really dont want to take a jake this early. It has rained for the last two days, but the birds are not vocal where I am hunting. My other buds are reporting that they have birds gobbling up to 11am, and a couple of my buds have taken toms in the late afternoon. I'll still hit it hard despite a new set of Rocky boots that gave me a giant blister. Check out the weather radar for the entire south and you can see what we are going through. Winds tomorrow up to 30 mph.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 5, 2009 20:07:24 GMT -5
I did not go out this morning, made it to church and did some yard work. At 5pm I went down to a friends place on the river and wanted to see if I could get a tom to answer. I made it down to the river, saw some fresh goobler tracks in the first food plot. I called and got no answer. I made way through the food plot,approaching a second larger foodplot cautiously. Large pines surronded both food plots, and as I peaked around the corner into the second food plot, I saw a gobbler fully erect, and I thought I was busted. I was leaning out slightly watching him when a hen walked up beside him. I called once more, and 3 gobblers and about 3 hens joined the group. They were about 120 yds from me, and the hens were not going to share with another hen. They started heading to the left up a gravel road where some would roost. I ran through the woods, up the hill to get in front. I got to the top of the hill and sat down where I could see about 80 yds down the hill. About 1 minute later I hear a putt to my right, and there is a hen at 20 yds that had come up the steep hill instead of coming up a gradual hill. She turned and went back the way she came. I decided that the other turkeys would be there also, I got up walked about 10 yds to take a look. I couldnt see much, but I caught movement at the bottom of the hill. A jake ran out in the road at 65 yds, and continued across the road quickly. I eased down the road and I could see another tom getting ready to do the same as the other bird. I raised my run and a jake ran out, crossing the road. The rest of the birds must have continued along the river bank. I'll try the birds again in a couple of days.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 6, 2009 14:44:24 GMT -5
My buddy kenny went again this morning with me. We went back to were I took my tom from last week. There were four more birds, and we felt like they would be ready for action. We arrived at our listening place at 6:15, and by 7 we had not heard a thing. There was a breeze and a slight drizzle. We walked a little into the woods, trying to locate anything. Nothing. We left and went to another place closer to home. The wind had picked up, 20 25mph, but we did get a gobbler to answer me. He was across a small creek from us, on an oak ridge, uphill. I put Kenny out in front, and the bird gobbled about 5 times. He shut up and kenny crossed the creek and went about halfway up the hill. The bird never gobbled again, and we saw how much the flock had scratched up the oak ridge. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb. We will be back to this spot.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 8, 2009 14:03:13 GMT -5
I went with my hunting buddy back to a place we had a couple of close enconters last week. It was 34 degrees, the wind was calm. We arrived early and stood on the power line to listen. One hour later we hadnt heard a thing. We sat close to a pasture in a large pine plantation. We heard a bird gobble about 8am, and my hunting partner moved forward about 75 yds. The bird gobbled again, and we thought he was coming. Wrong! He gobbled again 10 minutes later, and he had moved 200 yds to our right. We tried to move and get in front of him, no good. Game over.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 12, 2009 10:08:55 GMT -5
I was invited to go to Camden SC to hunt on a large piece of private property. 4,000 acres alot of chufa plots and hopefully willing turkeys. Yhe owner is 89 years old and retired and very well off. He took my buddy and me to a field at daybreak and told us to hunt in a ground blind on the left. As we exited the truck a bird is already gobbling. We hustle to the blind and I set up B_mobile and a hen decoy. We settled in and the tom gobbled loudly and often in the left corner of the field, about 125 yds from us. We heard another bird with him but he only gobbled a few times. After the bird hit the ground he closed the distance to about 75 yds, and I was hoping he would continue walking toward us on a logging road that led into the field. He did not! He turned around without looking into the field and gobbled a few times as he was walking away. After 15 minutes I told my bud we had to give chase. We jumped up and saw his foorprint in the sandy soil going away from the field. We chased for three hours, hearing nothing. We called for the owner of the property that afternoon and four hens came into the foodplot. No toms, we went home at 7pm. The next day we hunted another chufa patch, saw a few hens, heard two gobbles, but nothing came into the plot. we walked alot and came away empty handed. We made new friends and were told to come back later in the month. I was called by another friend friday night to come down to his property to hunt with him. He had gone to battle a couple of times in the past few days with some of his toms with sucess.We went to his power line at daybreak saturday morning,and we were a few minutes late. I made a few clucks and we heard nothing. Were standing on the edge of the tree line and 2 minutes later a tom gobbled on the edge of the trees directly across from us. He was still in the tree and very close. I dont know how he didnt see us. I told my bud to sit down quickly. I moved to his left about 25 yds, sat down , gun in my lap. I noticed out the corner of my eye a turkey gliding toward us. The bird noticed my friend, still trying to get situated. The turkey banked left, and hit the ground at 40 yds.putted, and started running to our right. I saw it was a tom, 9" beard, and I raised my gun, took a quick shot, and MISSED! My bud is still standing up with his back to the power line. He looked at me and thought my gun had gone off by accident. "Did you mean to do that?" he said. I told him that the bird had pitched out so fast that he missed the whole thing. I cannot explain how fast all of this took place. If my bud had quickly sat down, like me, the bird would have landed in front of him at 25yds. We heard another bird gobble about 15 minutes later, gave chase, and again came home with nothing. Close encounters. Easter sunday tomorrow, and then back to work next week. OUCH!
