05-04-14 New Hampshire
Was at Habitat Improvement at 0445. First turkey to gobble was at 0505 across the street. There was jake written all over his sound waves. Way off on the private land I could hear two more gobbling. Both sounded like toms. Good long throaty gobbles. Sent out a couple assembly calls to greet their day.

Had nonstop action for the next five hours. Yappy Hen is back. He followed her all the way to my set up. I could hear her clucking and purring as she came up on the left side of the blind. Figuring the tom was following her the hammer came back.

She walked into view on my left side window, saw Henrietta and made a bee line to socialize. Any time ole tom should show himself. Ha! He would not commit. Stayed behind the blind safely out of range and my vision. Yappy was clucking, yelping and lost calling to Henrietta. He had to come. Not!

Yappy wandered off away from her suitor and he told me with his gobbling he was heading back to the private land. He continued to gobble and I continued to answer him. He came back twice to the same hardwood flat behind the blind. Yappy came back to visit with the decoy. She put on quite the calling seminar but tom wasn't buying. He eventually wandered south to his private sanctuary. Approx. 0945 was the last long away gobble I heard.

All the work we put into Habitat Improvement is showing. Grass is once again growing under the apple trees as new sunbeams light the forest floor. We can't thank the landowner enough for letting us roam and upgrade the back forty.

The season is new. There is a few gobblers in the area. Hunt it and they will come.

I am sure the landlord appreciated it very much.

Some good action there. Hopefully Yappy the hen will help out a little better next time.


Earl

Thanks Earl. She was the demise of the Ground Blind Boss in 2013.

05-06-14



He was one proud stud afterwards. He lives.

05-06-14
BIL caught on camera. From the looks he is calling to the gobbler. That is the direction they are hanging out.



05-08-14
I hate traffic while I'm turkey hunting. This morning it was deafening. I heard two above the roar of 18 wheeler tires and motorcycles without mufflers.
Snuck over to the property boundary line and watched the birds fly out into their sanctuary. There isn't much time when you need to be to work at 0700 so today was just a scouting mission. I never called, they didn't gobble much.

Checked the camera and got this guy walking by yesterday. I need to lower the camera on the tree. At least he isn't afraid of the blind. I had my doubts Sunday when he wouldn't follow Yappie to the kill zone.

.

Weather permitting I'll be back tomorrow.

05-10-14
Took my son and a first time lady turkey hunter to a local farm this morning. No roost gobbling. We got busted by a couple silent jakes. Just before the 0900 downpour we heard a gobble way, way off. We had just decided to relocate closer when the skies opened up. End hunt #1.



At home I checked TWC and saw the front was going to move out at approx. 11 AM. At 1030 I was at Habitat Improvement. The temperature went from 57 degrees to 70 degrees with bright sunshine when the noon time whistle blew. He gave me a couple courtesy gobbles from the private land. The black flies are biting now.

05-11-14
Lots to say about todays hunt but no time at the moment. BIL scored a 20.5 pound, two beards 10.5 and 8 and 1" spurs at 0930. We were on opposite sides of the river. His side big gobbler....my side 4 jakes at 10 yards with 2" beards. Gobbler dead, jakes live.

Netting lobster bait at daybreak today. Rain washed me out. When the downpours stopped it was time to visit the Ground Blind Boss.

Heard him three times. Wayyyyyyyyyyy off. He was stuck in cement.

But I did shoot him.

What a beautiful bird.



He has friends.





Time to go check incoming tide. Lobsta's love alewives.

05-18-14
At the blind at 0450. Heard one gobbling while walking in through the field.

Couple assembly yelps and a jake came in and 360'd the blind just out of sight. Then the Boss came. Again right to the property line. Shook the blind with his gobbles. Then he faded back to the sanctuary.

When the Boss was safely back on hallowed ground a jake not 50 yards in a tree in front of the blind started gobbling. He spent an hour in the tree. Gobble, gobble gobble.

Heard him fly down. After a little calling he was on his way. Then he went silent. I'm scanning the area in front of the blind when the Boss let out a goose bump gobble from again right behind the blind.

I know how to kill this gobbler. Go to the blind and call then relocate 50 yards behind the blind and don't say anything.

Might work. Worth a try. Our spring gobbler adventures continue.

05-21-14
He paid me no mind this morning. Gobbled some in the roost and on the ground. Then he did a 180 and headed south.

Only heard him, no jakes.

No wildlife pictures on the camera. Just some turkey hunter from Sunday that looks like me.

05-20-14
I'm visiting with mom when I looked out in her front yard and saw this gorgeous gal.

The beard length tells me she is a mature hen.

Picture is a little fuzzy from the crop and being taken from behind glass.

Now if the neighbors can keep their cats under control this may be a brood in the making.



