Larry A. Smail's Blog

A listening Bob!

Friday, May 24, my step father, Bob and I walked across the field early to be posted at a common roosting site. This area has seldom failed to produce gobbling, but it is a place difficult to set up on the birds without detection.                                                        

We waited and two birds in two different directions and far off. I held tight waiting a closer bird would sound off where I had hoped. Nothing happened here so we elected to move closer to the one bird.

Foggy Morn!

We closed in until we could move no farther. The roosting bird was down over the hill near homes and a road and in unhuntable grounds. The only chance would be to pull him a distance. The gobbler seemed interested and he later came off the roost. He quit gobbling after a time when another gobbler gobbled from the point where we had just came from. He gobbled only once!

Great blue heron against the fog.

We moved back towards him when the previous gobbler started singing again. He seemed closer so we tried to see his next movements would be and moved back towards him again. Our feet were soaked from the dew-laden field. Unfortunately, he continued to move away and cross the road. We tried to stir up the other birds , but failed to do so.

Bob said my buddy was playing out and my allergies were beginning to irritate my eyes so we quit after 8. We saw some squirrels, two deer and a hen.

Fog

I woke up to thunderous booms and bright lightning around 3:45 this morning. Wow, I thought this may place a damper with my turkey hunting plans.

After the morning’s rain.

I watched the weather at 4:30 and the radar looked as if these storms should be passing through quickly. I hurriedly prepared and took off towards one of my hunting spots to listen.

   I arrived towards the top of the mountain by 5:35 A.M. and anxiously awaited that first gobble of the morning. Nothing!! At 6:15 I began searching for morels and I was pleased to find some. One can never have enough of these tasty mushrooms.

Dogwoods in bloom.

I crossed the hollow and made a listening and calling tour of the area and had one gobbler answer my calls. He was far down over the hill and I wasn’t sure of property boundaries and decided to head to the car and transport to another area to search for more morels and maybe call and listen for turkeys.

The humidity and temperatures made for some very warm woodland maneuvering. I called some as I walked and I received an answer shortly after nine o’clock. The bird was way off in distance. The morels would have to wait as I hurried towards where I believed the bird was. He started gobbling occasionally on his own now. This is always a good sign to the turkey hunter.

I edged around a slope and called and immediately heard his reply. He was below me in the wetland area. I set up and called a few more times. He would answer every few minutes. I waited. His approach was certain, but extremely slow.

I clucked a few times and he answered again and became silent again as did I.  I spotted some movement among the mayapples and a turkey head appeared. The gobbler was within range, but I couldn’t see a beard yet. A second gobbler appeared behind the first one. The lead bird stepped again and a nice beard was visible and the bird was down. The 32 yard shot was at 10:00 A.M. and I was over a mile away from my jeep. I would be shedding moisture as I walked!

Wood Turtle

   The walk back was, indeed, a hot one and I knew cleaning the bird would be a priority. At home I weighed the gobbler and he was almost 24 pounds. Another heavy bird! The beard was mostly at eleven inches, but six strands reached the thirteen inch mark. The spurs were, both, one inch each.                                                                       

My step-father, Bob is getting better and he hopes to hunt soon. Cousin Donny and I will get out together someday too.

The dead cam was obvious as I walked up the hill to a listening point. A few warblers were already beginning to sing prior to the 5:30 A.M. time.

An A.J. Cassette call.

As it usually happens the first gobble was across a hollow and towards the top of the opposite hill.  I used diagonal maneuvering to approach. I set up farther than I would have preferred, but the open woodlands and the time of the morning forced me to a pause.

Garlic Mustard- a non-native and invasive flower.

The bird left the roost prior to six o’clock and went opposite of me. I reevaluated his move and did likewise. I moved into a triangular section of woodlands with mowed cuts on both sides. if this gobbler moved along either site I close shot would be the result. He wouldn’t budge from an opening where these two mowed cuts intersected. I moved as close as I dare.

Coltsfoot flowers having gone to seeds.

The gobbler after tiring moved back down into the woods and gobbled periodically as he moved farther away.  I changed positions as well, but I heard it…hen talk.

Later, I began a circle and spotted a hunter setting against a tree. I eased away and he never knew I was around. I later saw hunter tracks along the bottom too.

I walked and called for a time until the heat, humidity and allergies began to get the best of me.

I saw some deer, squirrels and many warblers.

I arrived home after 10:00 sneezing; sniffling and itching. A pill needed to be taken.