Posted By: wal1809
My off season project (S) - 04/21/14 02:05 PM
Well I finally had enough. When I work I work and when I play I work hard at playing. Things kind of got all balled up on me and catching up to me. The mother in law had a stroke 3 months ago and I have not had a day of fun, day off or even a day of rest since I went to Missouri on the spring goose hunt. My sister called and asked I come out to the ranch she and her husband lease from a friend of mine. They had cold Shiner beer, an inch and a half thick rib eyes and anything else you could imagine for table fare. I got up at 0400 Saturday morning, told mother in law she was on her own and I lit a shuck for Gonzales. My wife was up at Fort Hood helping our daughter in law with the coming of the 3rd grandbaby.
O got to the ranch in time to slamm a few more cups of coffee and headed to the area of the plan to ambush a tom turkey. By the time I got the decoys out and my BIL's truck gone we could hear them gobbling in the creek bottom. BIL left and I hit the call. About a dozen birds boiled the creek valley with their gobbling. So much so I was not able to figure out if they were headed my way or just gobbling for the noise.
30 minutes into and the woods fell silent. My decoys were at the edge of heavy fog. 30 more minutes went by and I hit the old P. S. Olt box caller and I got a lone gobble from up and over the hill. I guessed it was 4 or 500 yards, very very faint. 5 minutes later I did it again and he boiled up with a gobble but this time noticably closer. I talked him into about 80 yards and he fell silent. I just gave him a few chirps and purrs and got ready. An old ghost of a turkey with a white head poked his head out at about 50 yards, for 5 seconds. That is all I saw and he left.
Next day I got set up nearer the creek bottom. Daylight came and nothing. No roosting birds. I could not believe it. I sat there an hour after daylight and did not hear a gobble within a mile. I knew from years ago, if you don't hear them, you better move. I switched to plan B, got set up, parked the car and got into position. I called and heard no response. 20 minutes later, again no response. I was in the final minutes, telling myself I would call one more time and then go home. I swipedthe paddle on the old Olt and got answer. I did it again and he boiled up the gobble again. I kept talking until he was at the 100 yard mark, guessing of course, because of the woods.
The first time I saw him he was trotting to the decoys, fanned out, wings dragging and he was hissing. I did a chirp and he gobbled. I figured out real quick I need to learn decoy placement is key. The day before I put the tom decoy in between where the turkeys should be coming and the hen decoys. That is what stopped the tom the day before. It stopped the second day tom right in his tracks at 37 yards. It was a 4 minute stand off and my tom was not getting any closer. He was facing me and I knew the shot would do what it was designed to do, kill him clean. I had patterned my gun at 30 yards and found a 20 inch pattern at 30 yards. 37 yards was not ideal, but I felt confident. Boom, 2 ounces of #5 lead 3 inch magnum turkey load. I might as well have dumped a truck load of bricks on that gobbler. He went down hard and he was finished clean.
That was easter morning and it was my birthday. There is just something about the woods, Shiner beer, ribeyes, family, friends and mashing a turkey. Makes everything pure again.
O got to the ranch in time to slamm a few more cups of coffee and headed to the area of the plan to ambush a tom turkey. By the time I got the decoys out and my BIL's truck gone we could hear them gobbling in the creek bottom. BIL left and I hit the call. About a dozen birds boiled the creek valley with their gobbling. So much so I was not able to figure out if they were headed my way or just gobbling for the noise.
30 minutes into and the woods fell silent. My decoys were at the edge of heavy fog. 30 more minutes went by and I hit the old P. S. Olt box caller and I got a lone gobble from up and over the hill. I guessed it was 4 or 500 yards, very very faint. 5 minutes later I did it again and he boiled up with a gobble but this time noticably closer. I talked him into about 80 yards and he fell silent. I just gave him a few chirps and purrs and got ready. An old ghost of a turkey with a white head poked his head out at about 50 yards, for 5 seconds. That is all I saw and he left.
Next day I got set up nearer the creek bottom. Daylight came and nothing. No roosting birds. I could not believe it. I sat there an hour after daylight and did not hear a gobble within a mile. I knew from years ago, if you don't hear them, you better move. I switched to plan B, got set up, parked the car and got into position. I called and heard no response. 20 minutes later, again no response. I was in the final minutes, telling myself I would call one more time and then go home. I swipedthe paddle on the old Olt and got answer. I did it again and he boiled up the gobble again. I kept talking until he was at the 100 yard mark, guessing of course, because of the woods.
The first time I saw him he was trotting to the decoys, fanned out, wings dragging and he was hissing. I did a chirp and he gobbled. I figured out real quick I need to learn decoy placement is key. The day before I put the tom decoy in between where the turkeys should be coming and the hen decoys. That is what stopped the tom the day before. It stopped the second day tom right in his tracks at 37 yards. It was a 4 minute stand off and my tom was not getting any closer. He was facing me and I knew the shot would do what it was designed to do, kill him clean. I had patterned my gun at 30 yards and found a 20 inch pattern at 30 yards. 37 yards was not ideal, but I felt confident. Boom, 2 ounces of #5 lead 3 inch magnum turkey load. I might as well have dumped a truck load of bricks on that gobbler. He went down hard and he was finished clean.
That was easter morning and it was my birthday. There is just something about the woods, Shiner beer, ribeyes, family, friends and mashing a turkey. Makes everything pure again.
Good job Wayne