05-24-14
The Jack in the Pulpits came up. These were taken from my BIL's 22 pound opening day Maine gobblers crop and transplanted. Three out of about six sprouted.

How cool is that?

Memories that grow out of the ground.



On our last hunting spot in Maine today we found a hillside of white oak that was freshly scratched. Will start here Monday. We heard zero birds gobbling in Maine today.

05-25-14
Hunting with Hannah
Took Hannah out today. Started on her family farm. The evening report was good with two mature birds seen together. At daybreak only one gobbled and soon after fly down time he quit. So we crept up to the piece of woods this bird occupied and as we closed the distance he flew out of a tree and into the field. It was after 0600. He should have been down but......

We figure the grass was just too high and too wet. He just stayed in the tree hoping his date would get soaked on her approach. Wrong way for any male on a testosterone high to be playing the field. He said good bye with his putting.

Next stop Habitat Improvement. The Ground Blind Boss was not home.

On a whim we checked out so public land we had a good encounter with a couple birds a month ago on youth day. Parked the truck and our first crow called was answered by a very loud and close gobbler. He was in a small pasture field. In order not to be sky lighted against the wood line we chose our "end around" through the woods. I set Hannah up with the decoy at about the limit of her 20 gauges shooting range in order to give her some depth. As I returned to our set up she said another bird was gobbling on his own down by the river.

What happened next was Turkey Hunting 101. The bird in the pasture quit but the bird on the river was making a hasty advance. As he got close the old pasture bird had had enough and came out gobbling. I am so glad Hannah got to see what turkey hunting is all about. I felt bad for her on our first attempts as new hunters need some action to keep their interest up. The pasture bird came out into his little field and roared. It took him 15 minutes to do the last 15 yards until he saw Henrietta and that was all it took. He came in on a string.

He looked right at Hannah and gave an alarm putt and started walking away. I knew the gig was up. Then she shot....an missed cleanly. That happens to some folks new to turkey hunting. She told me she was shaking from the rush and could hardly keep her gun still.

This young lady is now hooked on turkey hunting.

05-26-14
Drove into camp last evening. The alarm clock rang at 0300. Needed to be at the trailhead at 0400 in order to be up high enough on the mountain for prime listening. Everything went according to plan except nobody told Mr. Tom he was suppose to gobble. So what may have been the last day and last weekend of my Maine spring gobbler hunting was a silent affair.

And as my luck would have it on my assent up into the fresh scratching I saw movement above and then watched a turkey fly off the mountain. A big mountain and I have to spook the turkey of my day.

Been there....done that...bring on 2015.

Still have a week left in NH. I know where a pasture and a couple river gobblers live.

05-28-14
Heard the back forty toms gobbling this morning. It was rainy, drizzly and cold. Got a call from Mark at 0650. The Ground Blind Boss was in the field at his sanctuary. Have Friday off and Saturday is the last day.

Where the heck did this season go...? Oh I know....full of wonderful memories.

Hope you take it home in grand style, we have birds still gobbling most mornings, Good luck!

05-30-14 NH
Went back to the pasture where we heard two birds last Sunday. The pasture bird was AWOL but the River Gobbler was home. Never heard him on the roost but after he flew down he gobbled on his own until he met his fate at 0915.

He was constantly on the move. Had him close twice but he would not commit. About 0830 he went from the river to the back pasture. His gobbling allowed me to follow him. When he left the pasture I went out and planted Henrietta.

He wouldn't come to the yelping. He would gobble but kept getting further away. Some Quaker Boy box call cutting got him in the mood. The last fifteen minutes was nerve racking. He was in the pasture and I knew he must see the decoy. Everything was silent. The set up was perfect. I knew when he appeared he would be in range.

Then right behind Henrietta I saw the full tail fan. The Encore was cocked and ready for action. He was so close to the decoy it looked like he was going to kiss her. I put the red dot on his head just as he stepped behind the decoy. When he came out the other side he was in full display. The red dot met the red head and the Encore put him to sleep........permanently.

19.5 pounds 9.75" beard 1" and 1 1/16" spurs



Stopped by the Ground Blind Boss's home and switched cards in the camera. There is one day to go in the NH season. He was home yesterday. Hopefully he is around for Hannah and Shawn tomorrow.

Alright Coalman.. Congrats .. Way to get it done late season..

good report and glad you have been in the birds most days. Great season for you compared to what tidbits l hear about some of the rest of new england this year.

Hi GN,
35 entries in our spring gobbler contest last year 22 birds shot.

35 entries in our spring gobbler contest this year. 11 birds shot.

I know this hunter missed the hills ringing with gobbles this spring. Da_n those Polar Vortex's.

When they come out with the season results for Maine and NH I'll update the tread.