Jeff-Widgnwhacker-Wallis
04-12-2008, 01:40 AM
Texas Turkey Hunt
Written by Derek Rambo - Photos by Derek Rambo Friday, 11 April 2008
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/content/view/362/27/
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/images/stories/hunting/Turkey0807.jpg
Turkey season opened up here in Texas early this spring and most die-hard turkey hunters knew what that meant…large flocks and little gobbling. Despite this, I had that turkey huntin’ feelin’ the opening weekend and although I hunted very hard for two days, I pretty much took a beating by the Rio’s of west Texas. Little gobbling after they hit the ground and flocks of 20-30 birds made it very difficult to hunt them. Early season means scouting more than hunting and hunting “travel” routs like you would deer. Not too much fun if you love turkey hunting like I do…runnin’ and gunnin’ trying to get a lonely tom to strike up at a lonely hen (you). Round two would be much the same…but only different.
Putting to work my scouting efforts on this new place I have to hunt this spring, I decided to hunt a well-used travel rout along a fence on the property. It is a huge winter wheat field surrounded by trees and bordered on the north by the Concho River. Birds roost on this river and in the surrounding trees. They pitch in this field, do their show for an hour or so and then the birds make their way onto our property. They walk along this fence at the corner of the field, up into the rolling grass & mesquite flats, and loaf in the shade that the mesquite trees provide in the late morning and early afternoon. Very predicable behavior once you start scouting and patterning these birds. I moved into the corner of our property adjacent to the wheat field very early. I knew there would be birds all around this field and wanted to be set up and completely ready in the dark so the birds would not see me moving in. This area is tight and I knew I would be right on top of them so being slow and quiet was the utmost importance in my set up. I found a nice deadfall to lean against and got comfortable. Soon after the birds started chirping and tree yelping as the sky started to turn gray, then many hues of pink. The first gobble rattled me as I realized that I was less than 100 yards from a bird….and another, and another, and another. The gobbles were one after another. Mix that in with yelps from hens and I though there had to be at least 8 birds up in that tree. Gobbles were sounding off all over that field and I hear birds cackling down from their roost over my left shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I see them about 150 yards away flying down to the field…must have been 10-12 birds…I can’t tell as it is very early and barley shooting time.
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/images/stories/hunting/Turkey0809.jpg
The birds in front of me start to do the same and pitch from in front of me to my left. One after another they fly down cackling and the toms sound off with gobbles as the landing gear hits dirt. They are 50-60 yards to my left…oh my!! A show of strutting, fighting, gobbling, and purring lasts for a minute or two as they set the pecking order. I can see good enough now to count four longbeards and six hens. The best sound to a turkey hunter is clearly heard….the spit and drum, by the strutting toms. Deer are everywhere in the field too…my heart is pounding….”Breathe” I say to myself quietly.
I set up for them to be to my right not left and start to worry I have messed up. I’m watching all this with my eyes locked so hard to the left they are starting to hurt. After another minute or two the birds start to feed AWAY from me…”Crap” I think to myself. I can’t see them now because of the deadfall blocking my vision…not good. I start thinking what I’m going to do next and as I’m about to move I hear two gobbles closer to me now. I move my head forward an inch and I can see two toms walking back toward the roost tree…wow, what a break. I thought to myself if they go under the fence in front of me one of them is in trouble. They do and now they are 30 yards in front of me walking the fence line I talked about earlier. I take a bead on the back and larger bird…BOOM!! I see the flash …he rolls….it’s 7:05.
Good scouting and a lot of luck paid off for my first Rio of the season …….you have heard the saying before, “I would rather be lucky than good any day!” Words have never been truer for this hunt.
Written by Derek Rambo - Photos by Derek Rambo Friday, 11 April 2008
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/content/view/362/27/
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/images/stories/hunting/Turkey0807.jpg
Turkey season opened up here in Texas early this spring and most die-hard turkey hunters knew what that meant…large flocks and little gobbling. Despite this, I had that turkey huntin’ feelin’ the opening weekend and although I hunted very hard for two days, I pretty much took a beating by the Rio’s of west Texas. Little gobbling after they hit the ground and flocks of 20-30 birds made it very difficult to hunt them. Early season means scouting more than hunting and hunting “travel” routs like you would deer. Not too much fun if you love turkey hunting like I do…runnin’ and gunnin’ trying to get a lonely tom to strike up at a lonely hen (you). Round two would be much the same…but only different.
Putting to work my scouting efforts on this new place I have to hunt this spring, I decided to hunt a well-used travel rout along a fence on the property. It is a huge winter wheat field surrounded by trees and bordered on the north by the Concho River. Birds roost on this river and in the surrounding trees. They pitch in this field, do their show for an hour or so and then the birds make their way onto our property. They walk along this fence at the corner of the field, up into the rolling grass & mesquite flats, and loaf in the shade that the mesquite trees provide in the late morning and early afternoon. Very predicable behavior once you start scouting and patterning these birds. I moved into the corner of our property adjacent to the wheat field very early. I knew there would be birds all around this field and wanted to be set up and completely ready in the dark so the birds would not see me moving in. This area is tight and I knew I would be right on top of them so being slow and quiet was the utmost importance in my set up. I found a nice deadfall to lean against and got comfortable. Soon after the birds started chirping and tree yelping as the sky started to turn gray, then many hues of pink. The first gobble rattled me as I realized that I was less than 100 yards from a bird….and another, and another, and another. The gobbles were one after another. Mix that in with yelps from hens and I though there had to be at least 8 birds up in that tree. Gobbles were sounding off all over that field and I hear birds cackling down from their roost over my left shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I see them about 150 yards away flying down to the field…must have been 10-12 birds…I can’t tell as it is very early and barley shooting time.
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/images/stories/hunting/Turkey0809.jpg
The birds in front of me start to do the same and pitch from in front of me to my left. One after another they fly down cackling and the toms sound off with gobbles as the landing gear hits dirt. They are 50-60 yards to my left…oh my!! A show of strutting, fighting, gobbling, and purring lasts for a minute or two as they set the pecking order. I can see good enough now to count four longbeards and six hens. The best sound to a turkey hunter is clearly heard….the spit and drum, by the strutting toms. Deer are everywhere in the field too…my heart is pounding….”Breathe” I say to myself quietly.
I set up for them to be to my right not left and start to worry I have messed up. I’m watching all this with my eyes locked so hard to the left they are starting to hurt. After another minute or two the birds start to feed AWAY from me…”Crap” I think to myself. I can’t see them now because of the deadfall blocking my vision…not good. I start thinking what I’m going to do next and as I’m about to move I hear two gobbles closer to me now. I move my head forward an inch and I can see two toms walking back toward the roost tree…wow, what a break. I thought to myself if they go under the fence in front of me one of them is in trouble. They do and now they are 30 yards in front of me walking the fence line I talked about earlier. I take a bead on the back and larger bird…BOOM!! I see the flash …he rolls….it’s 7:05.
Good scouting and a lot of luck paid off for my first Rio of the season …….you have heard the saying before, “I would rather be lucky than good any day!” Words have never been truer for this hunt.