Preseason Fun

[kj]

I know many of you are already into your spring season but here in CA our season doesn't start until next weekend.  So I headed out to the country to look for birds and practice calling.  On my way out of town I passed an office building where I had seen two gobblers a year ago.  Sure enough there they were right in front of the building bigger and better than ever.

I quickly parked behind the building, grabbed my camera and pot call.  I hit the pot call once and they came running around the side of the building and didn't stop until they were about 10 feet from me.  I would call, they would both gobble and I would snap a shot.  When they got really close the camera stopped working.  Card full.  I was deleting pictures like mad before I could snap new ones.

Finally knelt down, put my pot call on my thigh, held and stuck the pot call with one hand while they gobbled away every time I called.  Put the camera down and called my brother in law.  Left him a voicemail of me calling and the birds gobbling.  He called me back 15 minutes later all excited and wanting to know where I was.  Unfortunately still inside the city limits.

Beautiful birds, I wish they were someplace I could hunt next week.  When I finally started walking away they were so riled up they chased me all the way back to my car always staying about 10ft away.

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[socalturkeyman]

Nice KJ, Hey by the way I drew the lake mendocino hunt and was wondering if you had some info on it? You were the one that hunted in the fall time there right? Send me a PM and give me some insight on the place.

thanks -Juan-

[handcannon]

And you couldnt pay a bird to do that in the woods. They know they are safe and the just get completly stupid. Go figure! Really cool though you were able to play with them like that. The legs on them look awful white colored.

[bowhunter84]

thats awesome. my uncle has pet turkeys that run around in his yard. i like to aggravate them with my turkey calls. it's a lot of fun

[archery1]

MY BROTHER HAD TURKEYS BEFORE.. RAISED THEM FROM YOUNG.. THEN LET THEM LOOSE. WE WOULD CALL AT THEM AND THEY DIDNT NO WHAT WAS UP.. THE ONE GOBBLER HAD TO BE PICKED UP CAUSE IT ENDED UP LIVIN AT THE NEIGHBORS HOUSE 1/2 MILE AWAY. HE WAS SO MEAN. MY BROTHER PUT IT IN A BIG CAGE. AND WHEN HE FED IT HE HAD TO GET ANOTHER PERSON TO DISTRACT IT ON THE OTHER END. THIS BIRD WAS LATER REALEASED ON STATE GAME LANDS. HOPE NOBODY WAS WALKING AROUND WITHOUT A GUN CAUSE THIS BIRD WAS A KUNG FU HERO FOR SURE, AND LOVED TO FIGHT

[kj]

Juan,

Yes I got my fall bird at Lake Mendocino last fall.  Beautiful spot but an unusual place to hunt.  Hunt zone is long and narrow with the lake on one side and hills / out of bounds on the other.  Per the rangers their spring hunts are generally pretty successful.  I will PM you with my cell number so we can discuss.  Good luck!

Here's another shot of the birds from yesterday.

k

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[socalturkeyman]

Sweet thanks KJ. And those are some big boys in the picture. Too bad they seem to know where the cant get killed lol.

[njdevilsb]

Cool story.  Nothing like having them right in your face doing there thing.

We had 3 big old strutters 2 years ago at the zoo strutting there stuff for the hen and gobbler that were inside the enclosure.  They were wild birds but I was standing right next to them and they didn't care.  I thought about trying to pet one but I realized he had bigger spurs than I did.

[Lumpy]

This weather we are having here in Cali. sucks, cold and rainy all week and into the weekend

[hookedspur]

Sweet thanks KJ. And those are some big boys in the picture. Too bad they seem to know where the cant get killed lol.

[kj]

Lumpy,

Yes the rain won't stop.  I keep hoping it will clear up for opening day and it still doesn't look like it.  I need to make a call Wed what my plan is for the weekend.  I just want to get after some birds.

[Lumpy]

Suppose to get a break on Sunday, partly cloudy with a slight chance for rain (depending on where you are).
God Bless