I'm back / Strange Goings On

[shaman]

Yesterday, I put up the last of my deer rifles after cleaning, and started looking forward to spring. 

This year, I'm going to try taking a turkey with the Brown Bess.  I was going to do this last year, but I got bad news on a blood test and had to undergo Chemo starting in May.  I asked the oncologist if I could go turkey hunting.  She kind of looked at me strange-- not what most of her patients would ask when faced with "Any other questions?"  She noddied assent.  The next day, I was out at the Honey Hole and I managed to bag a gobbler.  The trick there was trying to get back home with a 20lb bird on my back and a tumor growing next to my kidney.   I made it, and started Chemo 2 weeks later. 

The good news is I just spent the last two weeks getting a 6 month checkup, and they could not find the cancer.  I just got the CT scan results yesterday.  The Brown Bess is ready. Now I have to figure out how to lob a 2 OZ load of #6 with it.

   
I had several unique experiences with the turkeys this year during deer season.

The first one occurred during early Muzzleloader season in mid-October. We've been having rather poor hatches the past few years, but this year was one of the best we've had in over a decade. One flock of about 8 individuals was hanging out in between a few of our deer stands, so I got to observe them frequently. On this one occasion, a late afternoon hunt, there were two adults and 8 immature turkeys. They came out near my tower blind into the pasture, and I saw a jake chasing a jenny. This little booger had most of his act down, except he could not yet fan his tail completely. It came up and spread about a quarter of the way. He would hold it like that for a while and then drop it like it was a supreme exertion. I had never seen a turkey this young get randy like that.

The other behavior I witnesses several times. I think it was the same flock. Only once I had my eyes directly on them. The other times, they were back in the woods behind the blind, and I could only hear them. With the adults and the little 2/3-scale young all sort of bunched up, I heard a distinct "mum,mum,mum,mum. . ." sound coming from the flock. They were far enough away that I could not detect which turkey was making the sound. As I said, I heard this on several occasions, and the times I heard it, I also heard enough other noises that I was sure it was turkeys making it.

Any ideas?

[NCL]

Congratulations on defeating the evil C

[3bailey3]

Congrats on beating cancer! could the mumming be a gobbler drumming? Sounds like you are going to have a good spring, good luck!

[deathfoot]

Glad to hear that your cancer is gone!! That is fantastic!

Also, loved the stories. And curious as to what others will say about the noise. I've heard them make some crazy sounds. But I don't think I've heard anything like that.

[Tom007]

Congrats on beating C. I wish you well.....

[crow]

Glad your feeling better


if you are wanting a tight center core pattern for a cyl. bore muzzleloader, do a google search for the ''Skychief wad sequence'' for a muzzleloader shot gun.

[shaman]

Thanks all.

In regards to the strange sounds:  Someone else suggested this might be a proto-drum.  It certainly didn't sound like an adult drum/spit.  It was in the same register as a gobbler's yelp-- quite a bit lower than a normal hen.

In regards to SkyChief and his method:  I'm already on that.  I'm also going to test out premade paper shot cups, and loads with corn muffin buffers.   This is going to be quite a mad-scientist sort of thing.

[Tail Feathers]

Congrats on the good medical news!  Now, go take the old brown bess out and put the smackdown on one this spring.

[jmart241]

Congrats on the good news Goodluck this spring

[Muzzy61]

Great new, congrats and good luck this spring.

[Kylongspur88]

 Congrats on the health news. I've seen jakes go to half strut in the fall when flocked up. I don't know if it's a dominance thing or pecking order or something else? I've also heard turkeys make all sorts of sounds. That mum mum sound may have been drumming

[Zobo]

Welcome back! I just heard a hen last week that I think was trying to yelp. She sounded "horrible", I could bearly make it out as a yelp. If I didn't see the actual bird yelping I don't think I would have thought it was a turkey. If anyone ever made this sound in a calling contest they would come in last. So point being, turkeys make some very unusual sounds occasionally.

[Brillo]

Nice to learn of someone beating cancer.  Congrats on that for sure and to your med team!
As a sophomore turkey hunter in poor standing I am going to suggest that the mum, mum sound you heard was a creature between you and the turkeys anticipating dinner.