I'm Done, That's It, I Quit!

[nannas guide]

I'm Done, That's It, I Quit!!!!

Why do I continue to put myself through this, maybe I should have a psych consult! After all, what would cause a reasonable man to set an alarm clock for 3:30 am, when his body knows that 7:00 would be much better for his mental and physical well being. Luckily for me I only tend to put myself through this abuse on Saturdays. I have tried to do this before going to work, but after a little over a week I believe that I was near death from sheer sleep deprivation. I suppose if my boss wouldn't put such unreasonable expectations on me, such as productivity, I could pull it off. Don't even get me started on the wife and kids and the time they try to steal away from my addiction.

This is only part of the problem. The real problem lies in the constant questioning of your own abilities and reasoning skills when I am trying to match wits with something that has a brain slightly bigger than an acorn. Now I've prepared myself; I have a college education; I've hunted with some of the best hunters I know, some professionals in the art of turkey calling; I've read numerous books and hundreds of  magazine articles, though I doubt that the turkeys have read the same ones. Lastly I have put my time in! I have scouted, roosted, observed from a far, and carefully studied each time I have been a field. I have hunted the same area for over 8 years still with no success. Why does a sane man get up an extra half an hour earlier to drive nearly 30 miles only to meet with the same success time and time again. I have scouted turkeys nearer my home that I feel I could confidently take, yet I drive past their lairs only to visit my own past haunts. Often times on my return trip home I drive by to see them struttin' boldly in the open to flaunt the fact that I once again have returned home empty handed.

Back to the real problem. The real problem lies with the constant questioning." I knew I should have left that decoy in the truck, darn thing spooked my gobbler away." " Dang if I only would have used a decoy this morning, that would have brought him the rest of the way in." " Bonehead, what'd you use the jake decoy for?" "I wonder if I had one of those full strut decoys?" Again, just another variable that would come into play and add to my ulcer.

What about the calling? One day I feel that I called too much. Sometimes I cringe when I know I hit a sour note. Other times I leave the field feeling that if I had called a little more he would have taken those last few steps. Now I practice!

Just ask the wife, she'll complain...oh I mean tell you. I even called turkeys in for others success, so I can't be that bad.

I once watched a boss gobbler walk close to a mile across an open field, in full strut most of the time, white head like a beacon for me to see. Then that same gobbler had to jump a known woven fence and cross a stream, both of which experts say that a gobbler won't do to come to a call. Four hours from when I first saw that @#$%&, he had the audacity to hang up at 60 yards. More questioning! Another time I had a gobbler strutting up and down the middle of Route 36 trying to woe me out of my cover. So I feel confident in my abilities. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm surely better than the average bear.

This season in a nutshell. Week one finds Tanner, my brother Gary, and an overly anxious 11 year old in a blind avoiding the wind and the rain. After 3 hours of sitting without hearing or seeing anything we decided to check a nearby field that often holds a gobbler or two. after visiting the field with no sign of feather or fan we return to bump 4 gobblers and 11 hens near where we had left the blind.

Week two, I see a fan within 100 yards as I sit in the lower fence rail. The fan and 2 other gobblers decided to check out Gary's decoys before venturing down to check out the sweet sounding hen below. Gary takes gobbler #5 from the same site. Bill still zero!

Week three I sit in Gary's spot for the first time ever. I think desperation is setting in. Tanner sits in front of me as I listen to "Wise Gobbler" call from above and wander up hill away from us. Some day "Wise Gobbler" you will open my invitation to visit my den. Now I sit and watch as a hen preens itself, in the morning fog, mear feet in front of my now sleeping son. As the fog lifts and a threatening storm moves off a hen in the distance followed by an amorous gobbler. The gobbler comes to within 70 yards eyeing my decoy, but not coming closer. Something from behind makes him pick up his pace. He walks within feet of where I sat last week. "I knew I should have sat there again this morning." "I knew I shouldn't have used that stupid decoy!" "I need a new, more lifelike decoy." "I knew I shouldn't have called so much" "Bonehead, if you had only called one more time." " What are you talking about, if you had only sat where I told you..." I can't handle these voices! I think I need to get this ulcer taken care of.

