Live for the season...

Wednesday, May 7th

That's all folks - it's over - turkey season 2008 is in the books.  Well, at least for me it is.  Season officially closes Sunday, the 11th but I put my gun back in the safe & my vest back in the closet last night. 

Rick invited me to go back to the "honey hole" farm with him again Wednesday morning.  We got there almost an hour before fly-down, set-up in the fence row where the Toms had flown down the day before, put 2 decoys out, built a small blind, and sat in the rain waiting on daylight.  That's right, it started raining about the time we got to the farm.  Long story short - we sat till almost 6:30 & did not hear a gobble.  We did spot a small flock on the way back to the truck and I managed to slip in range of them but it turned out to be just hens and a couple of Jakes.  Big difference from the day before!  I have no idea what happened & really haven't wasted any energy trying to figure it out.  It has been 1 strange season - I don't know that I have hunted a single Tom this year that has roosted in the same spot more than once. 

I did get some good news from Craig about 11:30 this morning. He laid the smack-down on 1 last Tom this morning.  9" beard, 1" spurs.  A good way to end his season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, 2008 was a VERY good turkey season for Strut'n Tom Outfitters.  Our total harvest number was down just a little, but once again all of our hunters except one took home a bird.  We took 3 monsters with at least 1 1/4" spurs, we had a hunter kill a Tom with 4 beards, we got to hunt with some really interesting people, plus we made some great new friends! 

We had several personal highlights this Spring also: I killed my best Rio ever, Craig & I both killed 4 birds a piece (KS and TN combined), plus we got to introduce our Kansas obsession to Lee and Keith (sorry guys, it's in your blood now!).

This is probably the first season in over 10 years when I didn't kill a limit in Tennessee.  But surprisingly enough, it just doesn't matter to me.  I had a blast this Spring & once again just feel blessed to be able to hunt the way I do. 

Tuesday, May 6th

Yep, I'm still around - just haven't had much to blog in the last few days.  Finally got caught up on my sleep enough to make another trip to the turkey woods.  Rick was kind enough to invite me to go back to the Honey Hole farm with him this morning.  It did not disappoint! 

We started out on top of the South ridge where most of the action has been in the past, but the birds were actually roosted on the North ridge this morning.  At least 3 gobbling birds on the roost!  We just barley got positioned in a fence row at the bottom of the hollow before 2 big Toms flew down out in the pasture.  They were soon joined by a lone hen to whom they devoted ALL of their attention.  They strutted, gobbled, and pretty much answered everything I threw at them for 2 hours (only about 30 yards out of range I might add) before finally feeding off to our left.  We did try a signature Chris Barnes move & tried to put a sneak on them, but it didn't work out.  A very enjoyable morning - the most gobbling I've heard in a while! 

Man this farm is truly special!  If I only had about a week solid to hunt it... there would definitely be some feathers scattered about!  :))  If Rick calls again, I'd love to go back in the morning - if not, I'm probably done for the year.  I've got some serious prep & packing to do for the bear hunt.  I hoping to actually get packed a few days early for once to make sure I'm under the new airline baggage weight limits.  Plus, every time I pack last minute for a hunting trip, I end up panicking & taking waaaay to much stuff!

Thursday, May 1st

I'll save you all most the gory details, but let's just say that Wednesday & Thursday were a huge letdown after having such an awesome hunt on Tuesday.  Stephen & I hunted all day Wednesday (covered 4 or 5 different farms) before finally spotting a hen and a Tom about 5:30 that afternoon on a brand new farm across the road from my Grandfather's.  The hen saw us & spooked a little, but we ended up calling her back in within an hour.  We were finally able to call the Tom in on his way to roost, but he didn't come quite close enough for a shot.  No big deal - we knew where he roosted (within 100 yards) - he'd be ours the next morning -  right?  WRONG! 

We were back in there 30 minutes before fly-down Thursday morning.  Perfect approach through an open pasture above him - not a chance that we were even close enough to spook him but HE NEVER GOBBLED!  Not a yelp - not a cluck - NOTHING!  I jokingly sent Craig a text saying that the Tom had been abducted by Aliens overnight - well I think it was a joke...

