Bad luck ridge

[bamaranger]

Y'all have seen my post about missing a turkey and then taking one later. That was on a Monday. Here's what happened the next AM, Tues.

Out on state land again. I drove through the gate and stopped, just at first light. Most guys hammer on through, to get back in. The front is often not very crowded at all. Got out, was piddlin around at the Bronco, fooling w/ my vest, filling canteen, listening.

Bird gobbles to the south. Obviously on pvt property. But the boundary is convoluted and he may get to where I can hunt him. Park. Off we go, chasing gobbles. Right up to the boundary line. Nuts.

Bird begins to move west, on his ridge. I parallel on the state ridge. Bird then turns south, gobbles fade, he's going away, and I can't legally follow. Double nuts.

Gobbles get more audible, and begin to move west again. He's changed ridges, now he's two ridges away, but moving towards an area that is state land and I can hunt. Here we go again.

Chug west till the line turns south, cross the intermediate ridge and bang up the side of the the ridge he's on. I've been here before, last year and 3-4 years ago before that. I'm legal, on his ridge, in front of him and he's coming my way.

He works closer on his own, gobbling plenty. I've got time to pick a good spot, lots of lanes. Perfect. Open hardwoods. At about 150 yds, I call on the gift slate and he answers. I call again, he doubles. Oh man, he's gonna come, I know it. I set the slate down, gun up and go silent. In a minute of so he sounds off again, no closer. I don't answer. He KNOWS I'm here. The old silent treatment.

Time passes. I can see good. Pretty soon the gun gets heavy and the muscles begin to go. I look all around CAREFULLY (w/ my eyes only). Its safe, I can relax till he sounds or shows. I take the butt down from my shoulder. Relief. Gobble, still 100 yds or more. I cluck on a simple mouth call, he answers, cuts it off. Still, no sight of him. I don't shoulder the gun. I know I'll see him first and have time to get lined up. I can really see here. More silent treatment.

Wait, was that a turkey drumming? And instantly a tremendous gobble, just in front of me. He's here, better get the gun up. I ease old reliable up and look down the sights. And I'm looking at a gobbler about 55-60 yds out. How did he get there? And he saw that movement. Triple nuts. I've muffed it. Bird goes behind a tree.......and gobbles. OK still in business!

Yeah right. Bird takes a 90 degree turn away, clucks hard (not a putt) and gobbles. Goes 10 yds or so away, and clucks and gobbles. Repeats procees till he's out of sight and out on a point that looks like a rock formation from Lord of the Rings, and gobbles about 5 times over 30 minutes. I hear real hens, a double, and then notta.

I stay an hour, relocate and change calls, no good. I blew it. And I begin to think. I had a bird get away on the (other) east end of this ridge last year! To add insult, in this VERY spot 3-4 years ago too! Bad Luck Ridge.

[markj]

Thats too bad, come on over here and I will get you on private land that is full of turkeys.

Friday after work I glassed a large tom, saw where I could slink on over to a place that would get me close to him. When I looked over the rise he was like 20 feet away. Wasnt season so no gun, his look was funny, open beak eyes real wide, wings up like whoa boy.

Monday morning I was out before first light, had them come off the roost flying right over my head. Glad they didnt drop a load on me, worked over to where they were feeding and dropped a tom and went home. Living amoung them and seeing their movements on a daily basis sure helps in the hunt.

A short month ago they were congregating around a corn bin, could have shot 50 or more at any one time.

This morning not one turkey to be seen, the hunters have pushed them to the back fields where the hunters from the city cant get to them. Should see some tonight when we go for morrels (found on my place).

[hogdogs]

Whenever I go lookin' for morals, I seem to lose more than I find...
Brent

[bamaranger]

funny

Well said.

[kodiakbeer]

Educate me. I know nothing of turkeys and have only seen a couple in my whole life, from cars while driving in the lower 48. When I read accounts of hunting them it's seems really tough and challenging, but it always leaves with a question.
Since so many stories revolve around not being able to bring them in that final 50 yards, why hunt them with a shotgun? Why not just punch a hole in them with something like a pistol caliber carbine - a .44 mag lever gun or something of the sort that will reach out to 100 or 125 yards? You can eat right up to the bullet hole as they say...

