I finally connected on my 4th hunt of the year. Single digit number of gobbles while birds are in the tree, and even less on the ground at my main hunting grounds. The birds 20 miles up the road are a lot more vocal, especially in the afternoon, but property lines kept me from sealing the deal on a couple birds with so many hens still running around.
On 3/20, I didn't hear but 4 or 5 gobbles from one bird off the roost a long way off, and nothing after they hit the ground. I called in a couple hens throughout the morning, but no gobblers. Finally around 10:00, I heard a couple birds respond so far off I wasn't sure if they were even gobbles. Over the next couple minutes, they gobbled closer and closer until they were at 100 yards or so through some thick woods. Naturally, a loud-mouthed hen cranks up on the other side of them.
They quit talking, but I got the hen fired up enough that no matter how bad she wanted to leave, she stayed pretty close, keeping the gobblers close too. I had them at 50 yards through the woods (judging from the drumming), but they wouldn't break through.
I let them ease off, and I tried to cut them off through the woods. After 2 hours of chasing, doubling back, and loud and high-pitched yelping from a Carolina Assassin (the only way to get 'em to gobble), I got the birds within range. The hen crossed from right to left with three gobblers in a line following, but a downed tree was covering half of their necks. They were easing off and I figured I was going home empty handed, but I caught movement of another bird easing in at 20 yards. When he hit the opening, I rolled him up. Dead at 12:30 after 6.5 hours in the woods.
10.25" beard, 15/16" spur and 1" spur.
I took a day off (driving 60 miles to hunt every day gets expensive) and headed back on the 22nd. I chased a bird right off the limb, but he split off to the right, and another bird was the same distance off to the left. I debated on which one to go after for too long, and they both quit talking.
I had a bird fire off back where I started, so I cut the distance and gave him a tester. Two birds responded, so I made a final 100 yard sprint and sat down. I looked in front of me and saw I would have to get the birds across a swamp to get a shot, but it was too late to move again..no good. I yelped with no response, and then I clucked twice and they about blew my facemask off. The swamp was so thick that I wouldn't get a shot unless they were on top of me.
Sure enough, the lead bird comes splashing through. When he went behind a tree, I turned around (I expected them to come the other way) and got ready. When he stepped out and stopped at around 40 yards, all I could see was about 4 inches of head. I debated for a second and went ahead and shot. I saw him flopping and didn't mark where he was in the thick swamp when I turned to the other bird. He wasn't having any of it, and flew off.
I ran up to pick up my bird, but I couldn't find him. I looked for an hour without a feather or drop of blood found. I couldn't believe it. I left, hunted another spot, and came back to look more. I went back to the tree I was sitting on and replayed the shot. I realized I must have propped my gun on the left side of a smaller tree instead of the right. After a couple minutes of looking, I found him half in the water underneath a cypress "island" in the branch/creek/swamp.
Bird was dead at 7:59, recovered a while later. 10.0625" beard, 1.1875" spur and 1.25" spur
The territory
Both birds were killed with a Browning Maxus, Hevi Shot choke, and #6 Hevi 13s
My scale is broken, so I didn't get a weight on either bird. The season opens on upstate birds this weekend, so I hope to get on a few while I'm up here at school.
