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bamaranger · April 3, 2025, 09:44 PM

As before, here's a running narrative on my spring season, hope all enjoy. Seems an odd year, never heard a gobbler during scouting 'till 21April, and even then it was spotty. Still seeing relatively large flocks here and there, all on property I cannot hunt, all accompanied by multiple gobblers. Not feeling particularly positive, could be one of those years, we will see. I'm fortunate to be healthy and have opportunity to go, so not complaining, just speculative.

-1April, Opening Day, hunt #1
Up extra early to hunt a relatively new spot I'll call The Arena. A Narrow steep sided V-shaped hollow. At the apex of the V there is a flat bench or shelf that extends out into the hollow, perhaps 50 yds deep. For all the world it seems like a stage, and the hollow sides the seating area. I've heard a gobbler here twice, gobbling from the roost and one morning he spent over an hour there parading about. The evening before I slipped in and popped a dome blind and a comfortable chair, all set.

Never heard a gobble 'till 11:00, way off on the right (north) side of the hollow. Way off, maybe 400 yds. I answered with the slate call anyhow. Is it the same bird, I dunno? I feel certain if I leave, and chase that gobble, I'll get over there and one will gobble here....I've been calling every 20-30 minutes all morning and am set and secure. I'll wait. About 15 minutes later a pair of hens stroll past, headed west and down the hollow, reinforcing my decision. Nothing happens again 'till 1:00 PM, when 6 more gobbles occur over the space of about 45 minutes. over to the N. again. At 1:45 I can stand it no longer, leave the blind and circle off to the north onto the top of that ridge arriving about 2:00. The sides are steep and somewhat brushy, the top more open, I'll call from here. Yelp on the slate , ....nothing. I try him 2-3 more times over the next hour Nothing. I'm wupped. Backtrack and collect the blind and chair, hump it all out to the ATV, I'll start on the N. slope tomorrow.

2April, hunt #2
In early again, on the N. ridge of The Arena. Not a good morning, overcast, wind blowing 100mph and I can't hear worth a dang. At daylight, I think I hear one low down and well towards the open end of the V. I move that direction staying on top, and think I get an answer to an owl hoot in the same general area. I gotta get lower and out of the wind. I decide to drop onto off side of the ridge, the circle out around the far end and into the mouth of the V lower down. It's still early, 6:15 or so, light enough to move about efficiently, but I need to be stealthy. I make it down the off side, and am working to the point when ...BANG....a shot, 150-200 yds away. Well NUTS. I don't know where the guy came from, perhaps walked in from one of the residences along the county road. Wherever and whoever, he was on top of that bird from the start. It's 6:25

I stick around for an hour, just listening, hoping there's a second bird, curious to hear an ATV or some clue of who and where that guy came from but all is silent.

OK, get in the game again. I jump on the ATV and motor over to Irish Hollow. Wind still blowing up a storm, I drop off the big point and into the hollow itself, in the lee side of the wind and plop onto a big rock and listen. Ten minutes or so later, a big tree gets blown over up top and lands with a crash and a gobble rings out, garbled in the wind, on the hollow floor off to the west. Has to be closer than it sounds, so I drop off the side and into the bottom. I cover about 400 yds and arrive at a spot I'm familiar with, with a good field of view at the base of a huge beech. I'm not fully set up and a gobbler fight breaks out out in the pasture, 150 yds or so off. But I have hit the property line and can legally go no further. Set up, I call with a medium size box, brought along just for calling in the wind. Nothing. Periodically over the next 2 hours I hope that one of the combatants will drift up my way, but nothing answers or appears. Ah well.

It's all up hill on the way out, and when I reach the ATV I realize I do not have my favorite striker for the slate call...well nuts. I pop the blind, thinking it got left there.....nope. Back at the old Bronco, I turn everything upside down, thinking it fell out in the AM suiting up. Nope. I ride the ATV back to The Arena, maybe I lost it there dismounting....Nope. Last resort, I motor out to the N. ridge of The Arena, to where I called from yesterday at the last. There in the leaves at the base of the tree lays Striker #1. OK, highlight of the day.

I try and squeeze a hunt in late that afternoon over at bamaboys place, he claims to have seen a tom in his field, but I get stormed out.

-3April, hunt #3
In early again, I'm on the crest of Big Hollow, where I heard a 'tom the week before gobble from the roost, then gobble up a storm out on a little point on the side of the hollow. Again, the wind is blowing hard and I hear absolutely nothing Today I brought a big, vintage Lohman box, it rings out well in the gale, but to no avail.

