Mark
WKR
2013 Turkey hunt 4/4 thru 4/13
Headed out to my favorite area in the CA foothills. Took a couple of friends out and called in their first birds for them.
This particular spot has been really productive over the past several years for an afternoon hunt. Killed 4 birds in this spot in 30 minutes in 2009.
Started calling and got a hit quite a ways off. After a couple of hours of intermittent calling I finally got a gobble 150 yards above us. I called once more then set the call down. About 20 minutes later, I see him stepping out of the trees. It's a jake, and Olivia is already getting her 20 gauge ready and doing her best to breathe and stop shaking! As the bird steps into the decoys at about 15 yards she takes the shot. He goes down, stands up and then crashes again after a 10 yard run and she puts another round in his head to make sure he stays down. Olivia has her first bird!
Ironically, after her last shot, we heard a gobble a few hundred yards away. We picked up the bird and sat back down in the blinds. It's Tony's turn now and he's shooting his Hoyt and Magnus Bullheads. I let out a few yelps and got another hit- 2 birds on their way in.
Within 20 minutes I hear a gobble at less than 100 yards and closing. I peek out the window and see two birds on the run headed our way. Both birds are jakes and as they approach they start to skirt around the jake decoy. They are standing at 10 yards (DSD jake decoy is 5 yards from the blind). Tony draws back and settles in on his neck. A few seconds later the bird is on the ground. Tony has his bird.
I hunted solo the rest of the hunt. Hunted all day Saturday and Sunday with very little activity.
Monday morning I set up near a roost where I tucked in a couple of birds Sunday night. The gobbles started going off 100 yards behind me. A few minutes later 2 hens fly down into the decoys. I heard the other two birds fly down behind me. I'm just off a trail where I know they're going to step out. Less than a minute later a jake and a small tom are walking into my set. They square off with the jake decoy and I watch the show for a few minutes. I draw back and settle my sight pin on the tom and put him down at 5 yards. Bird 1 for me is on the ground.
Tuesday morning I called in a nice tom and missed a 7 yard shot. Completely missed. I don't know if he moved or if I just missed. All I know is my arrow hit the dirt 5 yards past him!
I know where he is roosting so I set up a blind 150 yards from his roost on Tuesday afternoon for Wednesdays hunt. I left the decoys in the blind and sneaked in the next morning and got set up. A bit later I hear at least 4 gobblers in the tree and I can see them stirring around. There are 8 birds total in the tree. They fly down and land 75 yards away but out of sight. I called off and on for at least 30 minutes and then I see a bird in full strut headed up the hill gobbling.
He comes up and fans out and drums at each of the three hen decoys and then beelines for the jake decoy. He starts attacking the decoy and I draw back. I'm just about to let the arrow fly and here come 3 jakes at full speed and they crowd the jake decoy. The tom takes off and I'm sitting there staring at 3 jakes as the tom runs back to his hens. One of the jakes mounts my submissive hen decoy and the other two continue to beat up the jake decoy. I pick out the biggest of the 3 and drop him in his tracks. Bird 2 is on the ground.
Gotta love the Bullheads! I'm amazed at the damage these heads do on a turkey head or neck. Serious wreckage.
Thursday was another quiet day. I headed back to the same roost where that tom had been sleeping and watched him fly down to the same spot as the day before but he took off after his hens. Heard a few gobbles but couldn't get anything to come in. Spent 11 hours in the blind without seeing another bearded bird.
For Friday's hunt, I decide to head back to that toms roost, but I moved on of my Double Bull blinds down to the spot they landed in two days in a row. A few minutes after shooting time, and without hearing one gobble from that roost, a hen pitches off the roost and hits the ground 5 yards behind my blind. I picked up my bow, nocked an arrow and heard a second bird hit the ground. A few seconds later, there he is walking in at full strut, snood hanging low and he's not happy about the jake decoy in his landing zone! All I can think about is that this is the 3rd time I've had this bird in my set, at least I think it's the same bird, and I'm not letting him get away this time. I draw back without hesitation. I settle in and let the arrow fly. The bird drops. In all of 30 seconds my hunt is over and I've got my birthday bird on the ground.
In this picture, you can see that I cut off part of his snood. He was in full strut, head tucked in and that snood was hangin low! Whatever was hanging below the feather line on his neck is gone.
