I have been working hard to get a bird to come in a gobbling and strutting ......I even passed up one bird this year cause I spooked him. I have had 5 strutters counting today but 4 of them were not close enough. I wanted to call one in strutting and gobbling his fool head off and shoot him with a shot gun even though we are allowed rifles.
Yesterday I was talking with my BIL and he had just lost a calf to coyotes....The mother had fell down a hill and hit her head on a rock and they had to put her down....We tried to find the calf with nothing to show for it....Wel last night about 9:30 the coyotes got it down and killed it eating only the tail and tearing off an ear. :argh:
I told him I would try for one this AM and then move to another area and do some turkey hunting.
So I do not even leave the house till about 7:30AM and take my time getting up there. When my BIL comes out of the house he said the yotes woke them up at 5AM howling again. So I take the rifle and go the VERY long way around so to have the wind right and set up way high on an open ridge.
I did my coyote set and sure enough after about 2 min a yote Warning barks me from behind me at like 30 yds. I could not get the shot.... :puke:
So I move to the turkey hunting area I had in mind and sat for a while and yelped 3 times...YELP Yelp yelp.....Nothing
So I just sat there for a long time....I got up to leave and I hear GOBBLE!!!!! strait down the hill from me about 150yds.... :yoyo:
It was ON! I just sat there not making any noise and he gobbled again.....GOBBBLLE! I yelped 3 times YELP Yelp yelp...
He Gobbled again GOBBBLLE! He was closer all in all I called 3 times in an Hour and he gobbled about 4 times in that hour. :rolleye:
I sat there quiet for what seemed for ever and I could not take it anymore.....I Clucked once and a fan appeared at 20 yds strait in front of me...This bird never gobbled again and I never called again I just watched him strut back and fourth for about ten Min. as I had some junk between he and I that I was not going to shoot through...It was a BEAUTIFUL site! :yoyo:
He finally stepped into the open and I took the saftey off my rifle and BOOM I MISSED!
All that work all that effort and I FREAKING MISSED!...... :laf: Ya gotta love hunting If I had not heard the word coyote I would have had my shotgun and I would be showing Yall a pic right now.... :iroll:
I had a great time though and I aint done yet.... :yoyo: :yoyo:
Good write up Al! Keep after them, the turkeys and the coyotes!
Jim
At least you got a shot Al. I pulled a bonehead move Sunday that cost me my bird. :doh2: :doh2: :doh2: :doh2:
Great story Al. I think I enjoy reading about miss's as much as hits cause then I feel a bit more normal.
Yeah it wouldnt be any fun if there were never any misses.
Most of the rush is wondering if your going to connect.
Ya think the swat team gets a rush like we get when they are watching the Unibomber through his front window from a rooftop across the street? :nono: Not much if they do.
I will be back out tomorrow and then its off to the mountains again for some fishing........ :eyebrow:
Great story, Al! :congrats:
I've never turkey hunted with a rifle. But I can understand when they are that close a rifle would be a disadvantage, especially a scoped rifle.
You'll connect on one before the season is over with, I'm sure of it. :yoyo:
DANG I wish we could rifle em!!...that would be a blast...no pun intended....handgunning em.... :yoyo:
Great story! Didn't know there were many places where you can hunt turkeys with a rifle.
I've never hunted turkeys but I'd prefer to do it with a rifle if I ever get the chance. I'm a rifleman, haven't used a shotgun since high school duck hunting, except on one little buck in a shotgun only area a few years ago. We kill grouse with a .22 or with rocks we throw (My personal bests are two grouse with one .22 shot, and two grouse for two rocks. My worst is a sore arm and no grouse.)
I'd love to lay out with my heavy barrelled custom 6mm and take the head off a turkey across a field.
Better luck the next time out.
This would have been my first gobbler with a rifle......I have always used a shotgun or bow, even though I have been allowed a rifle I find it a lot more fun.
I have killed hens in the fall with a rifle but never a big Tom. I have taken a bunch of em with a shotgun and I wish I had it with me on this day.
Only reason I brought the rifle was for the yotes.
The 6mm ? I got bold and tried to shoot it in the neck......thats how I missed.... :doh2:
Al,
The nice thing about hunting with the rifle is you either miss them or kill them. Not much chance of a wounded bird!
Jim