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It figures

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
As I posted in the "how was your turkey season" thread, my season has been kinda disappointing. I have had a lot of family commitments that have prevented me from hardly getting out at all, and when i did, i couldn't find the birds.

This morning, I had errands to run, and just for the heck of it, I decided to drive out and around one of the properties I hunt. Guess what i saw. Yep, you guessed it, a flock of turkeys.

There were at least three longbeards as well as a hand full of hens. They were actually across the road from the place I hunt, but were obviously getting ready to cross.

I hustled back to the house and asked my wife what we had going on today. She told me she was going to go find chelsea something for her birthday, which is later this week. I told her about the birds I had seen and she agreed to take the baby with her so I could go hunt.

I gathered my stuff and was off. As i was heading back to my spot i saw that the birds had crossed the road and were heading towards the woods about 1/2 mile away. Woods I have permission to hunt.

My plan was simple, go around the block, come in from the other side, set up just inside the woods and be ready when they got there. i was gonna have to hurry.

I parked at the end of a brushy fencerow. in order to get to the woods, I would need to follow the fence back a couple hundred yards. At that point ther fence turns to the left and heads straight to those woods from the opposite direction as the birds. I got to the corner, turned left and there, right in front of me at about 75 yards was a group of 6 longbeards. Not the same group, six others. Being in a hurry cost me, They saw me before i saw them and turned and went the other way. I hopped the fence and tried to flank them, keeping the brush and trees between me and them, i tried to get past them and in fron of them. It was to late, by the time I got there they had already entered the woods.


No what do i do?

I could try to get set up and call, hoping they would come back, or i could stick to the original plan and try to get set up on the birds on the other side . I sat down and called . i heard a gobble back in a little further so i sat still, after another 20 minutes or so i heard another, further back. They were going away from me. i decided to try and get to the opposite side before the other birds made it to the woods.

i got over ther, found a decent sized clearing, set up the decoys and started calling....



... nothing.

I screwed around with the other bunch so long, the first ones had already made it to the woods and were gone.

So, like the title says. "It figures" The birds finally showed up, on the last day of season. I had one chance, and I blew it.


There is always next year.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
I had the a gobbler within 40 yards twice (I think it was the same turkey each time) but he never came over the hill. This happened between 11:30 and 12:00 on two different days and he would go around me up on a ridge and keep gobbling. So I moved my blind on top of the ridge hoping to cut him off the next day and he never came through. Never heard his ass again. This is my first year turkey hunting and I must say I have learned alot!
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,735
274
North Carolina
Dave, glad you got some action the last time you were able too make it out.... Beats getting skunked again that's for sure....
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
That's the way it goes, I guess - good for you for the last minute effort.

Reminds me of the first bird I killed. It was the first day of youth season - not the last day - but after missing a tom in the early morning, we hit another farm and did some calling without luck. We packed it up and drove out of an oil drive and got out onto the main road, only to see that there were birds strutting towards where we had been set up! Son of a gun!! We high tailed it back into the woods, barely got set back down at the same tree we were at, and I blasted a jake.

It's fun when you get birds moving and try to cut 'em off but it is amazingly hard...
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I feel for you Dave! Been frustrated more than a few times over the last two years. Hope it pans out for you next season.