Larry A. Smail's Blog

Dogwoods & Crabapples

   The 3/4 mile hike through the pre-dawn woods without use of a flashlight can be quite an experience. i used gas lines for a time prior to exiting diagonally across a hillside to reach a ridge to listen for gobblers. With the time almost at 5:30 A.M. two very distant and muffled gobblers were just audible. I climbed higher when a tom exploded much closer. I hurried towards the sound.

I approached to about 120 yards from the gobbler realizing he was across a small hollow. It would be impossible to get on the same side due to open foliage and timing of the dawn. I played the cards. Two close hen yelps forced me to look the trees over. I failed to locate her before the gobbler flew down.

Baby Chipmunk (notice tick)

  The turkey headed diagonally away from my calls towards a field. WHY?  I can’t answer that! I circled around for Bob has been  watching that field with a decoy. I continued circling and noticed his car wasn’t there so I walked parallel to the field and set up to a still gobbling bird.  He wouldn’t come to me, but I heard another gobbler  from across the road.

I circled more approaching the field from below and set up. My calls were answered and there he was… a big tom turkey! I could easily watch him at about 65 yards. he gobbled and strutted for a time before following a gas line through the woods. I continued circling and calling and listening.

    Finally I set up at a likely place. He was close to me and I feared pushing the distance due to exposure. The bird returned to about 50 yards from me and gobbled and strutted for quite some time. Eventually, he tired and walked on silent. The time was after eight. I know he gobbled over 200 times during this morning’s attempt.

Mayapple blossom

   I walked back to my original place to see if I could stir up any gobblers.

The western sky had been thundering and dark all morning. Prior to 10:00, the skies were darkening over me and thunder was over me too. Then I heard the sound of heard rain coming towards me. Soon I am more soaked than my Gore-Tex covered feet. (That may be a blog topic sometime…the Gore-Tex joke.)

I stopped at my mothers and changed into dry clothes , ate a bit and tormented Bob and her a spell too. All in all, I saw deer, squirrels, one big gobbler, baby chipmunks, and various birds. A great morning indeed!