Is that considered unsporting, or does the state mandate shotguns?

[hogdogs]

Some states require SG for turkey all the time while Florida allows any legal c-fire during general gun season and SG only during the spring season. Meat damage is one reason for SG. While they may be tuff to call in real close, technology advancements allow the payload to reach much further than 25 years ago.
Brent

[bamaranger]

Spring turkey hunting is shotguns only, by law. Well, you can bow hunt'em.
And AL allows handguns w/ iron sights only! Both limited range options.

Gobblers often (?!??+?) reveal their location in the Spring by...gobbling. It is not very hard to get in the general area of a gobbling turkey. Toms are prone to get out in the open in the Spring and strut and display to attract hens. They are vulnerable to a rifleman at this time. The crux of the spring hunt is to call the bird into shotgun range for the kill.

Some states do have a fall season for turkeys in which a rifle is legal. PA for one (or used to) and also TX I think. Maybe others. Birds are harder to locate and much more secretive in the fall. The .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .25-20 were popular turkey rifles when I was a kid.

I had two gobblers at 70 yds this AM. As they waddled off, following their hens, I thought, I could have drilled him easy w/ a rifle!

[crghss]

bamaranger, isn't that all just part of the fun? Or maybe not. Great story thought.


kodiakbeer, some of the most fun hunting I have ever had. You can hear but can't see 'em. Heart is racing the whole time. Real mind game the whole time. I've played with them for hours only for them to stray away never knowing why. I shot turkey in the fall, when you can use rifles and in the spring. It's just so much more fun in the spring. Pulse there are some bragging right's that go with calling in a big old wily Tom, that go unsaid of course.

FYI, PA never has had rifle use for spring turkey to my knowledge.

[markj]

When I read accounts of hunting them it's seems really tough and challenging, but it always leaves with a question.
Since so many stories revolve around not being able to bring them in that final 50 yards, why hunt them with a shotgun?

Depends, the last couple days the turkeys have been roosting in my tree line 100 yards behind my house. Was no big deal to get close. Doesnt anyone stalk game these days?

When the Toms are in strutt mode, they are not really paying attention to other things cept for the hens. Not hard at all to use the terrain to cover you. Nothing like the sight of a turkey eyes wide open beak open wings up feet sliding in the dirt as I shoot him in the head.

Landowner fees are 1.00 per tag too we can get multiple tags each season.

[kodiakbeer]

Thanks for all the info! Maybe one day I'll get an opportunity to hunt turkeys.

[davlandrum]

Markj - private land is one thing.

Stalking a gobbler on public land is a really good way to get a sudden case of lead poisoning.

Doesnt anyone stalk game these days?

Be careful when you call people out, there are a lot of circumstances that don't match you slipping off the back porch...

[bamaranger]

If I could pick only one kind of hunting for the rest of my days, it would be spring turkey. Thanks for the compliments on my stories. My best stories are usually about the ones that got away.

Regards PA, rifles/shotguns in the fall, shotguns only in spring. Perhaps I did not make that clear, sorry.

I will admit to ambushing a few turkeys in my time. I've always considered myself a turkey hunter, and not just a turkey caller. There are some guys who consider a bushwacking a turkey a travesty, but I'm not one of them. I've had way to many get away that I should have killed, to feel just to bad about some that I did not call but ambushed. But an ambush robs one of the thrill of a called hunt, which is the peak of the sport.

However, I've never found it a very effective tactic. As far as markj's comments about stalking: I think the big difference between what markj is describing, and my (and others) spring hunts, is that his open terrain and topography lets him see the birds first. When that happens, you gain a bit of an edge, and can set up an ambush, or plan a stalk.

Not so here in timber and pines. One cannot see far enough to pinpoint a bird. Groundcover makes silent movement near impossible. Trying to stalk a gobbling turkey, based solely on the sound of his gobbles, in typical turkey woods here, is an exercise in futility.

Had I tried to stalk that bird out on the rocks of Bad Luck Ridge, I'd have had zero chance for success.

