Larry A. Smail's Blog

NOVEMBER 4

I parked the jeep and began the walk along a township road. It was very black out, but in the sky was the constellation, Orion, the hunter. I wondered where any turkeys might be located along the hillside running alongside the road. I crossed a tributary to Cherry Run and worked a right-a-way towards the top. The hillside is steep, but the right-a-way goes along diagonally up the hill almost to the top.

As I approached the top the obvious lighting of the pe-dawn moments could be easily noticed. I remembered a time when my stepfather, Bob Miller and I walked this very same journey. I remember stopping to allow him to get his breath and immediately saw a flock of turkeys just above us. He would get a gobbler later in the morning.

Interestingly, very close to this spot I heard a series of raspy putts. I had been seen from a roosted gobbler; I surmised due to the sound of the alarm putt. I continued to the top and circled behind where I heard the turkey. My intention at this time was to wait until I hear a bird and move quickly to break up the flock. The eastern horizon was beginning to move fast towards dawn, but I clucked anyway. I heard a response.

I set the shotgun down and was about to lower my shoulder bag in preparation for a breakup when three gobblers opened up to my right but down over the hill. My bad decision was about to happen. I moved towards the gobblers instead of trying for a break. I went a short distance and called, and gobblers began gobbling form both sites! I still could have broken up the first flock but decided to set down between to try to call in either flock. Could be an interesting hunt.

The gobbling continued on their own and to my calling. I felt confidence that something positive would happen, but I was wrong. The gobblers to my left flew down hill and moved to join the other gobblers to my right. However, I wasn’t aware of this initially so I quickly zig-zagged along the flats trying to locate and break.

I quickly returned and the birds to my right and they still answered my calls. I even heard a hen with them, too. I circled and came in from behind hoping to locate and break. The next time they answered my calling they had moved across the Cherry Run Road and the creek and were now gobbling and fighting like crazy low on the opposite hill.

I circled again, crossing the township and state roads and the creek. I moved at an angle before beginning to travel to my right and hopefully above them. I failed they had moved faster than I and had gone up and over the crest of the hill. I know this because I found scratchings and fecal matter. The top is posted.

I was disappointed with myself and failings to break up the early morning flock. I arrived back to the jeep with the noon hour approaching along with temperatures into the sixties. I was warm.

I saw some deer including the buck in the photo. I saw a beautiful Red Fox, too.

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(DONNIE SMAIL)

My cousin, Donnie (a.k.a. Weasel) went hunting fall turkeys on the first morning of the 2022 Fall turkey Season. We haven’t been able to hunt much in the last few years due to issues in his life preventing our get together hunts. Unfortunately, Donnie would need to leave around ten o’clock for a needed task.

We met in the dark deciding on a plan to hunt these morning hours. I would go to the end of the field, and he would stop at mid-point. We were going to listen for roosting birds in the woodlands below the field.

At my position a number of crows began cawing early. Maybe they had an owl in their sights. However, I called periodically and at one point I thought I may have heard a reply of yelps way down the hill. The din of cawing birds made a positive identification slim. However, I met up with Donnie and told him I was going down over and work towards him hoping to find a flock. I failed to find any birds.

I was surprised to find the carcass of a gobbler. Of course, I wondered what had happened to the bird.

(Gobbler remains)

Later I saw an immature Bald Eagle flying past. I was lucky to capture a pic.

After my cousin left, I went to the hillside across a township road. I walked upon a flock of gobblers. I tried for a break. I sat and called and listened for two hours and decided to call it a day.

(Immature Bald Eagle)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31

I watched the weather closely and rain was happening but supposed to slack off early. believing the weatherman, I took off. I reached the top of the hill when the rain began. The water fell for two hours completely soaking the hunt. That was alright for I needed to stop at my mother’s home and try to make temporary repairs on her car that my sister wrecked. I then followed the car around to get work planned for repairs.

(American Chestnut)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1

I arrived extra early for the climb to the top was along trek. I reached to listening point and heard nothing. However, once I called the turkey chatter became common. the birds were on the roost but low on the side of a very steep hill. My dilemma was to try to call them all in after they left the roost or move in down the slope on very wet leaves. I decide to not try going for a breakup. This was a bad decision with hindsight.

Once I realized my initial plan was not going to happen, I circled and went down slope at an angle believing I would soon run into them. I reached the bottom of the hollow and began a diagonal trek in an attempt to find the birds. I met another turkey hunter and we chatted some. He didn’t see them walking through anywhere. He had to go home, and I continued with my plan. I didn’t go very far when I saw an archer in the tree. I apologized and aborted my plan to continue on.