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 14, 2009 6:49:37 GMT -5
The weather has been awful lately, tornadoes in the middle part of the state destroyed alot of families. It has been cool with rain the last couple of days. I will go tomorrow morning before work and see if I can get one quickly.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 15, 2009 19:13:21 GMT -5
I went this morning, hoping I could get a bird to come quickly before I went to work. I went to a power line that I took a bird last year. I heard one to my left, but another one to my right was alot closer. I crossed the power line, hoping he would not see me. He gobbled about 6 times, and I eased into the tree line. I sat down, and clucked. He gobbled at 55 yards straight in front of me uphill. It was 6:40 and he pitched out of the tree away from me to my left. I yelped, and he gobbled hard. He was heading toward a pasture, and I couldnt get in front of me. I have two weeks left, so I went on to work. Round 2 coming up.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 20, 2009 11:28:17 GMT -5
I was invited by a friend of mine to go to his hunt club saturday. He had just joined the land, but had hunted it several times as a guest. We hunted a little friday afternoon, and spooked a tom in a food plot as it was getting dark. The next morning we went to a different area, and heard a couple of birds at daybreak. we closed the distance, it was getting lighter, and we noticed a couple of food plots close to where a couple of the toms were gobbling. There were turkey tracks all in the road leading to these clover fields. He went to the lower one and I stayed in the upper. after 15 -20 minutes, two gobblers came to the top of the hill that we had been standing and gobbled hard three times. Im hoping they conitnue down the hill to me,but they did not. After waiting about 15 minutes, I eased up the logging road, calling just a little. I heard and saw nothing. my bud stayed in his location. I backtracked, and found another small foodplot, and it also had a ton of turkey tracks in it. This area had been clearcut three years ago, and pines had been planted. I made a call down toward the bottom of large hardwoods, and got a loud response. It sounded like two tome, and I called again. They came right back with gobbles. It is about 7:45 and I didnt think they would come up through some of the thick stuff between us, so I decided to go to them. They were gobbling on their own, and in that bottom it was the loudest goobling Ive ever heard a turkey do. I eased around and finally got in the bottom with them, about 100 yards to the left. I called, and they answered. There was a small rise in the terrain to my right about 6ft, so I decided to back up about 25 yds to a nice oak tree. I got situated and made a cluck. The birds answered at about 50 yds, directly in front of me. My gun is up in the direction I think they'll come to. Im scanning the top of the hill for any movement. I see movement to my left, and its a deer. It leaves quickly, and as my eyes come back to the front, I see a tom's head peeking over the hill. My shoulder is aching from holding the gun in this position. Another gobbler head pokes up at 35 yds. They slowing climb the hill, and now I can see 2/3 of the birds. Both are mature birds, nice 10" beards, and the second bird is the strutter. I try to move the gun up slightly, hoping they wouldnt putt. They are getting a little nervous, my gun comes up, my shoulder and arms are shaking from holding this position. I aim and shoot. The strutter stubles, and then runs away to my left. The other bird I cannot see. Im mad as H*ll at myself for missing, I jump up, looking in the direction that the strutter ran. I see nothing. To my right comes the sound we hate. PUTT! The other bird was just standing there, he sees me, and takes off. Real good beard on that bird. It was thick in that bottom, but I called them to 30 yds and missed! No damn excuse. Im thinking about getting my golf clubs out!
