Larry A. Smail's Blog

  I was stationary at a high point very early to listen for gobblers. The sky was cloudy with a lot of red in the eastern horizon. I was

An intersting white Iris.

thankful the sun came out later.

I was quite a bit disturbed at this time when I realized my Gore-Tex boots leaked and my socks were soaked! I purchased these boot from Dick’s on April 7th of this year. Later, this soaking would lead me to get up and walk for the early morning temperatures and inactivity caused shivering on my part. My feet were cold and very uncomfortable! I was disgruntled!

Free to a good home! Gore-Tex is crap!

I heard a distant gobbler a few hundred yards away and as I began the trek towards him another tom gobbled close and directly below me. I angled away from the gobbler and started to enter the woods and bumped a hen from the roost. She cackled as she flew and, now two gobblers sounded off. I set up about eighty yards from them. Shortly, I was hearing 4 or five gobblers roosting together.

Black-billed Cuckoo

Unfortunately, either the scared hen returned or another hen roosting with them began cutting and silence fell upon the early woods.

Wood Duck

I would creep in the direction once I knew the birds were not coming in. I called and an explosion of gobbling was the result. These birds, presumably, Jakes, were around forty yards from me. They would only gobble with a loud yelp series or crow call, but that only lasted a short time. (Jakes are young turkeys and last years gobblers.)

I went up and over and had another tom answer me. His gobble was only a “courtesy” gobble. He remained quiet after the initial call. By this time, with cold and wet feet, I walked along a farming road to stop and wring out my socks. Shameful! I reentered the woods and spooked a turkey where I had been calling!!!

I was actually thinking of going home and began  walking a reclaimed strip towards the jeep, I called and received an answer way across Cherry Run and the road and up a hollow. I thought my feet are already soaked so why not wade the creek and go after the gobblers. I would later get some gobblers riled up, but they eventually tired of the game refusing to cross a gulley. I circled way out around them and gobbled and heard another gobbler clear across the hollow again. Off I went and I failed to rile him up.

I began heading back to where I heard the lone gobbler earlier. By this time, I was tired and had a raspy throat from sinus draining allergy issues. Why me? I entered the woods and called and set back and took a cat nap. I walked further back the ridge and received an answer. This gobbler seemed interested.

   I was working this fellow and he was coming in slowly. I heard something walking to my left and could soon see three gobblers at about eight yards. I couldn’t see their beards because I was viewing them through my peripheral vision…no details! The great debate entered my mind. Were these all Jakes? Could their be a longbeard within this group?  I began thinking of shooting whatever legal bird appeared first. Meanwhile, the longbeard below was still coming.

The three turkeys began putting some and I knew they suspected something amiss. They began walking towards the gobbler. I could see they were all jakes now. I pulled up and bagged a gobbler at 35 yards.  No regrets, but I can’t help wondering what would have happened had I not shot. I suspect quiet on the western front, but one can never know with a surety.  I began the very long walk back to the jeep.