This weekend I hunted a wildlife management area that is maybe 20 minutes from the house. I have been there just to drive around but had not hunted it except this past weekend. I know how to hunt swamp turkeys and this WMA is a whole lot of upland with some swampiness to it. So Saturday after my hunt, I drove the road I was on and found a much more open area of woods and swamp so I thought okay, I will try somewhere around here Sunday. I have seen hens running down that road before when I have driven through and Steve's often repeated comment of "where there are hens, there will be gobblers" told me that this area was as good a place as any to start.
Sunday I got up and headed on out a little earlier than I had Saturday. The original spot on Saturday I wanted to start at was already taken. Once I got out to "my" road, I randomly picked a wide spot in the road to pull out on that was about two miles south of where I was Saturday. I got there at 6:15. Legal shooting was about 7:00. Having no desire to let my imagination run amok in the heavily canopied woods and no desire to feed the masses of mosquitoes that were beating themselves senseless against the truck windows, I sat in the truck until 7 when the inky blackness of the woods was being driven away by the coming sunrise.
I got out and quietly got my stuff ready and then stood in front of the truck just listening. An owl sounded off and down the road a ways, much to my surprise and pleasure, I heard a shock gobble. So off I went. I walked about half a mile, stopping from time to time to listen. He would shock every now and then so I knew I hadn't yet passed him. I came to an intersection and paused to see if there was a truck parked nearby (there wasn't) when a hawk started screaming and my turkey gobbled.
I was A LOT closer than I thought I was! I went on down the road about thirty more yards, picked a tree off the edge of the road that hid me but that I could see down the road and then sat down to see what happened.
That gobbler gobbled probably 300 times at every hawk that sounded off. A few times to an owl but he gobbled at every hawk. Not once to any of my soft calling so I didn't continue with that. He had to be in a tree right off the road. He stayed up in that tree until probably 8:00 gobbling his head off. I sat on the side of the road thinking what a situation I am in. I drove down the road this morning wanting to hear a turkey so that I could find a turkey in a place that I have never hunted before. Now, I wouldn't mind if he was a bit quieter. I spent more time worrying about other hunters hearing him and trying to sneak up on him than I did wondering what I would do when the bird finally got off the tree. When he had enough of gobbling and drumming up in the tree, he flew deeper into the woods and I heard the hens that had been gathering around under him. They got into a squabble that let me know there were a good handful of the ladies. He gobbled when he hit the ground and I could hear his harem go running out after him.
I stood up and thought "Welllllll the worst I can do is screw it up." Off I went and I began making my way through the woods as quiet as I could. It sure wasn't easy given how thick it is but the gobbler gobbled a few times at some hawks so I knew I was still close. I got to where I could see a little tiny bit of the woods clearing up and I slowed down even more. It took me 40 minutes or so probably to go about 80 yards from the road and the last twenty yards of it was excruciating slow. But I had lots of palmettos between me and the gobbler, which I could then hear drumming. I hoped that my shield of palmettos would disguise my stalk.
I yelped furiously one time after a while during the stalk because I hadn't heard anything and he shocked at me. There were lots of hens with him that responded as well so I shut up after that and continued my creeping. I cringed every time I stepped on a stick that cracked under me that I hadn't seen under all the grass. I was sure that that crack was going to be what spooked the birds off. I would look at where I was and think how far do I need to go still to get "close enough?" I still wasn't there. So, on I crept.
I got to where I had two clear shooting lanes into what I could see of a little bit of the clearing and I thought well, I probably can't get closer without screwing something up because the drumming was coming in my general direction. They were narrow lanes but at least I had options.
I was standing up (not an ideal shooting position for me at all), near a tree but just in front of it so I couldn't lean on it for support and I was afraid to move backwards any. The drumming was getting stronger. This would be my chance if I have some patience! I just stood there watching my shooting lanes.
Then I saw it.
A hen was feeding her way into my shooting lane on the right. The lane I had hoped for. Then another hen followed her. I still couldn't see the gobbler but I could feel the drumming deep in my chest. He was getting closer.
Down low at their vantage point, the hens could likely see more of me than I could see of them standing up and by that point I am sure I was vibrating a little. There was a large palmetto leaf that blocked a large part of me. I know they saw me and looked at me but they weren't super concerned initially. They just would poke around and then I would see their heads pop up and look at me. They would stare at me a little bit, turning their heads this way and that but they went back to feeding.
