Bad timing

[Marc]

Hunted a really nice ranch today on the opener...  500 acres, with several ponds and springs and rolling oaks and pines.  Hunted there the last two season without killing a bird though (although killed birds on other spots).  Always get snakebit  in the weirdest ways there (from coyotes running birds off, to the neighbors dog coming at me with a bird coming in, to having birds come in with cattle and not being able to shoot).

Today was very quiet with only one gobble at first light, and was was not able to raise a gobble before the season (at any of the properties I hunt).  With so little activity, I stuck it out in my spot, and had a hen come in...  I could hear a tom drumming behind her, but never got a look at him.  I could hear her getting farther away, and after an hour, I gave up the ghost and moved to the other bird.

After moving, I immediately had a hen start cutting and yelping back at me, and finally got a look at her...  Then I heard the drumming of a tom...  40 yards behind her was a tom in full strut.  He went behind a bush, and she went into a depression (about 35 yards away from me), and I did some sharp cuts...  She came out of that gully in half-strut and all puffed up, walking right towards me cutting away...

And, at that very moment, I see a truck driving down the dirt road towards me (guy that leases the land for his cattle).    The birds scoot out, but not overly nervous, so I am thinking if he drives past me, I can pull them back).  Well, He stops right where I am sitting and gets out of the car, so I figure he as seen me.  As he is getting out, I unload my gun, and he walks around the truck and is about 4 feet away as I stand up...  Apparently he had NOT seen me, and the explicatives that followed, pretty much ruined any chance on those birds...

Turns out, he made a special trip out, to cut some overhanging limbs blocking the road...  I helped him out, and headed out to another spot to take a look (to no avail)....  My only luck was that the driver did not have a gun, cause I am pretty sure he would have shot me when I first stood up... 

[OldSchool]

Sorry to hear about your messed up hunt marc. I had a similar experience the year before last. Had birds coming across a field when It dawned on me that there was a vehicle coming up the tractor trail to my left. The birds were in front of me and to my right. When the guys in the pickup got to where they could see the birds, the driver gunned it, turned towards me and a gun barrel came out the passenger side window. I jumped up waving my arms, but they didn't even notice me until they were about 50 yards from me. They turned, throwing new hay and dirt all over the place. They scared the crap out of me, the birds and rutted the field up in the process.    Better luck next time.

Bob

[Spitten and drummen]

Yeah I agree. It's bad enough the beatings we get from the birds and mother nature during our quest to kill a old Gobbler but throw in human interference and it is almost the straw to break the camels back. It really can bring out the worst of our emotions. Hang tough because turkey hunting is a roller coaster. Keep Hanging with the spot and I'm sure the odds are with you that you will prevail eventually.  just the odds game. Patients and perseverance will pay off in the end. Good luck.

[Marc]

Thank you both for the kind words...

This morning my "luck" turned around...  I planned to set up on the bird I almost got yesterday, and driving by the spot on that same road I dropped my stuff off...  Pulled off to park in the closest clearing, and had two birds gobble about 200 yards away...  Pulled out, parked elsewhere, and moved my stuff...

The two birds flew down and followed a hen (away from me), but another hen started making racket, and once again, I called in the hen...  Another Tom in tow, and this time no vehicles messed me up...


Driving out, there was another bird with 2 hens in the original spot I was going to set up on... ...  My third year of hunting this ranch, this is the most toms I have seen/heard on the property.

[Spitten and drummen]

Congrats on a fine bird

[OldSchool]

That's a great picture Marc. Congrats on a beautiful bird!!

Bob

[owlhoot]

congrats , nice one 

[GobbleNut]

Way to go, Marc.  That is an interesting looking bird.  I assume it is a Rio, but the coloration seems a bit dark.  Almost looks like it might be a Rio-Eastern hybrid.  What subspecies do you have in that area?

[tomstopper]

Awesome. Congrats on the bird

[Rio Fan]

Nice looking bird. Congrats!

[Marc]

Way to go, Marc.  That is an interesting looking bird.  I assume it is a Rio, but the coloration seems a bit dark.  Almost looks like it might be a Rio-Eastern hybrid.  What subspecies do you have in that area?

I noticed the same thing...  We have Rio's, but some people call them California hybrids cause there is some Merriam and Eastern blood as well...

Driving out, I saw another tom, and he also had dark coloration.  All of my previous birds have had the typical Rio appearance, so this was a nice surprise.  Unfortunately his fan was ruined when I shot him....

[spaightlabs]

Nice job Squaller.