So we hunted the new farm the rest of the morning - finally heard a gobble around 9:30.  He sounded about 1/2 mile away - strait up hill - on another property.  But hey, it was a gobble!  We moved in that direction stopping every few hundred yards to call, but he shut-up before we could get close enough to really even tell where he was.  We did manage to call in a hen around 12 - ALRIGHT! - they're are still some turkeys in Lincoln County!  After a nice break for lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon at Mimosa.  The wind had gotten too high to hear anything on top, so we set-up at the bottom of a hollow & called for 3 or 4 hours with no results. 

Craig & Karen fared about the same.  They hunted all day on Wednesday with nothing but hens to show for it.  They finally found a Tom mid-morning on Thursday, but he saw them before they could get set-up.  They finished out the day back at my Grandfather's.  They set-up on top where the birds had been roosting.  Perfect set-up - the hens came in right on schedule but the Tom never showed.

Not sure what happened toward the end of the hunt.  We had been hearing birds on most all of our farms up until Stephen & Karen arrived.  It seems like we're entering one of those cycles where the Toms just aren't vocal / responsive.  I've seen it in years past - after the hens have been nesting for awhile, its almost like the Toms totally loose interest.  They still gobble a time or 2 from the roost, but after that they just will not respond to anything.

All in all, we really enjoyed our time spent with Stephen & Karen.  But let me tell you, Wednesday & Thursday were tough!  Anybody who thinks they would like to hunt for a living should spend a few 14 hour days in the woods when the birds aren't cooperating!  Yea, its still hunting & I do love it, but it really wears you down mentally and physically.

Tuesday, April 29th (continued)

Craig & I met Karen & Stephen from Louisiana around 5 Monday afternoon.  The plan was to get to know them a little & then go out & try to roost some birds for the next morning.  Stephen & I went to Mimosa while Craig & Karen headed out to my Grandfather's.  They lucked out & spotted several hens before dark, but we didn't see or hear anything. 

I picked up Stephen at 5 Tuesday morning & we started for Mimosa.  We heard a gobble almost immediately - only problem was that he was on a neighboring property.  We hung out for a few minutes but never heard anything closer.  So we decided to head toward the distant gobbler just to see what would happen.  Funny, it seemed a LOT closer when we were listened from the top of the ridge!  It took FOREVER following the checkerboard of logging roads, up and down hills, to even get close to the bird.  After we reached the edge of Rick's property, the Tom was still at least 300 yards from us.  So we just stopped to listen for a few minutes to make sure that there was nothing else closer.  Finally, I let out a series of cutts & was immediately answered by a hen.  Stephen & I quickly backed up to a fence-row to hide.  After we (the hen & I) had exchanged calls for a few minutes, I began to hear a Tom drumming in her direction.  Sounded like they were probably 100 - 150 yards away.  I continued to call off & on for another 30 minutes or so with the hen answering about every 3rd series and the Tom drumming the whole time (he never gobbled).  BUT they never came closer.  In the mean time, the Tom that we had originally moved on had continued to gobble NON-STOP.  I told Stephen that this was a "suicide gobble" - they way he was gobbling, all we needed was to just a chance to get close to him & we could kill him!  While he was serenading us with his "suicide gobble", he had also moved onto our property, crossed the logging road a few hundred yards behind us, and was headed toward where we had started out this morning!  Honestly, as fast as he was moving I had my doubts that we would ever catch up to him, but like I told Stephen "we've got to go that direction anyway".  So we jumped on the nearest logging road & started climbing up out of the hollow.  I had already warned Stephen that I always seem to get a new-found burst of energy whenever there is a turkey gobbling in front of me.  So I don't think he was surprised when I took off at a near-run, up the hill, toward the bird.  I did however stop every 50 yards or so to wait for him to catch up.  We finally made it to the top of the road & the Tom was still gobbling at the edge of the field just above us.  We crept up to the nearest tree - I told Stephen to sit facing the field & I simply laid down behind the tree.  I let out a few soft calls and... nothing - a few more soft calls and... nothing.  I'm thinking oh no, here we go again then GOBBLE!  He is just to our right no more than 40 yards away!  I whispered to Stephen " go ahead & turn to the right - point your gun in his direction".  This was the only time the Tom gobbled after we set up on him but he was drumming constantly!  I could tell that he was in range but he was behind some very thick brush so we weren't able to see him.  It seemed like he stayed behind the brush F O R E V E R !  He wasn't gobbling but I knew he was still there because I could hear the drumming.  I was calling softly & scratching in the leaves - doing everything I could think of to coax him out.  Finally after 5 minutes or so Stephen said "I see him!".  Just as soon as the words came out of his mouth, I could see him too - walking from our right to left in half strut.  I whispered "kill him!" to Stephen, AND HE DID!  Perfect shot only about 20 yards - I don't think the bird ever even flopped!  Stephen said it best - he had come to the "Volunteer" State & found a "volunteer" to go for a ride in the truck with him!

