Opened up the season in FLA on one of my favorite WMA's. I was very excited.......until I saw the forecast.
2 days of rain, then the front was to pass through and have high winds.
Not exactly my favorite hunting conditions, but when you get drawn for a public hunt, you go when the hunt is. Bad as I thought it was, it got worse. Opening morning wasn't bad weather, yet, but the Wally's were abundant. Between the weather and the Wally's I struck out.
So I headed to my camp in S. Carolina. Weather was great the first 2 mornings. The birds liked it too! Lots of gobbling, but no cooperative birds. Then the weather got worse, with sporadic rains for a couple of days, followed by a weekend of 2 days of rain. The next morning was nice weather with the front having pushed through. Poor gobbling morning, so I went to a spot the turks travel through. Sat there from dawn until 1030. Decided to change locations. Was packing up my stuff when I heard footsteps splashing in the water. Eased my head around and there were 2 longbeards and 2 jakes standing 28 yards away. I slooooooowly reached for my gun but they busted me and ran off. Aaaaaaargh!!
Next day was a great gobbling day, but the gobblers didn't show. I called in 4 super jakes, and 2 solo hens. Finally, while switching locations, I heard a courtesy gobble at 1130. I closed the gap, crow called and got another gobble!!
Closed to 150 yards, he gobbled again on his own. I was on a field edge, he was in a swamp. I quickly set a decoy out in the field, and retreated to a tree. I floated out some yelps and he gobbled!!
Waited a few minutes, and clucked loudly. He gobbled again, and had closed half the distance!!
I gave him the silent treatment and watched where he gobbled from.
A few minutes later, a jake walks out on the field edge. I knew that was not a jake gobble, so I sat still. Then I saw another bird easing along the brush at the field edge. Then another. And another!!!
3 longbeards were following the jake. As soon as they rounded the corner and saw my hen deke, the dominant bird busted into full strut.
I started sizing up the 3, deciding which one to shoot. While I was doing that, the biggest gobbler and the strutter crossed heads. I aimed at the strutter to see if that happened again. It did, and as the heads crossed, I dropped the hammer, and 2 longbeards fell!!!
I jumped out of my chair and whooped it up!!
Gobbler #1 had a 10" beard, weighed 19.2 lbs, had 1" & 7/8" spurs, scoring 57.875.
Gobbler #2, the strutter, had a 9-7/8" shot off beard (I hate when pellets go through the beard
), weighed 16.2 lbs, with twin 1" spurs, scoring 55.875.
The next couple of days were filled by gay gobblers that were by themselves, but walked away when I called to them. Oh well, 1 more tag left for my SC season, and I've still got a couple of hunts to go in FLA, 1 public, 1 private. Beyond that, got several options. I love the spring!!!
