Larry A. Smail's Blog

My step father, Bob and I waded across the thigh-high field to obtain a listening point. Bob had heard a gobbler near yesterday. At 5:30 A.M. I told Bob to wait while I continued towards the field’s edge to listen. The windy conditions made hearing difficult, but I heard a gobbler. His gobble was subtle, but I knew I heard one. Shortly, I heard it again and a direction was certain. I called Bob on his cell phone telling him to come down over and across towards me and the woods line.

Bob, after reaching me, heard the gobbler too, as we closed in the distance. I hesitated at the woodlands edge for I heard hen talk. Once I determined the hen talk was real, and not someone calling, I set Bob up and moved to try to scare them away. I wanted to move them away from the gobbler that appeared to be approximately 100-125 yards farther along this ridge.

I managed to get to 40 yards of the two hens. I watched one preening before I made a dash towards them. The two hens flew over the ridge’s edge and the gobbler went nuts for a minute. A second tom gobbled once alongside the more vocal turkey.

I returned to Bob and began calling. The woods erupted for a brief time. While setting there listening to the gobbles a deer walked through the field and a full-striped skunk walked within yards of me. The gobbler remained on the roost longer than I had hoped allowing much time for the hens to return and, at least, one did. The woods became quiet.

Later, I eased down over this ridge to a field. Here I saw a hen in the field. The big gobbler apparently went towards another field with his buddy and a hen (s). Bob was ready to head home and we arrived back to give my mother a rough time by 7:10. Bob said he may go back later today.

Later, I visited the Armstrong County Historical Society museum to meet with some youth from the Grace Brethren Church  of West Kittanning. The subject was French and Indian War through Revolutionary War military. the young-uns asked lots of questions and I enjoyed their company.

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Last Tuesday I awoke and decided to go listen for turkey activity before gathering up some landscaping rocks and ferns. The morning was warm and humid as I listened to a gobbler gobble from across the hollow. I saw a woodcock and one deer.

A doe on my property. I chased her away from the road.

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Yesterday afternoon, I was working on a stone trail project between allergy issues, and I noticed movement.  A skunk was walking behind me by the gazebo. I started for the house to get my camera before realizing this guy is moving rather quickly. The fat black and white kitty continued walking and eventually crossed the stream behind the house. Also, while working I heard the distinct calling of the Baltimore Oriole. This is such a beautiful bird!

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Early sun hitting the new leaves. Looks like fall!

I had some projects and plans lined up for later today. I decided to hunt a local Pennsylvania Game Commission game lands because of the closeness to my home. I expected hunting pressure. I pulled into the parking area and was happy to see no other cars present and, shortly, I was traveling the dark morning watching the stars and listening to, at least, three woodcocks performing their mating rituals.

Stunning!

I stood forty minutes waiting for normal gobbling time. I heard one tom gobble farther up the ridge. Should I go to him? I imagined some other hunter would have parked beside me by this time. I heard another across a road. I circled the game commission food plots to check the parking area. I was alone!

I eased into the area I had heard the gobbling and called a few times to a now silent woodlands. I heard a few more distant gobbles across Glade Run, I believed. I decided to walk away and check out a high point for gobbling activity before returning to this calling site. Hearing nothing,  I circled around and eased into a narrow grassy strip and WOW… I COULD SEE A FANNED TAIL AND THE SNOW-BALL WHITE HEAD OF A GOBBLER . He was about fifty yards from where I had called from earlier.  I, soon, noticed two hens with him too.

   I realized I needed to take cover and I crawled into a slightly wooded area with lots of multiflora rose brambles. I clucked a few times and waited.

Through the brambles I noticed some movement and a hen was feeding along. She would be passing at about five yards from me. Amazingly, she continued moving along completely unaware of my presence. I could hear the strutting gobbler with his spitting  and drumming noises. He was close! I held the Remington 870 shotgun ready to fire!

Soon the white head was viewed, but no shot could be had. I waited. The big boy eventually walked into a more open area allowing the shot.  The gobbler was mine!

The shot was 18 yards. The gobbler weighed in slightly more than twenty pounds. He had two beards also. One beard was 9 3/4 inches and the second was 7 1/4 inches. Both spurs were one inch in length. This was the same gobbler I had photographed prior to the season. Interestingly enough the turkey was harvested about twenty yards from where I had shot him before with the camera!!!! (See March 31st entry.)

Notice the white stripes on the tail.

I exited the woods after offering reverence for the turkey and stopped at mom’s house. (Bob and my brother-in-law went to Ohio to a car swap.) After visiting briefly I supplied a feather to cousin Donnie’s windshield where I saw a hen by his truck .(I later learned he too had scored on a gobbler. I think the bird flew into his windshield.)

I saw two deer and a lot of squirrels today. I heard and saw some geese flying around.

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  The trek took fifty minutes of continuous walking. I left the car at 4:30 A.M. to allow a set up behind the roosting site prior to gobbling time. This is the only option with certainty of not being viewed by wary eyes.        

At least three gobblers began their morning serenade as I adjusted my positioning to be above them. A few soft hen chirps and one was down from his roost and closer. Within minutes I witnessed the first gobbler…a jake! Two and three appeared and they were jakes too. The longest beard was about six inches in length. This gobbler was the only one to strut. They came about 15 to 18 yards or less of me. I elected not to shoot. That is  to not shoot the shotgun. However, I shot all three with the camera!

Photos are dark.

I allowed the birds to drift out of view. I laid the shotgun down and gathered up the camera prior to calling to them again. They responded and, shortly, the trio returned. I took over thirty photos in the very early dim light prior to sunrise. I had some issues of darkness, but the worse problem was keeping my viewfinder clear of steam. This show went on for about thirty minutes. Half of the photos were hazy.

Eventually, I decided to head south along Cherry Run and try my luck. I saw a feeding hen while exiting this area. Upon reaching the southern goal, I headed up the long steep grade until I reached a field high point. There was no turkey music to be heard. Later I walked along a ridge before spotting a hunter set up tight against a tree. I turned and slowly exited and went up and over to the other side of the hill. Here I found two turkey blinds set up. I didn’t notice if anybody were in them, but I knew it was time to start towards the car.   

The winds had  been picking up and I decided to call the day over and go home and work on some projects.

Goose family

I saw Canada geese with young goslings today. I saw some squirrels, a plover and a few deer including two with antler growth showing.  I saw my first sighting of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird too.

What a view!

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