pointingdogsrule
Well-known member
So my story begins. The Iowa spring has brought cold, damp rainy weather. Not particularly what the turkeys or us hunters long for. Lows of 25 degrees and highs of 40 degrees in which you can see your breath have something to be desired. In Iowa we have 4 seasons to choose. With the wet & cold conditions I chose to wait for a later season. A season where my butt would not get cold from all that sitting. Maybe my old age is getting to me.
The fields are still unworked from last fall. Only barren ground and corn stubble. With the high price of corn very few alfalfa fields remain. You know those fields that turn green and where the gobblers just love to strut. While taking an older gentleman out for some earlier hunts I decided that hauling 3 pounds of mud back to the truck, on each boot was too much work. For those of you who have never walked chisel plowed fields... it's an adventure. A later season could wait. As least give me some green leaves on the trees as opposed to the naked trees that still exist. Not even buds are visible on the undergrowth.
Third season is upon us and I am getting anxious. Others are tagging out on long beards and the birds are starting to respond. I buy a tag and do some more scouting. For me scouting is the most important part of the upcoming hunt. Learning where they strut, nest, eat, travel & roost. Checking the usual strut zones in the morning just after sunrise and sitting along the roads in the old F-150 with binoculars in hand watching birds fly to roost just as the sunsets. Picking out those black dots as they appear in the trees, one by one.
The weather report looks good.... 50 degree temps in the forecast. My work slows down a little and I head to one of my spots for a late afternoon hunt. In Iowa we can hunt until sunset. I pull the F-150 into my parking place, at 3 in the afternoon and start getting out the gear for the nice afternoon hunt.. backpack, gun & decoys. Skies are blue, no wind and temps are about 56 degrees. While putting my backpack on I look towards the area I will hunt. Of course I see a black dot about 400 yards away in the field. My binos confirm my suspicions... a tom & he is looking right at me. While looking some more, two more appear... a trio of toms. Thoughts race through my mind if I should try and slip down the fence row. No, I know better. No leaves or cover so I would be busted. Unfortunately these little woods that I hunt have advantages, in that I usually know here the birds are and the disadvantages, in that I have to be very careful I am not detected. I pack up the F-150 and pull out of the field drive.
The plan for the next morning is simple. Hunt the trio of birds that I spotted that night. I knew the oak trees where they consistently roosted. With the small woods I would have to be stealthy while walking across the field the following morning. I have done this before in this location. Get to the place a little after 3 AM and get to my blind, which has been in place for the past week, by 3:30 AM. Sleep and wait for the gobbles. Any later than that and the birds might think that I was a coyote and fly away from me in the morning. The walk towards the blind starts in the full moon. No flashlight needed as I know this place like the back of my hand. Backpack on, black powder shotgun over the shoulder and two decoys in hand and ready to be placed. Decoys are placed in the field in the moonlight upon arrival at the blind, eleven yards away. One old foam hen and a new "Funky Chicken". I am too cheap to buy those $100 decoys. I slip into the blind and get mildly organized in the dark. Mostly by feel. The next 1 1/2 hours are filled with cat-naps while I sit in my chair thinking of that first gobble. Anticipating that first gobble. When would it occur, how far away, how many birds and at what time. Would there even be a gobble? 5:10 and they sound off. No more than 100 yards away and there are a boat load of them. I look through my binos to see if I can spot those black outlines in the trees... no success. More gobbles and more gobbles echo down the valley. Am I in turkey heaven, no this is Iowa? (did you get that joke?) Ah, I've been in these situations before. All fly down and go the opposite direction so don't get too self confident. Later the hens start talking and the fly down begins. Having archery deer hunted this place hundreds of times, I visualize where they have landed. Now is the time I start talking to the hens. If I can only get the dominant hen teed off and get her to come my way. The gobbling continues on the ground. First they sound as they are going away, then coming towards me. I give up. With the woods and brush so thick I cannot see any of the birds. I don't know what they are doing. Slow and steady calling and NO OVERCALLING! Finally, to my right and in the old cornfield the hens appear. They march by at 50 yards as the feed in the field. 10 hens in all. One hen breaks way and walks to my decoys and starts scolding my hen. Perfect just what I was hoping for, a real live decoy. I sure hope that those toms come closer than 50 yards. I love the show before the kill. Those toms cannot be far behind. Ah, the first white head appears behind some trees. No calling needed at this time as the hen is doing all the work. He is joined by another one and they close the distance. Even closer after they see my decoys. Rats! only jakes. They keep their distance at 25 yards and check out the decoys, meanwhile toms are still gobbling in the thick brush. Lots of toms. Moments later three toms in full strut with the white heads appear. They parallel the decoys at 50 yards. Two soft purrs from me and the race is on. Straight to the decoys which are 11 yards from the blind. They all look to be the same and one on the left separates from the pack. Close enough for the black powder shotgun to do damage. 6:30... Boom, white smoke everywhere and through the smoke I can see the tom doing the usual flopping around. One tom runs and the other circles the down tom. "What happened to my buddy"? The two jakes come in a start to beat on the downed tom while getting into a fight with the other tom.. cool. I do not want to scare the toms off so I stay quiet and still (and decide to test out my new smart phone video camera). In Iowa I can still get another tag for the fourth season. This lasts about 10 minutes and the birds move off about 75 yards and settle down. As time passes, more gobbles and three more toms appear from down valley and come into the decoys and peck the head of my dead bird. (see pics below). They slowly head off after the hens. More waiting until I leave. What the heck.... two more toms appear and beat my dead bird up. A total of 8 birds came in after I shot my bird and beat him up. I ended up being stuck in the blind 1 1/2 hours after I shot the tom. Finally I was able to check out my tom... just under 23 pounds, 11 1/2 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs.