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 23, 2009 12:46:43 GMT -5
The last two days I have walked with a couple of friends of mine and we heard 2gobbles in two days. Miserable. A young man that I have been taking hunting for about 3 years wanted to go before school this morning, and I took him to a spot where a tom pitched out of the tree just out of gun range earlier in the week. We got there in the dark, and if the bird was going to pitch out the same way, I had the youngster sitting about 20 yards from where he landed two days earlier. I told him where to sit, and I turned around to go find a tree and wait. I took about 10 steps and the tom fires off across the creek and up the hill about 200 yds. We crossed the creek and eased up the hill. I heard another bird farther to our right about 400yds. We set up but it is very thick in there and the bird had the higher position. He answered me and gobbled on and off for about 10 minutes. I knew that we had to move. I led us to our right up the hill till we found a place that was a little open. We were still downhill but not much. I called, and the bird gobbled at 70yds and was coming. The young man was to my left, and the bird was in front of us about 50yds on top of a ridge. A crow came over, and the tom gobbled. He was directly in front of me, but just out of sight. I scratched the leaves, and searched the ridge for his movement. A couple of minutes later he gobbled to our left. I clucked and hoped he would come in. I kept my eyes in front of me looking for any movement. Bang! The young man had fired, I heard a putt putt, he stood up and I asked him, "Did you get him?" I quickly saw that he had missed, the tom was trying to get airborne through the trees, he took another shot and the tom flew away. I asked him to show me where the bird was when he shot, and it was about 42yds. There was a little bit of stuff in the way, but he still should have taken him. He said the bird came in strutting and when he stopped, came out of strut, stretched his neck to look for the hen. The young man felt the bird had detected him when he put his head up, and then took the shot. Aggravating for both of us, and another one got away.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 26, 2009 18:09:58 GMT -5
Saturday I went to one of my favorite places. It has been clearcut and has gotten thick in places. As Im walking to a high point I heard a gobbler to my left on the property line. I eased over to the tree line and heard two birds roosting together. I sat down and heard another bird closer to my right. It was very light now and knew I couldnt move much. I decided to go toward the lone bird to my right. He gobbled to my yelp, and I moved slightly uphill toward him. I felt I needed to get on the top of the ridge , which wasnt very steep. It was about 50 yds to where I wanted to sit, and the leaves are totally out on the trees. The tom pitched out of the tree before I got where I wanted, busted. Should have sat down earlier. I turned my attention to the two other birds. There is a power line on the other side of this strip of trees, and they were heading that way. I set up on a ridge about 100 yds from them, and they gobbled to everything I said. There is a house on the other side of them, and I could hear voices, and finally I hear some one calling to them. I eased out to my left back toward the clearcut, and decided to let this hunter take a try at them. I made a big circle, calling every now and then. I heard nothing, headed back toward the clearcut and where Im parked. As I get back to my original starting place I heard the two toms still gobbling at the edge of the clearcut. I eased backed over and heard the other guy still calling. He called, and I called. The birds were wearing it out. He called nonstop. He would have killed one of these birds alot earlier if he knew when to shutup. The toms came to my left, and entered the clearcut once, but I couldnt see them. The next time they gobbled they were back in the woods, and moving between me and the other hunter. They continued gobbling out of hearing. I left and decided to return the next morning.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Apr 26, 2009 18:26:04 GMT -5
I went back to the place I had heard the 3 toms the morning before, and I heard 2 this time. I got close to the power line and heard one to my left and another across the power line down toward a field. I decided to go to the second one, and as I got closer, the crows had found him and he was gobbling every 5-6 seconds. I crossed a creek and sat down across the field from the gobbling tom. He gobbled three times by the time I got situated. I was about 125 yds from him, and made a soft yelp.Nothing. I called about every 15 minutes and heard nothing. To my right and behind me is very thick and Im hoping the tom crosses the field to me. Alot of time goes by, and the crows return downstream about 75 yds and I was hoping a tom would gobble, but didnt. I told myself that the tom could be coming around, but I could see nothing in that direction. The crows left after 10 minutes, and I made a couple of clucks.Nothing. I was determined to stay put and wait him out. I didnt call anymore, and listened. Thirty minutes go by and I hear PUTT! PUTT!. I clucked to try and calm whatever had detected me. I felt that the tom HAD come around, the crows HAD given him away, but I couldnt move and I couldnt see him. He had to have crossed the creek downstream and walked down the creek to investigate the calling. I didnt move for 30 minutes, and slipped out, noticing all the gobbler tracks down in the creek with me. I will be back tomorrow. 5 days left of the 2009 season.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on May 21, 2009 21:14:44 GMT -5