April 3, 2025, 09:44 PM	#1
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,788	AL Spring Gobbler Season 2025 As before, here's a running narrative on my spring season, hope all enjoy. Seems an odd year, never heard a gobbler during scouting 'till 21April, and even then it was spotty. Still seeing relatively large flocks here and there, all on property I cannot hunt, all accompanied by multiple gobblers. Not feeling particularly positive, could be one of those years, we will see. I'm fortunate to be healthy and have opportunity to go, so not complaining, just speculative. -1April, Opening Day, hunt #1 Up extra early to hunt a relatively new spot I'll call The Arena. A Narrow steep sided V-shaped hollow. At the apex of the V there is a flat bench or shelf that extends out into the hollow, perhaps 50 yds deep. For all the world it seems like a stage, and the hollow sides the seating area. I've heard a gobbler here twice, gobbling from the roost and one morning he spent over an hour there parading about. The evening before I slipped in and popped a dome blind and a comfortable chair, all set. Never heard a gobble 'till 11:00, way off on the right (north) side of the hollow. Way off, maybe 400 yds. I answered with the slate call anyhow. Is it the same bird, I dunno? I feel certain if I leave, and chase that gobble, I'll get over there and one will gobble here....I've been calling every 20-30 minutes all morning and am set and secure. I'll wait. About 15 minutes later a pair of hens stroll past, headed west and down the hollow, reinforcing my decision. Nothing happens again 'till 1:00 PM, when 6 more gobbles occur over the space of about 45 minutes. over to the N. again. At 1:45 I can stand it no longer, leave the blind and circle off to the north onto the top of that ridge arriving about 2:00. The sides are steep and somewhat brushy, the top more open, I'll call from here. Yelp on the slate , ....nothing. I try him 2-3 more times over the next hour Nothing. I'm wupped. Backtrack and collect the blind and chair, hump it all out to the ATV, I'll start on the N. slope tomorrow. 2April, hunt #2 In early again, on the N. ridge of The Arena. Not a good morning, overcast, wind blowing 100mph and I can't hear worth a dang. At daylight, I think I hear one low down and well towards the open end of the V. I move that direction staying on top, and think I get an answer to an owl hoot in the same general area. I gotta get lower and out of the wind. I decide to drop onto off side of the ridge, the circle out around the far end and into the mouth of the V lower down. It's still early, 6:15 or so, light enough to move about efficiently, but I need to be stealthy. I make it down the off side, and am working to the point when ...BANG....a shot, 150-200 yds away. Well NUTS. I don't know where the guy came from, perhaps walked in from one of the residences along the county road. Wherever and whoever, he was on top of that bird from the start. It's 6:25 I stick around for an hour, just listening, hoping there's a second bird, curious to hear an ATV or some clue of who and where that guy came from but all is silent. OK, get in the game again. I jump on the ATV and motor over to Irish Hollow. Wind still blowing up a storm, I drop off the big point and into the hollow itself, in the lee side of the wind and plop onto a big rock and listen. Ten minutes or so later, a big tree gets blown over up top and lands with a crash and a gobble rings out, garbled in the wind, on the hollow floor off to the west. Has to be closer than it sounds, so I drop off the side and into the bottom. I cover about 400 yds and arrive at a spot I'm familiar with, with a good field of view at the base of a huge beech. I'm not fully set up and a gobbler fight breaks out out in the pasture, 150 yds or so off. But I have hit the property line and can legally go no further. Set up, I call with a medium size box, brought along just for calling in the wind. Nothing. Periodically over the next 2 hours I hope that one of the combatants will drift up my way, but nothing answers or appears. Ah well. It's all up hill on the way out, and when I reach the ATV I realize I do not have my favorite striker for the slate call...well nuts. I pop the blind, thinking it got left there.....nope. Back at the old Bronco, I turn everything upside down, thinking it fell out in the AM suiting up. Nope. I ride the ATV back to The Arena, maybe I lost it there dismounting....Nope. Last resort, I motor out to the N. ridge of The Arena, to where I called from yesterday at the last. There in the leaves at the base of the tree lays Striker #1. OK, highlight of the day. I try and squeeze a hunt in late that afternoon over at bamaboys place, he claims to have seen a tom in his field, but I get stormed out. -3April, hunt #3 In early again, I'm on the crest of Big Hollow, where I heard a 'tom the week before gobble from the roost, then gobble up a storm out on a little point on the side of the hollow. Again, the wind is blowing hard and I hear absolutely nothing Today I brought a big, vintage Lohman box, it rings out well in the gale, but to no avail.