Long post..just had to vent a little.
I've been cut off my fair share when spring gobbler hunting on public land, but this morning topped the list.
I guess it was my fault though for hunting fairly close in..bout a half mile walk from my house, but with all the new horse trails they've put in this area the spot can be accessed fairly easy from a paved road.
Anyway, I felt like I may have company back in there when I heard a sick owl Sat. morning after about 3 gobblers had started up. I was almost right under them and wanted to see which way they flew down.
The first season (Illinois splits the spring gobbler season up in to 5 hunts so they can charge for individual hunts you can get a max of 3 hunts and allowed one gobbler per hunt..it's a lottery ) opened this morning and I decided with so few turkeys around here these days I'd chance whoever was blowing that owl call Sat. might not have a first season permit and was just scouting for another of the 5 seasons.
I've only been able to locate birds in two areas and the other 1-1/2 hr. walk up and down steep drainage's so decided to save it til next.
I got in there and set up way before daylight..had my 20ga. flintlock..no blind or decoys. Three or four birds started gobbling about 6 am bout 80yds across a narrow creek up on the point of a narrow steep ridge that ends between two steep drainage's .. same place they were Sat. and usually are if in there.
They gobble regular and I hear some hens way up the fairly open creek bottom, then a little later I hear a suspect series of yelps up behind me on a ridge towards some horse trails. The gobblers are still on the roost and gobbling at every thing and answer the suspect yelps also. I decide to make a run with my mouth call even though I didn't want to due to birds still being on the roost, but figured if someone was up there they could tell it was a mouth call and back off or at least hold up to know for sure before diving in.
Now the gobblers are glued to the limbs hearing all these hens and stay up there forever. Eventually I hear a flydown and then one gobbling on the ground a little closer...and the suspect hen is closer..about 150 yds last time I hear it period.
I see two white heads and then two gobblers strutting around about 50 yds. down towards the creek below me. They're looking for me, coming my way. Then more or less hang up at about 40 yds. For a long time.
It was my purring on one of my old Lynch Jet Slates that had them coming in and when I saw them I laid it down. They were really hung in that one spot and I didn't want to shoot the 40 yds shot..I just don't like shooting them that far no matter if 3' or 3-1/2 mags. in the past or my flintlocks, even though this flintlock has the same range and pattern as a 3-1/2 mag. It's got a turkey choke barrel and loaded with 2 0z of 6's with 80 grs. of 3-f (bout the equivalent to 100 grs. 2-f) blackpowder..stout.
I can't pull them in with my mouth call and eventually they start to strut on towards where the other hens were yelping earlier and I can't find my Jet Slate..must be sitting on it..finally risk the movement and reach under my leg, get it and start purring again. They wheel on a dime and start coming at a steady strut.
BOOM!!! I even see the little bit of smoke and flash from a modern shotgun right at 20 yds to my left and a little back of me. He gets up and runs towards the birds..turkeys fly and run all around.
I just stand up and start getting my calls together say the F word really loud and then really loud "At least I didn't get shot!" Then walk on off with one look over my shoulder I see a guy fooling around with a turkey.
I thought I'd seen movement back where he was earlier..and being about deaf, didn't hear him walk up. There's no way he couldn't have seen me and heard me calling.