Week four: "Wise Gobbler" calls from below. Something must have kept him from reaching his normal roost. Where do I set up? Remember last week? That's right we're going below. "Wise Gobbler" gobbled 100 times or more as I try to lure him closer. You could tell at times that he wanted to head in another direction. Yea, up hill to his usual stomping ground. That's right "Wise Gobbler" I know what you're thinking, had I only known it was you for sure before I picked my spot. He goes quiet for a while. Should I or shouldn't I call. I try my best seductive talk, "Oh there he is" He's coming closer. Then he seems to move away, a battle of wills. Again should or shouldn't I call? "Don't do it!!!!" I sit and make him look for me. Suddenly he gobbles close. He is just out of sight but I know he is darn close. Sadly, he is within shooting range of where I was last week. A while later, Gary sees his head peering over the hill 60 yards away. I can't see him because I have an Autumn Olive bush between me and him. As "Wise Gobbler" wanders off that question that I said no to this morning is haunting me. "Do you want the decoys?"

That's it, I quit!!! 

 

[redarrow]

Take a pill,a long nap,and we will see ya next spring. You got the fever and it last a lifetime. You can't shake it,so cowboy up.  

[boyhowdy]

everybody has a bad year -- the worse it gets the worse it gets.  I finally figured out my problem was I had two pair of unlucky pants -- stupid me, all the time I thought it was my cap

[barry]

Ahhhh...the joys of turkey huntin'!!!
One word of advice...get a pair of lucky socks or underwear before next spring...maybe both

[vaturkey]

Hey Dude


You got to MAN UP. Dont throw the towel in. Read my avitar. GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT !!  Things will fall into place. Give it time. Good luck !
          vaturkey     

[Jay]

   Welcome to my world. Somehow I'm still able to weed out the extremely stupid ones from the gene pool Great read in summarizing what we all go thru on doing this insanity. At times I want to beat my head on a tree in frustation. Hang in there. If it was easy it wouldn't be as satisfying when you finally drop one.

[Spring_Woods]

I almost gave up once, then I killed a biggun last year. It will happen. Hang in there.

[Nimrodmar10]

Change spots for a while. The turkeys have "you" patterned.

[GobbleNut]

Nanna,....anyone who says they haven't been through exactly the same thing you just wonderfully related either...1) hasn't been hunting turkeys long enough yet,..2) has lived a very sheltered turkey-hunting life,...or 3) is living on Fantasy Island! 

GREAT Story, my friend!  I chuckled at each line,...knowing that I have lived the same experiences many times through the years!  Well done!!

Jim

[BHhunter]

I could write almost the exact same story, just change the location. When I first started hunting spring turkey here in SD 17 years ago (at the age of 31) I seemed to do well, tagging a bird almost every year. In the past five years since my son has been carrying a gun our luck has gone down hill.
Now I get up at 3 AM and walk higher in the hills trying to find the one stupid red neck hills bird that hasn't heard my amature calling. I did manage to kill one this season, but it was dumb luck. My second tag is still unfilled.
Keep the spirit and feed off the addiction, hopefully times will change for both of us. Cause hey, what would the wife say if I didn't use the thousands of dollars worth of turkey hunting parafanalia(sp?) I've amassed over the years.

[guesswho]

I threaten to retire at the end of every year.  Then I have 10 months to think about it and I always realize there are turkeys that need killing. 

Good luck next year!

[spaightlabs]

I've killed a couple after I let the sleep deprivation lull me into a 'short' couple hour nap and woken up to a gobbler hammering at my dekes...

Go out, sit in the blind, call a little then shut up for a half hour - it's hard to stay quiet for that long so take a watch to time yourself.  If nothing happens keep waiting and take ya a little snooze...see what happens.

[Spring_Woods]

You've got to hate them before you can kill them.
Don't write so highly of them, and don't put them on a pedestal. They are not smart by any stretch.

[Limbstrutter]

I know exactly how u feel !  My last bird this year had me pulling my hair out . Chased him for two weeks and every time I'd move he'd be were I was last , drove me ( NUTS ) ..... best thing you can do is hunt a different farm or stick it out . I go through the samething from time to time just hang in there your time will come. Their not that smart their just doing what nature has tought him to do    (Surive ) !   Hang in there take ya a nap from time on your setup's believe me it helps.   

[Solid Snake]

I know EXACTLY how you feel! Now take away all those gobbles you heard and strutting Toms in the distance and you have my season - think how frustrating that would be. I didn't see one gobbler or have any gobble back at my calls. I know there are turkeys in these woods I'm hunting too. It was a strange season for me but I learned a lot and still enjoyed my time in the woods. I'll be back next spring for sure and I'm sure you will be too.