What do you guys get to see and experience in the turkey woods besides turkeys? I have had and videoed baby armadillos come to me when I rustle the leaves with my boots..thought I was momma I guess. Last year happened up on a family of flying squirrels in an old abandoned shack. Have a pair of buzzards that build their nest in an old shooting house, I watch them lay and hatch the eggs...ugly little rascals! Had a bobcat come gruntin out of the swamp to my yelps to 5 steps! The no 4 Winchester Supremes pattern was smaller than my fist! The taxidermist fixed it just fine. Slipped into a brushy patch of trees in Texas in the dark. Kept hearing something and when it got light enough there was an enormous wild hog they had nicknamed Goliath a few steps from me. Ranch hands said he weighted 5-600 pounds, I let him walk. Had a group of birds gobbling at dawn on the edge of a log road I sat up on. Shortly a fox came and sat up between me and the birds. He got impatient and walked down the log road, the birds didn't fly down til an hour after dawn and then welllll away from the roost are. What have u guys seen? To me, this is a big part of turkey season, imagine how many folks don't get to see the sights we see and have the experiences we have!

My memory is absolutely terrible so I don't remember a lot but the one of the coolest nature scenes happened on a lake. I had already killed that morning and dropped off two friends on a bird from a mountain lake. I was in the boat trying to catch white bass that were blowing up on something. A falcon swooped down and caught one about 100 yds from me. He then lit in a tree and started eating it. Crows started gathering in the limbs below him and would fly to the ground and eat the scraps.

One of the most awesome things to me is to hear a whippoorwill and a gobbler cutting each other off in the dark.

I've seen a buck breed a doe after having a knock down drag out fight with another buck. had a water moccasin crawl over my boot. whippoorwill land on my gun barrel just before the sun got above tree line. I've gotten to watch hunters make complete fools of them selves when I've called a bird in for them. Best thing I've ever seen is that moment you call somebodies first bird in for them and you realize that they've never felt anything like that moment up until that point

Very close encounters with snakes, yotes, bobcats & owls

Been chased by a rabid racoon until I got tired of walking backwards and shot it.

Rattlesnake on my boot.

I've had a squirrel run down a tree and down my arm.

had a possum nearly crawl into my lap.

various and sundry birds within arms reach including a couple of massive crows, never knew I was there.

had a hen within arms reach once.

same hen strutted like a gobbler before whooping the hell out of a jake decoy. (maybe not particularly rare but cool nonetheless)

Watched a large alligator snapping turtle try his best to eat some baby wood ducks last year. He would swim up under them and get setup for the kill but momma was too smart for him and would lead the little ones away.

My wife has a bird nest collection and I am always looking for one she doesn't have. Years ago I was set up next to a cotton field for a few hours and got to watch a humming bird build a nest in a wild cherry tree. It is made from moss and spider webs and lined with cotton. I have had encounters with all sorts of critters. There is nothing like sitting in the woods in the spring time.

Sheds.

Was between two gobblers one morning with one in front and one behind me. I was on the edge of a creek too wide and deep to cross but was gonna figure a way if I killed one on other side. Behind me and to my right was a 6 inch diameter dead tree on the other side of the creek that had broken off about 10 feet up and the top of the tree landed on my side of the creek. The top on my side was still attached to the tree on the opposite side creating a bridge at about a 45 degree angle.

After a series of calls I could hear something behind me and to my right. Thinking a gob had slipped up on me, I slowly eased my head around. To my surprise a bobcat was slowly creeping down the tree trying to cross to my side. He was about halfway across and in one heck of a position going downhill. He was about 12 feet above the water.

Our eyes locked and he froze. After a staring contest he decided to leave. In the most amazing feat of balance I've ever seen, that bobcat backed up all the way back to the top of the broken end of that tree on the opposite side of the crreek. Going backwards UP to the end of the tree where it had broken. He NEVER ONCE took his eyes off me. It was like he was walking a tightrope backwards and uphill.

When he finally got to where he was over dry land, he jumped down the 10 feet to the ground and bounded out of sight. That was impressive.

Dr. B

PS. Didn't get the turkey. Another member who was signed out over a mile away heard the birds gobbling and came walking up to me about 10 minutes later.

LOL!!!!I figured you would be the one!

I was sitting on a ridge with my buddy in Millry AL one morning, waiting on the sun to rise to listen for birds. It was still pitch black, and we heard something slowly coming up the ridge, sounded just like a turkey walking through the leaves, but we thought no way it was since it was so early. The dang thing got about 10ft from us, and we decided to turn on a flashlight to make sure it wasn't something trying to eat us. The light comes on, and my buddy yells "SKUNK!!" He and I both rolled about 20 yards down that ridge because we violently threw ourselves away from the skunk. I don't think I've ever moved that fast in my life.

Same property, we setup on a gobbling bird, just over a ridge. We were waiting and listening, and heard something coming from behind us, but thought no way the bird circled all around us without us knowing. Slowly turn around, and there's a cow about 3ft from us, just staring at us. Needless to say she kind of ruined the hunt.

Finding a big shed is a real treat to me. If I find one I can't turkey hunt the rest of the day, I'm looking for sheds.

I hear you I am the same way,when I am deer hunting and start seeing Turkey's, or turkey sign!!!

I almost stepped on a deer fawn hiding in the weeds one year. Wasn't much bigger than my boot. I took a picture on my phone but it was over 10 years ago and that was like 5 phones ago so the photo is gone.

Good stuff guys, TKS! Had a black coyote come between me and a goblin bird one morning. He slipped in very close in the brush, I thought it was the gobbler, but those intense yellow eyes at 20 steps still Haunt me! And no, the gobbler shut up and disappeared and I didn't get the black yote either.

Get a bird id field guide. In addition to the normal birds, you can find migrants who are passing through. On one of my most memorable days I killed a longbeard early and found a worm-eating warbler on the walk out. There's nothing wrong with being a bird nerd and a turkey killer.
Get a few "Rite in Rain" booklets and a waterproof pen so you can make notes of what you have seen. This has helped me a lot as I've gotten older and my memory is not what it used to be.

One time upon waking up from a lunchtime nap in UT I had 8 bull elk in velvet feeding in the meadow I was sleeping in.

Once in NE I had a badger walking right up to me till I fumbled around trying to get my camera for a picture.

Once in GA I walked up on a large kingsnake stalking a big timber rattler.

Once in GA I came up on a big blacksnake swallowing a squirrel he'd just killed.

Had bobcats and coyotes stalk me in TX and not live to regret their mistake.

Was set up in the woods and i had two hens out about 35 yards down the ridge. I start soft calling while im scratching in and I hear something behind me. At forst I think its the TOM im after cause I'm in the area he was roosting at the time. I'm being as still as I can and all of a sudden a fox runs right over my legs right at the two hens. Got about 5 yards from them and checked up cut right and got out of there