I went the opposite way in case my gut feeling was incorrect. No birds!

(A huge flock of Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds must have stretched a quarter of a mile.)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2

I made the steep trek up the hill hoping to locate the turkeys again. I would fail to see or hear any turks. I did see a coyote. Most of the morning was very foggy.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3

This was to be a short morning to hunt. I stopped at my mothers to take care of the garbage before going hunting. I tramped around searching for turkeys. I spotted a blackness about eighty yards or so ahead of me and quickly realized I was seeing a gobbler. There would be five of them. I called and received a few answers, but they wouldn’t come downslope through the Multiflora Rose. They began to work away, and I knew I had to try for a break.

I laid the shotgun and shoulder bag on the ground along with my hat and outer camo top. I slowly moved uphill until the one tom spotted me and started to react, I was had. I took off as fast as an asthmatic, old fart could go. The birds stayed together moving over the crest and across a field behind a home. The hunt was over.

I returned to my mother’s home for brunch and eventually take my sister to the bank and car repair shop. The car, although not completed, was now ready to drive.

(Remains of an old stone fence)

I was blessed to hear Screech Owls three times so far. I saw lots of deer, squirrels and even several rabbits.

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I actually pondered about hunting this morning. It was windy and I do not prefer to hunt on such days, but I always seem to end up going out to pursue those bronzed-back beauties. I guess it is an obsession of mine.

The temperatures were in the twenties this morning. A hint of snow covered the forest floor. I crossed a flat and dropped down the slope and began calling as I walked.  I had went about half a mile when I saw turkeys out ahead at approximately sixty yards or so. The race was on as I moved as fast as I could to bust the flock up.  I saw birds moving in three directions. I continued through and hiked two birds from the trees. The hunt was on!

  I set up and called periodically any time the wind subsided a little. A half an hour later I was getting cold, but I was determined to wait these birds out. I estimated ten to twelve birds but in the commotion I couldn’t get an accurate count.

I heard rapid yelping behind me and I readjusted my setting position. I continued calling and I heard a second bird to my left. Soon I could see the darkened body moving among the brush and Mountain Laurel. At twenty-two steps the Remington talked in a loud voice and a young gobbler was down. I uttered some thankful words of prayer.

The next phase is to clean the turkey. Any takers on this job? I didn’t think so!

 

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Early on the second morning of the 2019 fall turkey season I heard an answer to my calls. Unfortunately, the answer was clear across a steep hollow. I knew I needed to get over to the side as quick as possible. However, I don’t do as well as I used to with going down hills and especially steep ones. I circled below and worked up the hill towards where the answering turkey came from.  As I moved along I could see turkeys feeding in a field. I eased back and set up hoping they may follow the field’s edge presenting a shot.

Things seldom go as one hopes with turkey season.  The flock exited the field back into the open woods to my left. They began answering my calls and I could hear them walking in the leaves! The bad luck factor was present. Between the birds and myself was a thick small gulley chocked with alders, spicebush, briars and vines. There would be one area where a shot could be had and the birds would stop at the brush’s edge and eventually walked away.

I moved into the field and started into the woods for a bust up only to find NO TURKEYS.  I moved around and didn’t find a single bird. Later I went up the hollow and moved low. I had answers ro my calls. The turkeys were either in the steepest part of the hollow and just up a little on the opposite side. WE carried on communications for fifteen or so minutes. I stopped calling and shortly, thereafter, the birds quit, too. About forty minutes later I found them about a hundred or so yards farther down this hollow. Again, we talked for a time and all would go silent. Both of these times the birds were not all that far, but they refused to move to my calling. And, unfortunately, the steepness of these slopes thwarted any attempts for me to charge down a hill to break them up.

I circled around to their side and the turkeys were gone. Eventually I went up and over onto the flats. I saw the flock of 12-18 birds about a hundred and twenty yards away. I moved as fast as I could only to watch them stay together and quickly move into posted property. I felt defeated. All of the above happened during a four hour time zone. I worked around and left the woods by two o’clock, tired and knees a hurting’.

This morning was a wet hunt. (November 5) I went to another area where I had seen turkeys and sign recently. The rain and wind made hearing very difficult.

I eased out to a cornfield’s edge and could see some turkeys in the corn. (The corn wasn’t high.) I circled around to try to call them. I saw some turkeys moving away from my right side. they didn’t seem to care about my calling. Perhaps they had seen me.