Definitely an awesome morning - Stephen's first Eastern on the first day of his hunt.  Not to mention, my best bird of the year.  11" beard, 1 1/4" sharp spurs - a true TN monster!

Unfortunately Craig & Karen struck out.  They had a Jake and hens come in not long after fly-down, but the Tom stayed out of reach on top of the hill.

Tuesday April 29th

This is going to be very brief considering I've suffering from some major sleep depravation here - I'll catch up on the stories in a day or two.  Just couldn't wait to share the latest Strut'n Tom news:  Stephen from LA scored BIG TIME around 7:30 this morning!  Big, thick 11" beard and 1 1/4" hooked, sharp spurs!  Our best bird yet of 2008!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, April 27th

I spent Saturday morning at the Grove.  My main purpose was to scout for my next 2 hunters that will be hunting Tuesday thru Thursday.  I was very excited to see that the river bottom has finally been plowed.  This is THE BEST spot I've ever turkey hunted when this field is worked-up and planted.  But, the hunting has really suffered on this farm for the past couple of years while the field lay dormant.  The turkeys must have already found it because the ones I heard gobbling across the river earlier in the week had moved to my side Sat morning.  Sounded like at least 3 different Toms on the ridge above the bottom.  Only problem was a small band of rain moved through just before fly-down & completely shut them up before I could pinpoint their location.  Never heard another peep after the rain!  This may be the spot for Tuesday morning - just have to wait & see what happens Monday...

Sunday morning found me scouting at my Grandfather's.  I flushed 1 bird from the roost (most certainly a hen) on the way in, but did not hear or see anything else.  Although I did hear 3 or 4 Toms hammering on the farm across the highway.   I had permission to hunt that farm last year, but have not asked yet this year - really didn't feel that we needed it with all of our other farms.  But after hearing everything over there this morning, I will most certainly be trying to get permission later today.  If all goes well, will probably scout there tomorrow.  Keep you informed...

After I left my Grandfather's, I decided to circle through one of Rick's farms on my way home.  This farm is not a Strut'n Tom lease, but I thought I'd just see if anything was out to maybe go back & hunt myself later.  Driving in, I saw 1 Tom strutting across the road from Rick's property, and then spotted a Jake as soon as I pulled in.  As I neared the top of the hill, a Tom crossed the farm road in front of me.  I parked the truck, jumped out, made a quick stalk, and escorted him to the Chevy!  :))  Not a conventional turkey hunt, but it ended with ole' Tommy taking a ride!  How could it have been better?!?

9" beard / 7/8" spurs.  Not the prettiest bird I've ever made a picture of since it started raining not long after I killed him.  Of course Brandi reminded me that not many wives would stand out in the rain to make a picture of a dead bird - she's right!  Thanks Babe! 

Friday, April 25th

I spent Wednesday scouting a new tract close to the house.  I heard 3 different Gobblers but they were all across the road from where I can hunt.  1 bird was very close & is most likely going to spend some time on my side as well - will be back to check on him...

