Missouri Weirdness

[stinkpickle]

Wednesday:  The weather was perfect...cold, clear, and still.  BUT, I only heard two gobbles a long ways off.  I didn't see anything until just before the 1:00PM cutoff.  I walked up on five jakes and three longbeards pickin' thru the field on my way back to the truck.  I couldn't get any response out of them.  They didn't look interested any doing anything but eating.

Thursday:  The weather was still nice, and the woods lit up at first light.  I counted at least six distinct hens in the trees around me, four jakes and two longbeards (based on gobble duration).  This was the exact opposite of Wednesday morning.  I was in TIGHT.  But...the hens flew directly to the neighbors property, and the boys followed right along.  Once on the ground, everything went silent.  I heard a gobble on the other side of the farm around 10:00am, so I hiked all the way over there.  No luck.  I was just guessing where I thought the gobble came from anyway.

Friday (this morning):  WINDY...even at sunrise.  I heard one roost gobble from upwind way across the neighbor's property.  There was a single hen behind me.  She and I argued until the sun came up.  After that, she coasted down to the neighbor's place and was gone.  I turned my back to the wind, got comfy, and must have dozed off for a while.  I woke up about 45 minutes later and let out a few yelps on my glass...nothing.  About two minutes later, I glance over my right shoulder, and there's a fan coming over the rise at about 30 yards.  That fan was flapping all over the place trying to stay upright in the wind.  He was a two-year-old, so nothing could bring him outta strut but some pellets to the head and neck.

Between this windy day bird, and the one I shot last week during a hailstorm, maybe I should start praying for crappy weather instead. 

[Mike Honcho]

Good hunt pickle...maybe I need to start taking a nap out there!  Gotta love those 2 year olds.

[alloutdoors]

Congrats!

[tomstopper]

Congrats....

[lightsoutcalls]

I'm glad you fixed that strutting issue he had before it gave him a crick or something.   

[catdaddy]

WTG Stink!!  Love the pic!

[redarrow]

Congrats.

[Gawhitaker]

Congrats, thanks for sharing.

[gatrapper]

Im out here too hunting Fort Leonard Wood.  Very tough hunting and Im walking 8 plus miles every day.  Only heard 1 gobble this morning around 9:00 am, and only a few yesterday.  Hoping the sunny weather forecasted for tomorrow wakes them up.

[budtripp]

Has been a weird season hasn't it? weather, cold temps, birds just not acting right etc.  Hell I've had groups of gobblers shying away from my single dsd jake decoy when the should have been beating the tar out of it. And acting uninterested in hens. I asked my uncle (whos property I've been hunting on) if hes been feeding these birds estrogen pills. At least I killed one this morning finally. 

[weave]

Has been a weird season hasn't it? weather, cold temps, birds just not acting right etc.  Hell I've had groups of gobblers shying away from my single dsd jake decoy when the should have been beating the tar out of it. And acting uninterested in hens. I asked my uncle (whos property I've been hunting on) if hes been feeding these birds estrogen pills. At least I killed one this morning finally. 

Same for me here in VA....just cannot nail down what they are doing and why.  Driving me nuts.

[DirtNap647]

congrats

[Fullfan]

24th year of hunting in Texas and Shannon Co. Weird weather for sure. 30 deg and snowing, wind and rain. 4 of us manage to tag out in 9 days of hunting. But can say that we only had one very good day of gobbling. Looks like the birds are making a slow comeback.

[surehuntsalot]

congrats on the bird

[Gooserbat]

MO was a bit weird this year.  I finally got my birds but it was tough.