Larry A. Smail's Blog

I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in the woods long today. I had an appointment with a fellow for driveway work; had to take a mower for repairs and, mostly, I needed to get a tire repaired on my vehicle. At 3:45 this morning, I was putting air in my tire. It was flat! (Later found out that I picked up a nail.)

I made a perch where I had seen the turkeys on Saturday morning. In the lightening woods I noticed my deer friend again. She didn’t see me this time. I heard three gobblers across the road and nothing on my side. The gobbling was sparce and few. I, later, saw two turkeys in a pasture field and bumped one off the ridgeline while exiting the woods. I was done hunting at 7:30 for the reasons mentioned above. The day soon became a rainy one.

From a turkey hunting view, I don’t believe I will get much in this week. The contractor hopes to start on the drive on Wednesday. When the initial plans were made, he spoke of June for the beginning of the work. Also, Laurie and my mother-in-law are headed for a visit of my wife’s aunt on Thursday. They  are, also, going to Statten Island by bus. My mother-in-law was raised  there and hasn’t been back since 1980. I will need to be around in the morning for Susie’s insulin shots unless the vet says an earlier shot would be possible without harm.

(Susie in the back yard with much better eyesight.)

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My step father, Bob and I slowly edged along the right-of- way. If the gobbler was there we would be sneaking past him at about forty yards.  This is potentially a dangerous manuever. I set Bob up and explained possible scenerios to him and moved around to choose a set up site below this favorite roosting area.

Within minutes after I set up a most strange event began to unfold. A doe walked past me to within about 8 yards and spotted me. She  looked for a while and circled me. She circled me again and again. This became a game for her. She would look at me, go around behind me, go out of sight and come back the same right-of-way Bob and I crept up. I wasn’t sure what impact this might have on the turkeys, if any. The doe came back through about the sixth time when I emerged from my setting position and lunged at her. The game continued. I lunged several more times as the morning light became brighter. Each time she would circle to within yards of me. I counted up to ten circles and I know she circled me , at least, another six to eight  times.

AT 6:00 two gobblers gobbled from where I suspected them to be. That was it! I heard a hen at 6: 40. Shortly after, a jake flew from the tree. Seconds later a hen flew out and landed within my shotgun’s range. More gobblers! By the time fly down ended 5 jakes and one longbeard entered the scene. Some of them were moving towards the hen when the doe decided to come through again. (The Smail curse again.) The hen jumped up at the deer’s approach and turned to begin walking up hill followed by the tom.

The jakes began feeding about 45 yards from me. At that moment, I decided to take a jake if they came into range. I would then break up the flock, if possible, and call one in for Bob. This is a tactic often used for fall turkey hunting. He has said often he would like a double with me. I clucked and some of them clucked and began feeding away. I rose up on a full run towards them but failed to break them up. Asthma chest pressures and a  fall (almost) stopped that reality from happening.

I only heard a couple more gobbles in the distance. I walked about until about 9:40 and failed to get a response and headed out for I was to help my sister move some desks. I did get some photos of a hen on her nest.

(The flower photo is a golden ragwort.)

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I set up very early , in hopes, the big gobbler would be roosted in the same trees as he did over the last several mornings. He was, as were two other gobblers. I was close.  While setting there, I heard some close-by rustling and turned to my right to see an opossum at about six feet from me.

The gobbling continued on when I disppointedly heard a hen with them. The birds left their roost at 6:50.. rather late. I actually could see the one fly down. All of the birds clammed up.

I waited about 15 minutes and called again. Although I have been able to keep my allergies to a tolerable level, my right eye began to burn and water. I closed my eyes in an effort to decrease this discomfort. Upon opening them, I could see a gobbler at about 35 yards. I couldn’t see his beard due to  the vegetation between us. If this gobbler would walk only about 6 steps he would be in the open area of the woods.  (The Smail curse!)

Suddenly, his head raised up high as if looking at something. I was perfectly still. Immediately to my left, I could see a dark mass… could this be a strutting gobbler! Soon, I realized that two deer were browsing beside me. The gobbler began preening his feathers as the deer came about 8 feet from me. They were both bucks and I noticed just how quickly their summer (red) hair was in place. ( Missed out on some great photos.)

 I was in a dilemna again. If the deer spook, the turkey could do so as well.  If they stick around the gobbler could change his desire. Well with my luck, the deer spotted me, but couldn’t figure me out. They continued walking back and forth studying the camo-clad mass. The gobbler, eventually walked out of site and the excitement  was gone.

