Turkey Hunters just wanna have fun

[eggshell]

Since it's the off season and we often fill this space with topics that have strong opinions in different directions, I thought maybe we could just lighten it up.

Most of us love turkey hunting simply for the challenge, thrill, getting away from the rat race and just enjoying the great outdoors. I doubt many of us think about all the various debateable topics when we're engaged with a gobbler. In the down time our minds might wander into thinking about why there's not more turkeys in my favorite spot. However, I want us to share some thoughts and experiences that make our sport more then killing a turkey. I know we have had a lot of really neat experiences and there are things outside of turkeys that we enjoy. When we're not hunting we may fill the down time fishing, morel mushroom hunting or eating out. In the woods we see and hear things that we find exciting too. Turkey hunting is a therapy for me as well as a sport.

I like to bird watch while turkey hunting. It's migration season and lots of song birds are around. I like identifying wildflowers and of course I like finding morels. One really cool experience happened in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I walked in to an area on a logging trail and when I returned I noticed a track in the dirt and knew it was a cougar track. The odd thing was it was dead center in my boot print. I didn't think much about it that day, but when I hunted the same area the next day I saw fresh tracks following mine again and I knew they were freah because of a rain the night before. I never saw the cat but it checked me out every day. A local rancher I talked too told me there was a den in that area. It kind of made me nervous but I still found it really neat. Another day I had a Bobcat slink right up to me and that was interesting since it was the very first one I ever saw on our property in Ohio. I always enjoy meeting people in new areas and seeing new habitats.

Share some non turkey things, just for fun.

[GobbleNut]

speaking of mountain lions, most people I know have never seen one in the wild. I have had a number of run-ins with them over the decades. Two of those encounters some might find interesting. Both occurred during deer hunts in the mountains of southern New Mexico.

In the first, a friend and I were walking along a ledge that ran across some steep canyons we were working though in hopes of finding a buck or two. The drop from the ledge to the next bench below us was maybe twenty vertical feet, and at one point we eased out just far enough to look directly below us. There, at the base of the cliff, were three mountain lion cubs frolicking with each other. We watched them for a couple of minutes and, figuring momma was somewhere nearby and might take issue with our presence, then eased back out of sight and continued walking the ledge looking for deer.

In the second encounter, I was walking up an open ridge with a shallow draw below me in some lower country that consisted of scattered pinon/juniper trees with mostly knee-high oak brush between them. Hoping to jump a buck out of the draw bottom a hundred yards below me, I was slowly wading through the  brush when, suddenly, two lions sprung up out of the brush less than ten yards in front of me and took off down the slope into the draw. To say I was "startled" would be an understatement, but the lions were making a hasty retreat so I quickly regained my composure and kept an eye on them as they scurried down into the draw.

Expecting them to come out onto the opposite side, I kept watching. When they didn't come out of the draw, I was intrigued to see what they had done so I started down into the bottom to see if they would reappear. I got to the bottom below where they had gone and started working my way up towards where I had last seen them. Coming around a slight bend, I looked ahead and there, tucked into a slight depression in the side of the draw, were the two lions staring back at me at about fifteen yards. Of course, I had my rifle at the ready just in case, but I looked them over and could see that they were a couple of young-but-almost-fully-grown cubs.

We stared at each other for a minute, both them and me fascinated by each other, and then I again decided that momma might be around and turned to retreat back down the draw and leave them alone.  As I came around the bend in the draw, there, thirty yards away, was momma coming up the draw to find the cubs. We saw each other at the same time and she instantly vanished up the side of the draw out of sight. With my heart in my throat and the hair on the back of my neck standing straight out...and with the rifle close to my shoulder and the safety off...I slowly eased back up out of the draw in the opposite direction. ...It was an exciting moment in my life...   

I have also seen mountain lions several times in other "less-proximate" circumstances. Considering the number of people I know that have never seen one, I consider myself to be quite fortunate in that regard.

[Gooserbat]

If you are any sort of woodsman and you spend enough time outdoors you will see stuff.  If you just slow down and take it in you can literally stop and smell the flowers and enjoy the sunsets.  Most people just go to fast to the next big thing and never really get to enjoy the little things that make it special.

While I've never seen a Mt Lion while turkey hunting I've seen bears, elk, moose, and a lot of uncommon birds.  I've seen wild flowers that weren't common and some sunrise/sunsets that only could be painted by the Lord himself.

I might recommend that everyone gets a copy of the Audubon society mushroom guide and learn at least a little about edible shrooms.
 

[Treerooster]

I've been peed on twice by squirrels...almost 3 times.

[Dougas]

I spend much more time enjoying nature than during hunting season. During turkey season I spend between 7 and 15 days hunting and during deer season about the same amount of days. I enjoy it so much that not a single month goes by without me spending several days in the woods. Hunting season for me, is taking all those off season days of enjoyment and putting them to use to get the best quality meat money can buy, while continuing to enjoy nature.

