Yesterday was the opening of the Fl. Spring season.....at least for us as work took precedent on Saturday.
Got to the woods early, split up and then moved from spot to spot for a while. By 11:00 neither Louann nor I had seen or heard a thing. After a quick snack Louann says that we need to move to a different part of the property where we saw 2 gobblers chasing hens a few days ago.
On the way there, as we pass a side road, we catch a glimpse of a turkey stepping out of the ditch up into the pines. Could not tell what it was or if it was alone and I was inclined to move on.....but the boss said different.
So we take off down into the pines and when we get about 200 yards in, which is about half way to where we think the bird went into the woods, Louann gets about 15 yards in front of me and I make a few calls.
After about 15 minutes of this, with no response, Louann says she is going to go back to the truck and get Henrietta, our poor excuse for a decoy, and work on down the road to the edge of a clear cut and set up.
As she walks off I decide that we may not have actually gotten far enough into the woods ( Which is what she was going to do with the decoy. ) and I move on another 100 yards or so to where I can see the edge of the clearcut.
I stopped behind a thick patch of gall-berry and scratch off a call.......and out of the clearcut comes a gobble. Dropped the call, raised the old ugly Mossberg ( Note the home done camo job in the picture. ) and waited.......nothing for 5 minutes.
So I picked up the call again, scratched it and this time he gobbled a whole lot closer. Dropped the call and raised the gun......straining to see through the gall-berries. Caught a bit of movement out at the edge of the clearcut and then lost him as he entered the same big patch of gall-berries I was on the other side of.
And then, about 25 yards out, I see his head......and that is all.....sticking up above the thick stuff. He was doing the same thing I was doing, straining to see where what he was looking for was at in all that thick stuff.
I don't know whether it's a Eastern or a Osceola.....only the second one I've shot.....darn exciting.
As for Louann and Henretta.......they got to take pictures
Yes I know......you're supposed to fan the tail and show the spurs........but you can only get that done if the wife is patient enough to let you do it. This is as good as it gets.......
