Larry A. Smail's Blog

For a Mother’s day and a Father’s day surprise, Laurie and I bought tickets to see a trio of country musicians and singers known as “Branson On The Road”. Mom and Bob watch them faithfully on the television. Boy, were we happy we did. They couldn’t have enjoyed a concert anymore!

To make this event happen, I hunted close home at a local state game lands.

View from game lands

I walked along a ridge to listen and heard one gobbler far off and across the road. A second gobbler announced his presence exactly where I had figured he might be. I closed in and set up along a game land trail. I couldn’t risk getting into the woods where I would like to be. Multiflora rose and being highlighted against a lightening sky could spell failure causing the gobbler to see me.

I heard a soft cluck and turned to chase a hen away. She came to my calling and I actually needed to throw a stick to make her leave. She would come back again to check me out.

The gobbler left the roost and became silent. I wondered if the hen went to him. I circled and entered the woods where he had been roosted and changed calls and was immediately answered. I crept cautiously and called and  the gobbling began in earnest. He was becoming hot!                   

At, no more than fifty yards, I hoped he might eventually walk through the lower canopy back to me. He refused! Two things occurred that lessened his gobbling dramatically.  Another hunter could be heard coming towards us. I know he could hear us both, but he kept sneaking along. This concerned me from a safety aspect too. The second thing that may have helped the gobbler to lose his enthusim was a hen walked in behind me and then flew to him. The gobbling ceased, but after 15 minutes, I called and he, once again, gobbled back.

I circled again and returned towards him and the bird gobbled. My time was becoming short. Suddenly, as the gobbler, was about 150 yards from me, my cell phone went off. I quickly answered and whispered. My cousin, Donnie Smail, thought I had called. We quickly hung up.

Silence was the rule and was getting concerned, but when I called again the bird was now only about 50 yards from me. I strained to see movement, but couldn’t see well because of the lower canopy again.

That would be the last gobble I heard from him and after a wait,I had to leave.

I had seen about 6 squirrels this morning, a deer, first catbirds of the season and a mallard throughout the morning.