I went with Rick to one of his spots on Thursday.  This farm is a real "honey hole" - LOTS of birds!  There are a couple of other people who hunt here occasionally, but I don't think it has received much pressure at all this year.  We heard 2 Toms gobbling on the point of a ridge as soon as we stepped out the truck.  Made a wide circle to get on top, set up within 100 yards of them, and got an immediate response to the call.  The ended up flying down to our right & making their way to a pasture below us to strut.  We jumped up & started to head back to get the truck & try to get closer to them when I spotted another big Tom in the pasture off the left side of the ridge.  Best I could tell, he had 2 hens with him & all were feeding right to left.  So we backed out, circled to the end of the pasture, and set up to wait.  I really expected the birds the come down the edge of the pasture where it meets the woods, so that is where we set up.  We'd probably been there 10 or 15 minutes when I heard some crunching in the leaves.  Then, a hen pops out of nowhere & just about runs over us, then another one follows, getting even closer.  The whole time, I'm whispering to Rick "In the woods!  Up the hill!  The Tom's gonna be behind them!".  Sure enough, in just another minute or so, a big ole white head sticks up over the rise.  2 problems: the closest hen has now gotten nervous & is clucking - Rick (me too) was expecting the birds to appear in the field & has set up with his gun sticking through a fence pointed that direction.  Now the Tom is nervous too - he is no longer walking toward us, but has turned & is making his way up the hill.  There is no way Rick is going to be able to turn & get a shot in time - he is getting away - he is still plenty close - I pull up and shoot - I shoot waaaay too quick - I miss - I miss BAD - never touched him!  DUMB mistake on my part.  I knew I would miss as soon as I pulled the trigger because I didn't even have my sights lined-up - got in too big of a hurry.  :((

Well after that little fiasco, we drove around to check on the birds that had gone off down to our right.  As soon as we pulled up to the barn, we spotted 2 big strutters, a Jake or 2, and a handful of hens.  Tried to put a move on them & actually got within 30 yards, but Rick couldn't get on them before they got out of range.  I was determined that he would have next shot so I let them go as well. 

Friday morning found us set up on the hillside above the barn where we had spotted the strutters the day before.  All was good - hens were talking, Toms were gobbling, mosquitos were buzzing (well that part wasn't so good).  Pretty soon 5 birds pitched out in the pasture.  It was a PERFECT setup!  We were in a small island of trees [anybody notice a trend here??] in the middle of the pasture.  Because of the way the pasture rolled, we wouldn't be able to see the birds until they were in range - just how I like it.  Of course, 2 hens came by first.  They got a little nervous & clucked a couple of times, but never really spooked.  Then another hen appears over the rise & heads strait for us.  She was just about on top of us when I spot the ole red & white ball coming over the hill.  I tell Rick "get ready - here he comes!".  Now, that hen is really getting nervous & starts clucking pretty loud, but that really helped us out.  When she started clucking, the Gobbler just stuck his head up to see what all the fuss was about.  That (and me saying "kill him!") was all the encouragement Rick needed.  I just love it when they stand up and volunteer to take a ride in the truck!  :))

Tuesday, April 22nd

Let me backup, Monday morning was spent scouting.  Still trying to get a handle on the bird that Craig heard across the highway at my Grandfather's place - well actually I heard him too while I was fooling with the other Tom back by the pond. I climbed a ridge right about where I thought he should be, but didn't hear anything.  Of course the Monday morning commuter traffic didn't help - very hard to hear for the highway noise.

Tuesday morning found me back at the Grove.  25th day of the season & the 3rd day I got to hunt by / for myself.  Not that I'm complaining, I absolutely LOVE to hunt these turkeys - doesn't matter who is behind the gun!  But every now & then, I do like to sneak off & just go hunting!  Back in my pre-guide days, I averaged 1 kill for every 5 days of hunting (yep, I'm a big enough nerd that I actually kept up with & calculated this every year).  Funny how my average improved after I started guiding - seems that I hunt a little harder when I'm trying to get someone else a bird.  Anyway, come Tuesday morning, I'm starting to feel like it may be my turn...