I thought "oooooooh pleeeease don't get spooked 'til after the gobbler comes out."
His drumming was even louder, my eardrums were vibrating and I still couldn't see him. My heart was in overtime at that point and it was all I could do to slow my breathing and breathe quietly.
FINALLY I saw his red head! He, of course, was all puffed up for the ladies. He wasn't quite to my shooting lane though. And I was getting a really bad case of turkey fever. As if it hadn't been bad before. There were two small trees that he had to move to the right of first before I was clear to take my shot. Patience I had to tell myself. Breathe.
At that point the hens were watching me more intently, one of them lightly putting. I had moved my gun a little bit I think. When he dropped his head and continued his way to his ladies I moved the gun all the way into position and the hens putted a little more, but still not in great alarm. I think the shakes became obvious to the hens at that point because there were some vines behind me that I think were vibrating with me and the hens didn't like that. The gobbler kept coming and cleared the two little trees but I couldn't see his head until their putting became insistent and he stopped, stood straight up and looked at me. I had to lean forward some since he was just on the edge of that big palmetto and risk scaring the birds to get a good shot but there he was at 35 yards so I leaned forward and took the shot.
And the world exploded in turkeys. There had to be ten hens with him!
At first I thought NOOOOOOOOOOOO I missed because he jumped up a bit and seemed to fly to the left a bit. Though he didn't jump high or far, I couldn't see if he ran off or not. He was no longer visible in my clear shooting lane. I didn't hear the thrashing that is often accompanied with shooting a turkey. I had a great shot! I KNOW I DID!! How could I have screwed it up?!?!?!? I hurried as fast as I could over to where they had been, trying not to trip over downed limbs and the clawing blackberry vines, my heart was pounding in dread and then a huge rush of relief came over me as I found I had hit him hard enough that when he hit the ground from his jump, he didn't so much as twitch. He had landed just outside of what I could see of my shooting lane!
I stood there, feeling the shakes really come over me and grinning like a fool!
It was 8:45 in the morning, the heat hadn't ramped up to atrocious yet and I was thinking how it certainly is better to be lucky than good sometimes! I had to sit down for a bit and admire my trophy. He truly was a trophy. A very successful stalk through thick woods after getting lucky and parking in just the right spot. The sun and stars were all aligned for me and somehow, I managed to make it happen!
[strike][/strike]
There is still lots of turkey season left. Who knows what it will bring but the start of the season was outstanding!
Dani
Sunday I got up and headed on out a little earlier than I had Saturday. The original spot on Saturday I wanted to start at was already taken. Once I got out to "my" road, I randomly picked a wide spot in the road to pull out on that was about two miles south of where I was Saturday. I got there at 6:15. Legal shooting was about 7:00. Having no desire to let my imagination run amok in the heavily canopied woods and no desire to feed the masses of mosquitoes that were beating themselves senseless against the truck windows, I sat in the truck until 7 when the inky blackness of the woods was being driven away by the coming sunrise.
I got out and quietly got my stuff ready and then stood in front of the truck just listening. An owl sounded off and down the road a ways, much to my surprise and pleasure, I heard a shock gobble. So off I went. I walked about half a mile, stopping from time to time to listen. He would shock every now and then so I knew I hadn't yet passed him. I came to an intersection and paused to see if there was a truck parked nearby (there wasn't) when a hawk started screaming and my turkey gobbled.
I was A LOT closer than I thought I was! I went on down the road about thirty more yards, picked a tree off the edge of the road that hid me but that I could see down the road and then sat down to see what happened.
That gobbler gobbled probably 300 times at every hawk that sounded off. A few times to an owl but he gobbled at every hawk. Not once to any of my soft calling so I didn't continue with that. He had to be in a tree right off the road. He stayed up in that tree until probably 8:00 gobbling his head off. I sat on the side of the road thinking what a situation I am in. I drove down the road this morning wanting to hear a turkey so that I could find a turkey in a place that I have never hunted before. Now, I wouldn't mind if he was a bit quieter. I spent more time worrying about other hunters hearing him and trying to sneak up on him than I did wondering what I would do when the bird finally got off the tree. When he had enough of gobbling and drumming up in the tree, he flew deeper into the woods and I heard the hens that had been gathering around under him. They got into a squabble that let me know there were a good handful of the ladies. He gobbled when he hit the ground and I could hear his harem go running out after him.
