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bamaranger · April 18, 2025, 01:04 AM

-15April, #12
I oversleep this morning and miss the first hour of daylight. I'm not to upset about it actually. I've not heard a turkey in 13 days, why would this morning be any different? I take the extra time required to drive over to Irish Hollow and drop in from the shallow side.....primarily because it's an easier walk out! By 7:00AM I settle in at the base of the big beach tree on the bottom, the wind is up, but not too bad down here. The plan is to hunt well into midday. If their not gobbling at first light, perhaps a lonely 'Tom, shun of his hens that go to nest, may gobble about lunchtime. I'm tickled pink when a gobble sounds at 8:00AM. It's well across the property line, likely near a half mile away, and over where I cannot hunt, but it gives me hope. I was beginning to think my hearing had slipped! I drift in that direction as far as I dare, settle in again, and call a bit. No response and no more gobbles. I tough it out 'till 1:30PM. It's stinkin' hot, and I take lots of breaks climbing out and take nearly an hour to get back to my vehicle. I'm done for, but manage to slip out at dusk to listen for roosting turkeys, but again.....nothing.

-16April, hunt #13
Again, I have a hard time getting started in the morning and miss the first bit of dawn. And again, I'm not really too upset. Somethings off this year, many guys are reporting few gobbles. Anyhow, by 6:30AM I'm in the vicinity of Big Hollow. I'd heard a very vocal bird here preseason, and opening morning I believed I could hear birds here as well, though I was hunting over on The Arena about 1/2 mi to the east. Since then I've had a report from a source I trust who was at this very spot opening morning and he stated "we were covered up with gobblers". I've actually hunted this sport or very near it twice already this year myself, but, as seems the case this year.....narry a peep. This morning's no different. I stay 'till 11:00AM, then bail. I'm so dang tired, every time I sit down, I get the nods.
Still, that evening, I push over to my neighbors 160 ac and sit his stretch of R.O.W. with a blind and single decoy. I see a turkey in the distance, some 500 yds or so the south, on the ROW, but it pays no attention to my calls or the decoy. But it gives me a starting point in the AM

April 18, 2025, 01:04 AM	#14
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,788	hunts #12 & 13 -15April, #12 I oversleep this morning and miss the first hour of daylight. I'm not to upset about it actually. I've not heard a turkey in 13 days, why would this morning be any different? I take the extra time required to drive over to Irish Hollow and drop in from the shallow side.....primarily because it's an easier walk out! By 7:00AM I settle in at the base of the big beach tree on the bottom, the wind is up, but not too bad down here. The plan is to hunt well into midday. If their not gobbling at first light, perhaps a lonely 'Tom, shun of his hens that go to nest, may gobble about lunchtime. I'm tickled pink when a gobble sounds at 8:00AM. It's well across the property line, likely near a half mile away, and over where I cannot hunt, but it gives me hope. I was beginning to think my hearing had slipped! I drift in that direction as far as I dare, settle in again, and call a bit. No response and no more gobbles. I tough it out 'till 1:30PM. It's stinkin' hot, and I take lots of breaks climbing out and take nearly an hour to get back to my vehicle. I'm done for, but manage to slip out at dusk to listen for roosting turkeys, but again.....nothing. -16April, hunt #13 Again, I have a hard time getting started in the morning and miss the first bit of dawn. And again, I'm not really too upset. Somethings off this year, many guys are reporting few gobbles. Anyhow, by 6:30AM I'm in the vicinity of Big Hollow. I'd heard a very vocal bird here preseason, and opening morning I believed I could hear birds here as well, though I was hunting over on The Arena about 1/2 mi to the east. Since then I've had a report from a source I trust who was at this very spot opening morning and he stated "we were covered up with gobblers". I've actually hunted this sport or very near it twice already this year myself, but, as seems the case this year.....narry a peep. This morning's no different. I stay 'till 11:00AM, then bail. I'm so dang tired, every time I sit down, I get the nods. Still, that evening, I push over to my neighbors 160 ac and sit his stretch of R.O.W. with a blind and single decoy. I see a turkey in the distance, some 500 yds or so the south, on the ROW, but it pays no attention to my calls or the decoy. But it gives me a starting point in the AM