Spring is in full gear now with the days getting longer and the nights getting shorter. The redbud and dogwoods are blooming and the warmer temperatures are here to stay. The birds are not only chirping but they’re gobbling as well as the first week of the 2017 spring gobbler season has officially begun.
It’s that time of the year when the alarm clock goes off way to early and the days fly by. It’s nice to drive around with the window rolled down again although the pollen is in the air if you suffer from springtime allergies like me. I could leave the windows rolled up but a breath of fresh mountain air is worth a little sneezing and itchy, watery eyes.
I absolutely love this time of year and feel extra blessed to be living in such a beautiful place. Watching the sun rise up over the ridgetop while listening to the critters in the woods wake up is something I never get tired of. I think the thing I like best about chasing turkeys around is that you never know where you’re going to go or where you may end up. It all depends on where the gobbler or even better, gobblers, are letting their presence be known.
I’ll often see new things and different areas of the property during the hunt. The opening morning of this year’s spring gobbler season was a good example of how a typical day in the springtime woods goes. From a high vantage point on top of the ridge I can hear any turkeys gobbling on the majority of the property.
I always head to this spot first thing as the sky begins to lighten up. I could hear turkeys gobbling in 3 different directions but they were a ways off. They must have known the rain was coming because about a half an hour later it started and then the fog rolled in.
With the advancement in technology I pulled out my phone and checked the radar. I noticed there was a break in the rain so I decided to find some cover and wait it out. The rain stopped as well as the gobbling turkeys so after the fog burned off I started moving. The turkeys like to come out in the fields when it’s been raining and there’s one spot in particular they really like.
Instead of walking through the field, I took a road that wraps around the river face and pops out at the field edge and small pond where I’ve set up on numerous gobblers over the years. I like to stop and call while walking along as you never know when you might run into a gobbler.
Along my way I found a shed antler from a spike while looking for tracks and scat in the road. Nothing responded to my calling but I didn’t get discouraged as I was nearing my favorite spot. I slowed down and when I eased around the bend in the road there was a gobbler in full strut. Thankfully his tail fan blocked his view from seeing me as he was facing the other way.
I quickly took a few steps back and looked for a tree to sit by above the road. I put my face mask and gloves on and got ready. I gave a few soft clucks with my mouth call and waited for the gobbler to pop around the road. A couple tense minutes went by with nothing happening. I just knew he was going to come down that road any second but he had other plans.
After several years of turkey hunting I’ve learned that things don’t always go the way you think they would. I let out a few more clucks when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. As I strained to look up to my right without moving there he was in full strut. I was set up with my gun pointing towards the road and there was no way to move without him seeing me. He was too far away for a shotgun anyway but I was afraid he was going to come down behind me.
That all changed when a mouthy hen got between me and him. She wasn’t happy I was intruding and let me know about it as she was clucking and carrying on the whole way. After she told me what she thought about my calling she turned and took the gobbler the other way.
They both disappeared and started heading out the field. He gobbled twice and I could tell they were going away from me. It was like he was saying “hey, we’re going this way if you want to come along”. I started to follow them but I knew he wasn’t going to back track as he was going wherever that hen was headed. The only other option was to try and get ahead of them.
There’s a bowl hollow in the far end of the field and I figured that’s the way they would go. I swung to my left and used the ridge to block me. I got back on the road and slowly worked my way to where I found that shed antler. I was hesitant to call too much because I knew that hen would just go the other way. It was late in the morning by then and I figured she would be going to nest soon. My suspicions were right as I ran into her as I rounded the bend. She took off and flew to the other side of the river but she was alone. “I bet that gobbler went back looking for me” were the first thoughts in my mind after that.
So back around the road I went as the rain began to fall. By the time I made it to where I first saw the gobbler it was absolutely pouring it down. I was soaked and decided to throw in the towel. I cut through the field and wouldn’t you know it I ran right into that gobbler. He was standing right in the middle of the field with cows all around and all I could do was watch as he pitched off into the hollow.
“I’ll get you another day” I mumbled to myself along with a few other words as I made it back to the truck. That’s a typical morning in the turkey woods minus the being soaking wet part. I chased those dang birds in circles that morning and next time I’m going to be in my favorite turkey hunting spot waiting on them.
Spring gobbler season runs for 3 more weeks and ends on May 13. Good luck and be safe to those venturing out.