I stood up and thought "Welllllll the worst I can do is screw it up." Off I went and I began making my way through the woods as quiet as I could. It sure wasn't easy given how thick it is but the gobbler gobbled a few times at some hawks so I knew I was still close. I got to where I could see a little tiny bit of the woods clearing up and I slowed down even more. It took me 40 minutes or so probably to go about 80 yards from the road and the last twenty yards of it was excruciating slow. But I had lots of palmettos between me and the gobbler, which I could then hear drumming. I hoped that my shield of palmettos would disguise my stalk.
I yelped furiously one time after a while during the stalk because I hadn't heard anything and he shocked at me. There were lots of hens with him that responded as well so I shut up after that and continued my creeping. I cringed every time I stepped on a stick that cracked under me that I hadn't seen under all the grass. I was sure that that crack was going to be what spooked the birds off. I would look at where I was and think how far do I need to go still to get "close enough?" I still wasn't there. So, on I crept.
I got to where I had two clear shooting lanes into what I could see of a little bit of the clearing and I thought well, I probably can't get closer without screwing something up because the drumming was coming in my general direction. They were narrow lanes but at least I had options.
I was standing up (not an ideal shooting position for me at all), near a tree but just in front of it so I couldn't lean on it for support and I was afraid to move backwards any. The drumming was getting stronger. This would be my chance if I have some patience! I just stood there watching my shooting lanes.
Then I saw it.
A hen was feeding her way into my shooting lane on the right. The lane I had hoped for. Then another hen followed her. I still couldn't see the gobbler but I could feel the drumming deep in my chest. He was getting closer.
Down low at their vantage point, the hens could likely see more of me than I could see of them standing up and by that point I am sure I was vibrating a little. There was a large palmetto leaf that blocked a large part of me. I know they saw me and looked at me but they weren't super concerned initially. They just would poke around and then I would see their heads pop up and look at me. They would stare at me a little bit, turning their heads this way and that but they went back to feeding.
I thought "oooooooh pleeeease don't get spooked 'til after the gobbler comes out."
His drumming was even louder, my eardrums were vibrating and I still couldn't see him. My heart was in overtime at that point and it was all I could do to slow my breathing and breathe quietly.
FINALLY I saw his red head! He, of course, was all puffed up for the ladies. He wasn't quite to my shooting lane though. And I was getting a really bad case of turkey fever. As if it hadn't been bad before. There were two small trees that he had to move to the right of first before I was clear to take my shot. Patience I had to tell myself. Breathe.
At that point the hens were watching me more intently, one of them lightly putting. I had moved my gun a little bit I think. When he dropped his head and continued his way to his ladies I moved the gun all the way into position and the hens putted a little more, but still not in great alarm. I think the shakes became obvious to the hens at that point because there were some vines behind me that I think were vibrating with me and the hens didn't like that. The gobbler kept coming and cleared the two little trees but I couldn't see his head until their putting became insistent and he stopped, stood straight up and looked at me. I had to lean forward some since he was just on the edge of that big palmetto and risk scaring the birds to get a good shot but there he was at 35 yards so I leaned forward and took the shot.
And the world exploded in turkeys. There had to be ten hens with him!
At first I thought NOOOOOOOOOOOO I missed because he jumped up a bit and seemed to fly to the left a bit. Though he didn't jump high or far, I couldn't see if he ran off or not. He was no longer visible in my clear shooting lane. I didn't hear the thrashing that is often accompanied with shooting a turkey. I had a great shot! I KNOW I DID!! How could I have screwed it up?!?!?!? I hurried as fast as I could over to where they had been, trying not to trip over downed limbs and the clawing blackberry vines, my heart was pounding in dread and then a huge rush of relief came over me as I found I had hit him hard enough that when he hit the ground from his jump, he didn't so much as twitch. He had landed just outside of what I could see of my shooting lane!
I stood there, feeling the shakes really come over me and grinning like a fool!
It was 8:45 in the morning, the heat hadn't ramped up to atrocious yet and I was thinking how it certainly is better to be lucky than good sometimes! I had to sit down for a bit and admire my trophy. He truly was a trophy. A very successful stalk through thick woods after getting lucky and parking in just the right spot. The sun and stars were all aligned for me and somehow, I managed to make it happen!
[strike][/strike]
There is still lots of turkey season left. Who knows what it will bring but the start of the season was outstanding!
Dani
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