Speaking of mountain lions, I get a tag every year just in case. I have been in the woods actively pursuing things since I was five. I saw my first mountain lion when I was 55. Me being the only one that knew that had not seen one until then.

I was hunting with buddy Tony and my 25 year old grandson about 6 miles from the gate in a walk in unit. My grandson and I perched on one side of the canyon about 50 yards apart and Tony about 300 yards across the canyon.
I look down and see a nice big racked buck running full speed in front of me going left to right about 200 yards below me. That is the fasted I have ever seen an animal moving. I was focused on him and when I lost track of him I climbed up toward my grandson. Then I saw the buck heading into the timber about 350 yards away from the clearcut at full sprint with something with a long tail hot in pursuit. It happened in just a few seconds and I wasn't sure what I had seen, so I got to my grandson and asked if he had seen it and he said he did and it was a lion chasing the buck. At that moment we hear a deer screaming as it echoed over the canyon for a good minute or so.

[Dougas]

My second lion experience was the next weekend in the same area. They had opened up the walk in road for driving, so I drove in and parked at an old gated road I wanted to hike out. I had gone about 150 yards through the timber when I heard what I thought was a bear growling. The north side of the road was thinned timber with great visibility, but the south side was our typical temperate rain forest jungle with visibility at about 30 yards. the growling was coming from the jungle side and paralleled me for about 150 yards. From there it got fainter and fainter as I walked on. On my return trip back to the truck, the same thing happened until I got to the truck. This was about 100 yards from the where the cat killed the buck the week before. I went home and listened to bear sounds on the computer with no matches I tried mountain lion sounds with no matches until I came across a video of a mt. lion growling at people when they got too close to it eating in a zoo. It was an exact match! My buddy Tony calls me right after I saw the video and said he got off early from work and headed up to that road for an evening hunt and as he got out of the truck, he saw a mt. lion standing in that road. He hunted a different area that evening.

[Dougas]

My third encounter happened during deer season in 2023. I was walking old cat roads in the timber when I came to a fork in the road. I was figuring out which fork to take when I saw a flickering out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it was a bird in the road I turned to see a mt.lion 18 steps away in a stalking pose. Head down facing straight on. The tail tip was the flickering I saw. This made me nervous enough and I had a tag, so I aimed for between the eyes, which, was the only shot I had and shot. My aim was off and I shot it through the right eye. I ate the meat and did a cool looking taxidermy mount with it.

[Dougas]

My last encounter was a week later from the third encounter. I was still hunting on a cat road and came around a little bend and standing on the side of the road about 10 feet away was a really large grey lion. It looked at me and stood there for about 30 seconds and then went away down the road at a slow trot. I had not gotten a second tag and to be honest, felt no danger, so I watched him go on his way. That was the coolest mt. lion I have ever seen in pictures or video! Of course, I didn't think to get my phone out and get pics, I was so taken off guard.

[Dougas]

Some times weird things happen that make you wonder how it worked out that way. My last turkey was just that sort of thing.

I was going out Saturday morning. I had it all figured out. The two I had killed in previous weeks came onto the property from the north and east like always. Rarely did they come in from the west or south, so I had been perching myself where where I could see about 350 yards down the hill where they normally come in. I am also over a little knob, tucked into a divot in the bush so any thing approaching from behind would have to come over the knob, exposing itself at about 20 yards. I would blind call every so often hoping to pull something off of neighboring properties.

At about 2:00 am Friday night, I began throwing up and had horrendous diarrhea! It lasted until about 9:00am. I went to bed and slept until noon. I got up and ate to see if I could keep it down and I could. So, at 60 years old, I feel the sicknesses more than when I was young and have a harder time recovering from it. I waited until 2:00pm and headed out to the property. Since I was still feeling sick, I brought a high backed camo camp lounger instead of the pad I use to sit on so I could recline a little.
Well, That lounge chair would not set up on the hilly area I usually sit at, so I had to move it out in the field where the ground was more flat to watch over the lower area. Around 6:00, I was still feeling nauseous and wanting to go home, but, I was going to stick it out. I was about 30 yards from the knob behind me, so, anything coming over would be in range and I had the whole rest of the property in front. My 81 year old mother calls me a little after 6. I have it on vibrate, so no sound. She wants me to come over the next day and do yard work for her. I tell her I'm turkey hunting and I will call her when I get home. She hangs up and do a call session With mouth and box calls. About 20 minutes later she calls again to invite me to a BBQ. She wants to talk and she is more important than turkey hunting so indulge her. I hang up when we were finished and waited a few of minutes. I do a mouth call series and then pick up the box call. I'm not feeling good and decided this would be the last call. I start my box call sequence and after the first strike a gobble splits my eardrums directly behind me and it was LOUD! I set the call down and pick up my shot gun from the ground at my feet. Using the chair a makeshift ground blind, I have one knee in the seat and one leg on the ground with my shotgun resting on the back of the chair. I mouth call and nothing. I mouth call again and his head rises above the thigh high grass on the top of the knob. Then his neck and then the body. He searching for the hen and all he sees is a chair. Then he saw nothing at all. A clean shot at less than 30 yards a little flopping.
Well, with all the adrenaline and the events from earlier, I had a wave of nausea come over me and I had to lay down and really work to keep my stomach contents in my stomach. I had a long evening a head of me and I was wiped out the next day, but happy for success in the face of adversity.

