Well, I guess all good things must come to an end......unfortunately. But I can't complain, despite having to deal with rain over half of the season, it turned out to be my best season ever. Reflection and depression has set in already, and I'm already looking forward to chasing these ridge kings around again next spring.
The season started for me as it does most years, chasing birds with one of my very best friend in the big mountains of Virginia, and as always it proved to be an amazing couple of days. We heard over 30 different gobblers gobbling the first morning, they were literally everywhere, called in 7 different birds into gun range that morning, and were able to kill one of those birds, yes the camera definitely saved a lot of lives that day! But wow what a day it was!
Head back home to WV and the youth season was the next weekend. Spent all week prepping with my daughter, patterning her new gun, setting her blind, and roosting and patterning birds. We got into the blind in the dark and the woods began to erupt with gobbling thunder as daylight approached. Birds roosted all around us. Ended up calling in 3 longbeards with a hen. After the dominant bird bred the hen, he made his way over to our avian X decoy where he strutter at 17 yards for 10 minutes before Angel dropped the hammer on him. By far the greatest hunt of the season and probably the greatest of my lifetime! Those emotions couldn't be replicated!
Opening week was rain here and there, like most of the season, but we were able to get on and stay on birds. Opening day we called in 2 big strutters across a beautiful green field with 11 hens and 5 Jake's. Several of the hens got to within 15 yards of us laying on our bellies in the field, but the gobblers stayed to the hill from us about 60-70 yards unfortunateky! They walked over the top of the field and over the other side, and as we were getting up to reposition a guy in shorts and t shirt carrying a rifle cane over the crest of the ridge and pulled up to shoot out decoy, we bout had to change our pants!!!!! Fortunately we were able to wave him off and he walked back where he came from. We repositioned on the birds, watched em breed a couple hens then walk down in the timber and away, pretty great hunt even though we didn't kill a bird. One of the prettiest shows of the season seeing them all come across that green field.
4th Day of season I was able to take my buddy out to try and get him a bird before work for the second year in a row. We went in early and walked to the back of this big bowl in the dark. We knew we would be close to their roost, but when one cut loose in the dark 70 yards from us, we were a little caught off guard. We sat down where we were and got ready. Birds were literally all around us gobbling hard, from 70-120 yards from us. Eventually we got one to break and come fast. He gobbled at every call we made and came right in on us where my buddy dropped him at 25 yards. Another fantastic hunt!
Getting into the second week it was finally my turn to be behind the gun and hunt some. I had 3 good days of good weather to hunt before work. Headed out the first day, and was foggy and nothing gobbling, but I did hear a bird gobble 3 times across the road, so that's where I would be the next morning. Next morning I get up in there early and hoot and he gobbles 80 yards from me on this beautiful ridge. I get set up and he gobbles good but flew down and got with hens and was done, did get on 3 more but they also had a hen. So the next morning I planned to be on that ridge in the dark and the first hen on the ground. Next morning we go in and it's already breaking day on the ridge, and it's real open in there. So I hoot to check it, and a bird gobbles 60 yards from us, too close!!! We drop over other side of ridge, circle him and get on his side. Set up and he gobbles right there, then ol boss starts gobbling with hens out the point from us about 100 yards from us. I made two series of tree yelps and set my call down, look up and he's standing 30 yards from me!!!! He must have just jumped out of the tree and landed there. He stood there a few second and I lifted my gun out of my lap, got on him and down he went! Boom, turkey down at 6:15, WOW!!!!!! After the shot the sun came up and God painted us the most beautiful canvas ever on that open ridge, and the pics are the best I've ever captured for sure. Great big bird and what an amazing hunt!!!
After that hunt it was like we moved to the amazon rain Forrest, it literally rained at some point every day the rest of the season, ridiculous!!! The whole third week I didn't get to hunt a single day, got up every morning to rain pounding the roof and went back to bad. I can kill birds in the rain, but my camera equipment doesn't like it and I just don't want to hunt them without filming it.
So here we get into the last week and the rain continues. Went a couple mornings early in the week and not a whole lot of action, pretty much zero gobbling, and I feared that it was over. The weather just had em messed up, and with more rain moving in Thursday-Saturday I was depressed. So as the rain poured Thursday, the weather forecast totally changed and Friday and Saturday suddenly looked great in the mornings.
So I get up Friday and weather is great and I knew God had given me one more chance, I had to go. Climb the mountain again to my favorite ridge one more time. Get to my listening point and it is totally calm, birds start to chirp and one let's loose across the road followed by 3 in the hollow behind me on a long point. I quickly started my way around the cove to them gobbling on their own the whole way. I get within 100 of them and setup and they are gobbling better than any birds all season, gobbling at everything!!! After working them about 20 minutes they finally made their way up the point to me just as pretty as could be and I dropped the lead bird at 25 yards at 6:40, just couldn't ask for anymore! After I shot the other two birds gobbled then stood by my bird for 10 minutes before walking off, made for some great footage. Thank u Lord!!!!
So in all this year I had an absolutely phenomenal year!!! Hunted 16 days, called in 17 longbeards to gun range, a pile of hens and several Jake's, we were able to tote 5 of those birds out with us (yes the camera saved a lot of lives) and we got 4 of 5 on film. Just couldn't ask for anymore than that!!! For me to get my little girl a bird on youth day, then me to tag out, just abundantly blessed this year!!!! Sorry for being so long winded, but I had to share just a few of the highlights. Hope u all had a blessed year as well, and thanks for reading! God bless!