I went to another area, and received an answer and worked towards the tom. I could see him in a reclaimed stripping operation. This tom lost interest, too when a golf cart began driving about the area.

Other sightings and things of interest:  Saw 3 more deer and heard some coyotes. I saw a couple of squirrels and heard a drumming grouse too.

I dug out and replanted some ferns.

(Flower photos are a yellow flag, a native iris and a mayapple.)

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Knowing the, probable, pattern of this gobbler, I sent my step father, Bob to the top of the hill near to where the right-of-way and the field intersect. I went across the hollow to wait for what transpires. At 5:30 the gobbler opened up where he was roosting the past morning.  I hoped Bob would see him. The boig bird did, in fact, come into the field and did his usual tracking and walked across the field occasionally strutting and gobbling. Bob’s decoy and calling effected him little.

I heard gobbling down farther and took after them. I located the general area and moved in. The 2-3 birds left and went off as  usual after leaving the roost. Later on, I received a response and moved in. The vegetation wasn’t good and after a while the toms shut up.   I began, a slow walk and call in the area. I called in a hen and a red fox. The fox appeared quites surprised when it realized the turkey was much bigger than it was. After 11:00, I managed to shock one into gobbling twice, but, that was all.

Other sightings  and interests of the day were: bear tracks; found hen feathers as if something successfully killed it…(coyotes; bear?) 5 deer; 4 jakes and one spooked turkey of unknown sex.

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Turkeys!!!  My wife thinks I must be crazy to put myself through all of these early morns!  Maybe she is correct. I was setting in the gobbler’s roosting area again by 5:15. I heard a gobble across the hollow and near to where I was parked at 5:20.  Fifteen minutes later I had approached him by about eighty yards. I heard 3 other toms on the hill I just left. These birds make me dumb!

My only concern with this gobbler would be that upon leaving the roost he would fly onto a right-of-way and walk uphill to a field. HE DID JUST THAT! I crept up and could see him strutting and gobbling about 50 yards from me. The terrain and vegetation would allow me to stalk him, but that is not what this season is all about.  Actually, it is illegal in Pennsylvania. The big bird later continued on and the hunter is to set back and ask , “Why did the turkey do that?”.

I crossed back over and couldn’t muster a gobble anywhere through calls until 11:10 when one tom shocked gobbled to my gobbling.

Other sightings of the day were: 4 deer; a pair of scarlet tanagers (first of season); a cottontail rabbit (rare specie);  and a pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks. I heard at least 5 different turkeys. I saw 2 gobblers, 5 jakes and 2 hens.

On a sad note, I attended a funeral to see my friend, Billy Tarr. Billy was an extraordinary fiddle player. He played and recorded with various professional  Country singers. I, believe, he actually played on the Grand Ole Opry some years ago.

(The flowers here are Dutchman’s Breeches.)

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The gobbler I have been chasing might be an older bird. I settled along the ridge where he seems to like to roost. My very early and quiet approach was a success. The bird was about 125 yards away.  He gobbled only twice before becoming quiet. My calls wouldn’t stimulate any desire to gobble again. I crept away and began to circle around the area… a big circle to give him time.

I, eventually  was across a big hollow and  a road, when he answered a call a little after 9:00. Apparently, the gobbler liked something about the call now for he began gobbling incessantly. The old boy worked back and forth across the very same ridge where I was set up earlier. I was directly across from him.  However, I was in a dilemna for the only way to get near to this area was to go way out of the way. Would his interest continue for the time needed to make this move?  I had to try!

I crossed the hollow and went down a township road and I was getting close when, suddenly,  his gobbling was directly above me and close. He had moved some 1500 feet from where he was twenty minutes ago.  Unfortunately, I was down at the bottom of this slope and I felt any further approach would be dire.  I called and he answered and, shortly began to work away. I moved and circled around, but he was silent and absorbed back into the earth.  He gobbled for a time period of about twenty minutes causing much excitement!

The rains started! Amazing how their moods can be switched on and off without any inkling as to why.

Other sightings of the morning were three deer; two hens feeding in the same old field and a brown thrasher. I bumped a gobbler at a field’s edge too.

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Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr… The morning was somewhere in the twenty degree range with frost. I hoped the gobblers would feel invigorated with the cold and gobble their heads off. I guess the birds thought otherwise. I heard two gobblers with only 5 gobbles. I saw only one hen working feeding in a field. 

Approximately 7:00 the winds began to blow so I worked, low, along the hillside where I had last heard the one gobbler that has been eluding me these many mornings.

I spent some time sketching details of mayapple blossoms for a painting I am working on. (Don’t tell anyone, but, I managed a few moments of sleep too.)

