All work and no play.....

[xarcher]

Well the stars aligned for a little workation before the PA season opens up on April 28.  Was able to schedule a business trip near Chattanooga on 4/13 and again on 4/18 the next week in Spartanburg SC.  And that is on the front end of what is getting to be a regular trip to my son's place in eastern WV in mid April.  So follow me here guys.  Work 4/13, Hunt AL 4/14-16, Hunt SC 4/17-19 (will try to get an hour or two in on 4/18) and hunt WV 4/20-22.  All work an no play.......

[harleytom]

Sounds like a winning plan! I squeeze as much play time in as I can, work when I gotta. After 30+ years in my profession I feel I have nothing to prove by working all the time and instead look to have as much free time as I can and still pay the bills. Good luck.

[3bailey3]

Hey Jeff sounds like you are hunting the country, sounds fun, I have been hunting the last 9 days straight and have had 6 birds in range, two this morning at 30 yards but I have only been able to take the one bird. They are beating me up bad!

[xarcher]

Hey Jeff sounds like you are hunting the country, sounds fun, I have been hunting the last 9 days straight and have had 6 birds in range, two this morning at 30 yards but I have only been able to take the one bird. They are beating me up bad!

Stay after it. I have only been able to watch the flocks around home. Getting in the action is what it's all about.

[cramerhunts]

Love business trips that can work out like that! Good luck! I just recently was able to take a business trip to Texas and happened to be able to sneak in a Rio hunt. Good times.

[xarcher]

Day 1 of my workation. 2 year old down in AL. Maybe low 50's. Pictures later.

[FullChoke]

Well that sounds like a nice appetizer for you. Any and all gobblers are welcome to come to the table. Good start to a long and fruitful season.

FC

[xarcher]

Climbed the mountain this morning in an area that has held birds in the past.  All I heard at my listening spot was crickets.  So I decided to sit down on a ridge, listen for awhile and figure out my day.  About 1/2 hour after daylight, I hear a distant gobble across a canyon and up the other ridge.  So I ease to that side of my ridge, sit down and let him know his sweetheart misses him.  Gobbled about every 5 minutes or so, but now I hear multiple gobbles and they don't seem to be moving or getting excited.  So I ease down the canyon on the crunchy leaves a bit.  Sit down, wait a few minutes and call.  Get a few obligatory gobbles.  Wash rinse repeat for the next hour until I have cut the distance in half and now inside 150 yards it seems.  But they are still on the opposite side of the canyon. At this point I like my odds just sitting there and waiting them out.  Just as I had resigned to sitting there all day if I have to, here they come up my side of the canyon.  All 3 had long beards, but the lead one was going in and out of strut alot.  So he gets a mouthful.  2 year old.  I am guessing (or hoping) that the other 2 were also 2 year olds just by how they behaved.

Back at it tomorrow.  Having trouble posting pics on the Limb.  Will get to it later.     

[harleytom]

Congrats. Often patience kills more turkeys than any call does.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[xarcher]

One down in WV. Mid 50's. Will post pics when I get home Sunday. Gotta go chase another.

[FullChoke]

The thunder rolls and the lightning strikes!

Keep rolling, brother.

FC

[cramerhunts]

Way to go and congratulations! Keep em coming, looking forward to the pictures.

[xarcher]

Finally got time to post the pictures on the limb.  Sorry it took so long guys.  Both birds are public land mountain birds and both hunts were very similar.  Had to move and call and move and call and move and call over the course of a couple hours.  Neither one of them committed early so I had to "meet him halfway" before committing.  And even at that, I had to wait for several minutes after getting a visual on them as they hung up and played peek a boo in the timber looking for his sweetheart.  But for my money, those are fun hunts where you are in the game for hours and find a way to seal the deal. 

Had 2 more close encounters in AL but no deal.  Had no close encounters in SC but only hunted 2 mornings due to other obligations.  In WV, I shot this one on day one and had close encounters on day 2 and 3.  Certainly a good trip anytime I can chase gobblers.  Now on to the PA opener on 4/29.  Got a few left in me.