For the past twenty years I have been traveling to turkey hunt my families property in north central PA, Tioga county. Have a lot great memories Turkey hunting in the morning and fly fishing the afternoons. Time spent with parents and brothers, personal time spent one on one without distractions (holidays, grands kids, friends). But it has come time to sell the property. So I decide to extend my hunting opportunities to new locations.
I signed up with OG to help with this new quest. First thing I realized was I had become a lazy turkey hunter. I know so much from hunting the same area for years that I had a fairly high success rate without putting much work into it. If high wind blew from the north I knew the little hollows the turkey like to congregate. Rainy days I knew the fields they'd be in and the roosting spots they'd come from. So I had a lot of work to do.
Read a lot of old posts and posted some questions to OG. Got great feed back and PM's with great advice. Decided to go to Black Hills South Dakota. Started the research to the point of overload. I had so much information I really didn't know where to start but a OG member PM'd me some info so I settled on Custer.
When I left for the trip I had no plans or reservations. I was totally basing my travels on where I found turkey. I got in the car at the airport and drove towards Custer. After passing Hill City I got on the service roads. Drove 4-5 hrs finding nothing, time to head to a hotel.
Next day was promising. Drove around all day. Stopping at places to get out and call. Found 2 hen turkeys roaming the country side. Keep driving, stop to whizz, a Quad runner flys by then a truck with hunters in it. Must have been there 15 minutes when I hear a yelp, then another yelp followed by a gobble! Turn to get my stuff but I am not prepared. Don't have Camo shirt on, calls are all over front seat, gun is in case. By the time I get my act together they are gone.
I find a "Hunter Cabin" to stay at since bad weather is on the way, no tent camping. I decide to hunt near where I spotted a hen. Next day starts with rain and high winds. Rain lets up, I hike a "Drivable trail" 4-5 hours only finding one set of tracks. Try to keep hunting but it keeps raining harder. Spend the day driving around. Day 4 is heavy rains, roads are flooded and blocked. I spend the day driving around no sign of turkey. Spirts are low. '
I review my notes and the one thing that sticks out is someone saying to find turkey sign. So that is what I device to do. No more driving. Go back to my original site since there is endless trail to hike. On day 5 I leave the car before 5 o'clock and cover over 12 miles returning at 11. Found my hunting spot, a little valley loaded with turkey sign, tracks, feathers and poop. Also find another access road much closer.
I wake at 3:30 can't go back to sleep. Start hunting at 4:30. After a few hours hear a far off yelp. Decide to close the distance. Cannot get a response (did moving spook it). Keep walking and hours pass. I get a yelp on a ridge above me. Not a gobble but decide to call it in see what is with her. There is no cover, in every direction for over hundred yards they is nothing but grass. I find a mound of dirt with some rocks and get behind that. I go back and forth with the hen not moving from the ridge. Put down the box call and use my Green Slate. We pur & cluck for a while and she comes down the hill with 2 toms in tow. They look to be two years old. Not really what I'm looking for and am thinking about letting them pass. But I only have on day left and if I come back tomorrow won't it be the same turkeys? I decide to harvest the closet Tom. Success, could't be happier.
So a big thank you to the members of OG, they where a great help in planning this trip. Even just the idea of going out west.
