Larry A. Smail's Blog

We have had some hot, and humid weather! Add allergies, and my gobbler hunting has been short in daily hours. Monday, the 18th of May, I told Laurie I would be hunting to no later than eight o’clock due to the weather. I did, however, move in on a roosting gobbler. I stopped on a gas line, and when he gobbled again, I knew I needed to not move any farther.   I set up and did some calling. The bird was interested. I heard a thud, and the bird was down. Seconds later I heard soft hen call, and the sounds of her flying down to the tom. All went silent. The following morning, I was near my homestead since I was to be helping with garage prep work again. I moved in an unorthodox matter, and set up below where the turkeys like to roost. This a very difficult area to set up on. I was forced to put some eye drops on my eyes for they were beginning to itch, and burn. At that time I heard some excited cuts exactly where I expected the turkey talk to be. I immediately spotted another hen closer to me. I watched her preen herself and balance on the limb before fly down. I saw two more hens fly down. No gobbling at all! Five hens were present. The heat closed in fast!   This morning, however, there was change in the weather. I was disappointed the skies were clouded over, but the temperatures were much cooler. I walked to the top of a hill in breezy conditions. At 5:30, the winds came and hearing became difficult. I moved into a field to try to get away from some of the tree noises from the wind. I thought I heard a gobbler far off, in fact, across a big hollow and a road.                   I stayed put until normal fly down time had passed. Later, I crossed the road to climb the hill and check out a field. As I walked along I called periodically. I heard a gobble! I moved in, set up, and began to call. He came close and shut up. This could be a sign the big bird was sneaking in. I waited for twenty minutes and became very chilled. I called and received silence. I had to move, so I circled on the back side of the terrain the tom had been gobbling from. I entered the area I believed the turkey was , and as I called I heard a gobbler. You guessed it, the turkey was exactly where I had been calling from earlier. I set up and began calling. He gobbled and I felt all things were falling into place. Again the turkey became quiet, but this time I was waiting. He was circling my position when a thunderous gobbler exploded in front of me. I could see the darkened form. The turkey moved slowly, and every time his head went behind cover I would adjust my sight alignment as needed. The big gobbler went behind some big trees and when he stepped out the eighteen yard shot was completed. the turkey weighed nineteen pounds and sported a 9 3/4 inch beard. His spurs were 7/8 of an inch long.

A custom called made for me by my friend, Kip Feroce. ferociouscalls.com

I only heard two gobblers this morning. One gobbled once and the other gobbled about eight times. I moved on the one tom trying to get above and ahead of him, but I didn’t make it. His last gobble was around seven o’clock.

Virginia Bluebells

I was over one mile from the jeep at this time, and to be honest, I was  somewhat happy I didn’t need to carry an old tom the distance. This area has a lot of hills and hollows between, and the heat was closing in fast.

I did see a hen. The mouthy,  female started cutting above me. I stopped to listen. I wanted to make sure it was a real bird, and not another hunter. I learned quickly the sounds came from the real thing. In fact, she went air-borne, and flew almost close enough to touch. (Actually about eight feet.) Would her landing be the reason the gobbler would go silent???

I found two morels upon my trek towards the jeep. I didn’t pick either one for those two were all I could find. I let them go to “spore”. I arrived at the jeep around 9:30.                                                                              

Today, May the second, was the first day of the 2015 Pennsylvania Spring Gobbler Season. The morning proved to be a great one for me.  I walked almost a mile in the darkness to make sure I would be at a certain listening spot before visibility might give myself away to a wary gobbler’s eyes! My plan worked!

Prior to six o’clock, a tom erupted to my right  about 200 yards away. He was at the head of a shallow saddle in the landscape. I began my move to close the gap!  I set up at a fairly decent position, and when the time was right I allowed some soft hen talk to fill his ears. The big bird gobbled good, and I wasn’t hearing any “real” hen chatter as the  morning moved along.

The turkey flew down, and was still about a hundred yards from me. I was enjoying it all as the turkey was strutting back, and forth, and gobbling well. Still no hens! I was feeling the hunt was going to work out well until I heard the unmistakable cutting of a hen  just above the turkey. I watched the gobbler go after the hen  up, and over the ridge. All was quiet!

Long-abandoned farm equipment.

I began a slow tour of the area when I approached a field. Somebody, probably the landowner’s son, had three decoys in the field. I exited to allow him space.

I continued my walk along a ridge, and away from the hunter. Eventually, I called and heard a far away response. I moved towards the call. He gobbled on his on as I moved closer. I thought, I think that bird is moving towards me, too! I walked farther, and called, and the gobbler thundered just out ahead of me as I quickly set up to call.      

The gobbler became silent, as I wondered if he may have seen my movements. I concluded that couldn’t have been the case, so I waited his next move. He gobbled, and he was close. I clucked a couple of times, and more silence. He gobbled again, and more silence permeated my hearing. I first saw him already well within my range. I waited for an opportunity to raise the Remington 870. Boom, and the gobbler was down with a 23 yard shot. The time was 7: 50.

The gobbler weighed just shy of twenty pounds with a ten inch beard, and 3/4 inch spurs.

Other wildlife sightings included a number of deer; a ‘coon; a ‘possum; and about six squirrels.