My license from last year covers me for the first five days this year. What I hear those five days will be the deciding factor on whether I pony up for the rest of the season.
Last year HNF was atrocious. I heard four turkeys gobble for a total of five gobbles. It was April 19 before I connected. I saw 7-8 hens beside the road in the afternoon about 2pm with no gobbler in sight. I figured there had to be one close with that many hens.
Two days later after studying the Topo, I went to where I thought my call might reach his ears. The woods were burned clean as a whistle and I had to enter through a hollow to keep from being seen. Found a "decent" tree and put up the stakeout. Clucked twice in rapid succession falling off into four soft yelps with a slate-type caller and he clucked right back. Waited two minutes and softly yelped five or six times on a trumpet and he hammered me about thirty yards over the ridge. This allowed me to turn and raise my gun. In less than a minute he walked under the gun at twenty steps. I kinda felt cheated.
That sums up my season in the HNF. If the first five days of the season are like last year, I will hunt in Louisiana until the season closes and then pick up the camera if I need a turkey fix.
You really have to work for them in the HNF these days.
