After waiting patiently and calling every half hour, I finally harvested this bird at 10:30.
He came in to my two Jake and three hen decoys and received my arrow from ten yards. He only went 20 yards after the shot.
I was in my blind with decoys out well before light. No gobbling was heard by me even with dual Walker Game Ears installed.
My setup was about fifty yards from the oaks where I knew the birds liked to roost so I was baffled by the silence.
I watched five deer hanging around the oaks at around 7:30 and all of a sudden they all became alert and started to get nervous. They turned and ran to the swamp and I knew I another hunter had entered the oaks even though I couldn't see him.
There were not any calls coming from that direction but at 8:30 three shots rang out and I was able to see a bird flopping about 100 yards away. I watched as he picked up his bird and walked away.
I was disappointed but decided to stay the rest of the morning. After all, the animals will resume their natural movement once the danger has stopped. I called every half hour with my box call and glass call and never heard any gobbles. I had made my last call at about 10:15 and I was rechalking my box call about ten minutes later when I saw this Tom strutting just inside the oaks. I had my mouth call in and gave a couple of soft purrs and clucks and he came in on a rope.
He strutted right between my two Jake decoys that were positioned ten yards away and about six to eight feet apart. I drew when as he turned in full strut and exposed his backside. I waited until he turned to offer a broadside shot and I hit him perfectly through the boiler room. He only went twenty yards and dropped.
I don't think I will ever hunt turkeys with a gun again.
I forgot to add the details...... 22 pounds, 9" beard and 1" spurs.
I almost didn't shoot him because I was in awe of his beauty as he strutted just ten yards away. If hunting with my Mossberg 835 he would have been dead at thirty yards.
What I think was the reason for success was showing him a small flock after his hens went to nest.
Having two jakes, one bigger than the other added some realism to the spread.
Realistic and limited calling helped.
Good luck this weekend Pat. The birds should be ready for you up there. Some friends said they were talking pretty well up near Taberg and Osceola although they didn't kill any yet.
Never heard a mature bird all day. Trying a different spot tomorrow.
Getting number two is going to be a little harder. I went back to the same spot yesterday and called every half hour or so and the only action was two silent Jakes sneaking in and hanging around my decoys for ten to fifteen minutes.
I'll be headed to my old hunting buddys camp near DeRyter to hunt 5/15, 16 & 17. It's where I killed my first turkey about 25 years ago. Wish me luck!
In total I'd say there were maybe six Jakes left on the farm and absolutely no Toms were seen after opening day. I only know of two that were carried out.
I hunted one weekend near DeRyter, New York out of my bubbies camp. Even though we saw several Toms strutting in the evenings, we never heard a gobble or never seen a bird while hunting. We both are extremely experienced turkey hunters. My buddy is 69 and I'm 64 and combined we've got at least 60 to 70 years turkey hunting experience.
With that said...... I'm getting ready to take on another deer season. I walk at least two miles a day and stay very active.
I'm shooting more than I've ever shot and during the next couple of weeks I'm putting in two ladder stands that I've already got shooting lanes cut out for.
I am concentrating on a different section of the farm that the other guys don't bother with and I think it will produce better than the section I've spent the last three years hunting. It is the same section that I took my muzzleloader buck from at the end of the season last year.
It's also happens to be the same section that every shed antler was in found this spring. ;)
I hunted the last 7 days every morning before work. The hens would roost in the same area but the gobbler kept moving roosting trees. On the last day my opportunity finally came. He walked in silent following a hen. At 15 yards he got in full strut just as my arrow sailed right over his back. A clank from the blind sounded like the upper limb of my recurve hit one of the support poles (well, that is my excuse anyway)
