Boy Scouts, baying hounds and blunders
Saturday was my first chance to get after spring turkeys. Philip and I had a short window of time to get out, and get him back to town where he is the coach of his daughter's softball team. Low spitting clouds covered south central Kansas as we made our way to his father-in-laws land. Strong breezes blowing, our noise approaching the hayfield was not an issue, and our arrival time had us walking up the hill in complete darkness. Compared with other opening weekends on this hayfield, I was disappointed to hardly hear any turkey noises as the morning awoke. About 30 minutes after sunrise, we heard a strange noise from off the property, in the same area that the turkeys generally roost. Boy Scout troop 577 had chosen to put their tents right where the turkeys roost, and the strange noise was the boys playing reveille. So much for any turkeys hanging around for us to have even a chance seeing a bird on the hayfield that morning!
The trail camera did capture a pre-season flock hanging out in the snow on Easter morning.
Here's hoping the flock moves back in to the neighborhood after the Boy Scouts move out.
Philip and I picked up our decoys and headed to the far end of the property, nearer to where we had heard the few scant turkey calls earlier. Just as we set up, the next door neighbor's foxhound, a recent visitor to the trail camera trotted down the county road. Philip and I looked at each other and laughed, as we were pretty certain that we knew what was going to happen next. Almost on cue, the dog hit some scent he liked and lit up full voice, moving first up the road (and stopping to pee on my car tire, so it seems) and then angled up towards the other section of turkey habitat. We knew we were done turkey hunting together for the day.
As it was still barely mid-morning I decided that I would make a run out to a public hunting area near home. Leaving the parking area I walked to the back of the area. Slipping through the treeline bordering the large newly planted field, I saw two turkeys feeding near the lakes edge. Slipping back into the trees I hustled down the watercourse to close the north/south distance, but knew that I would be 300 yards away from these birds to the west. I crawled out to the fields edge to put out two hen decoys, and found a nice place to hide, and maybe if I were honest, to snooze a little. The two hens had fed their way to the opposite field edge, and commenced to dusting like there was no tomorrow. I figured that those two hens were not the only birds across from me, and I wondered if I could get down to the lakes edge and close the distance to where they were resting. Watching these birds hanging out along the edge, using the binoculars (thanks to Big Fin's garage sale!!) I could see a red or red/white head of a male turkey appear and then disappear as they moved just inside the hedgerow, with sunlight splashing through the trees giving their position away.
I figured I had two options. Call these birds over to me, or take a big detour to cross over to the side of the field where the birds were hanging out. Calling produced no effects on the birds, so I decided to attempt a ninja sneak. Taking time to be stealthy, I made it 2/3 the way towards the birds when I saw the 5 turkeys leave the resting area, and head away from me. At first they slowly fed away, and then began to cross the field, and eventually they walked less than 10 yards away from my decoys. DOH!!!
Boy Scouts, baying hounds, and bad tactical blunder and a great day afield chasing turkeys.
Saturday was my first chance to get after spring turkeys. Philip and I had a short window of time to get out, and get him back to town where he is the coach of his daughter's softball team. Low spitting clouds covered south central Kansas as we made our way to his father-in-laws land. Strong breezes blowing, our noise approaching the hayfield was not an issue, and our arrival time had us walking up the hill in complete darkness. Compared with other opening weekends on this hayfield, I was disappointed to hardly hear any turkey noises as the morning awoke. About 30 minutes after sunrise, we heard a strange noise from off the property, in the same area that the turkeys generally roost. Boy Scout troop 577 had chosen to put their tents right where the turkeys roost, and the strange noise was the boys playing reveille. So much for any turkeys hanging around for us to have even a chance seeing a bird on the hayfield that morning!
The trail camera did capture a pre-season flock hanging out in the snow on Easter morning.
Here's hoping the flock moves back in to the neighborhood after the Boy Scouts move out.
Philip and I picked up our decoys and headed to the far end of the property, nearer to where we had heard the few scant turkey calls earlier. Just as we set up, the next door neighbor's foxhound, a recent visitor to the trail camera trotted down the county road. Philip and I looked at each other and laughed, as we were pretty certain that we knew what was going to happen next. Almost on cue, the dog hit some scent he liked and lit up full voice, moving first up the road (and stopping to pee on my car tire, so it seems) and then angled up towards the other section of turkey habitat. We knew we were done turkey hunting together for the day.
As it was still barely mid-morning I decided that I would make a run out to a public hunting area near home. Leaving the parking area I walked to the back of the area. Slipping through the treeline bordering the large newly planted field, I saw two turkeys feeding near the lakes edge. Slipping back into the trees I hustled down the watercourse to close the north/south distance, but knew that I would be 300 yards away from these birds to the west. I crawled out to the fields edge to put out two hen decoys, and found a nice place to hide, and maybe if I were honest, to snooze a little. The two hens had fed their way to the opposite field edge, and commenced to dusting like there was no tomorrow. I figured that those two hens were not the only birds across from me, and I wondered if I could get down to the lakes edge and close the distance to where they were resting. Watching these birds hanging out along the edge, using the binoculars (thanks to Big Fin's garage sale!!) I could see a red or red/white head of a male turkey appear and then disappear as they moved just inside the hedgerow, with sunlight splashing through the trees giving their position away.
I figured I had two options. Call these birds over to me, or take a big detour to cross over to the side of the field where the birds were hanging out. Calling produced no effects on the birds, so I decided to attempt a ninja sneak. Taking time to be stealthy, I made it 2/3 the way towards the birds when I saw the 5 turkeys leave the resting area, and head away from me. At first they slowly fed away, and then began to cross the field, and eventually they walked less than 10 yards away from my decoys. DOH!!!
Boy Scouts, baying hounds, and bad tactical blunder and a great day afield chasing turkeys.
