Ridge_Runner
Handloader
- Sep 29, 2006
- 1,390
- 741
well sinc my carreer change in july of 2008, I no longer have alot of time to hunt, I can hunt all I want but its off without pay and my budget doesn't allow much of that, so
Season came in on 4/26 but it was cold, rainy and windy so I decided to work, tues was better so decided to go in late and hunt the morn. The mrs had been filling me in on the gobbling around the house so I decided to hunt there my first chance.
So on the 27th I left the house at 6:03 AM, dropped the daughter off next door at grandma's to catch the bus, and went up on the hill, got outta my truck at the fields edge and was putting on my camo, and he gobbled close.
I walked into the woods about 50 yards, set up and waited for him to fly down. When I heard the wingbeats I gave a few soft yelps, he gobbled 400 yards away, thought it was over since he was roosted closer than that, figured he'd found a hen and was done for the day.
10 min later I gave 3 more yelps and he gobbled 200 yards away, I gave 2 clucks, got the gun up and waited a few minutesthen I heard him walking down over the side of the ridge, I pushed the button on the side of the trigger of the valmet 412 to switch it to shotgun, he crossed the hollow into the open at 30 steps and 2 oz's of 6's to the face ended the hunt. As I shouldered him and headed for the truck I looked at the time, 6:20, I was even on time for work. not a big bird but one that keeps ya getting up
18#/7.5"/3/4" just a 2 yo gobbler
Didn't get out again till 5/4, was hunting national forest, finaly found a gobbleing bird after making a 3 mile circle. I knew the area he was in, one side of the hollow choked with laurel brush, the other one is wide open, I knew he wouldn't cross the creek into the laurel so I tried to set up so I was within range of the creek, well he busted me, I caught movement at 125 yards and saw him walking away, dang!
Sat. 5/8 I was 1/2 way to the hollow when at 5:45 a great horned owl hooted, he gobbled, made it to the creek and looked and looked to find a suitable place to set up, it was raining and very windy it was getting light and I was closer to a roosted turkey than I like to be in such open timber.
Up out of the hollow is a rock ledge at the bottom a big oak flat, below the ledge was a downed tree, at the main fork another tree had fell across making a natural "fort", I crawled in and waited till he flew down, when he gobbled on the ground I gave him 2 clucks to get his attention and followed that with 3 soft yelps, he immediately cut me off, I figured well, he's 150 yards away he knows I'm here, he'll find me, I didnt want him gobbleing more than needed, cause when that happens on NF land ya end up with alot of help with them.
I waited about 10 min and saw movement, I had the frenchi 912 laying over the log I was behind and just watched him come in as if on a string, at 27 steps he was in the open, the 3.5" load of fed 6's filled my last tag, and he was a good one
19.5#/9"/1.375", as he was on the ground flopping I checked my watch 6:25
Pics aren't very good, but when an old fat guy drags one for 1/2 mile uphill through a laurel thicket in the rain, thats what ya get, anyway it was a good year here in wv, hope y'all's season goes as well
RR
Season came in on 4/26 but it was cold, rainy and windy so I decided to work, tues was better so decided to go in late and hunt the morn. The mrs had been filling me in on the gobbling around the house so I decided to hunt there my first chance.
So on the 27th I left the house at 6:03 AM, dropped the daughter off next door at grandma's to catch the bus, and went up on the hill, got outta my truck at the fields edge and was putting on my camo, and he gobbled close.
I walked into the woods about 50 yards, set up and waited for him to fly down. When I heard the wingbeats I gave a few soft yelps, he gobbled 400 yards away, thought it was over since he was roosted closer than that, figured he'd found a hen and was done for the day.
10 min later I gave 3 more yelps and he gobbled 200 yards away, I gave 2 clucks, got the gun up and waited a few minutesthen I heard him walking down over the side of the ridge, I pushed the button on the side of the trigger of the valmet 412 to switch it to shotgun, he crossed the hollow into the open at 30 steps and 2 oz's of 6's to the face ended the hunt. As I shouldered him and headed for the truck I looked at the time, 6:20, I was even on time for work. not a big bird but one that keeps ya getting up
18#/7.5"/3/4" just a 2 yo gobbler
Didn't get out again till 5/4, was hunting national forest, finaly found a gobbleing bird after making a 3 mile circle. I knew the area he was in, one side of the hollow choked with laurel brush, the other one is wide open, I knew he wouldn't cross the creek into the laurel so I tried to set up so I was within range of the creek, well he busted me, I caught movement at 125 yards and saw him walking away, dang!
Sat. 5/8 I was 1/2 way to the hollow when at 5:45 a great horned owl hooted, he gobbled, made it to the creek and looked and looked to find a suitable place to set up, it was raining and very windy it was getting light and I was closer to a roosted turkey than I like to be in such open timber.
Up out of the hollow is a rock ledge at the bottom a big oak flat, below the ledge was a downed tree, at the main fork another tree had fell across making a natural "fort", I crawled in and waited till he flew down, when he gobbled on the ground I gave him 2 clucks to get his attention and followed that with 3 soft yelps, he immediately cut me off, I figured well, he's 150 yards away he knows I'm here, he'll find me, I didnt want him gobbleing more than needed, cause when that happens on NF land ya end up with alot of help with them.
I waited about 10 min and saw movement, I had the frenchi 912 laying over the log I was behind and just watched him come in as if on a string, at 27 steps he was in the open, the 3.5" load of fed 6's filled my last tag, and he was a good one
19.5#/9"/1.375", as he was on the ground flopping I checked my watch 6:25
Pics aren't very good, but when an old fat guy drags one for 1/2 mile uphill through a laurel thicket in the rain, thats what ya get, anyway it was a good year here in wv, hope y'all's season goes as well
RR