Other sightings of the morning were 3 deer, a mockingbird and a squirrel. I watched a wood duck zip across the sky too.

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What a morning! Cool, clear with a beautiful sunrise. Kip Feroce of www.ferociouscalls.com  and I went for a gobbler hunt. Early we set up on two gobblers and all was seeming to fall into place for a good hunt. I was set up close to the birds and the woodland area was predominately open. Kip was well behind me. The birds flew from their roost going down slope and the dominant gobbler worked back towards  Kip’s calling.  The old boy, stopped behind a patch of young leafed-out trees, approxiamtely 40 yards in length and eight yards wide. Here he hung up.  He was about sixty yards from me and would not budge around the patch of growth. The  big bird gobbled often including at the scratching sounds I was doing on the dried leaves. The gobbler believed that sound to be a feeding hen.

Another gobbler, approached from behind us, rapidly came past  and joined the old gobbler. He was just out of my range.  I never did see his beard since he only stopped a couple of times during his approach.  You guessed it, when he did stop his breast area was always behind some leaves.

Sometime towards 8:00 the big bird drifted off, still,  gobbling periodically.  We followed and played the common game of ridge-running. At one point, we were above him. Kip, later told me, he believed the tom may have circled him. He heard a possible alarm putt behind him.

( In an attempt to “shock” the gobbler into giving up his presence, I used a goose call and, also, I “gobbled” with my natural voice. Shortly, Kip said to me ,”I heard your goose call, but what was the noise you did?”…………I reluctantly told him that was me gobbling. I, also, expressed how deeply that hurt and then we both laughed.)

We continued covering the woods calling and listening. We had made a circle to our original starting point when another gobbler was heard on the hill’s top and in a field. We, hastily began to ascend.  the time was about 11:35. (The season is over at noon.) The bird answered me twice and shut up.

I would like to thank Kip for the invite and the great time chasing turkeys. The day was exceptional.. lots of gobbling, a beautiful woodlands and good company.  I think I will try again tomorrow chasing those bronzed -backed beauties!!!

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The hike through the dark woods was occasionally illuminated with the lightening  across the sky. I remember hearing about “heat” lightening as a boy. I, later, discovered that heat lightening was only far off storms.

I heard  three different toms at this early morning perch and moved in towards the closest one..still some 500 yards away. He gobbled a few times and, as he did yesterday, clammed up after leaving the roost.  My cousin, Donnie called me at 6:30 and told me to come to his hunting area as he was watching  a nice longbeard, jake and a hen. I hated to leave, but the thought of spending some time with my cousin quickly forced my march towards the car. While leaving, I saw a gobbler and hen in a distant field and a hen on her nest. I was about 15 steps from her and she held her position. Great scenerio as Mother’s Day approaches.

Donnie,  pointed out 2 jakes and a hen. We circled around and received an answer from 2 gobblers but the positioning wasn’t the best and both birds apparently crossed the road. All I could receive from them was an occassional “shock” gobble. By 9:00 the cold front was upon us and the winds made hearing difficult. We spent time talking  about the nice gobbler he harvested yesterday.

A saw several deer today too and a couple of squirrels. Sleep is in need!

(Something of interest)

The art I did for Easter was given a neon glow through a process  on the computer of my friend, Dana Gould.

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Another beautiful morning! I literally walked under a longbeard this morning. I glanced at my watch and noticed the 5:48 time. I thought gobbling should be reality any moment now, when an earth-shattering gobble exploded approximately 100 yards from and the area I walked through not more than half an hour ago!

I hastily crept to a nearby tree and began to check his temperature and mood.  The situation felt good, but my calling position was less than desired, but, now I was afraid to gamble on a move. Another gobble erupted and I believed that a one year “jake” must be close too. Shortly, I heard alarm putts and began to mimic them. This bird calmed down and a second jake could be seen within shotgun range too. The jakes worked towards the longbeard and shortly silence was all to be heard from the turkeys. I was using a box call given to me from a new friend, Kip Feroce. Kip makes quailty box calls and I was hoping so much for success with it. His business is Ferocious Calls. His web site, still in the making, is: www.ferociouscalls.com .

Other sightings of the morning were: fox squirrel; groundhog ; some deer including a buck (that walked past me five times) and various other bird and animal life. I found a few morels too. Also, I heard an oriole …first one of the year.

Unfortunately for me was the first bad allergy time. I decided to quit early to take a pill. Itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and hives around the lips made the morning to uncomortably to stay. Tomorrow I will be prepared!

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