So my buddy and I set out to hunt on 40 private acres in Casewell County, NC. It was my first time turkey hunting...my buddy has turkey hunted intermittently...he killed one on this property two years ago. Anyways, we scouted the day before the season opened. We spooked a bedded down hen, and hiked up onto the ridge. We were quite sure the turkeys would be roosting somewhere atop the ridge in the pines. However, we could not find any signs of a roost. Dismayed, we decided the best course of action for the next morning would be to set up on the south side of the property near where we spooked the hen, hoping that they would be roosted somewhere nearby.
This morning we got out there about an hour before dark and hit a couple owl calls and some clucks. Nothing. We waited...as first light approached, the forest began to awake with all sorts of sounds...but no gobbles. We wait some more. Off in the distance and owl hoots, and there! Yes? It was! A gobble! My friend and I look at each other, and then we hear them gobble again some more. We get up and high tail it down a power line clearing to the north end of the property. after running almost 3/4 of a mile, we were able to pinpoint them. There of them...they were still roosted up in a tree atop a ridge. Damn...there was no way we'd be able to get climb up that hill (and cross the creek at the base) without getting busted. We decide to sneak as close as possible, set up the decoys, and hope they fly down and cross the creek towards us. We were probably about 100 yards away from them. We call softly, but they do not really respond. They are just gobbling at random...in response to nothing. after 20 minutes, we hear them fly down...and then silence. We wait, call softly...more silence. Damn. We decide to cross the creek and climb up the ridge, and see if we can get just one gobble to pinpoint them and make an effort to cut them off. We get up the steep slope, and walk along the ridge....calling softly every 100 yds or so. After about 30 minutes, we stop just before another ridge. A rooster cries out from the adjacent property, and GOBBLE GOBBLE! Holy crap where did they come from. We hit a couple soft purrs and clucks, and yes...more gobbles. They are just on the other side of the ridge...probably about 80 yards away. My friend slowly inches up to set a jake decoy atop the ridge, and scurries back down to call while I man the gun. Of course...they go silent again. We wait in silence for another 45 min, waiting to see if they would come up over that ridge or circle back below us. Nothing. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, we decided to get off the ridge and head back to the powerline, then run down and try and cut them off (since we now know where they were going). We get to where we think they'll be, and sit down and wait. And wait. And wait....for 3 hours...calling softly every once in a while. Nothing. They must of held up in the woods somewhere. Damn and again...not a peep out of those toms.
The warm weather really has them screwed up. These birds shut up once they hit the ground, and its hard to pinpoint silent birds in hilly, wooded terrain
3 weeks ago they were gobblin their beaks off in response to everything...they must of all mated already. I am at a loss for what to do....continue hunting this property or find a new one? Will the bird return to the same roost? We checked the pines where we think they were roosting this morning and found absolutely no feathers or scat.
Well no one said turkey hunting was easy. It was a great learning experience nonetheless!
