Larry A. Smail's Blog

     I had a full agenda this day so my gobbler chasing was to be much shorter than what I would have liked. I would need to be leaving the woods no later than 8:30 A.M. in order to go home, clean up and go to Clarion County, Pennsylvania to play some gospel music. These plans would force me to hunt closer to my home. A local state game lands provided the place to go.

    I had walked across frosty grass areas to wait and listen for turkey chatter. I wasn’t disappointed. A ‘coon began scolding something and gobbles erupted. The time was 5:22! i moved in on them for a set up and crept in dangerously close. In fact once the sky lit up the woods I could see a gobbler about 120 yards away.  Three toms gobbled regularly and a fourth one began calling off in the distance and would soon walk in.

Later hen talk could be heard and I watched the gobbler fly down. The woods became silent which is the norm when hens are with the old boys. I mustered out a few more gobbles and the silence was dominant.

      I walked away from this site to explore my options remember I needed to watch the time. While walking and planning I discovered some fresh bear sign and saw a rabbit and squirrel. Suddenly, I saw a red fox with puppies. I placed my shotgun on the ground and readied my camera. What a joy to watch these four little puppies romp and play. I managed a few photos.

I circled around and walked back up onto the top of this game land hill into areas where the Pennsylvania Game Commission had planted food plots and hedgerows. these hedgerows are primarily multiflora rose and autumn olive..thick stuff! I called and a hen started to putt angrily to me. Suddenly, I could see turkeys moving about on the other side of this brush.

    I saw jakes (yearling gobblers) and some long bearded birds, but I never counted accurately because I would see a bird and lose sight and the birds were circling around peering at my direction at about 20-25 yards! The trouble being I could occasionally see beards but briefly and with the confusion of randomly circling turkeys I would loose sight as to which bird had the longest beard.

Later, I crawled out to peak down the food plot and I could see, at least 6 jakes and one long beard gobbler. they continued moving away and I went home to continue on with my plans. I will not be getting home until after 11:00 P.M. this evening so I may come back here to this site to hunt.   

 (Forgot to mention earlier in the blog. I think I might have a secret admirer. Someone placed a lilac blossom on my windshield this morning. Could the initials be V.M.?)