Started out on the ridge at the old food plot.  This spot allows me to hear nearly all of our lease, plus the 2 farms on either side of us.  I finally heard 1 Tom to the SW on a farm that I do not have permission to hunt - but that was it.  So I just started walking and prospecting.  This was one of those mornings when everybody was quiet on roost, but they came alive about 7:00.  Seemed like turkeys started gobbling in every direction.  Heard several different Toms across the river from the river bottom farm.  Nothing close enough to hunt, but very encouraging - will be checking back on them soon!  Then as I was walking back to the truck, I heard a gobble in the NE corner of our lease.  He sounded pretty close, so I eased up in some cedars to see if I could do anything with him.  I had just sat down when I spotted movement to my right - looked red - looked like a turkey head - only 40 yards away - a Tom - huh? - how'd he get there??  Apparently,as I was making my way toward him, he was also moving in my direction - pure coincidence because I had yet to call.  I let out a couple of soft yelps as soon as I lost sight of him & then he started my way.  Only problem was that he picked the thickest, brushiest, spot in the woods to walk behind.  Even though he got to about 25 yards, I couldn't do anything with him.  At one point I could see him from the neck up as he moved between some trees, but just didn't want to chance a miss.  Soon he tired of our little game & moved off - I let out a couple more soft yelps, and guess what...  Yep, here he comes again.  Came right up to the same spot with the same outcome :((  UGGH!  Who is it that says the set-up is the most important part to turkey hunting??

Well as I was wasting time with this old boy, I heard another Tom gobble on the farm directly to the West of our lease  - so I jumped up & headed that direction.  I paused a couple of times on the way to listen for him just to make sure I was on the right track.  He was on an open hillside that has a narrow band of trees that run across the bottom of the hill.  Luckily, he was just on the uphill side of a small island of brush that grows in the middle of the hillside pasture.  I made it to the band of woods at the bottom of the hill, crept up to the edge of the field, and set up in front of a big cedar.  At this point he was probably about 100 yards away and gobbling every minute or so on his own.  I let out a couple of soft yelps... nothing - a couple more... nothing.  So I'm thinking uh-oh!  What did I do wrong?  Then I spot movement coming around the patch of brush.  Remember -just because they quit gobbling doesn't mean they aren't coming!  He steps out from behind the brush, directly uphill from me, moving from left to right.  The whole time I'm thinking oh noooo he's too far!  Then he stops & stretches his head up - I'm looking at him over my sights - I am perfectly steady with the gun resting on my knee - I think "I can make that shot!".  I did & rolled him down the hill!  Don't know how far it was.  I tried to step if off, but never could find he exact spot where he had been standing at the shot.  I do know that it was over 60 steps to the first feather I found and I'm pretty sure that he was at least 5 yards further than that - easily the longest shot I ever made on a Turkey.  And it wasn't one of those deals where you get 1 pellet in the head, they flop around & you have to chase them down either.  His neck broke at the shot as plainly as if I'd walked up to him & hit him with a 2 x 4!  Quite a testament to the Nitro 4x5x7's!

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10" beard / 1" spurs - I've killed bigger, but none that I've been prouder of!  A great end to a fun hunt!

Sunday, April 20th

After some MUCH needed sleep and rest after Kansas, I managed to drag myself out of bed and back into the woods Sunday morning.  My intention was to hunt a bird that Craig had heard across the highway from where we normally hunt at my Grandfather's.  But, as soon as I stepped out of the truck, I could hear one hammering at the back pond.  So I jumped back in the truck and just managed to get set up before they flew down.  The Tom was actually roosted in the woods on my neighbor, but it didn't take him long to get to our field after a Jake and a couple of hens flew out.  This bird probably answered me better off the roost than any other this year.  But I knew I was in trouble after he began to strut after the hens.  All I could do was watch & hope they would drift in my direction. 

