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bamaranger · April 14, 2021, 03:28 PM

13April-I decide to hunt on the Big Lease, Irish Ridge. I almost always hear turkeys there, and despite the fact that Arrowhead Hollow has birds as well, I've not had a decent hunt on Irish Ridge this season. Last week, when I got there, there was a truck parked and somebody in ahead of me. I leave 15 minutes earlier this morning.....and when I arrive, there sets the same dang truck

. Geez, this guy must sleep here! But, I have a plan!

Irish Ridge has of course, a corresponding Irish Hollow, and it's a big one. Last week, I reacquainted myself with the "back door" to the hollow, the far west end. I'd marked a trail down that way last season, 2020, and walked it again midday last week. Now, with this guy on the east end, I'll drive on 3/4 mile or so and enter on the opposite end on my "secret" trail. It's still dark, I hit the woods and my mini light picks up the reflective tacks I've set thru the pines to the hardwood hollow below. As I reach the hardwoods, there's enough twilight now to see a bit, and I hear a hunter owl call up on the east end, likely my "camper". Immediately, multiple toms sound off out in front of me, perhaps a quarter mile away, and with their fanfare, other birds gobble up where the owl call originated as well. Once again Irish Hollow is full of gobblers, there must be 5-6 or more in here!

I work out into the timber, closing the distance, the closest birds gobbling steadily, sounds like there's at least 2, maybe more. I select a big red oak and sit, run off a series of yelps on my slate. No definitive response, though the birds continue to gobble. Sounds now like their on the ground and moving straight away, likely towards old pastures to the N., where I do not have permission to hunt. I've spent many a morning trying to coax toms out of those old clearings without success and this morning is no different. Those toms are likely with hens. They gobble incessantly for about an hour, then drift off out of hearing. I hear no other shots or calling, I dunno what the guy to the east ended up doing. I climb back up to the edge of the timber where I can hear well, and listen for about 2 hours, working the crow call, but no other action happens. Back to the Bronco, and I'm home by 11:00.

14April-Headed back to Arrowhead Hollow again, and will approach from the south along a boundary line with private property. The adjacent landowner is a bit of a kook, he doesn't allow hunting, and resents anybody hunting "near" his place as well, some of our guys have had confrontations with him out along the county road. I leave the house extra early in our old 4dr Toyota sedan, (who hunts from a car?), U-turn and park short, and walk up the county road to the trail that drops into the hollow. It's considerably easier way to access the place, but I've avoided using it so as to maintain the peace. This morning a bit of subterfuge with the non descript vehicle, and some easy walking along the paved road, and I'm in without a hassle. I tiptoe into the hollow floor, and at dawn am seated near the creek crossing I'd described in earlier posts. I sit for an hour, roughly 6:30AM , but the only gobbles I hear are way to the west, possibly off the lease, 3/4 of a mile or so off. That seems the only game in town, so I pick up and head that way, by the time I get closer, maybe they will have moved in my direction on their own.

I've only covered about 75 yds when a gobble breaks out off to my right, inside 100 yds away. Immediately, on the opposite side of the hollow, a hen begins to sound off incessantly. Loud, raucous yelps in lengthy strings, so much so that it doesn't seem natural. At first I suspected another hunter with a mouth call, but then I hear wings as the mouthy hen flies down and heads towards the hollow floor. Back where the gobble came from, a second tom cuts loose, and a third tom joins with raspy yelps. There's three toms here, inside 100 yds, and I'm between them and their hens.

I figure I'll kill one, be back home and meet the "Lunch Bunch" uptown at 11:30 with a story and time to spare!

It doesn't work out that way. The toms stay on the roost, gobbling sporadically, never really answering me, clearly locked in on the noisy hen and however many girlfriends are with her. At about 7:45, I see two dark shapes sail off from the right towards the last area I heard the hens, further west 200-300 yds. The toms just left the roost, and coarse yelps drifting the same direction indicate that #3 is headed that way on foot too. The party just relocated. I pick up and move that direction 100 yds or so. There's enough gobbling up ahead that I can place the flock easily, and I set up about 150 yds off amongst a cluster of mature white oaks with a nice open area to my front. This is a good set up, if I can just get one of those gobblers to leave the party! I answer the random gobbles every other time, swapping strikers. In one instance, holding silent for 15 minutes or more. Nothing seems to change. There's still sporadic gobbling, and nothing seems closer, I begin to get a bit weary and fight the nods, but then things go my way.....quickly!!!!!

I see it way out, an airborne turkey, flying right at me, way up above the trees. It's initially maybe 200 yds, but it closes the distance in the blink of an eye. I think it will fly by, but it sets its wings, side slips, and drops down hard to my left, with a beating of wings to alight about 15 ft up on a limb, in easy range. I got the gun up, but I'm not on it, and I'm not sure if hen or tom? That question is answered when it gobbles

I'd been raised it's unethical to shoot a gobbler from the roost, and in some states it's illegal. But this bird has come to call and for whatever reason chose to land on that limb. I see that as different than roost shooting, and ease the gun the final few inches onto it's wattles. At the shot it drops like a feed sack in a cascade of feathers. I hustle over, .....it's another jake.
But again, not your average jake. It's has a full fan, not the adolescent shouldered fan, and 3 beards

. It goes 13-1/2 lbs on pap's spring scale, and the spurs are typical jake nubs. I'm not disappointed in him and it was a tremendous hunt.

