First off, a little bit of background information. We made our first Osceola hunt back in 2008. During that trip we had rough encounters with locals, we were actually peppered by shot from roost shooters, and I missed on two consecutive mornings at the same spot ruining our chances at completing our first grand slam. We returned to the same spot in 2010 and once again encountered the same roost shooters and unfriendly locals. Fortunately, we both were able to harvest birds on the same day during this trip to complete our slam. My dad missed the following morning after our harvests, bringing the tally to 3 misses, 2 kills.
This is the last spring for a while that I probably will be able to make an Osceola trip, so I took full advantage of it. I spent hours and hours studying aerial imagery, topos (not that it helps much in Florida, ha), and browsing forums. Even though we were going into this trip more relaxed as we had completed our slams, I still wanted REVENGE! Plus, my brother was coming along for his first out of state hunt. Thus we had to find birds for another person. We decided on arriving early enough for two full days of scouting being the season began on March 17th. From my research, I discovered it was REALLY DRY in central Florida this year. We had no clue how it would affect our trip considering there is A LOT of water in this area..
My dad and I arrived on a Florida WMA around 6:30PM on March 14th. We quickly set up camp, headed out to try and roost a bird, but had no luck. The lack of water simply amazed us. Some cypress domes that had been waist deep on our previous trips, were BONE DRY!
The following morning we went to our old stomping grounds where we had harvested our birds in 2010. The tally for that morning was 3 gobblers, one possibly being a jake. The area had gotten THICK over the past 2 years, and it obviously wasn't going to cater to the birds as it did previously. Next on the agenda: checking out the spots I picked out on aerial imagery. And this is where the unbelievable begins...
We eat a heart breakfast and arrive at the very first location at approximately 10:20AM. We walk a couple hundred yards down a trail and I commit a cardinal season of pre-season calling. After my first series of yelps/hard cutts, A GOBBLER ANSWERS! My dad and I look at each other smiling, and give a high five. As we are standing there talking about how lucky that is, the bird gobbles again even closer! We high tail it out of that area.
On the drive to the next spot, we encounter 1 gobbler and 2 hens in a road less than a mile away from the bird we just left. Upon further inspection, the gobbler had been using the road as a strut zone for the past several days. We make it another ½ mile and see TWO MORE GOBBLERS cross the road. Once again, we located another fine strut zone... We continue down the road and find yet ANOTHER great strut zone. As my dad is turning around at this spot, he starts spinning in the sand. As he revved the engine, a bird hammered off in the distance...And that isn't even the best part of this day...
The next spot I had marked to check out was just ½ mile away....After walking ~300 yards down the trail, I once again educate the turkey by calling before the season. A BIRD ANSWERS! He was way off, probably ~250 yards. I got antsy and wanted to hear another gobble, so I cutt some more. ANOTHER BIRD ANSWERS way off in the opposite direction. We were astonished. Before we could even discuss the situation, A THIRD BIRD gobbles on his own, close, between us and the truck! We were pinned. It is 2:00PM, two days before the season opens, and three birds have answered me, one definitely committed. We hunkered down and it wasn't long before I heard drumming. Fortunately, the bird faded off to our left and gobbled again further off so we could make a stealthy exit.
Friday morning, the day before the season, my brother arrives. My dad goes to one side of a long road to listen and my brother and I head to another. In all we hear ~7 different gobblers. We found a few more strut zones during the day, scouted a few more spots I had marked, and found one more REAL promising spot in a fresh burn.
That evening my brother and I head to the spot where we struck the first bird up at on Thursday. I end up going in too far and spook the gobbler off the roost. I stay and listen for more, but my brother had left his wallet in his Jeep and the top was off...So he decided to head back early.. I don't hear anything, but while he is at his Jeep he ends up hearing 3 birds fire off from the roost! Talk about luck...had he not forgotten his wallet, we wouldn't have known about these birds... But doubt still clouded my mind.. This area was the same one where roost shooters had been prevalent in the past..But with no water, would they be able to sneak up on birds this year?
With the background/scouting out of the way, I will try to cut to the chase on the hunts.