I had a great turkey season this year.
Headed out to my favorite area in the CA foothills. Took a couple of friends out and called in their first birds for them.
This particular spot has been really productive over the past several years for an afternoon hunt. Killed 4 birds in this spot in 30 minutes in 2009.
Started calling and got a hit quite a ways off. After a couple of hours of intermittent calling I finally got a gobble 150 yards above us. I called once more then set the call down. About 20 minutes later, I see him stepping out of the trees. It's a jake, and Olivia is already getting her 20 gauge ready and doing her best to breathe and stop shaking! As the bird steps into the decoys at about 15 yards she takes the shot. He goes down, stands up and then crashes again after a 10 yard run and she puts another round in his head to make sure he stays down. Olivia has her first bird!
Ironically, after her last shot, we heard a gobble a few hundred yards away. We picked up the bird and sat back down in the blinds. It's Tony's turn now and he's shooting his Hoyt and Magnus Bullheads. I let out a few yelps and got another hit- 2 birds on their way in.
Within 20 minutes I hear a gobble at less than 100 yards and closing. I peek out the window and see two birds on the run headed our way. Both birds are jakes and as they approach they start to skirt around the jake decoy. They are standing at 10 yards (DSD jake decoy is 5 yards from the blind). Tony draws back and settles in on his neck. A few seconds later the bird is on the ground. Tony has his bird.
I hunted solo the rest of the hunt. Hunted all day Saturday and Sunday with very little activity.
Monday morning I set up near a roost where I tucked in a couple of birds Sunday night. The gobbles started going off 100 yards behind me. A few minutes later 2 hens fly down into the decoys. I heard the other two birds fly down behind me. I'm just off a trail where I know they're going to step out. Less than a minute later a jake and a small tom are walking into my set. They square off with the jake decoy and I watch the show for a few minutes. I draw back and settle my sight pin on the tom and put him down at 5 yards. Bird 1 for me is on the ground.
Tuesday morning I called in a nice tom and missed a 7 yard shot. Completely missed. I don't know if he moved or if I just missed. All I know is my arrow hit the dirt 5 yards past him!
I know where he is roosting so I set up a blind 150 yards from his roost on Tuesday afternoon for Wednesdays hunt. I left the decoys in the blind and sneaked in the next morning and got set up. A bit later I hear at least 4 gobblers in the tree and I can see them stirring around. There are 8 birds total in the tree. They fly down and land 75 yards away but out of sight. I called off and on for at least 30 minutes and then I see a bird in full strut headed up the hill gobbling.
He comes up and fans out and drums at each of the three hen decoys and then beelines for the jake decoy. He starts attacking the decoy and I draw back. I'm just about to let the arrow fly and here come 3 jakes at full speed and they crowd the jake decoy. The tom takes off and I'm sitting there staring at 3 jakes as the tom runs back to his hens. One of the jakes mounts my submissive hen decoy and the other two continue to beat up the jake decoy. I pick out the biggest of the 3 and drop him in his tracks. Bird 2 is on the ground.
Gotta love the Bullheads! I'm amazed at the damage these heads do on a turkey head or neck. Serious wreckage.
Thursday was another quiet day. I headed back to the same roost where that tom had been sleeping and watched him fly down to the same spot as the day before but he took off after his hens. Heard a few gobbles but couldn't get anything to come in. Spent 11 hours in the blind without seeing another bearded bird.
For Friday's hunt, I decide to head back to that toms roost, but I moved on of my Double Bull blinds down to the spot they landed in two days in a row. A few minutes after shooting time, and without hearing one gobble from that roost, a hen pitches off the roost and hits the ground 5 yards behind my blind. I picked up my bow, nocked an arrow and heard a second bird hit the ground. A few seconds later, there he is walking in at full strut, snood hanging low and he's not happy about the jake decoy in his landing zone! All I can think about is that this is the 3rd time I've had this bird in my set, at least I think it's the same bird, and I'm not letting him get away this time. I draw back without hesitation. I settle in and let the arrow fly. The bird drops. In all of 30 seconds my hunt is over and I've got my birthday bird on the ground.
In this picture, you can see that I cut off part of his snood. He was in full strut, head tucked in and that snood was hangin low! Whatever was hanging below the feather line on his neck is gone.
I had a great turkey season this year.
