Took my usual Wednesday, Thursday, Friday off work this week to get some Spring Turkey hunint in.
Timmy said "Dad, you always see deer during turkey season and turkey's during deer season."
This year turned out to be no exception. I was sitting on the north side of Sidney Bluff field when at 8am look to my right. I see deer standing stearing at me maybe 30 feet away. She hand come up on the road behind me. She bolted, but no far. She didn't quite know what I was. I few moments later, she and what I believe was her daughter, walked right in front of me. Not more than 20 years. It was 8:00. For the next thirty minutes, they hung out in the field, never more than 100 yards away. Around 8:30, they circled back to me, the mama walked into the woods were I was sitting and came up behind me to the right. She was within 10 feet. I couldn't look much because she was so close and she was essentially behind me. She paused, then moved around in front of me, maybe 10 feet. Her and the younger moved past me and slowly exited the field. They never realized I was human. They thought something was different, but weren't sure what. They also never smelled me.
I saw no turkeys this morning. Heard a few distance gobbles to the south, but most were random and far away.
The only turkey I saw all day was a hen in the power line clearing near the property border. I was talking to Becki while driving for some lunch.
I spent the afternoon at Buttrey field in the isolated stand of trees near the south side of the field. Thought for sure I would see a turkey group loitering here late afternoon. No luck.
I had parked the truck near Turkey field and had hiked through the woods to Buttrey field. I need to deer hunt along this path this fall. This looks like a well traveled corridor between a steep ridge and a cut-over.
The woods to the south of Buttrey field had been burned pretty good. Probably a lightening fire. None of the big trees were effected, but it looked like most of the small trees, dead trees and leaves had been burned.
This morning I decided to park the truck near the power line clearing where I saw the hen yesterday. As soon as I parked I heard a gobbler. I listened a few times he was going strong. He was fairly far off, so I left the coat and started off in the 40 degree weather knowing this hike would have me hot fast. It did. I was down and up ridges that were steep and straight. He kept calling. I kept moving. I finally got to the ridge he was on. I moved up slowly. Thought I need to be above him. So I looked for a fat tree to set up by and kept moving slowly up the hill. That was my mistake. Fat boy took off from about 75 yards away, I had gotten too close. It was probably only 6am and I had blown the hunt. Live and learn. This was as close to calling in a morning gobbler as I have ever gotten. I was happy about that, but pissed for messing up. I will try here again tomorrow. I saw a few more hens this morning and heard a gobble or two, but nothing like the morning experience. I did chase after a few other gobbles, but nothing ever lasted.
At one point I realized, I had no idea how I had gotten to where I was. I recognized waypoints on my GPS that were close, but also typically accessed from a starting point miles (maybe 10) from where my truck was parked. I couldn't get out that way... I certainly couldn't back track because I had zig-zagged all over these ridges chasing gobbles and back tracking was not possible. At one point in the gobble chasing, I was descending a ridge when I realized descent was impossible, the next 20 steps were steep, but after that it was about a 100 foot cliff. I had gotten in here pretty deep. My legs were barely working, the intial stalking had my legs feeling like lead weights. Using the GPS I figured out which way the truck was and started going that way. Wanting to avoid cut-overs and cliffs I found a trail that was not direct, but going somewhat in the correct direction. I stopped and took off all extra clothes and stuffed them into my vest. I began hiking out through country I had never seen before. Then I heard a few more gobbles. I said what the heck, this is what I am supposed to be doing today, the hell with my tired legs. I followed the gobbles probably three quarters of a mile and got up on a ridge where I thought the gobbles came from, but heard no more. I pulled my extra clothes out of my vest, sat down by a tree, put the clothes under my head and dozed for 20 minutes. Still no more calling. I went back to hiking out.
I got some lunch, then found a really simple way to get back to the ridge where I spooked the turkey this morning. I sat for few minutes then decided to cal it a day. I will try again here in the morning.
