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Post by Greenedog on Apr 27, 2009 21:48:20 GMT -5
Monday: These stupid birds are driving me nuts!The birds were hot on the roost this morning, but quiet after fly down.  I'd love to put the sneak on these roosted gobblers, but unfortunately they're all roosting off of the property I'm hunting on so far. My only choice is to try and call them in. At 8:00 this morning I hadn't heard anything for a long time and my stool/seat had sunk in the mud and was very uncomfortable. I raised up to adjust the seat and see 3 turkeys coming in to the field. It looks like at least 1 of them are toms. I sink back down and hope that they feed my way. Well, of course that doesn't happen, they're feeding away from me, so I try a little sweet talk. They could care less. They went out of view and I figured they were gone. Then about 9:00 I see a red head at the edge of the field straight across from me about 200 yds. My eyes see probably 1,000 red heads during a typical turkey, so I think nothing of it until I see this red head is moving and pecking at the ground.  I turn the camera on and zoom out, it's 2 toms and they're just feeding. I start out with some soft yelps and end up using every call in my repertoire to try and get a response from these birds. No dice. The box call gets one bird a little excited and he starts pacing back and forth, but that's it. They finally just disappear in to the woods. Tomorrow I'm going from one extreme to the other. Today I used no decoys and was setup inside the tree line. Tonight, Chase and me went back and setup the Ground Max blind out in the open field and I'm using the full strut decoy in the morning. Monty is coming down for his first ever turkey hunt, so I hope some of that beginners luck works for us.  He's bringing his bow and I'm bringing the shotgun in case there's a chance for a double. We'll be out there rain or shine, unless it's storming. 
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Post by Chase on Apr 28, 2009 6:18:47 GMT -5
Good luck!
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Post by Whitetail Driven on Apr 28, 2009 15:44:31 GMT -5
how did it go
?
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Post by Greenedog on Apr 28, 2009 20:19:42 GMT -5
Tuesday - Still driving me nuts!Monty and me got to the ground blind around 7:00, we were a little late getting out because it was absolutely pouring here this morning. Heard plenty of gobbles off the roost, then it was quiet time. Had a big bird come out in the field a few hundred yards off, but the something spooked it and it went running for the hills. Had a hen come out and feed and that was it for the morning. After grabbing some lunch we went to a local Fish & Wildlife area, but they are only allowing 6 hunters a day and it was already full. So we came back to the house and tried a different part of the field we hunted in the morning. We jumped 5 hens that were feeding on the way to our spot. Not long after setting the hen decoy out, we got a response from the box call. Had 2 gobblers coming in strong, but they hung up at water filled ditch, they gobbled their heads off, but never would cross the ditch. When Chase got home from school, Monty decided to call it a day, so Chase and me went to the ground blind where Monty and me started the day. We hadn't been there long before a gobbler came out in the field. I don't even know what to say about the rest? We hunted for 3 hours and I swear there was gobblers out in the field the whole time, but not a one would come in to the decoys.  We shot a bunch of footage, so we may make a video of our misadventures. Tomorrow I'm gonna try to get a spot on the public land, if not, I'll be back hunting the field where we seen all the birds tonight. Chase only has a half day of shool, so we may try a new spot that a friend has invited us to hunt. I aint giving up!
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Post by Whitetail Driven on Apr 28, 2009 21:05:43 GMT -5
Sounds like the birds are decoy shy or sumthing. Do you guys hunt there alot or do other people hunt them? Hey Troy I got Vegas Movie Studio 9 and uts made by sony and i have a JVC camera and i cant get the videos to load any tips on how to get the videos on there?
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Post by Greenedog on Apr 29, 2009 19:00:20 GMT -5
Sounds like the birds are decoy shy or sumthing. Do you guys hunt there alot or do other people hunt them? Hey Troy I got Vegas Movie Studio 9 and uts made by sony and i have a JVC camera and i cant get the videos to load any tips on how to get the videos on there? We're thinking they're decoy shy too. We know where they come out after or during a rain, so we might put a ambush on them tomorrow. Not sure what to tell you on the sony vegas. I know that I have to have the firewire hooked up and the camera on play for the computer to recognize it. |
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Post by Greenedog on Apr 29, 2009 19:23:03 GMT -5
Wednesdays HuntSlept in for the first time in quite a while today. The alarm went off and it was pouring down rain, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. Chase got me up at 7:25 and said the rain had stopped. Went to the FWA, but it was already full. Checked the field I had been hunting and there was 2 toms out in the field. Was going to put the sneak on them when I saw at least 2 more toms in another part of the field. They were closer so I went after them. Got within a 150 yds and started calling with no response. The fog dropped and I couldn't even tell if they were still there. In the mean time the other 2 toms started gobbling, so I went after them. As I was closing in I heard a truck back in the hills and it sounded like it was stuck. Those birds shut up, then I heard a gobble on the other side of our woods where I killed my tom last year. Went there and set up and called with no responses. I decided to try a new a place a friend invited us to hunt after that. It would have to be a quick one because Chase would be home around 12:30. Threw all my stuff in the truck and drove to the friends house, grabbed my gear and was headed to the woods when I noticed I had a free hand. My hands are always full when I'm trying to hunt and video. GUN! I forgot the dang gun at home. What a idiot!  I decided I better just go home and chill out a little until Chase got home. Chase and me went to another friends place we had never hunted before. We roamed the whole property, but couldn't get a bird to respond. Monty's coming down again tomorrow, so hopefully we can make something happen. 
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Post by Whitetail Driven on Apr 30, 2009 15:54:27 GMT -5
Any luck ?
