Post by Hunter on Jan 22, 2005 17:54:54 GMT -5
We had a very sucessful spring season. All three birds were in the 20 lbs. class. Spring gobbler season is an exciting time of year around here. We can hear em gobblin on the mountain behind my place. Pre season the mountains ring out with birds on every ridge. It's funny how when the season opens they all shut up. We gotta cover miles and miles to find a hot bird. Our favorite place is behind my house. Its a chunk of mixed hardwoods, conifers and small clearings about 4x4 miles with no roads or cabins. Kinda wild country for N.E.Penna. The spring season here is unpredictable, the mornings start out frosty and by quittin time you are swettin. We try an put one to bed {listen for them to fly up to roost an gobble once...sometimes twice} the night before. Then plan our ambush for the next morning. If we can't put one to bed we head up the mountian way before light an listen for tree talk{faint clucks,purrs, and yelps}. If they are still quiet there is nothing left but runnin an gunnin{hiking fast and quiet an callin every 500yds or so} That's how we got these birds 1 8" an one 9" beards. It was more like they ambushed us. We were headin to a new location when Dad did a call and 2 answered about 100 yds away. Nothin we could do but stop an drop. We cammoed up fast, Dad did a few soft yelps an they came a runnin. It was fantastic to see it Each bird passing the other, gobblin like mad and their heads flashing red white an blue. They charged straight on me...I had to take em in self defence. For those of you who haven't turkey hunted...there is nothing like it. When a gobbler dubble then tripple gobbles an is coming straight at you it can get your blood boiling. I think if a turket had a sense of smell along with his eyesight{sees in color and hearing {better than a deer} you'd never get one. l Got another bird that was much bigger {25 lb. class} but his beard was 4". We had a hard winter last year and ice balls, snow balls stick to ther beards an break them off.