Larry A. Smail's Blog

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.