Yesterday started the opening day of turkey season for North and Central FL. After roosting a bird and getting to know a small area of the management area I was hunting, about 2 square miles of area, I figured on a place to set up. No dice, but there were quite a few people in the woods and that area so I stayed put all day. I had some hogs and deer walk right up to me and I heard some turkey talk behind me, but no takers. So legal shooting ended at 1 and off I went scouting. Not much to speak of, I didn't see turkey, and I thought I found a good place. Time to go home and nap. This was a critter I saw on the way out:
I head back out there this am. At an almost civilized hour, I got up at 5 out there by 6 and heading with all my gear to my spot by 615. I decide I didn't want to try to find my other spot that was waaaay back in the woods. I didn't take a light, dead quiet so I know everyone and thing from here to kingdom come will here me. So I set up near where I wanted to be. About 50 yards behind I get startled by a roosted gobbler waking the world up. I sit there for an hour or so, but not much going on, so I decide to head off to try and get on the backside of him in the freshly burned pine forest and try and cut him off.
I think someone else got him. But I set up in a clearing, just chillin' out against a big oak tree. Then the same someone elses shoot again. So I decide to go on somewhere else. I start wandering the woods looking for a good place to park myself again. As I'm walking down the road, I see this big black thing, and then i see this big black thing get smaller. It's a turkey strutting in the road! Off into the woods I go and head in his direction. Apparently he did the same thing on the opposite side of the road b/c when we each got to where we saw each other, we poked our heads out of the woods and there we were, on opposite sides looking at each other from afar, again.
I figure that that area is as good a place to park myself as any other. There was a stand of burnt pine trees to the right, a big clearing with fresh, 6" tall green grass, then about 80 yds to the left, another stand of burnt pine trees. I set the decoy out in the clearing and sat myself down in the right stand of trees. I purr and cluck a little bit, but not much going on. I get up to stretch and what happens? I had actually managed to get the attention of a turkey and they were coming in to see my decoy! Don't know if it was male or female because it high tailed it out quite quickly.
hmph
I sit down again and tell myself to suck it up, so what if your butt hurts? A little later, there are two shots behind me, probably 200 yards. I don't know if they got their bird or not, but shortly after the shots a couple of turkeys come from behind me, not more than 15-20 yards away, but there's not a clear shot even had I been able to turn around. One was a gobbler though, as he had a bright red head. I'd been watching my decoy from time to time and I look into the opposite pine stand and I keep seeing what I think is a bird strutting back there. But there are some palmettos in the way, so I'm not certain. I was right. A crow flew over cawing and made that turkey gobble. He didn't want to come out of that stand though. I waited until I heard the gobbling way back in the back of that pine stand and picked up the decoy and moved and set up in the middle of a recently fallen pine tree. I clucked and purred a little bit and then shut up. I heard a gobble in reply but I didn't answer back. About five minutes later or so, I see the sun glinting off of something shiny and it's greens and coppery colored. It's a gobbler! And it's strutting! I'm watching that bird and he's looking like he's headed to a clearing where I would have a clear, unobstructed shot, though a slightly long one at about 40-45 yards. As I'm watching that bird, something catches the corner of my eye. MY DECOY IS GETTING HIS ASS WHOOPED! By another gobbler! That bird is all of 5 yards in front of me. A well placed shot and the turkey is down! It took a second for me to realize that I had just gotten my very first public land turkey and the first turkey that I did all the work for.
18.5 lbs
10 inch beard
1 inch spurs
It was a LONG mile and a half walk back to the truck. But successful. I had to stop for a quick swim at the creek when I got there since it was so warm!
A fun weekend!
I head back out there this am. At an almost civilized hour, I got up at 5 out there by 6 and heading with all my gear to my spot by 615. I decide I didn't want to try to find my other spot that was waaaay back in the woods. I didn't take a light, dead quiet so I know everyone and thing from here to kingdom come will here me. So I set up near where I wanted to be. About 50 yards behind I get startled by a roosted gobbler waking the world up. I sit there for an hour or so, but not much going on, so I decide to head off to try and get on the backside of him in the freshly burned pine forest and try and cut him off.
I think someone else got him. But I set up in a clearing, just chillin' out against a big oak tree. Then the same someone elses shoot again. So I decide to go on somewhere else. I start wandering the woods looking for a good place to park myself again. As I'm walking down the road, I see this big black thing, and then i see this big black thing get smaller. It's a turkey strutting in the road! Off into the woods I go and head in his direction. Apparently he did the same thing on the opposite side of the road b/c when we each got to where we saw each other, we poked our heads out of the woods and there we were, on opposite sides looking at each other from afar, again.
I figure that that area is as good a place to park myself as any other. There was a stand of burnt pine trees to the right, a big clearing with fresh, 6" tall green grass, then about 80 yds to the left, another stand of burnt pine trees. I set the decoy out in the clearing and sat myself down in the right stand of trees. I purr and cluck a little bit, but not much going on. I get up to stretch and what happens? I had actually managed to get the attention of a turkey and they were coming in to see my decoy! Don't know if it was male or female because it high tailed it out quite quickly.
hmph
I sit down again and tell myself to suck it up, so what if your butt hurts? A little later, there are two shots behind me, probably 200 yards. I don't know if they got their bird or not, but shortly after the shots a couple of turkeys come from behind me, not more than 15-20 yards away, but there's not a clear shot even had I been able to turn around. One was a gobbler though, as he had a bright red head. I'd been watching my decoy from time to time and I look into the opposite pine stand and I keep seeing what I think is a bird strutting back there. But there are some palmettos in the way, so I'm not certain. I was right. A crow flew over cawing and made that turkey gobble. He didn't want to come out of that stand though. I waited until I heard the gobbling way back in the back of that pine stand and picked up the decoy and moved and set up in the middle of a recently fallen pine tree. I clucked and purred a little bit and then shut up. I heard a gobble in reply but I didn't answer back. About five minutes later or so, I see the sun glinting off of something shiny and it's greens and coppery colored. It's a gobbler! And it's strutting! I'm watching that bird and he's looking like he's headed to a clearing where I would have a clear, unobstructed shot, though a slightly long one at about 40-45 yards. As I'm watching that bird, something catches the corner of my eye. MY DECOY IS GETTING HIS ASS WHOOPED! By another gobbler! That bird is all of 5 yards in front of me. A well placed shot and the turkey is down! It took a second for me to realize that I had just gotten my very first public land turkey and the first turkey that I did all the work for.
18.5 lbs
10 inch beard
1 inch spurs
It was a LONG mile and a half walk back to the truck. But successful. I had to stop for a quick swim at the creek when I got there since it was so warm!
A fun weekend!
