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Damn 4 am comes quick! Opening day in NH! Good luck if you guys are headed out.
Only have time for a couple of hours in the blind this morning. Fingers crossed.
Good luck. Have some birds quite a ways off. Sounds like they’re doing their thing in Mr. and Mrs. McMansion’s yard.
Good luck,hunt safe everyone.
Was covered in Jakes. Must have been 12. Two different groups came in. Was a fun morning!
Murphy31 tagged out?Strong work man!!!! In my Bruins loss stooper I collapsed on bed without setting the alarm... Living through you all on this gorgeous day. Have fun.
Nice job Murphy! I didn't hear a thing this am... very strange start to the season.
Ya, now back to being bored waiting for deer season. Good luck to everyone!
Nice, Murphy! You'll be eating lots of turkey, now. Way to go.
Congrats murph! We had a great morning. I had two first timers with me so was really trying to get in on some action. Set up about 100 yards from a lone tom on the roost. Heard a bunch of gobbles about 400 yards behind us, but I was focusing on the close one. He shut up right when he flew down. Called and called with no luck. Then out of the corner of my eye I catch movement. 6 Jake's coming in hot! Perfect. I whisper "don't move". What do they both do? Move!! They spooked right off! Tried another set up down the road and got one to respond but we were cutting it close to class time so we had to leave. Will try again tomorrow! Great morning though they both had a lot of fun.
I had two toms that started gobbling right at daybreak... sopunded like they were about 150 yards from me on the edge of a recently plowed crop field in the middle of the woods. I put out some hen yelps every few minutes. Then, just before sunrise, they shut up.
Then, right at sunrise I hear some clucks very close and to my left in an area I can't see through my arborvitaes blind. Then, a very large hen walks into my decoys. I had one feeding hen and one upright hen. She ignored the feeding hen and then started making some weird sounds I've never heard before. It was kind of like purring, but not like the purring I've heard previously. After walking around the upright hen a couple of time, making the strange noise, she started pecking it on the head... definitely NOT purring. LOL She was only there for a couple of minutes and walked off.
I continued making hen yelps every 15 minutes, but wasn't hearing or seeing anything. Then, at about 6:20, I heard a very loud and very close gobble. I picked up my bow and got ready to shoot. Nothing! It didn't cross the rock wall to come to my decoys. I realized I'd made a huge mistake... should've answered the gobble with some soft yelps. About 10 minutes after the nearby gobble, he gobbled again at what sounded like he was 100 yards away. He answered a couple of my yelps, but his gobbles drew more distant.
So... I know I'm in a good spot... lots of mature toms... just need to make the right calls at the right time.
I had to leave early to come into work. If I can get a few things done quickly, I'm hoping to get back in the blind for the final hour of the morning.
I went to my favorite private land spot in Z6. It's a big chunk, and abuts quabbin and a few other good sized bit's of private land.
There were 5-6 birds roosted across the street. I was about to set up over there, but as I walk in, I hear yelping in the early gloaming light. I convince myself the new neighbor must have let someone hunt there, and decide safety is the better part of valor... I go into the new logged over land behind their house, because the birds often fly down strut a while and walk across into the yard and then into the woods - that's how I got last years bird.
Patience got the best of me, and I walked out, yelped a few times from the truck just out of curiosity, and the tom was probably 100yds over, maybe 20yds off the road based on where he sounded. So if I'd stayed patient, maybe it would have worked.
Then I moved on, got another gobble in a different spot. Walked in, get set, and nothing. Couldnt buy a gobble again. Made me think I unknowingly spooked him while walking in.
Fun AM though. No deer this time, but overall, a lot of fun... and home with plenty of time before my 9AM con-call...
Congrats Murphy, Ungie you been to N.Y. yet, birds are pretty vocal so far according to my buddy this morning. They were gobbling good on Tuesday when I was there.
I have not been to NY yet.. hope to soon.
Damn Murphy 12 jakes? I think all my spots combined dont have that many. Nice work.
I didn't even know they were there. Was a fun surprise. One group came from the left. The other came from the right. Plus I had one going straight down the hill, and another further past the group on my right side. They just didn't make it before all the jakes did
Murphy - that's sorta self defense... you were being over-run :)