1st season, 1st day, 1st hour
Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:02 am
Yesterday evening I went out to roost turkeys for this mornings hunt and got rained on, sleeted on and snowed on. What can I say, it's Illinois weather. I also wanted to find a place I could cross the creek in the daylight due to the heavy rains we've had lately and the creeks being up.
I got back out there early this morning and was set up by 5:30 am. I had to walk about 1/2 a mile down through a big creek bottom, cross the creek and then up and over to the next creek bottom. There was a heavy frost in the creek bottom, pretty cool for this time of year.
I had set up a hen decoy off to my left about 20' out in a wheat field that sloped down into a little 3 acre corn field and I sat just back into the edge of the brush. I set her on the ground and set a jake decoy standing about 2' behind her. Mature birds don't like the younger ones mating their hens and will usually come in to make things right. The turkeys were roosted across the creek up on a ridge about 200 yards away to my front and right. I figured they would have to cross in front of me to get to the decoys.
As it started getting light, the toms started their gobbling. I waited for a while till I heard an old hen start giving some tree yelps and would copy her. I gave just enough calls to let them know I was there and the toms would gobble back every time. It finally got light enough so I gave some imitation fly down sounds and in a couple minutes I heard turkeys flying down. They did their usual clucking and carrying on like they do and I would give a raspy hen yelp once in a while.
I could here a couple hens coming around the end of the brush to my right but they never did come on through. I gave one more series of hen yelps and saw a bird coming through the brush into the field. As soon as it came into the open it went into a full strut about 45 yards away. I just sat quietly as it strutted and slowly worked it's way closer. The tom got to a point it could see the decoys and started walking right for them. I was already watching him down the gun barrel and when he got straight out in front of me I shot him at 19 yards. I looked at my watch and it was 6:19. This tom came in silent, probably wanting to check out the new girl in town without his buddies tagging along. I could here him drumming as he was strutting.
Here's a picture from where I was sitting to the turkey, 19 yards. The picture isn't very good, the batteries died after taking this picture.
He weighed 24 lbs., had a 10 1/8" beard and 3/4" spurs.
.........and of course the hero shot.
I got back out there early this morning and was set up by 5:30 am. I had to walk about 1/2 a mile down through a big creek bottom, cross the creek and then up and over to the next creek bottom. There was a heavy frost in the creek bottom, pretty cool for this time of year.
I had set up a hen decoy off to my left about 20' out in a wheat field that sloped down into a little 3 acre corn field and I sat just back into the edge of the brush. I set her on the ground and set a jake decoy standing about 2' behind her. Mature birds don't like the younger ones mating their hens and will usually come in to make things right. The turkeys were roosted across the creek up on a ridge about 200 yards away to my front and right. I figured they would have to cross in front of me to get to the decoys.
As it started getting light, the toms started their gobbling. I waited for a while till I heard an old hen start giving some tree yelps and would copy her. I gave just enough calls to let them know I was there and the toms would gobble back every time. It finally got light enough so I gave some imitation fly down sounds and in a couple minutes I heard turkeys flying down. They did their usual clucking and carrying on like they do and I would give a raspy hen yelp once in a while.
I could here a couple hens coming around the end of the brush to my right but they never did come on through. I gave one more series of hen yelps and saw a bird coming through the brush into the field. As soon as it came into the open it went into a full strut about 45 yards away. I just sat quietly as it strutted and slowly worked it's way closer. The tom got to a point it could see the decoys and started walking right for them. I was already watching him down the gun barrel and when he got straight out in front of me I shot him at 19 yards. I looked at my watch and it was 6:19. This tom came in silent, probably wanting to check out the new girl in town without his buddies tagging along. I could here him drumming as he was strutting.
Here's a picture from where I was sitting to the turkey, 19 yards. The picture isn't very good, the batteries died after taking this picture.
He weighed 24 lbs., had a 10 1/8" beard and 3/4" spurs.
.........and of course the hero shot.
