Here is another fantastic story from one of our HuntingLife fans!!
Day before yesterday……….rained like a big dog most of the morning…and the day before that too. Prolly more than 6 inches total. You got to understand I live on the prairie really….and H2O runs off fast and the little creeks get to rolling like BIG WET SNAKE MONSTERS, …..Very dangerous.
Anyway…I only have a couple days left of hunting…so I decide if the sun breaks out a bit…( As I think the Turkeys will be out strutting….) I will go hunting.
The suns breaks out a bit….and I’m taking off west, then north…trying to get farther up-stream of some of the creek crossings cause I know they are full………I come to the first one…and it’s not all that bad.
I come to the second, and it’s bigger…and I have to move some logs off the low-H2O bridge in order for me to cross….but it’s really not that big a deal either. I turn back east…to the biggest creek crossing..and get to it..And it’s suicide to try and cross. I should have taken my camera….cuz it was awesome looking.
So…I turn around and drive 12 miles to try another way…across a lake spill-way. I get there..and by the wet concrete ramps on either side…it appears others have crossed. But it’s deep…and I’m driving a different vehicle than I’ve used before…so I was a bit concerned. But, I eased in…and checked the H2O level…and motored on across.
I finally get to the place on the “right” side of that big snake monster creek…..where I want to hunt…And then I see a Tom with a hen out in this pasture strutting. Yes!
So I drive up to a place I can get off the dirt road and park…..and plan my stalk. I figured I have to stalk him…..as there’s no way I can call this guy. He’s henned up….and it’s cruddy weather.
There’s a small creek…running to the Tom’s west. I figure I can use that….to get near him..as he’s a bit up above me on this pasture. I get to where I can just peek out..and I see him…but he’s 150 yds..and the hen is moving towards the west….towards the creek.
Perfect, I think….so I jog south along the creek bottom to where I think the hen and the Tom will come to. I slowly pop up….and I don’t see them. I cluck a bit with my mouth call…but don’t hear a thing. It starts to RAIN!! Crap, I think….I put my camo rain-coat on…and ease on out from the timber…to see if I can find these birds. I move a few feet at a time…then just stand there, looking. It starts to thunder..and rain harder……And then I see them…going right back to where I originally popped up to look at them. BLAST THEM!! Ha!!
So…I slip back north up the side of the creek…back to where I think they are going. All guess work really…but “educated guess”, I suppose.
Anyhoo I sit facing east kind of up towards the pasture and I can watch to my north..so I know they can’t give me the slip that way….and I’m hanging down by the creek….waiting. I give a few “where are you, I’m over here” calls…..and don’t hear any replies. The little creek behind me is loud…so that was not working in my favor….although in hindsite the soggy ground and the extra noise…I think actually worked IN my favor.
So, I stay there 10 min….or so. And think they’ve given me the slip…..so I figure I’ll just slide up out of the bottom…towards the top. Cuz you never know….Ha! I move slow….and keep my eyes peeled. Walk a few steps..and stop and watch.
I move again…and I see turkey wings….Danged if he wasn’t strutting under a tree..with some brush in between him and me. I slowly drop to me knee’s….and he didn’t see me!! I then just sit there trying to keep my eye on him……also looking for the hen…..Whom I didn’t see. I watch for 3-4 minutes….maybe.
The crazy thing was he was in range…but I couldn’t get a good shot. Too much brush and “stuff” in the way…But I could see him thru the “junk”…..Strutting a bit…then just standing there. The hen was right there somewhere..but I didn’t see her.
Then it seems he’s leaving…at least he was moving a bit away…So I pushed the issue a bit…and moved up some crawling on all fours…I get closer and crane my neck up to look…and I see him craning his head looking MY way….
That ain’t good, I think…lol…But they are curious birds..and he didn’t know what I was…and wanted to get a better look. The ONLY shot I had was approx. 30 yds thru a couple a trees…to his right about 8 yrds. I just hunkered down….and set up for that shot. And lo and behold…he cooperated.
20 lbs. 10 1/2 in. beard……
Crazy hunt……..But great fun. Even had a flat on my truck…when I walk back to it. Took me 1 3/4 hrs to fix it….every time I jacked it up….the jack would sink!! The ground was mush….But I finally got it done. Rocks came in handy….HA!!
