Opening day I killed a good bird. I guess I started a new tradition since my favorite place is being clear cut now. That is the same place I have missed one opening morning in the last 20 years I think.
Friday morning I hunted close to home with a friend. It was like turkey hunting at the Talladega 500 we were 150 yards off of the interstate. We called a hen in to us and she stood there yelping for 45 min and sure enough 2 stutters came in. They were hung up at 35 yards. I leaned over and through my scope I could have probably made the shot like threading a needle, but hey we had a live decoy in front of us. I'm sure they would come in and we would double up. Well change of plans when 3 Jake's came in a ran the gobblers off. We could not believe it.
Saturday morning found me on another new place this season with a good Friend. We heard 7 different birds gobbling and set up on the edge of a clear cut. While we were looking at a gobbler strutting across the clear cut I looked left and saw 2 gobbler standing on the edge of the clear cut 35 yards from us. I had the scope on ones head, but my barrel was a foot behind and 4 foot from the side of my friends head. I saw the one gobbler step into the woods and thought he was going to walk around the tree and just come in. I whispered at my friend and he saw the other gobbler but didn't move. The other gobbler moved left too and then nothing, they just disappeared. The one across the clear cut walked back into the planted pines. We waited another 20 min and moved on. about 9:30 we got on another gobbler and he stayed within 60 yards gobbling and strutting. he would run up into the clear cut, gobble, strut, and then run back into a thin smz (streamside management zone). i was in the smz and my friend was in the clear cut. I called a hen within 10 feet and thought for sure he would follow, but he didn't. About this time another turkey we think was a jake walked in from behind us. He walked past my friend at 35 yards yelping and went straight down to the gobbler. he could see his head, but could not see his beard. we stayed with that gobbler until 11am and he finally walked off. It was hot and we had a 2 mile walk back to the truck.
Sunday morning I couldn't stand it, I just had to go to the river. I knew they were clear cutting most of it, but I had to go. It has been a gobbler honey hole. I can't even tell you how many gobbler have been killed down there over the years. If I had to guess I would say 70-80. I turned into the property and the gate was gone, the loggers took it down and then my head lights lit up a wide open space. I was in shock. My friend told me the areas that he had left, but I still didn't expect what I saw. I didn't even know where to park the truck. i drove down to the lower gate and parked. All I could see was wide open space with a few trees on the red hill. I got my gear together and began to walk to the hardwoods 1/2 mile in front when a goobler sounded off from on top of the hill. I skirted around and came up the east side. The first tree I walked under a gobbler flew out and soared across whay I now call big sky country. I slipped next to a tree and knew where the other bird had gobbled from. Heck I could see the entire tree line where he gobbled from and my truck down below. I knew he was spooked, but hey, play the cards you are dealt right. I watched him pitch down into the creek bottom and never saw him again. As I sat there I thought to myself why didn't I walk back past my truck up the hill and come in to him from the other side. I was still in shock and disbelief at what I was seeing around me and could not think straight. I heard several other gobblers to the east so i headed south off the hill to a section of woods that would give me cover to get to the big woods. When I made it to the hardwoods I flushed another turkey out of the trees above me. I hade it to the big flat and finally something that looked familiar. I called and was answered by a raspy yelp. i set up and called 2 jakes in one with about a 6" beard. I almost killed him, but didn't. I came out of that hardwood bottom and into another clear cut, man was it painfull. I made it into the other hardwoods and it all looked that same all the way to the cabin. Down at the cabin there were 2 gobblers going crazy across the Chattahoochee river in Georgia. I sat at the cabin listening to the birds gobble remembering the good times that were had. They aren't done cutting the wood either. They will be back in there this week cutting some more. I saw the bue boundary pain marking the trees. I more or less just walked back to the truck, numb and remembering almost every spot a turkey flopped. I would walk past a stump and remember the hunt. I was in shock. I walked back up on the red hill and just looked around. Time to look forward, I know I can kill a bird or two down there this season. It won't be as easy as in the past (heck I don't even know where to park the truck), but I know what woods are left and how to move so I won't be looking like the thing in a punch bowl. Change is good and it will be replanted next fall. We are going to add bigger food plots and I already have places for chuffa patches picked out. Looking forward, it will be better in several years. I'll be back down there this season. The first trip was just a trip down memory lane. The second trip will be a kill trip. Like a new place, I'm excited to go
before
and the exact spot after
Before
and after
The view from the red hill
looking back to the red hill
This morning I went to another one of my places and heard nothing at daylight. I moved and just set up and did some cold calling and called in three jakes and two hens.
Yes, I have many places to hunt, but I rotate through them so i don't burn them out or pressure the birds by hunting them every day.