[WV Flopper]

Been in the Eastern woods all my life. I have seen three cats while hunting, Bobcats.

The best experience was while tracking dogs with a old beep box. I think the cat thought it was a bird, when I seen him he was locked in on me. Probably only 20' away from me.

Typically I have a couple great experiences every year.

This year I had made a circle around a knob and hadn't heard a turkey in the expected area. A mile away I hear one gobbling well!

So, as I am going in his direction I glass an area that holds turkeys. At 880 yards I spot a strutter and decide to go to him. I see a couple other turkeys in the area, close.

When I get there I see nothing and set up and call. Within five minutes a turkey starts gobbling and coming. Within another five minutes I hear two more gobbling but are not visible. I see the first, he is advancing in the wide open reclaimed strip.

I am watching the tom advance from 350 yards, gobbling, strutting, doing his thing. He hits about 200 yards and lays down, Flat. I am on binos watching, all you can see is his head. Then I noticed the other two coming in from the East. The tom that was laying got up and left to the west. The two toms together proceeded towards me until the end.

This was a nice experience to witness. I am happy that I got out of bed this morning. I am happy I put in the extra effort to witness this.

[WV Flopper]

Now it's time for my little garden!

I gambled and planted early this year, during turkey season. Had a couple light frosts after I transplanted my tomatoes I raised on my kitchen table. But, they survived...

Started pulling some cucumbers this week and a few cherry tomatoes. Today I pulled some paste tomatoes and dug up my garlic.

The garlic is new too me. It didn't do well, maybe to wet this spring, I am told? Otherwise my little garden looks great! In the morning I will be out picking green beans. Best looking beans I have ever grown.

The San Morzono's are loaded but have serious blite issues. Not sure if they will make it to harvest or not. Way to humid and crazy rain here currently.

[TrackeySauresRex]

Great read all..

Luckily there are no big cats in my neck of the woods. None that I know of anyway.

One hair raising experience.

One morning, I worked my way in on a group of birds that were fired up on the roost. I didn't give myself enough time and was running late.

At pink light, I was still a good ways from the roost. I was working my way in quietly and I hear a ruckus off to my right a wee bit (@30).
Two tiny critters race up a tree, I never thought they could've been bear cubs. It very well could've been the first time they ever climbed a tree.

A second later, She stands up next to the same tree and leans against it looking right at me. 😳

With the wind in my favor, in my face, she was trying to suck me through her nose. If it were the other way, I think she may have made a run at me.

Needless to say, the safety was off on that Ol' 835 as I backpedaled my way out of there slowly.

This always stays with me as I navigate in the darkness.

———
What's new,

Recently retired and loving it, I get to do whatever/whenever for the most part. Mann I've never been so busy

Always trying to take care of myself a little bit better now and staying motivated with a better diet and some moderate exercise. As most of us all know, sometimes it's a little tough getting around the old injuries.

I may hit an archery shoot or two and preparing for the upcoming season. All play and all fun.. with a tiny bit of work.

Yep... and fishing 

B-Well All

[Happy]

Off the top of my head, i can recall 2 Bobcats, a sow blackbear with a cub, an albino doe I saw twice 3, and a coyote that didn't survive the encounter. My favorites are squirrels. They amuse me, especially when they get within 5-6 feet.

[KeeKee]

I' glad we don't have big cats in Ms except fot maybe a couple. It seems like everyone and their mama thinks they've seen one though LOL. The key is to stay busy in between hunting seasons. I've gotten into arrowhead hunting lately which has made me check out a bunch of new spots i've never been to. I always find myself looking at turkey sign and trying to find a good funnel or trail for bow season though no matter what i'm doing.

[zelmo1]

Turkeys dominate my down time, but I do enjoy learning new places to explore and trap/sporting clays shooting. I do believe it has improved my success rate on waterfowl and small game. I do a little social deer hunting, my best friend is an avid deer hunter so I help him with whatever he is doing. With the work involved and my physical being, it will have to be a real monster to snap a cap on, lol. Enjoy the world peeps, Z