I sat down wrong!

[Johnny Dingo in SC]

I recently read the book Turkey Hunting Digest by Jim Spencer. Chapter 16 is entitled "Sit down right for success." I read it and understood what he was saying, but today I learned the lesson firsthand.



This afternoon I drove to Moncks Corner, SC for a little afternoon turkey hunting in a wildlife management area. Conditions were all wrong. Storms threatening and very windy. Wind makes it extremely hard to hear turkeys gobble and they also have trouble hearing the hunter's calls. I don't own a box call, which is a good call in high winds because it is loud, cuts through the wind better, and carries farther than a slate call. I do have a slate call although I'm not really very proficient with it yet, but I'm learning.



I sat in one field for about an hour, calling with my slate call. I never got any response and didn't see any birds. I decided to move. I walked about a mile to another field that I had located a week earlier. It is a small, rectangular field, with the logging road entering it about 1/3 of the way up one of the long sides. Another path leads out of the field almost directly across from the entry point. I entered and turned left, took about 15 steps and found a nice little spot by a large pine tree to lean against and I sat down ... wrong. The field went about 100' to my left and about 300' to my right, and about 125' across. I was tucked back in the brush about 5' but had a pretty good view of most of the field. The only thing I could NOT see was the road that I walked in on.



I broke out my slate call, 2 different strikers (which produce 2 different sounds, one high pitched and one lower,) and my diaphragm mouth call. I started calling, making my best "hen" sounds, purrs, yelps, clucks and cuts, alternating strikers to try to sound like more than one hen, and occasionally using the mouth call to add a little extra sound. Not exactly conventional calling, but the wind was up and I had nothing to lose. I called pretty aggressively, taking short breaks of only a few minutes at a time, and I kept it up for nearly an hour. In all this time, I heard NOTHING! Not a single gobble. I was convinced that there were no turkeys in the area.



I was about to give up but decided to break out the "Hammering Crow" call, a locator call that can usually get a longbeard to gobble. I called a couple of times, moving the call left to right to cover the area and give the impression of a crow flying by. Nothing. Not a sound. I then decided to turn and call behind me. Remember that I said I sat down wrong? I could not see behind me. When I hammered the call behind me, I basically blasted it right in the face of a gobbler walking up the road behind me. I don't know if it was the call or my movement, but that old bird took off like I'd actually shot at him, took to the air and was gone! I watched him fly off through the trees for a few seconds, then started to stand up and hollered "SHOOT!" This was my second mistake, because that's when the second bird took off following the first.



The birds have been quiet in the afternoons here lately. They rarely gobble, and these two birds had come walking right up the road behind me, without making a sound, and when they took to the air they were only about 10 yards from me. I think that if I had just stuck with the calling pattern I had been using for about 2 more minutes, I would have had my first bird of the season. Maybe both birds.



Lessons learned



    Get a box call
    Be patient. Don't give up too soon.
    Sit down right for success!

[Johnny Dingo in SC]

By the way, I wrote this for FACEBOOK, and it contains some information for NON-HUNTERS, so please don't feel like I'm trying to teach experienced hunters anything at all. In fact, I am a brand new hunter. This is my first season ever hunting ANYTHING and I have only been out alone twice. I've yet to take my first bird!

[ncturkey]

Johnny Dingo   Even us so called experienced hunters need a good lesson on setting up on turkeys. Just learn from your mistakes. I have been hunting turkeys for 20 years and I still make error in judgement ever now and then Just keep at it. I learn new things everday in the woods. The turkeys will be your teacher. Soemtime they will humble the expert turkey hunters. The ole gobbler will test your woodsmanship. Also you will need to learn the lay of the land you hunt and the way the turkeys move though it. I know you know it now but turkeys love to travel to you the easiest way they can to you. Like the the road you walking in on. It can be real hard sometimes hunting for turkeys. Soemtime it can be easy. But the easy turkeys are sometime far and few between. But I was told something one time and I will never forget it. Have fun when you hunt. Be patience,persistent, and persevere while hunting the wild turkey. But to me having fun and enjoying the spring is what it is all about. Your first turkey will come in time. Stay with it. Good Luck, Mike

[1iagobblergetter]

Heck it sounds like you did darn good under the conditions you were in. I think weve all been busted by them on more than one occasion if your hunting much. Sounds like your definitely on the right track for success!! It'll happen,keep after em,good luck!!!

[archery1]

Heck it sounds like you did darn good under the conditions you were in. I think weve all been busted by them on more than one occasion if your hunting much. Sounds like your definitely on the right track for success!! It'll happen,keep after em,good luck!!!

[WyoHunter]

Good luck and keep hunting!