KThompson
Active member
Well I tried to write this one day right after season ended but that first week after season is over (30 Apr) it's too depressing to reminisce. I'll try not to get too wordy because I maintain way too many details about each hunt but here's highlights from 6 hunts:
3/15/16 (AL opening day)
Slow morning, no gobbling at all on property I could hunt so I went to my slow but sometimes rewarding method of sitting on my rear and observing the woods. Light calling every 30min until my butt got numb 2.5 hrs later. Then starting walking the property at snails pace and spotted trio of gobblers moving up the mountain quietly. I slowly sat down in a fallen tree and gave 3 light clucks to try and coax them my direction. They did it right and I had to wait for the necks to clear to shoot this guy (only 1/day in AL). My first double beard and I've been hunting turkeys for 22 seasons:
3/25/16
Went with a buddy on his property that gets little to no pressure... "it's a treat to get to hunt" there would be putting it lightly. I couldn't sleep the night before in anticipation. Slow start as only one bird gobbled on the roost 4 times and we picked the worst way possible to try and approach him. Once he shut up we were walking blind in open woods and got close to a bend. I told him to crawl up about 50yds in front of me and he sat on a point overlooking a big "hollar" (not sure how it's spelled but that's what we call em in Northeast AL).
Well I started with my normal blind calling routine of very light clucks only... lots of leaf scratching. Waited 10min, gave a few very soft yelps and some clucks... lots of leaf scratching. Another 10 min, I let out a few cuts and some clucks like a hen that was soloing it through the woods... lots of leaf scratching. Still no responses but I didn't realize that he was now watching two strutters about 150yds down the mtn and across the hollar from us. Well since I wasn't getting any responses or visuals, another 10min later I started cutting simultaneously on mouth and slate calls like there was a-fight-a-goin, I was flapping my hat on my legs, kicking leaves and doing anything I could to make it realistic and then I heard a beautiful, clear gobble come from one of the strutters.... Anyway, over the next 45min I crawled on my belly what ended up being 50yds behind me, and even up/down the bench trying to convince those guys to head our way as I could tell they were posted up but still couldn't see them. Eventually I shut up completely and crawled back towards my buddy scratching leaves along the way and after I layed up against a tree... had a hen pop up 50yds from me (15yd from him). She passed through, then I saw a lightbulb colored head periscope from the bench below and slowly make his way to my bench (we had only heard 4 gobbles in 1.5hrs) He was probably 75yds from me when I saw the feather piniata bust. He said he got to watch a 1.5 hr strutting show starring two gobblers and another that came down the mtn but disappeared at some point. Here he is with the bird, 22lbs, 15/16in spurs, 9-1/4 beard:
4/6/16
I have never used cameras before but found a couple on sale last year and bought them to use in our yard to see what deer were visiting us at night. Well decided to throw them in the woods for turkey season and it paid off this time. Found a bird using an area I have never seen one before and he messed up and got too consistent, I saw him on camera two days in a row and timing was perfect because I had vacation planned the next morning. Pretty uneventful, like all the others so far, he didn't gobble at all and slipped in quietly but my heaviest bird to date ... and one pic is not turkey related but our azaelas looked great this year so figured I'd share: 25lbs, 10in beard, 1-1/8in spurs
This picture taken a couple of days after the previous turkey picture when they were full bloom:
4/15/16
Hunted with my buddy above and his brother on some of their property and got to see a great strutting display on this bird. He didn't gobble during the 20ish minutes we observed him but he was showing out for his lady friends and I did minimal calling. Once his hen headed our direction, he followed suit and eventually saw our hen and jake decoy... he wasn't going to have none of that! I let him cross at about 38-40yds and he shot it about 40-42 yards from his position. The 3rd hunter was filming so that ended up being a neat hunt that we'll get to live over and over again.