This area is basically a horseshoe shaped bowl with a pond and a small pasture at the bottom.  They were on the E facing slope angling down to the pond.  I figured that they would cross the bottom by the pond & then start up the S facing hill.  They did.  I was almost able to cut them off at the pond but ran out of cover about 20 yards short.  After that, all I could do was sit & watch until they topped the hill.  After they reached the top, I jumped up & made my way up the steep slope.  As I approached the flat on top, I slowed down & just peeked over the edge.  I saw the Jake & a hen almost immediately - of course they saw me too.  The Tom actually surprised me - he was a lot closer than I was expecting.  He flushed before I could get a bead on him & practically flew right over my head.  Now I used to be a HUGE waterfowler, and was a pretty  fair shot on ducks & geese at one time, but apparently not anymore !  3 shots as he sailed over my head & I didn't cut a feather! :((  Oh well, what do they say - "nothing ventured..."  Most people would have just watched him feed off with the hens.

OK, here's another Strut'n Tom secret for anyone who cares...  turkeys that are not disturbed & feeding up a hill will almost always pause at the top long enough for you to get up on them.  Most of the hills around here (no matter how steep) have a flat at the top.  As long as you wait just long enough for the birds to get to the flat, you can simply just walk right up the slope & peek over the edge.  Then, even if you're in plain sight, they will almost always stand there trying to figure you out just long enough to get a shot off.  Not a traditional turkey hunt, but it works!  I've sent MANY a Tom to the "land of flops" this way!

Thursday, April 17th

Our last day in Kansas - kind of sad that it's almost over, but right about now I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing Brandi & the kids!

The plan was to hunt for about an hour, head back to the lodge for pics and turkey cleaning, and then start East.  Lee & I made it to the horseshoe farm by 5:30.  I had decided that, with all the Jakes around, the best way to kill the Tom was to set up as close to him on the roost as possible.  So knowing that we were going to be right in his bedroom, we went ahead and set up in the dark instead of waiting to hear a gobble.  All was good - decoys were out, set-up looked good, just breaking day, starting to hear a few gobbles in the distance... then I looked over my shoulder & spotted 2 turkeys in the trees less than 30 yards away!  S L O W L Y raised the glasses & saw 2 red heads.  A few minutes later one of the birds turned just right & Lee confirmed that it was indeed the longbeard.  I really have to commend my buddy Lee on this one - he could have easily shot that Tom out of the tree (limb-jerked, roost rolled, limb-lifted, etc...), but elected not to.  Well, even though both birds gobbled a time or 2, we knew that they were nervous with us sitting so close.  So it was no surprise when they headed the other way as soon as they hit the ground.  :((  OK, what are the odds?  Probably close to 1000 acres on this farm with over 1/2 mile of river bottom timber for them to roost in, and we walk right up, sit underneath, and spook the only longbeard on the place!  Not sure if he's that lucky or if we're that UNlucky??  Not to mention, we had been in shotgun range (or darn close to it) of this Tom 5 times in 3 days AND HE"S NOT DEAD!  Really makes a man question what he knows (or thinks he knows) about turkey hunting!  But I guess if it were easy, it wouldn't be so much fun, would it???

Craig & Keith went back to the pump house farm and had at least 1 Tom out in the big field right after daylight.  When he wouldn't cooperate with sweet talk, Craig decide to put a move on him.  Once again, the stalk was successful but the shot wasn't.  What is it about Kansas that makes these shotguns do such funny things?? :))

All in all, we had a FANTASTIC trip - maybe our best ever!  This is always such a fun hunt - Todd has soooo many birds & soooo much land to hunt!  The terrain is perfect for some spot & stalk opportunities, something that is pretty much unheard of hear in TN, at least when it comes to turkey hunting.  Not to mention, Todd is a super guy with one of the nicest lodges I've stayed in.  Plus, he pretty much just gives us the run of the place - and we do take advantage of it!  Like we always say:  we may not kill a limit, but it won't be from lack of trying!  After we're gone, those birds will sure know that they've been hunted!  :))