Andrew Schaefer
Active member
Turkey Season opened a couple weeks ago here. I hadn't turkey hunted in almost 10 years. I kinda gave up on them after trying hard for a few years in a row without much success, but I was seeing a lot of turkeys, and hearing a lot of gobbling a couple weeks before season, so I enthusiastically bought my two tags. Then, a few days before season opened, I got poison ivy really bad. I had to go to the doctor and go on prednisone and everything. I'm pretty sure I picked it up from mushroom hunting, so that put a damper on my will to go out in the woods and chase turkeys. On Monday, I was on the phone with my boss, who is a turkey hunting fanatic, when he mentioned that he really though the next few days would be prime time for turkey hunting, and a fella with some tags really ought to be out in the woods. So, after work I went and did some scouting, I checked a field were I had seen turkeys in the past, and as I was peaking around the hedgerow with my binoculars, I could see two gobbler heads poking up from behind a swale in the field. I quickly and quietly left the area and planned to be back in the morning.
When I got to the field the next morning I could here a bird gobbling from the roost as I set up on the edge of the field (I had to check very carefully for a spot without poison ivy, turns out that place is loaded with it). I yelped a few times, and but it was windy, and I wasn't sure the gobbler could hear me. It also sounded like it was getting further away. By this time it was light out, and I spent several minutes watching 3 deer feed out in the field until they caught my wind and bolted. Then I tried yelping again, and to my surprise, I had two birds gobble back about 100 yards away, straight down the treeline. Then I saw them making their way out into the field. I could see them eyeballing my decoys, I gave them a couple soft yelps on the slate, and they all came strolling in. It was a flock of 12-15 jakes. I picked out the biggest one I could see, and shot it. The rest scattered a little, then stopped and looked back. There was one separated from the bunch that I could positively ID as a jake, and I shot him too. I stopped by the office to get a picture taken, then I went home, cleaned the birds, took a shower, fried up some bacon and eggs, and still made it to work by 11. All in all a pretty good day.
When I got to the field the next morning I could here a bird gobbling from the roost as I set up on the edge of the field (I had to check very carefully for a spot without poison ivy, turns out that place is loaded with it). I yelped a few times, and but it was windy, and I wasn't sure the gobbler could hear me. It also sounded like it was getting further away. By this time it was light out, and I spent several minutes watching 3 deer feed out in the field until they caught my wind and bolted. Then I tried yelping again, and to my surprise, I had two birds gobble back about 100 yards away, straight down the treeline. Then I saw them making their way out into the field. I could see them eyeballing my decoys, I gave them a couple soft yelps on the slate, and they all came strolling in. It was a flock of 12-15 jakes. I picked out the biggest one I could see, and shot it. The rest scattered a little, then stopped and looked back. There was one separated from the bunch that I could positively ID as a jake, and I shot him too. I stopped by the office to get a picture taken, then I went home, cleaned the birds, took a shower, fried up some bacon and eggs, and still made it to work by 11. All in all a pretty good day.
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