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Post by Greenedog on Apr 30, 2009 19:28:49 GMT -5
Thursday's HuntMonty and me were finally able to get a spot at Hillenbrand FWA this morning. This FWA is 3,400 acres and they are only allowing 6 hunters a day! I was thrilled to wake this morning to calm winds and no rain, until I checked the radar. The rain was to hit just about the time we were to hit the woods. We had a huge section of property all to ourself, so the plan was to run and gun, but with heavy rains and storms coming we opted for the ground blind. We sat in the truck for a long time debating whether we really wanted to do this. Finally we donned our rain gear and headed for the stripper hills. I knew of a small clearing that we could setup in, so we hurried to the spot and threw the blind up. I started calling as soon as we were seated and a hen practically finished my call, she was right behind us! She came in cackling and carrying on, getting the morning off to a good start. Around 10 minutes later another hen came in, it started pouring down rain and she got under a pine tree in front of us to ride it out. When the rain let up she started feeding again and we were doing a little putting and purring back and forth when a gobble woke the woods up. He was close and coming in. Of course, the way our springs going, he couldn't just come straight in. He went around us and met up with the hen on the next hill over. We watched them about 90 yds off for a long time. Finally the hen decided to come back to us, unfortunately her boy friend didn't come with her. Instead of taking the trail with the hen, he went down the hill and popped up about 60 yds from us, a little out of range. He headed off in the direction he originally came, with his new girl friend in tow. I got him to gobble a few more times and it sounded like he was coming back at one point, but he never did. After that we just sat and watched it pour down rain for a few hours.  It did finally quit around 11:30, so we tried some run and gun but couldn't get any responses and ran in to a couple mushroom hunters. It was 5 days of hunting with lots of birds, but not much luck. I'm totally exhausted and now it's time to go back to work. I work 4 days, then it's 5 more days of hunting. Can't wait!
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Post by Monty on Apr 30, 2009 20:54:43 GMT -5
Troy, I think you and Chase suckered me in to this turkey hunting thing. You guys made it seem too easy the last couple years. It's tough!!! Oh well, we'll take a little break and get after them again next week. |
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Post by Brian on May 1, 2009 21:39:50 GMT -5
Troy, what do you do for a living? Just curious because you said that you work for four days and have 5 off.
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Post by Chase on May 2, 2009 12:55:08 GMT -5
Saturday - Chase's Turn!!I went out this morning with high hopes of killing a bird. I was setup on a field we see turkeys when it's raining, since it was supposed to rain. The hoot owls woke up the woods today. Every time I would here "Who cooks for you?", a gobbler would answer. I had turkeys gobbling all the way around me. I got one owl on video, but it was pretty dark. At 7, I did some soft yelps and a hen answered back. I yelped again and she was coming!! I see her head through the woods, and she doesn't look to happy. I see another turkey behind her. Hoping it was a tom, I got ready, and the blood started flowing. They came out in the field and it was two hens. They were looking for the hen that was talking to them. They ended up getting suspicious and went back to the woods. At 8, I hear some noise in the trees and a turkey flies down to the field. It landed over a hump in the field so I couldn't tell what it was. I didn't hear a gobble once after the birds were on the ground. At 9, I'm getting a little antsy and think I here something behind me. I peek my whole head out the window and I have 4 red heads staring at me!  I ease back down and get the camera ready. They didn't get spooked, and went back to feeding. They were out there a while and I still didn't see beards. I finally zoom up to them on the camera and they all have one inch beards, Jakes. As they're feeding another turkey flies down from the tree, but lands over the hump and I can't see it. The Jakes get closer at one point, but feed their way to the other end of the field. It didn't rain once, it was clear blue skies. I'm done listening to the weather men. At 10:30. I finally decide to call it a morning. I ended up making another hen mad before I left, but that was it. A couple stills from the video:  
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Post by Monty on May 2, 2009 16:14:42 GMT -5
Well, at least you're still seeing birds. I think we're dealing with some wise, old toms. Would you have blasted one of those jakes if they were in range?
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Post by Chase on May 2, 2009 21:24:40 GMT -5
If it has a beard, it's down! |
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Post by Greenedog on May 3, 2009 21:11:47 GMT -5
Troy, what do you do for a living? Just curious because you said that you work for four days and have 5 off. I work at a disc replication plant, making cd's, dvd's, bluray, etc. I work 4 on, then 4 off and usually have to work one of the days off. But all I have to do is take 1 vacation day and I've got 5 days off! |
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I'd love to put the sneak on these roosted gobblers, but unfortunately they're all roosting off of the property I'm hunting on so far. My only choice is to try and call them in. 
I turn the camera on and zoom out, it's 2 toms and they're just feeding. I start out with some soft yelps and end up using every call in my repertoire to try and get a response from these birds. No dice. The box call gets one bird a little excited and he starts pacing back and forth, but that's it. They finally just disappear in to the woods. 
He's bringing his bow and I'm bringing the shotgun in case there's a chance for a double. We'll be out there rain or shine, unless it's storming. 
We shot a bunch of footage, so we may make a video of our misadventures. 
I decided I better just go home and chill out a little until Chase got home. 
It did finally quit around 11:30, so we tried some run and gun but couldn't get any responses and ran in to a couple mushroom hunters. 
I ease back down and get the camera ready. They didn't get spooked, and went back to feeding. They were out there a while and I still didn't see beards. I finally zoom up to them on the camera and they all have one inch beards, Jakes. As they're feeding another turkey flies down from the tree, but lands over the hump and I can't see it. The Jakes get closer at one point, but feed their way to the other end of the field. It didn't rain once, it was clear blue skies. I'm done listening to the weather men. 
Just another night at work for me and Monty will be back here again bright and early. 
