After the morning fun, I grabbed my bow, a second blind, decoys and my blind pack and took off hoping to find where they might be. Found a great area and set up my blind and waited. Again a few came in but once they saw the blind, they putted and left the area, not giving me a chance. It was getting later in the day, so we found another area to setup for Sunday. Got the blind setup, brushed in and looking good.
The next morning the wind hit, and the birds wanted nothing to do with the open field. They stayed in the canyon and shelter belts. I did have one come in for a closer look and I took a shot at him with a Magnus bullhead, but I clipped part of the blind and the shot was way off. Spooked the bird and that was it.
So after a few hours I decided to spot and stalk these birds, without a blind, as they seem to not like them, or stayed far enough away that I didnt like taking shots at them with my bow. So I changed from my all dark clothes to camo and went after them. Took me about 45 min to find them. I was walking down the side of a canyon and almost walked right into the flock, luckily the wind and a quick duck and cover maneuver kept them feeding. I saw where they were headed, and readied a shot, they started feeding into an area, and the only real shot I had was through some tree branches, and of course when I got a shot I hit a branch. The birds jump and look around, then continue feeding. Once out of site I go to retrieve my arrow. Take out my phone and google map the canyon, I can see where they will be feeding if I can get in front of them. I quickly run back up to the top of the canyon and past them. I get back down and this time I'm ready. I find a great area, a perfect shooting lane, take out my range finder and mark trees down in the canyon where they will be feeding so I know what pin to use.
It worked perfect, the birds come in with three toms in front, about 10 hens in the middle and a monster tom in back. as the three toms feed they step into bow range. I hold off hoping I can get the monster in the back, but the three toms see something they don't like. I draw back, and before the tom in front can figure out why his buddies are getting nervous, pin is on him and arrow is loosed. A direct hit and he takes off, arrow stuck in him.
I was pissed, how could I hit him where I wanted and him run off with my arrow. So I give it about 10 min, and then go see if I got him. They ran around a little knoll, and as I came around there he was!! I was ECSTATIC!! First ever spot and stalk with my bow on all animals. He flopped a bit and the arrow cam out, and so I figure I must have hit him higher than I thought, until I went to clean him. I used a Grim Reaper broad-head and it was devastating on what it did, I was impressed!
You stated "a little hesitant to come into the decoy spread." That happened to me more than once last year as I was using a full strut decoy. This year I switched to my new jake decoy and it worked wonders. the mature toms did not hesitate to come in. Something to think about when the birds hang up.
My best, Paul
Mark
Those "no blind" birds are super exciting! Congrats!
We did have a few young ones come in and investigate, but the bigger smarter ones kept their distance.