Almost Heaven.. Snow Cold and Wind.. Turkey on the Ground

WVBOY · Wed Apr 27, 2005 3:29 pm

Well After I left Freddy's house I went over to WV to my homeplace to hunt the opener on Monday and Tuesday.. I was hoping to get out and listen Sunday but the Wind and Cold kept me in Bed.. I needed the rest anyway

Monday morning greeted me with an inch of fresh snow, 35 degrees and gusting winds..

But I braved the elements and went to one of my honey holes.. at 6:15 a Gobbler pierced through the 20 MPH winds way down in the holler below.. he gobbled well and I was about to head his way when two rang off right where I hoped they would be.. about 250 yds down the ridge I was on.. I decided to try to get a little closer and as I was sneaking along the ridge top I busted two hens off roost and the gobblers went nuts at their wing beats.. I got a big smile and thought oh boy I've scared off the hens .. this is perfect.. the were still hammering pretty hard.. But you know what they say about best laid plans

. I setup and called some but at 6:30 they shut up .. I heard them flydown and thought they were on the way but by 7:00 still no birds in view and the one in the hollow along with another in the hollow below were still hammering hard.. so I decided to go after them.. I played the game with one until around 9:30 but he had hens.. I saw them once and he would not leave them .. he shut up and I slipped out and hit another spot but could not strike another gobble before the bell rung.. snow was melted away by noon..

Tuesday I hit another Honey hole .. and was greeted with no gobbles at all by 6:30 I was getting worried, and was questioning my decision to not go back to the same place as Monday.. but then I heard a hen tree yelp a few times so I snuck down and setup a jake and hen deke in the scrub brush half pasture in front of the tree line they were roosted in.. then setup and tree yelped back to her .. in a few minutes I heard 3 or 4 birds fly down.. and the boss hen was fired up and ready to fight.. I purred aggresively to her and cut hard.. she came right back at me.. in just a few seconds I see turkey heads.. its at least 3 hens and they were checking out my dekes.. then I saw what I was hoping I would see.. 2 big white heads materializing over the rise.. when they got to where they could see the dekes they both ran at them hard and one blew up into strut.. then went back to running at the dekes.. it all happened really quick.. when they got to the dekes they got nervous and turned to retreat but not before I got the strutter in the scope and greeted him with a load of Nitros

He was a nice bird.. I would say at least a 3 year old..

22.5 lbs
11 inch beard
Right spur 1 3/16
Left Spur 1 1/8

Awesome hunt.. absolutely no gobbles .. but a bird on the ground .. it was overcast and cloudy and low light and the picture is not very good and doesn't do the bird justice.. but here it is anyway..

Here is a better pic of his beard and spurs later in the day..

Almost Heaven.. Snow Cold and Wind.. Turkey on the Ground

Who is online