I have had three weeks to reflect on my 09 turkey season. It's very easy to be a monday morning quarterback, but there were some good and some bad decisions made. I have to look at my last 5 seconds of each hunt, and determine what went right and what went wrong. I made several good decisions on where to set up, how much or little to call, and the direction that the tom or toms would appear. One problem I have to be honest with myself is "I'm getting older". I turned 55, and realize that muscle tone changes, and you cannot do certain things that you took for granted. I got winded very easily the first part of the season, but got better starting the second week. I guess i need to start walking around the block in febuary. I am more patient than I use to be, but find myself every now and then making a move that is probably going to get me busted. But, that's turkey hunting, and part of the game. I'm probably about 50% on these type of moves. And you have to learn from your mistakes to put the percentage in your favor. Ive made moves on toms that I couldnt believe I made. The tom would figure out that he had been tricked, but it was too late. Ive crawled through all kinds of stuff, slapped snakes out of the way, been torn up by briars, fell in creeks,but wouldnt have it any other way. The thing that bothers me the most is my shooting. In my younger years I would get so excited, but everyone does to some extent. As I get older Ive not been able to hold the gun where I know the bird is coming from for an extended period of time. I have had birds come in right where my gun was pointed, but after 15 minutes my arms and shoulders got tired and I lowered the gun just slightly. That was all that it took to screw up several hunts the last two years. I have to get some of my buds to help me get past this problem. I guess its like a golfer the gets the yipps when he is putting(been there too). I have missed four toms in the last two years, in the range of 35-40 yds. Unacceptable for my standards. Two of the birds were knocked down, rolled, got up running and Im sitting there" NOT AGAIN!" I'll go to the drawing board in January next year, start from scratch, and overcome this problem. I'll pattern three shotguns with different shot, and I promise that I will fix this. I may have to buy one of those tripods for the shotgun, and I will start lifting weights a little to build the muscle tone . we cant go back, but we can sure learn from our mistakes and move forward.
|
|
|
Post by Dan The Man on Nov 8, 2009 21:24:53 GMT -5
Ive havent deer hunted much in the last few years, been following my daughter as she is a cheerleader, now in college, saturdays booked up. I was able to get one of the people I deliver to to let me deer hunt his 65 acers. He hunted deer there, but has gotten into classic cars and racing. he told me to have at it. He showed me where he had a few stands, and gave me some advice where to look for deer. There is a pond in the middle of the land, and deer tracks everywhere. There are white oak trees everywhere, and the acorns are plentiful.I hunted several times during bow season, seeing small bucks and a few does. Two weeks ago I hunted the outside portion of the property where a clearcut connects. The timber has been cut for several years, and its perfect for deer. I climbed a tree about 3:30 on a sunday afternoon, and had a spike off my right soldier about 30 minutes into my hunt. He winded me and left quickly. 15 minutes later a see a good buck making his way through the clearcut toward me about 2 o'clock. He eased into the woods and stopped to smell where I had walked , and where I had put a scent pad with Tinks. I have the scope on him, His rack is barely past his ears, and I count 8 points, not thick however. I decide to take him. Im by myself, no 4 wheeler, so I decide to shoot him in the neck. I had sighted in my gun the day before, Im confident, and pull the trigger. I watch him rear up like a horse, he hits the ground running to my left. I waited 20 minutes, got down, marked where he was when I shot. I looked for over an hour, found 0 blood. It was getting late, and was really pissed. came back later with a buddy and his dog. couldnt find him. I went back this past friday Nov 5, and as Im walking in next to the pond, I can see about 5 deer tails bounding away from me. There are heading toward my ladder stand. Im pissed again. Another deer blows at me to my left at the corner of the pond. what else can go wrong. I doctor my scent wick, climb the ladder, and try to calm down. This is the stand where I had seen deer each time. Im sitting and I can hear deer moving. Ive been there 3 minutes, I look to my left, slightly down hill, I see movement, pull the gun up, It is a buck, quartering toward me,50 yds. I pull the trigger, and he bounds to my left, into a thicket. Im crossing my fingers that i made a good shot. I hear him thrashing through the thicket, he crashes, crashes again , and then silence. I waited 20 minutes, climbed down, went to where he entered the thicket. Im looking hard to find blood, and finally I find good blood. I mark it, find another bit about 10 yds later, look through some brush, and see him down. I approach him, he's finished, and I look at his nice rack. He his a very thick 8 pointer,good spread, past the ears barely. I start dragging him, and it was tough on this old man. I got him to the place where I shot him, and I had to sit down. My chest was pounding, and my heart was going wide open. I rested until eveything was back to normal. I knew I couldnt drag him back up the hill, so i walked back to the owners house where he was glad to take his golf cart and help me get him out. I'll try to post a pic as soon as I can.
|
|