Started turkey hunting last year but only had an opportunity to go a handful of times with no luck. This year I have an opportunity to hunt a buddies family land and went out for my first time yesterday. I was working my way up a ridge line parrallel to some rail road tracks and hit the box call and had a bunch of hens and a gobbler come back at me from the other side of the tracks. After a couple more calls I had a gobbler strutting on the railroad tracks. Each time I called he came right back at me, but I couldn't get him to cross the tracks. This went on for an hour. He finally had moved out of sight so I thought I would try to go off the back of the ridge and move in front of him and see if I could get a better angle. As I was moving a train came and I wasn't sure what side he had jumped off to.
I set back up and called a few times and he was gobbling right back but sounded like he was aways away on the other side. I decided to cross the tracks and try to get into the bottom. As I was moving across the tracks I popped my head up to look down the tracks and that SOB was 20yds away looking at me. He gone!
I found another spot on the ridge and tried calling again a little later, he kept gobbling back but sounded a long ways away. I decided to try to cross the tracks again. As I moved across the tracks I heard a bunch of commotion coming from the bottom below and when I looked that way there were several hens and couple gobblers all running away in different directions. At this point, after messing them up 3 times in less than 3 hours, I figured I would head to the office, lick my wounds, and plot their demise the next morning. I had a blast!
This morning I was back after them. Called from the same spot on the ridge and heard hens and a gobbler off in some pines well beyond the bottom. I slipped down into the bottom and set up. Didn't hear anything else. Sat for 45 minutes, it was cold and little windy so I figured I would scout some and see if I could round up another elsewhere. Didn't hear anything and a little after eight I was going to head out. I had a little time left so I thoght I would set back up on the ridge and just see if anything came. I hit the call a few times and nothing. I was getting ready to leave and that gobbler came beelinig back towards me. I waited till he was strutting dead in front of me and I knocked his head off at 30-40 yds. I have never had more fun in the woods.
21.1 Lbs
7/8th Spurs
10.5 Beard
Thanks to all the veterans who post on hear regularly. Reading ya'lls stories over the last year or so really helped in the woods. Also, thanks to 3Toe for loaning me some calls and showing me how to clean that SOB this morning.
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