Hello all! My apologies for the radio silence last week. I have been a bit under the weather and haven’t been able to do much of anything, particularly on the hunting front. And, silly/sickly me, I didn’t even get to do an opening day post for this year’s turkey season! Last Friday was the day, and I am sad that I had to miss out. My dad was able to go twice this past weekend, though, and boy did he have some stories for me! As all turkey hunters well know, those birds can be quite elusive. With a brain the size of a pea, you’d think we could out-smart them every time, right? Wrong! In my few years of actively hunting turkeys, I have somehow managed to never bring one to the ground. (Gasp!) I know… it’s awful. Believe me- there have been plenty of adventures chasing Mr. Gobbler all over the state. Those adventures include days when I never heard one peep from a turkey, and others when I have seen them literally fly down out of the tree right above my head and sail off to chase hens elsewhere in the woods. I have never seemed to manage getting a decent shot off. Woe is me. BUT! I am really hoping to change that this year. We have some fantastic hunts planned, and I am sure there will be a few impromptu ones thrown in there as well.
As I mentioned, my dad went twice over the weekend. Despite not bagging a bird, he had two very interesting mornings. After what seemed like forever of sitting, calling, and hearing birds far away with nothing happening close by, my dad and his buddy decided to call the hunt. On both occasions, however, they jumped a group of turkeys as they were leaving to go home. How typical, right? I can remember deer hunting for hours to no avail, only to nearly run one over on my way out of the property. Same story here. Although they were not able to get a decent shot, we at least now know there are a good number of turkeys on the property- several gobblers and more than a few hens. Of course, one cannot shoot a hen, but they provide the perfect distraction for an excited gobbler- we know the only thing he is thinking about!
Hopefully I will have some exciting stories for you in the coming weeks. The first chance I will have to hunt is this weekend, so stay tuned and wish me luck!