I circled again with some vegetation in my favor and soon saw them ahead at about a hundred yards. I believe there were, at least, fifteen birds in this flock.  I moved as quick as I could and hollered a couple of times, but the birds seemed to stay together. I decided to set and call loudly in case a couple of stragglers were close by. All I got was soaked even more and the shivers. Forty-five minutes later I was cold and wet and decided to head towards the jeep.

Later, I spotted a gobbler’s head at about 35 yards. I charged figuring a flock was on the back side of this terrain. Only one gobbler was present and I watched him move away.

Time to regroup for another time. I was very wet and cold and needed to get warmed-up quick.

I saw, these last two hunts, a lot of deer including a very nice buck. I saw a lot of squirrels, both gray and fox squirrels.

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The cold frosty early morning felt great as I trekked up the slope towards a listening point for turkeys. I had not scouted for turkeys so I was going to a vantage point hoping to hear some roosted birds. This first day of the 20191 fall turkey season in Pennsylvania would be a short one. My step-father’s brother and family were to be at my homestead to visit around ten o’clock. I needed to quit by ten and move on to be part of the family get together. They were coming in from Virginia.

I was almost to the crest of the hill when I heard the hooting of a Barred Owl in the distance. I stopped and listened until the bird went to bed. Later I would see a barred owl flying from a tree. Interestingly, while I listened to the owl I could hear something walking in the frost-laden leaves. Soon I could see the form of a deer coming towards me. Although the morning was still rather dark I could see a sizable rack at times. the buck stopped approximately eighteen yards from me before sensing my presence. I saw a few unidentified deer and another buck with, maybe, two inch spikes.

Around nine o’clock after calling and moving about fifty yards I heard the sounds of a turkey. Real bird? Another hunter? I searched for a position and quickly settled in against a White Pine tree. Another dead snag was about three feet from the tree. I called and decided I should move for this snag could be an issue. However, before I had taken that move an adult gobbler was spotted out ahead. The gobbler stepped behind a tree and I placed the shotgun onto a limb from that snag. the gobbler was moving perfect and was soon within my range. I couldn’t get a shot for the bird always seemed to be blocked with tree trunks. T

Then it happened the gobbler turned left. (My right) I couldn’t get the gun into position and the gobbler was wide open at about twenty yards. The gobbler began to be suspicious. His actions told me he was nervous. I did something at that time I never do. Why? I tried to slowly move the gun out of that snag. the gobbler started moving away and I removed the Remington and tried to align for a shot while being in an awkward position. I can still see the gun NOT being on target when the boom occurred. The gobbler was out of effective range by this time anyway and I was frustrated at my stupidity. I think in all my years of hunting I have only messed up on three or four turkeys. This shot should not have happened.

I returned to the jeep close to ten and changed my pants and shoes and enjoyed time at home with my family and Bob’s family. This afternoon we all got together for a meal at a lock restaurant. It was sad to see the four begin to head off back to Virginia soon.

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On a recent post here I mentioned the old adage. The old saying often heard is the “third time’s the charm.” That third time for this fall’s turkey season came true this morning as I pursed the big birds.

  I walked to a listening point early this morning to hopefully hear some roosted birds. That plan failed so I began a walk and call style hunt.  I did not

find any turkeys so I went a couple of hills over to repeat. Again I didn’t find any turkeys. This fall season has been exceptionally difficult for me. Sure, I had two chances that I left slide by believing a better shot would be the result. Neither opportunity resulted in any shots. Other birds were seen in leased land so I couldn’t go after them. Mostly I was simply having a rough time finding birds. I put on many miles trying to locate and break up a flock of turkeys in order to call one back in.

The third area I was searching found a change in luck for me.  I was walking along calling. At one point I called and heard nothing. I walked about ten feet more and I heard it! I heard yelps and not at any great distance. I hurried set up between two big oaks and the calling began.

About fifteen minutes later I first saw the turkey. I leveled the shotgun once an opportunity to do so presented itself.  A few minutes more the turkey moved into an open position and the shot was fired. The twenty yard shot was true and I had a turkey. Those many windy and rainy days with lots of miles walked and, suddenly, and in a short time I received an answer and had a turkey. That is the way the hunts happen at times.

I was surprised to realize the adult turkey had a five inch beard. I was surprised she was alone, too.

I took some various photos before heading home. It was a good day with a bagged turkey and a lot of deer sightings. One buck I saw had close to a twenty-inch spread.

 

 

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