[crghss]

I know people who have ambushed (accidentally stumbled upon) and killed turkey. I have no problem with this, how you get your turkey is your business and good job doing it. But i've never heard of stalking a spring gobbler as a plan of attack from the get go. In fall yes, you sneak into rifle range but not spring gobbler. There seems a simple reason to me, they see you they're gone. But if thats work for some people more power to 'em.

I consider myself a hunter that goes after turkey. A turkey hunter calls way better then I do.

While I've never had the opportunity to ambush a turkey I probably would if given the chance. But as bamaranger stated then I'm robbed of the excitement of calling one in, which is just a great hunting experience. I guess like bugling an Elk, have no idea what thats like but it has to be awesome.

[markj]

Be careful when you call people out,

Not my intentions sir. Just a different approach to hunting. Them early pilgrims didnt call in turkeys, they stalked them same with deer and such.

Yes the field behind my place is kinda open and very hilly so it is easy to see them and then use the ground cover to sneak up on one. That sight is one to see at least once in your life. Picture the large tom skidding to a stop, eyes wide open like what the heck is he doing here, wings up in an effort to stop in his tracks. Then the shot and wait till he stops flopping.

I am not a "sportsman" hunter, I hunt for the meat and I eat what I kill cept for varmints and such.

I have used box calls and stuff like that to try to call in a tom, after 3 or 4 hours of that I go to what works for me and bag a bird. In my age I dont have days or weeks to give up for this, so opening day I will usually have the game in the bag early so i can get back to choring my place, this never stops. Always something to fix, something to feed, hay to mow or haul. We are in the planting season now, after work I go get in a tractor and lay down some ground. Good benifit is I see where they roost at night so I can plan the hunt next day.

I would also take bamaranger or just about anyone on a hunt if they can be quite and follow my lead. I will show them wildlife they may not have the ability to see anywhere else. Ambush I think not, we call it hunting. Anyone can sit on their rear ends and wait till one comes by (my brother hunts this way he has my old calls).

[davlandrum]

No offense taken, but we teach DO NOT STALK spring turkey in hunter ed. Lot of bad things can happen - it maybe (and now it is a lot more likely) that is another hunter calling - not a turkey. So he is calling, and you are sneaking - he hears a little noise, does not identify his target and...

Old pilgrams weren't sharing the woods with a kazillion other hunters limited to a narrowly defined season either

As I said - your private property, you know there is no one else there, you can visually see the bird - go for it.

That is just not reality for most.

[crghss]

That is why in PA hunting laws where changed. When on the move in turkey season must where orange. When stationary can take off.

If they haven't changed it again.

[markj]

Lot of bad things can happen

Thats too bad, nothing like a good stalk and hunt. I dont have the city perspective being from the country and all. I have taken guys out when asked and showed them where to set up. I dont run hunters off like some do, them turkeys are getting to be pests. Have a 50 or 60 bird flock go thru fresh planting, you will have to re plant, costs money.

Get to Iowa during season look me up and I will gladly help you on a hunt just to get some reduction on the herds.

How bad is the hunting pressure where you are? My Grandpa told me when I was young to invest in land, cause he said they quite making it years ago.

[davlandrum]

Thats too bad, nothing like a good stalk and hunt.

Totally agree, and that is how we hunt deer and elk, just not spring turkey.

We have a lot of public land, just not a lot of it has turkeys. At least in my area of the state. If I could take a week off and go to the east side of the state, it would not be a problem to find public land turkeys.

Thanks for your generous offer.

Be safe and enjoy!

[markj]

just not a lot of it has turkeys.

Seems the turkeys have boomed out here where I live. See flocks of 50 or more every day. Same with the durn deer. Niece hit one leaving my place with my Mom the other night. Scared the heck outta her and ol Mom.

Turkeys do wierd things. I once had 3 or 4 toms strutting up, I shot the largest one, them others went to tearing the dead one up, jumping up and down on him.

See them playing with deer all the time, like a game of tag or similiar to it. Them animals dont just eat and run, they do play and have fun too.

There is something like a 2 mile by 2 mile area here I hunt on most of the time. Lots of wild game, pheasants, quail, turkeys, deer, we sit up on the deck and listen to the music they play every day. It is very peaceful and a great stress reducer.