Larry A. Smail's Blog

Today, May the second, was the first day of the 2015 Pennsylvania Spring Gobbler Season. The morning proved to be a great one for me.  I walked almost a mile in the darkness to make sure I would be at a certain listening spot before visibility might give myself away to a wary gobbler’s eyes! My plan worked!

Prior to six o’clock, a tom erupted to my right  about 200 yards away. He was at the head of a shallow saddle in the landscape. I began my move to close the gap!  I set up at a fairly decent position, and when the time was right I allowed some soft hen talk to fill his ears. The big bird gobbled good, and I wasn’t hearing any “real” hen chatter as the  morning moved along.

The turkey flew down, and was still about a hundred yards from me. I was enjoying it all as the turkey was strutting back, and forth, and gobbling well. Still no hens! I was feeling the hunt was going to work out well until I heard the unmistakable cutting of a hen  just above the turkey. I watched the gobbler go after the hen  up, and over the ridge. All was quiet!

Long-abandoned farm equipment.

I began a slow tour of the area when I approached a field. Somebody, probably the landowner’s son, had three decoys in the field. I exited to allow him space.

I continued my walk along a ridge, and away from the hunter. Eventually, I called and heard a far away response. I moved towards the call. He gobbled on his on as I moved closer. I thought, I think that bird is moving towards me, too! I walked farther, and called, and the gobbler thundered just out ahead of me as I quickly set up to call.      

The gobbler became silent, as I wondered if he may have seen my movements. I concluded that couldn’t have been the case, so I waited his next move. He gobbled, and he was close. I clucked a couple of times, and more silence. He gobbled again, and more silence permeated my hearing. I first saw him already well within my range. I waited for an opportunity to raise the Remington 870. Boom, and the gobbler was down with a 23 yard shot. The time was 7: 50.

The gobbler weighed just shy of twenty pounds with a ten inch beard, and 3/4 inch spurs.

Other wildlife sightings included a number of deer; a ‘coon; a ‘possum; and about six squirrels.