April 14, 2021, 03:28 PM	#14
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,332	AL gobbler season, 13, 14April....bird#4!!!!! 13April-I decide to hunt on the Big Lease, Irish Ridge. I almost always hear turkeys there, and despite the fact that Arrowhead Hollow has birds as well, I've not had a decent hunt on Irish Ridge this season. Last week, when I got there, there was a truck parked and somebody in ahead of me. I leave 15 minutes earlier this morning.....and when I arrive, there sets the same dang truck. Geez, this guy must sleep here! But, I have a plan! Irish Ridge has of course, a corresponding Irish Hollow, and it's a big one. Last week, I reacquainted myself with the "back door" to the hollow, the far west end. I'd marked a trail down that way last season, 2020, and walked it again midday last week. Now, with this guy on the east end, I'll drive on 3/4 mile or so and enter on the opposite end on my "secret" trail. It's still dark, I hit the woods and my mini light picks up the reflective tacks I've set thru the pines to the hardwood hollow below. As I reach the hardwoods, there's enough twilight now to see a bit, and I hear a hunter owl call up on the east end, likely my "camper". Immediately, multiple toms sound off out in front of me, perhaps a quarter mile away, and with their fanfare, other birds gobble up where the owl call originated as well. Once again Irish Hollow is full of gobblers, there must be 5-6 or more in here! I work out into the timber, closing the distance, the closest birds gobbling steadily, sounds like there's at least 2, maybe more. I select a big red oak and sit, run off a series of yelps on my slate. No definitive response, though the birds continue to gobble. Sounds now like their on the ground and moving straight away, likely towards old pastures to the N., where I do not have permission to hunt. I've spent many a morning trying to coax toms out of those old clearings without success and this morning is no different. Those toms are likely with hens. They gobble incessantly for about an hour, then drift off out of hearing. I hear no other shots or calling, I dunno what the guy to the east ended up doing. I climb back up to the edge of the timber where I can hear well, and listen for about 2 hours, working the crow call, but no other action happens. Back to the Bronco, and I'm home by 11:00. 14April-Headed back to Arrowhead Hollow again, and will approach from the south along a boundary line with private property. The adjacent landowner is a bit of a kook, he doesn't allow hunting, and resents anybody hunting "near" his place as well, some of our guys have had confrontations with him out along the county road. I leave the house extra early in our old 4dr Toyota sedan, (who hunts from a car?), U-turn and park short, and walk up the county road to the trail that drops into the hollow. It's considerably easier way to access the place, but I've avoided using it so as to maintain the peace. This morning a bit of subterfuge with the non descript vehicle, and some easy walking along the paved road, and I'm in without a hassle. I tiptoe into the hollow floor, and at dawn am seated near the creek crossing I'd described in earlier posts. I sit for an hour, roughly 6:30AM , but the only gobbles I hear are way to the west, possibly off the lease, 3/4 of a mile or so off. That seems the only game in town, so I pick up and head that way, by the time I get closer, maybe they will have moved in my direction on their own. I've only covered about 75 yds when a gobble breaks out off to my right, inside 100 yds away. Immediately, on the opposite side of the hollow, a hen begins to sound off incessantly. Loud, raucous yelps in lengthy strings, so much so that it doesn't seem natural. At first I suspected another hunter with a mouth call, but then I hear wings as the mouthy hen flies down and heads towards the hollow floor. Back where the gobble came from, a second tom cuts loose, and a third tom joins with raspy yelps. There's three toms here, inside 100 yds, and I'm between them and their hens. I figure I'll kill one, be back home and meet the "Lunch Bunch" uptown at 11:30 with a story and time to spare! It doesn't work out that way. The toms stay on the roost, gobbling sporadically, never really answering me, clearly locked in on the noisy hen and however many girlfriends are with her. At about 7:45, I see two dark shapes sail off from the right towards the last area I heard the hens, further west 200-300 yds. The toms just left the roost, and coarse yelps drifting the same direction indicate that #3 is headed that way on foot too. The party just relocated. I pick up and move that direction 100 yds or so. There's enough gobbling up ahead that I can place the flock easily, and I set up about 150 yds off amongst a cluster of mature white oaks with a nice open area to my front. This is a good set up, if I can just get one of those gobblers to leave the party! I answer the random gobbles every other time, swapping strikers. In one instance, holding silent for 15 minutes or more. Nothing seems to change. There's still sporadic gobbling, and nothing seems closer, I begin to get a bit weary and fight the nods, but then things go my way.....quickly!!!!! I see it way out, an airborne turkey, flying right at me, way up above the trees. It's initially maybe 200 yds, but it closes the distance in the blink of an eye. I think it will fly by, but it sets its wings, side slips, and drops down hard to my left, with a beating of wings to alight about 15 ft up on a limb, in easy range. I got the gun up, but I'm not on it, and I'm not sure if hen or tom? That question is answered when it gobbles I'd been raised it's unethical to shoot a gobbler from the roost, and in some states it's illegal. But this bird has come to call and for whatever reason chose to land on that limb. I see that as different than roost shooting, and ease the gun the final few inches onto it's wattles. At the shot it drops like a feed sack in a cascade of feathers. I hustle over, .....it's another jake. But again, not your average jake. It's has a full fan, not the adolescent shouldered fan, and 3 beards. It goes 13-1/2 lbs on pap's spring scale, and the spurs are typical jake nubs. I'm not disappointed in him and it was a tremendous hunt.