Since I live just a few miles from the Idaho border, I decided to see if I could fill a tag over there before I went after my 2nd WA bird. Now, there is a lot of good National Forest land and timber company land north of Moscow, I hear there are a lot of birds. This is pretty common knowledge, so I figure there would be a decent amount of pressure since it is opening weekend. I decided to try some of the Access Yes (private walk-in areas) properties on the fish and game website.
After a phone call to the landowner last Friday, I set out where he said he sees birds most often. Last Friday evening, I went to the first spot, a beautiful bowl surrounded by towering pines. Dozens of deer and a few elk were in there, but not a track, feather or crap to give me hope.
I hiked back to the truck to see what the other spot looked like. I had a few minutes until fly up, so I drove the 3 miles to the next farm. Immediately found a gobbling bird, but he was already where he wanted to be and was in the tree within 15 minutes of me finding him.
Saturday Morning - He gobbled his fool head off, pitched down in the neighbors field (no hunting!) with 8 hens and did not care about me at all. I had to leave early to get back for an Easter Egg Hunt with the family.
Saturday Afternoon - Should have stayed home. Wind was howling in the pines, then it began to rain. Nothing going on.
Easter Sunday - He is Risen!!
Wonderful sermon at church, but I'd be lying if I said I was not distracted by the beautiful, sunny, wind-free weather outside!
Sunday afternoon - Belly full from a great church lunch, I told my wife I had to get to the woods. I had a feeling it would be a good day. I got to the place around 3:30, walked a couple hundred yards down a logging trail to an opening and did one of the STUPIDIST things I have done in a long time! I let out a string of yelps without looking around to see if there was a place to sit down if I needed too!
Well, he reminded me of a lesson learned years ago! He gobbled about 120 yards away on the other side of the clearing! I dashed for cover to my right, as I got seated, I looked up to see him high necking it and then running the other way! I have not been that aggravated with myself in a long time.
Well, I had an idea of where he might go, so I eased up the ridge and waited bout 30 minutes, and he started gobbling on his own. I'm sure he's an old bird, he would gobble at my calls, and even come closer, but never showed himself and headed to the neighbors field where I found him originally.
Once he got to the far edge of the field, he shock gobbled at everything and when I called, he gobbled. I was set up near the fence hoping he would sneak in to see what was up. I guess he did, but not the way I though he would because he gobbled behind me! I was cursing myself for blowing it again, when I heard drumming! I looked to my left and catch a glimpse of a couple birds crossing the fence to my side. They were quickly behind the pines. I called, nothing.
I decided it was do or die time. I belly crawled to the pine they went behind, just in time to see the last one, a gobbler drop below the hill in the field. I got to my hands and feet, power crawled to the top of the hill, and was able to get on my feet and drop the gobbler! Not a textbook hunt at all, but I'm happy with the way it turned out!
Another nice 2 year old down!
22 lbs., 7 oz, 8 1/4 beard, 3/4 spurs - and a lesson re-learned!
