Larry A. Smail's Blog

The skies were illuminated often and the rumbles of thunder were prevalent as I trekked up the slope to where I hoped to hear a gobbler. This was May 3. The lessening rains began to become stronger and I wondered how nuts one needs to be to be stumbling around in such conditions. My woodcock friend from an earlier morning didn’t seem to care about the weather. Shortly, the warblers and cardinals too would be singing.

I reached the road and the rains lessened again. Back up the hill once again for me. I reached the top ans settled on a stump when I heard two gobbles across the big hollow..across the road .. and high on that hill. Off I go!

Of course, once I reached the area I believed the gobblers were all I heard was silence. I approached a field and waited. Here I saw two deer and watched a hen turkey feed for over an hour. I was blessed to watch a brown thrasher and towhees in and around the vegetation.

I made a circle, all the while  calling  and failed to stir up any gobblers. Where were they? I was walking about near to where the field is when a flock of crows angered by a hawk forced a gobbler to respond. I moved in and later received a gobble to my calling. The time was after 10:00!

I heard the next gobble way down the hill near to the road and all was silent. later, I walked towards my vehicle and could hear people talking. This may be the reason why the bird became so quiet. I left the camera in the car due to threats of rain and I missed some great bird photos!

I stopped at my old homestead to visit. Bob had said earlier I wouldn’t be hunting today. Mom corrected Bob for she knew how her son thinks when spring gobbler hunting is on his mind.