4/27/16
One of those hunts you dream about but then it happens so fast it's hard to appreciate the moment. I got in the woods very early and heard a bird gobble in a place I hadn't heard one all season. Got as close as I could to prevent spooking on the roost and waited until I felt he should flydown and imitated a flydown with my hat then gave 3 soft-spaced out clucks. Ol boy couldn't handle it and he immediatly flew down after that 3rd cluck. All I did was scratch the leaves after that and less that 8 min after he hit the ground i pulled the trigger... he was walking and half-strutting my direction looking for the hen. Ended up being earliest I have ever shot a bird and I taken all day off work... I thought about heading back to the office but then I just laughed and laughed at how stupid that was...
Stats: 20lbs, 10-1/4in beard, 1-1/4 & 1-3/16 spurs... he was a boss!
4/30/16 (AL closer)
Well, hottest bird of the season and probably hottest one i've heard in several years. We counted approximately 108 gobbles but I'm thinking that's conservative. Took my young cousin with me and we did about everything to get this guy in range. Set up 3 different times, had him wait for us on a cpl benches but he wouldn't come our way. He was a smart old bird who has been to this dance before. Ended up getting him at 15 yds about 2.5hrs after we started the game of cat and mouse but he spooked and my little cuz missed him walking away... we were both SICK. I couldn't get a follow-up shot so we watched him fly away unscathed to perhaps chase again next year. In talking afterwards, his mistake was in aiming at his head while he was moving/putting opposed to the neck where it transitions to feathers. Lesson learned and no wounded animals... and we got to spend some great time together, looking forward to getting him one next year!
In summary, I had a great season and never been a part of 6 shots at turkeys in one season before after a couple of 5 shot seasons. I didn't get to accomplish my goal of finally killing a 5 bird limit in AL (killed 4 a cpl of times) as we hear our dept wildlife and fisheries is caving to the folks saying we need reduced limits and assumptions are we are headed to 3 birds. But my boy finally got to go hunting with me and he sat out 3 afternoons and showed patience of someone much older than 5.5yrs! Looking forward to getting him comfortable with a .410 so he can try to kill one as well. I'll end this post with my favorite picture of this year (and 1 of only 3 hunts when decoys used). So until next season keep your slate rough, your boxes chaulked, and rest up cause 2017 will be here soon and those 45 days of sleepless nights never get old.
3/15/16 (AL opening day)
Slow morning, no gobbling at all on property I could hunt so I went to my slow but sometimes rewarding method of sitting on my rear and observing the woods. Light calling every 30min until my butt got numb 2.5 hrs later. Then starting walking the property at snails pace and spotted trio of gobblers moving up the mountain quietly. I slowly sat down in a fallen tree and gave 3 light clucks to try and coax them my direction. They did it right and I had to wait for the necks to clear to shoot this guy (only 1/day in AL). My first double beard and I've been hunting turkeys for 22 seasons:
3/25/16
Went with a buddy on his property that gets little to no pressure... "it's a treat to get to hunt" there would be putting it lightly. I couldn't sleep the night before in anticipation. Slow start as only one bird gobbled on the roost 4 times and we picked the worst way possible to try and approach him. Once he shut up we were walking blind in open woods and got close to a bend. I told him to crawl up about 50yds in front of me and he sat on a point overlooking a big "hollar" (not sure how it's spelled but that's what we call em in Northeast AL).