SATURDAY-OPENING DAY
My brother and I head out to where he roosted the birds the evening before. My dad heads out to where he had one roosted at the spot we listened from Friday morning. The plan was for me to go where I spooked the gobbler off the roost, and for my bro to go further down the road where he roosted one of the three. As we arrived at the spot, two guys were getting out of their vehicle... We found out where they were going (right where we busted the one off the roost) so drove on past them a good bit with plans on getting on a bird we heard the evening before.
My bro asks me if I want to bet how long before the roost shooting starts. I said 7:12, first roost shot was at 7:10. haha. (By the way, roost shooting is illegal here) .We end up hearing 2 gobbles from the roost from 2 birds, not far apart. I get us setup at the edge of a dry cypress dome, and do some light hen talk. First to come in is at least 3 jakes. They are within 15 yards of my bro and I know he can't shoot, but I only see one turkey and know it is a gobbler, but can't tell it is a jake. I whirl and get my gun on the bird, asking if it is a longbeard. Of course the jakes spook, but had it been a longbeard I could have killed it. A few mintues later a hen is yelping behind us, right on top of us. The gobbler out to the front of us has responded a few times and finally gotten quite.
I told my bro to get ready. It isn't long before I hear walking coming directly to me. I re-arrange my gun and get ready. As soon as the longbeard steps out, I plaster him. He drops, and he had a buddy behind him that flew off. I felt bad at first, as I had every intention for my brother to get his first Osceola. However I couldn't pass up a 25 yard chip shot on what ended up being a limbhanger..
1 1/8" and 1 ¼" spurs
I couldn't see the bird step under the tree behind me, but my bro said as soon as he rose up from under it, I plastered him. Ha.
We go back to camp, take pics, talk to dad, and head back out to where I struck up the three birds at 2:00PM on Thursday. It was 10:50AM when I let loose the first yelps at this spot, and one immediately hammers back. We move up about ~100 yards to the edge of the cypress dome and I call again. He answers on cue, WAY closer. He was committed. We got set up and I never called again. Within 2-3 minutes I heard the bird drumming. About a minute after that my bro plasters him. I expected a 2 year old as easy as he came in..Boy was I surprised to see these hooks...And this is just his third longbeard... 1 3/8" and 1 5/16" spurs..
INCREDIBLE opening day! 2 limbhangers down...My brothers first Osceola hunt and he gets to watch both fall..Easy ain't it?
I tell my bro the locals will probably accuse us of baiting after we check in his bird....My dad and I have encountered baited spots in the past on this WMA...And YELP! As we are leaving the check station with his bird two local guys ask "Where is yall's bait pile at?!" I simply reply "The cypress". And we leave.
Dad ended up getting screwed up by locals..They lined up the road he was hunting on and tried some roost shooting...
SUNDAY- March 25
We all had roosted birds the evening before.
I arrive at my spot super early and get set up at the start of a cypress dome. Once gobbling time arrived, I could hear my bird drumming in the tree..I was CLOSE! I tree yelp once and he flies down my way SUPER EARLY. Way earlier than you'd expect a bird to be on the ground. I catch glimpses but he never comes close enough for a shot..
About an hour and a half later I bust a hen trying to find the gobbler again..I walk about 50 yards up and cutt..He answers ~80 yards in front. I dropped down where I was even though I had very few places to shoot. About 15 minutes later he comes slipping through to my left, never gobbling or drumming, and I bust him at 40 yards. 9:00AM second day of Florida's season, and I am done.
1 1/8" spurs
My bro actually was set up in the middle of three birds gobbling that morning, but numerous road hunters shut them all up.
But the day isn't over..
We all meet up and decide to hitch out and try to strike a bird up knowing how many are using the area.. It doesn't take long til one hammers at me.. We get set up, me about 15 yards behind dad and bro. The bird gobbles again closer, no doubt he is coming. Not long after I hear the drumming, knowing the bird is about to die, a god awful *YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP YEWOP* sounds off about 100 yards away, from a road...
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hunt over...An idiot road hunter has arrived... But it doesn't end there...He proceeds to hit a crow call, gobble call, and a "dying hen?" call while the bird was hammering on his own.. Doesn't take long for him to run the other way..Wow..
I let the road hunter know I was not thrilled, but this is public land after all..
