West Virginia trip was great. Mostly because I got to hang out with my 1 yr old grandson, but that's another story.
Saturday we hunted a piece of private that my son has access to for the youth opener and things could not have gone better for my son's friend's son. His first turkey hunt ever and he dropped an honest to goodness tank. Just to recap... 23.5 pounds, 1 - 1/4 spurs, 11.5 inch paintbrush and 9 inch second beard. I called up 3 longbeards and for sure he picked the right one to shoot. But I remember the other 2 being just as big body wise as the one he shot.
Monday I hunted public mostly because wrangling with mountain birds is a sick passion of mine. And also to give the other 2 farm birds an extra day to settle down after almost getting shot. Had action all morning (WV is morning only state) but as they tend to do, mountain birds will not commit easily. Worked one bird for almost 2 hours until he eventually walked off.
Tuesday I went back to the farm. Stood in a good listening spot and as was the case Saturday, heard birds from multiple roosts. Worked my north and was able to use a bunch of willow bushes to get within 80 yards of 3 gobblers without being detected. Sat down and waited for flydown. Turns out there was a bird right above me (not sure if it was a hen or tom) and I spooked it at one point. It flew down and the others went with it. So I eventually went off in another direction to do a little prospecting on other parts of the farm but no takers. Typical post flydown lull. Just like Saturday.
About 9:00 or so I sat down over some fields/small woodlots in the area where the junior shot his turkey Saturday. Got a hen fired up for awhile, but that was about it for the next hour. Then just like Saturday, I get a gobble about 200 yards to the south. Played the game for 1/2 hour or so but it/they never got closer than 100. As it/they walked away I was able to put eyes on them. 2 longbeards. I had very little doubt it was the 2 survivors from Saturday. Same time. Same place. Heading east into the same row of trees where I called them from Saturday. So I hustled east to try and get ahead of them, but stayed north of them by about 100 yards. They went silent but I was sure they hadn't gone far because I could see into the next field to the east. But I am in some real thick cover. Not an ideal spot to set up but it's all I had. So I set up where I could see if they came from the field and yet have a good shot or two in the cover. A couple of yelps later I get a response and I get up on my knees to see the 2 longbeards coming across the field my way. They pass my only clear shooting lane at about 60 yards from right to left so I crawl to my left behind some thick brush hoping to get a better shot. At this point I can't see them and I am kind of in jail as far as the vegetation goes. The only possible opening I can see is a couple of feet off the ground to my left so I ease up to my knees and hope to make it happen there. They eventually walk right through that opening at about 25 and it was over. 22.4 pounds, 10.25 beard, 1-1/4, 1-3/16 = 67.3
What happened here I think we have all seen played out many times. A gobbler has a place he wants to be. And all you have to do is get in front of him. These 2 would not come to my call when I was west of them. But took very little time coming to the same call when I was east of them. How can something so hard all of the sudden be so easy?
Will post pictures in the kill thread either today or tomorrow.