Three of the many birds that beat up my dead bird. My bird is under the one in 1/2 strut.
good luck to all
the dog
The fields are still unworked from last fall. Only barren ground and corn stubble. With the high price of corn very few alfalfa fields remain. You know those fields that turn green and where the gobblers just love to strut. While taking an older gentleman out for some earlier hunts I decided that hauling 3 pounds of mud back to the truck, on each boot was too much work. For those of you who have never walked chisel plowed fields... it's an adventure. A later season could wait. As least give me some green leaves on the trees as opposed to the naked trees that still exist. Not even buds are visible on the undergrowth.
Third season is upon us and I am getting anxious. Others are tagging out on long beards and the birds are starting to respond. I buy a tag and do some more scouting. For me scouting is the most important part of the upcoming hunt. Learning where they strut, nest, eat, travel & roost. Checking the usual strut zones in the morning just after sunrise and sitting along the roads in the old F-150 with binoculars in hand watching birds fly to roost just as the sunsets. Picking out those black dots as they appear in the trees, one by one.
The weather report looks good.... 50 degree temps in the forecast. My work slows down a little and I head to one of my spots for a late afternoon hunt. In Iowa we can hunt until sunset. I pull the F-150 into my parking place, at 3 in the afternoon and start getting out the gear for the nice afternoon hunt.. backpack, gun & decoys. Skies are blue, no wind and temps are about 56 degrees. While putting my backpack on I look towards the area I will hunt. Of course I see a black dot about 400 yards away in the field. My binos confirm my suspicions... a tom & he is looking right at me. While looking some more, two more appear... a trio of toms. Thoughts race through my mind if I should try and slip down the fence row. No, I know better. No leaves or cover so I would be busted. Unfortunately these little woods that I hunt have advantages, in that I usually know here the birds are and the disadvantages, in that I have to be very careful I am not detected. I pack up the F-150 and pull out of the field drive.
The plan for the next morning is simple. Hunt the trio of birds that I spotted that night. I knew the oak trees where they consistently roosted. With the small woods I would have to be stealthy while walking across the field the following morning. I have done this before in this location. Get to the place a little after 3 AM and get to my blind, which has been in place for the past week, by 3:30 AM. Sleep and wait for the gobbles. Any later than that and the birds might think that I was a coyote and fly away from me in the morning. The walk towards the blind starts in the full moon. No flashlight needed as I know this place like the back of my hand. Backpack on, black powder shotgun over the shoulder and two decoys in hand and ready to be placed. Decoys are placed in the field in the moonlight upon arrival at the blind, eleven yards away. One old foam hen and a new "Funky Chicken". I am too cheap to buy those $100 decoys. I slip into the blind and get mildly organized in the dark. Mostly by feel. The next 1 1/2 hours are filled with cat-naps while I sit in my chair thinking of that first gobble. Anticipating that first gobble. When would it occur, how far away, how many birds and at what time. Would there even be a gobble? 5:10 and they sound off. No more than 100 yards away and there are a boat load of them. I look through my binos to see if I can spot those black outlines in the trees... no success. More gobbles and more gobbles echo down the valley. Am I in turkey heaven, no this is Iowa? (did you get that joke?) Ah, I've been in these situations before. All fly down and go the opposite direction so don't get too self confident. Later the hens start talking and the fly down begins. Having archery deer hunted this place hundreds of times, I visualize where they have landed. Now is the time I start talking to the hens. If I can only get the dominant hen teed off and get her to come my way. The gobbling continues on the ground. First they sound as they are going away, then coming towards me. I give up. With the woods and brush so thick I cannot see any of the birds. I don't know what they are doing. Slow and steady calling and NO OVERCALLING! Finally, to my right and in the old cornfield the hens appear. They march by at 50 yards as the feed in the field. 10 hens in all. One hen breaks way and walks to my decoys and starts scolding my hen. Perfect just what I was hoping for, a real live decoy. I sure hope that those toms come closer than 50 yards. I love the show before the kill. Those toms cannot be far behind. Ah, the first white head appears behind some trees. No calling needed at this time as the hen is doing all the work. He is joined by another one and they close the distance. Even closer after they see my decoys. Rats! only jakes. They keep their distance at 25 yards and check out the decoys, meanwhile toms are still gobbling in the thick brush. Lots of toms. Moments later three toms in full strut with the white heads appear. They parallel the decoys at 50 yards. Two soft purrs from me and the race is on. Straight to the decoys which are 11 yards from the blind. They all look to be the same and one on the left separates from the pack. Close enough for the black powder shotgun to do damage. 6:30... Boom, white smoke everywhere and through the smoke I can see the tom doing the usual flopping around. One tom runs and the other circles the down tom. "What happened to my buddy"? The two jakes come in a start to beat on the downed tom while getting into a fight with the other tom.. cool. I do not want to scare the toms off so I stay quiet and still (and decide to test out my new smart phone video camera). In Iowa I can still get another tag for the fourth season. This lasts about 10 minutes and the birds move off about 75 yards and settle down. As time passes, more gobbles and three more toms appear from down valley and come into the decoys and peck the head of my dead bird. (see pics below). They slowly head off after the hens. More waiting until I leave. What the heck.... two more toms appear and beat my dead bird up. A total of 8 birds came in after I shot my bird and beat him up. I ended up being stuck in the blind 1 1/2 hours after I shot the tom. Finally I was able to check out my tom... just under 23 pounds, 11 1/2 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs.
Three of the many birds that beat up my dead bird. My bird is under the one in 1/2 strut.
good luck to all
the dog
