Well, I'm back from Virginia. Had a great trip, and got my butt handed to me by those southern birds.
A couple hunts that stood out.. first day, had a gobbler at 25 yards but couldn't tell if it was a longbeard or jake, it goes behind some thick stuff and starts clucking.. soon disappears back down the hill and continues to gobble at me, but the game was over.
The bird I killed, I found late the day before. He worked his way into this holler that was thick as can be. I was in low pines on one side and he wouldn't come up. Stayed on him till noon that day, and went back the next. Got him to the same point, only this time I got a little more aggresive and made a good move across the holler and to the pines on the other side where he felt more comfortable coming in.
I managed to miss another morning, on a good bird, likely the one from the first morning. He did the exact same deal, coming in and clucking, this time I shot.. but no dice.
One morning I had a pair of longbeards hot as ever. I was in a creek bottom and they'd toggle back and forth between 60 yards down the bottom behind some laurel to 50 yards above me on the ridge. After a while of this game, I decided to make the move up when they went down.. It would have worked but they heard my footsteps, gobbled to every step and started moving back towards them. They gobbled on the ridge within 20 yards of me and I couldn't see them. Intense? they eventually moved off but what a hunt.
At 11:30 that morning I had a bird gobble just one time and nothing more. 15 minutes later, I hear a spit to my right and look over to see a longbeard breaking into strut 30 yards way. We're both in the wide open and I have to move my gun 90 degrees.. Spooked him in the process and the gig was up.
Monday on things got really humid and gobbling slowed down. They were pretty much kicking my butt. Can't say I saw myself hunting the full 9 days and only filling one tag but I'm not complaining. Gonna hunt MD in the morning then back to work.
