Larry A. Smail's Blog

Rattlesnake Plantain

May 15, 2024

What a day! I had an answer around 6:30 or so. The two gobblers circled my position and dropped down over the hill some. I would work those two birds until I left at 11:40 A.M. Several times they would come to the rim of the hill and almost come up over, but they never did. Four or five times the shotgun was leveled with my finger in preparation to push off the safety, but they never showed. Why? The gobblers were right there but never showed. Again, I ask …why?

Thursday, I had a medical appointment, so hunting was not to be.

May 17, 2024

The landowner’s grandson was going to hunt the property for a couple of days so I went a little south to see what might happen in the hunt. That way he would have complete control of the morning. He would get a gobbler on Saturday after the rain had stopped. Just as I reached the summit and began to move along the flat. I heard a gobble that was barely audible. I would make a move to attempt to pinpoint his whereabouts. I knew he was across the road and creek and after only three gobbles, I elected to not go after the bird. I moved north along the ridge to listen.

I sat against a gas well tank and dozed off a few times. Later a gobbler answered my call but only once. I waited around hoping for a clue as to how to hunt this bird. His positioning was downhill below a field. Directly below the bird was a home and as luck would have it the owner decided this morning would be a great time to do some weed whacking. The other neighbor decided to start up his backhoe and pound some fence posts. Did the noise curtail the gobbler’s mood? Maybe!

It didn’t much matter for the allergies had corrupted my eyes with itching and burning and I decided to call it a morning around 9:30.

I didn’t hunt on Saturday, May 18th.

May 20, 2024

After a silent early morning I chose to head farther south to try to strike up a conversation with a gobbler. It kinda worked!

I called sharply and loudly and heard a response far off in property I didn’t have access to. However, the bird. on the opposite hill, came closer and gave me a little hope, but after a period of calmness and another loud call, I realized the bird had gone up and over and was now walking away. I decided to cross this big hollow and try other places. I did see a hen walking about

Interestingly, near noon I received a gobble reply. I moved in close, and the bird was silent. Nothing could induce a gobble. This was, most likely, the same gobbler I worked a couple of late mornings. He would move on. I believed a hen may be walking away to reduce my competition.

After a long wait and short nap, I moved uphill and made a huge circle around a home area. I called and heard a gobbler. The actions were identical to the previous one. I surmised the hen moved along the hill with the gobbler in tow. I arrived at the jeep at 1:30, very warm. It was 82 degrees.

I dealt off and on with allergies and the burning and itchy eyes. I carry eye drops with me now in order to keep the agony down to a minimum. Of course, I have seen deer every day I have been hunting. Today I saw a four-point buck. Many deer have their orange-red summer hair, but not all.

May 21. 2024

As seems to be the case. the gobbler I heard very early was way off and on another hill. He gobbled three times total. I was debating a course of action when a second bird gobbled closer. I hurried to the edge of the hillside and realized he was across the road on the other side. I moved as quick as an old coot can but couldn’t locate the bird on the roost. He gobbled some but had moved far off.

I went to the top of the hill and heard a truck coming up the gas line road. On top and in a field, I bumped a longbeard and his hen friend. I began a long tour of neighboring hills trying to locate a bird to reply. Nothing happened they were shut mouth!

Allergies and bugs along with the heat forced a quit.