Larry A. Smail's Blog

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.)

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

What a beautiful morning in the fields and woodlands! I set up on a longbeard. He left the roost and began the course towards my calling site. Unfortunately, I heard a few clucks and purrs of a hen(s) earlier. The tom was under 100 yards from me, but still not visable. Suddenly silence! Of course, turkey chasers know that can be a sign that he is coming on in. I waited and later heard that dreaded gobble way down slope. The hen(s) approached him and he, like a buck in rut, followed.

I watched 3 toms and 3 hens way across the hollow. They were haphazardly, walking about feeding on the newly planted corn. Maybe, I should have went after them.

Other sightings of the morning included two deer, 3 squirrels, vulture; red-tailed hawk and a host of various birdlife. The one doe, laying in the brush, allowed me to approach to within 12 feet before bolting. I checked for a fawn since it is fawn birthing time. The catbirds and house wrens are back, too. I heard 5-6 different gobblers early, but apparently the earth swallowed them up by 6:40 A.M.!

A dark dreary morning lead to only two gobbles. The first one late at 6:22. Normally the gobbling start times vary, but I usually hear the first dawn-greeting “beller” between 5:30 and 5:45.

I watched a lone gobbler far off and across a large hollow. He was in a recently worked field, but did no strutting or gobbling. He, too, was in a lull!

I saw three deer and one became so accustomed to my presence that she cleaned herself completely unconcerned about that DEET smelling clump of brush. This event occurred while I was patiently waiting to hear a lusty tom begin his love music…gobbling!

I began a walk and call style of hunting in an attempt to locate a gobbler with some interest, but around 7:45 I met  Bob, my step father. The light rains suddenly increased to a downpour and within minutes we were soaked. He asked me if I would want to go to Evans City to pick up chrome for his 1954 Chevy and I agreed. MISTAKE!!  By 8:30 the weather drastically changed and blue skies appeared and in short order a picture perfect turkey hunting day emerged and I was to be going elsewhere. Mentally, I could imagine all of those gobblers changing in mood and echoing their thunderous gobbles across the hollows. OH WELL!

(The flower photo shows the Virginia Bluebells. This flower enjoys damp creek bottom areas.)

The morning began with a perfect temperature. By 9:00, the hills were creating much heat within my internal furnace. It was hot out there! My step-father, Bob, slept in. I left a note and preceeded to my hunting haunts. At 5:15, many warblers were singing. The bright moon and the rapidly lightening eastern sky fooled them. I heard the first gobble at 5:25 and by 5:45 several others across the hollow were greeting the morning too.

Later Bob showed up and we left this particular hill and crossed over to check a field that always (almost) holds turkeys. We weren’t disappointed. A total of four jakes and two hens were eating in the field. They showed some interest to my gobbler yelps, but failed to come on in.

By 9:30, we had crossed the hollow again and were sweating towards the top of the  hill again. (There were hunters there so we moved on.) A hen jumped up from a tree’s base and I knew immediately that a nest had to be at that site. A total of 14 eggs were in the nest. We left quickly.

Farther out the ridge, I called and heard a gobbler across the next hollow. Bob stayed  in this area and I took off to see what would happen. Up one slope and down another and across a stream and up a steep hill to a field. The tom answered me and I had his position down. I moved in and the vegetation was much too thick, but I had little choice , but to try to work him. In the 1 1/2 hour time frame, I worked his passion up to where double and tripling gobbling was the norm. He gobbled at my calls, the crows and, I believe,  just to hear himself. I was about 50 yards from him, when I heard a soft cluck to my left. Five jakes, within my shotgun’s range were sneaking around. I debated on scaring them away, but allowed them to proceed. MY MISTAKE! They scared the longbeard gobbler.  I saw the big gobbler a little later, but  farther up slope. Unfortunately, we saw each other at the same instance. 

Another sighting of the morning was a great blue heron. The bird landed near to me and continued with it’s loud raucous calling.  Also, saw 2 deer, 3 squirrels and a red-tailed hawk, not to mention the usual warblers and rufous-sided towees.

(Not related to the topic post, but rather interesting regardless.)

I have a pair of screech owls nesting in a box I erected for them. The little owls have been using this box for years.This year the pair consist of one with the red colored-phase and one with the grey colored phase.