Frogman's friend misses ? ? ?

[Frogman]

Yesterday 5/5/09 I went turkey hunting with two hunting friends, Mike and Randy.  We were in the woods by 5:30 AM.  Had to walk a long ways to our first hunting area.  Mike would stop every now and then and do some calls on an owl call to locate gobblers.  We soon heard one up a feeder holler to our left.  We went up the right side of the holler and Randy and I set up about 50 yards apart just across the holler from the still gobbling tom.  Mike set up behind us about 50 yards and started calling.  After a few minutes I heard wings fluttering down, but did not see any turkeys.  We stayed on this stand for nearly an hour.  After the birds came off roost we never heard nor saw them.  Here are a couple of photos from this area . . .






We walked on up to the ridge top and quite a ways out a long ridge with big hardwoods all around.  When we got out near the point we heard another gobbler across the holler and a long ways from us.  As we worked our way closer it continued to gobble continuously.  Randy said it was a "hot" bird looking for romance.  Unfortunatley it was across a steep holler from us and sounded like it was up on top of the next ridge over.  These guys are pretty serious turkey hunters so we drop down into the bottom of the holler and start up the other side kind of spread out a little.  As we were climbing the very steep other side of the hill Mike was about 75 yards out to our right and climbing up the point of this hill.  Randy was in the middle just 10 yards to my right and I was farthest to the left.  We continued to hear the turkey gobbling up on the top.  Just before Randy and I came up over the edge of a flat Randy stopped me and signaled that the gobbler was on the flat just above us.  Mike had also stopped and began calling out to our right.  I was not far enough up that I could see up on the flat, but Randy to my right could just barely see a little up on the flat.  As Mike called about 75 yards out to our right the turkey continued responding and getting closer to us.  Finally I saw Randy raise his gun.  He could just barely see the turkeys head now and then over the crest of the flat above us.  It was coming from our left to right above us and between Randy and Mike.  BOOM his gun went off.  Then the turkey took off and flew through the trees across the holler to our right.  Randy was very upset that he had shot too soon and the bird was a little too far away.  If he would have been a little more patient it might have come closer, but then it might have been between Randy and Mike and Randy would not have been able to shoot.  As it flew off I should have taken a crack at it, but didn't even think about that til it was already gone.  Oh well.  It was exciting and I'm learning how these guys approach and try to set up on the gobblers.  Sure was a lot more walking than I expected!!  Here Mike and Randy are talking about the hunt and what they could have done differently.



Here is another photo of the flat where the turkey came toward us . . .



When Randy shot we were to the right out of this picture.  Mike was clear out at the far middle of the picture beyond the fallen logs.  The turkey came left to right back this side of the fallen logs.

We continued hunting for the rest of the morning with no further success.  Here are a few more pictures of this area . . .

Mike and I did a stand in this low gap.





We also set up for a little while at the edge of this meadow . . .





We finished up about 11:30 AM.  For me it was an exciting hunt as I got to set up on two gobbling birds.  The second one was really neat as one of us got a shot, albeit a missed one.  I learned a lot.  These guys move around a lot more than I expected.  About walked my ass off again, but that's a good thing.  Keeps me out of the recliner, don't you know!!

I am still having birds in behind the house here.  Guess I'm going to have to try for them again soon.  We have been having lots of rain here.  Seems like we can't get two nice days back to back without rain.

Jim

[FinsnFur]

Holy greeness :shck:

Ya learn something with every trip out
Nice pics Jim

[alscalls]

Whos the fellow on the left? I think I ran into him this week.

[Frogman]

Al,

That's my buddy Mike.  He bought one of your howlers.

Jim

[Hidehunter]

Good read and nice pics.  Them woods sure are purdy.