Well I started with my normal blind calling routine of very light clucks only... lots of leaf scratching. Waited 10min, gave a few very soft yelps and some clucks... lots of leaf scratching. Another 10 min, I let out a few cuts and some clucks like a hen that was soloing it through the woods... lots of leaf scratching. Still no responses but I didn't realize that he was now watching two strutters about 150yds down the mtn and across the hollar from us. Well since I wasn't getting any responses or visuals, another 10min later I started cutting simultaneously on mouth and slate calls like there was a-fight-a-goin, I was flapping my hat on my legs, kicking leaves and doing anything I could to make it realistic and then I heard a beautiful, clear gobble come from one of the strutters.... Anyway, over the next 45min I crawled on my belly what ended up being 50yds behind me, and even up/down the bench trying to convince those guys to head our way as I could tell they were posted up but still couldn't see them. Eventually I shut up completely and crawled back towards my buddy scratching leaves along the way and after I layed up against a tree... had a hen pop up 50yds from me (15yd from him). She passed through, then I saw a lightbulb colored head periscope from the bench below and slowly make his way to my bench (we had only heard 4 gobbles in 1.5hrs) He was probably 75yds from me when I saw the feather piniata bust. He said he got to watch a 1.5 hr strutting show starring two gobblers and another that came down the mtn but disappeared at some point. Here he is with the bird, 22lbs, 15/16in spurs, 9-1/4 beard:
4/6/16
I have never used cameras before but found a couple on sale last year and bought them to use in our yard to see what deer were visiting us at night. Well decided to throw them in the woods for turkey season and it paid off this time. Found a bird using an area I have never seen one before and he messed up and got too consistent, I saw him on camera two days in a row and timing was perfect because I had vacation planned the next morning. Pretty uneventful, like all the others so far, he didn't gobble at all and slipped in quietly but my heaviest bird to date ... and one pic is not turkey related but our azaelas looked great this year so figured I'd share: 25lbs, 10in beard, 1-1/8in spurs
This picture taken a couple of days after the previous turkey picture when they were full bloom:
4/15/16
Hunted with my buddy above and his brother on some of their property and got to see a great strutting display on this bird. He didn't gobble during the 20ish minutes we observed him but he was showing out for his lady friends and I did minimal calling. Once his hen headed our direction, he followed suit and eventually saw our hen and jake decoy... he wasn't going to have none of that! I let him cross at about 38-40yds and he shot it about 40-42 yards from his position. The 3rd hunter was filming so that ended up being a neat hunt that we'll get to live over and over again.
4/27/16
One of those hunts you dream about but then it happens so fast it's hard to appreciate the moment. I got in the woods very early and heard a bird gobble in a place I hadn't heard one all season. Got as close as I could to prevent spooking on the roost and waited until I felt he should flydown and imitated a flydown with my hat then gave 3 soft-spaced out clucks. Ol boy couldn't handle it and he immediatly flew down after that 3rd cluck. All I did was scratch the leaves after that and less that 8 min after he hit the ground i pulled the trigger... he was walking and half-strutting my direction looking for the hen. Ended up being earliest I have ever shot a bird and I taken all day off work... I thought about heading back to the office but then I just laughed and laughed at how stupid that was...
Stats: 20lbs, 10-1/4in beard, 1-1/4 & 1-3/16 spurs... he was a boss!
4/30/16 (AL closer)
Well, hottest bird of the season and probably hottest one i've heard in several years. We counted approximately 108 gobbles but I'm thinking that's conservative. Took my young cousin with me and we did about everything to get this guy in range. Set up 3 different times, had him wait for us on a cpl benches but he wouldn't come our way. He was a smart old bird who has been to this dance before. Ended up getting him at 15 yds about 2.5hrs after we started the game of cat and mouse but he spooked and my little cuz missed him walking away... we were both SICK. I couldn't get a follow-up shot so we watched him fly away unscathed to perhaps chase again next year. In talking afterwards, his mistake was in aiming at his head while he was moving/putting opposed to the neck where it transitions to feathers. Lesson learned and no wounded animals... and we got to spend some great time together, looking forward to getting him one next year!
In summary, I had a great season and never been a part of 6 shots at turkeys in one season before after a couple of 5 shot seasons. I didn't get to accomplish my goal of finally killing a 5 bird limit in AL (killed 4 a cpl of times) as we hear our dept wildlife and fisheries is caving to the folks saying we need reduced limits and assumptions are we are headed to 3 birds. But my boy finally got to go hunting with me and he sat out 3 afternoons and showed patience of someone much older than 5.5yrs! Looking forward to getting him comfortable with a .410 so he can try to kill one as well. I'll end this post with my favorite picture of this year (and 1 of only 3 hunts when decoys used). So until next season keep your slate rough, your boxes chaulked, and rest up cause 2017 will be here soon and those 45 days of sleepless nights never get old.
