Monday, April 4, 2011

The Proverbial 'Now What"?

My limit maker
Had a fun hunt this morning, albeit a very quick one.  It was truly the type of hunt that when it's over, you're actually left wanting more.  
Making my usual listening spot, I waited almost 30 minutes and had yet to hear a gobbler sound off.  Around 7 a.m. I decided to slip through some 12 year old pine timber, and set up on a plot to listen and wait.  I knew a good bird was in the area, and figured I'd do as much good listening as I would anything else.  While getting myself situated, getting the Therma-Cell turned on, and getting the calls chalked up, I thought I heard a bird in the distance.  After roughly 5 minutes, I figured it was the wind or an old hound dog.
I first struck this bird around 730 using an Eddleman box call.  The call will flat "get up and through" wind, and considering the windy conditions I was met with, I needed something that could cut through it.  And, it did just that.  The last yelp of the sequence was met with a gobble, some 200 yards down in a hollow.  
 The Eddleman call amidst some feathers and spurs

Knowing I couldn't get closer to the bird, I backed up in the pine timber.  I have fooled with this turkey before, and knew that if I could get him to come up the hollow I'd have him, as I was finally on the right side of his comfort zone.

From the time I sat down, to the time I was standing over the bird took less than 15 minutes.  I called a few times, and with each answering gobble, I could tell he was on the move having business at hand.  The terrain didn't allow much vision outside of 30 yards, and I first saw his fan coming straight to me at around 50 yards.  He stopped and strutted behind a pine tree, and then stepped out in full view...and, in full strut.  A simple cluck/purr had him sticking his neck out to gobble.  He was shot mid-gobble and the hunt was over...too fast, just too fast.

10" beard, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8" spurs

 The super-hunt crew know the meaning of this photo

The proverbial "now what"...I guess I'll just have to tote the camera and "shoot" them that way for a spell. 


   

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