Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: JW_Halverson on April 19, 2012, 11:03:59 pm
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I call it that because I seem to make plenty of them there. Mistake #1 was not getting up early enough. Altogether too easy a mistake to make in turkey season. #2 was forgetting to put the sling on the shotgun before leaving the house. Normally no big deal, but the one route to Mistake Ridge involves a short technical climb on a limestone cliff face. You see, the three other sides of this piece of National Forest are on private land, no access!
I made the climb outa sheer luck and stupidity. I pressed on to make the next mistake, #3. The route also takes me right under the roost site for the turkeys. Remember how I was late? Yeah, they were already waking up and a hen gave a couple alarm putts, I was busted. Normally I can sneak under them when the ground is damp like it is right now and get away with it. Not Wednesday. I decided there was no sense being stealthy, so I proceeded to hike on thru and over the ridge. Let 'em think I was passing through!
I melted into the treeline and turned right back around. Making myself as much a ghost as possible, I spent 10 minutes walking back the 40 yds to set up on the roost site. Just as I sat down I realized mistake #4. No padded seat cushion. At least I was wearing insulated camo bibs, right? They held back the water like a cigarette rolling paper holding back Niagara. The insulation simply sucked the last few days of rain up outa the soil! Fortunately I am part frog and my netherparts are watertight.
The east was warming with a wonderful sunrise when a hen right in front of me tree yelped. I smiled. Then across the highway to the west about 100 yds away the gobblers all sounded off like a pack of frat boys. I quit smiling. Mistake #5, didn't scout the night before to determine whether the birds were on accessible ground or across the road where it is all private land without access. I've made this mistake often enough that it is second nature, don't even have to try. This flock will move back and forth between the two roost sites on either side of the road, often leaving a lone hen to watch the roost they don't choose.
Well, I came all this way, may as well wait until she pitches down. I sit and listen to the woods waking up. Chickadees, nuthatches, coyotes off in the distance. I love this time of year. Since the gobblers are across the road I gave up on stealth and I moved around to find a more comfortable position (not likely considering my soggy tightey whiteys and the rocky soil). The hen of course gave a quick alarm putt. And the gobbler on the branch next to her double-gobbled so hard he shook the tree!!! Mistake #6. Now they both know where I am. But out of sheer stupid stubbornness I decide not to fold, I called and stayed in the game with a bluff.
As I sat there listening to the industrial gobbling of the birds across the hiway I realized mistake #7 had happened back at home when I failed to open the new box of Hevi-shot loads I had bought to use this spring. Any one of the prior mistakes could be overcome with luck, but how do I shoot a turkey with an unloaded gun? I am good, but not THAT good!
I patted down pockets and thanked the powers that be that I was lazy last fall and did not clean out my pockets. Two 3" magnums of #4 steel duck loads! I got the gun loaded as quickly and quietly as possible. Minutes later the gobbler pitched outa the tree and landed below me on the ridge out of sight. He hit the ground trying to outcompete the flock of gobblers across the road, he was hot! The hens began pitching out and landing at my feet. I could see the top of his fan going back and forth as he strutted. The hens all took up position around him like a detail of Secret Service Hens protecting the football. Two hens were sent on recon and came to check me out. I froze tight (the cold ground and soaking shorts were helping me freeze, believe it).
Up the hill he came, straight at me. Unfortunately, all I could see was the edges of his tail fan because he was keeping the ONE AND ONLY TREE in between us! At 25 yds I risked moving and I shifted so that my shotgun was covering his approach. The two recon hens went into overdrive with alarm putts. They sounded like telegraph operators on methamphetemines! He stuck his head out one side of the tree and then the other in quick succession, no chance to get a bead on him.
That's when I did the only right thing all day. I pulled out the wonderful river cane yelper made by one of our very own P.A. Forum members and started talking. I promised this hot gobbler some of the most lewd and filthy activity you ever heard! The hens upped their alarm putts to trip hammer levels, but apparently I had offered something so kinky he couldn't resist and he made one more step. A load of hot steel bees stung him good at 25 yds.
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo100/JW_Halverson/Turkey2012/006.jpg)
(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo100/JW_Halverson/Turkey2012/007.jpg)
I promised the maker of that wonderful cane yelper that if I got a bird with it I would post the pics. I just can't remember if he wanted the fame and glory that would be his if I mentioned his name. If he wants to reveaL himself he is free do to so. Let me just say that his work is beautiful to look at, but the function is what drives me crazy. The day I got this call in the mail I worked it over and over until I got the sounds I wanted. Took maybe two tries! I love it, love it to death (at least one death is now accountable to this call!)
Three year old bird, decent 9 1/4" beard, and spurs that don't show much wear yet. His weight was about 18 lbs, and his fatty breast sponge was huuuuuge! He was ready for a long and hard season of breeding and strutting, a wonderful Black Hills Merriam's turkey. Best of all, he was a good man, tolerant of another's mistakes. Maybe a little too tolerant! >:D
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Congratulations! I usually make more than 7 mistakes before I'm 100 yards from where I parked!
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Congrats, 'Sits with wet bottom'!!
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Well, what can I say? I'm lucky, I learned turkey hunting from an NWTF Hall of Famer and an NWTF Regional Director!
BTW, this bird breaks a FOUR BLOODY-LONG YEAR DRY SPELL! Turkey eats good. Turkey tags don't.
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You now have some good fletching (wing and tail) for some of these bamboo's I just got in. 8)
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Congrats that's quite a bird,beautiful call too. Ron
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Congratulations on a Grea,.. uh hunt, JW. ??? ;) Nawww, really Congratulations, beautifull bird :). I'd love to have a Merriam hanging next to my Rio in the office. That would complete my Grand Slam.
I went out last weekend to a place that is kind of a gray area as far as legal ::), well, I took an older shotgun with me ;). When we pulled the kayaks to shore and changed into camo I couldn't figure out why I was having so much trouble loading 3" magnums in my 12 gauge, I forgt this old Winchester was 2 3/4". So I was the official caller that morning.
This weekend is our last one and the rain forcast is 70%. I love it :). We have a 10.6 mile boat ride and we will be hunting a big, wide open field. Osceolas always hang out in the open when it rains.
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Oh, yea, Gold Bond makes a wet a$$ better. ;)
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Congratulations! Fine bird. ;D
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Great story to read as im sitting on the toilet at work at 6am :)....congrats
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Very good story,good looking bird to boot,I would rather be lucky than good any day. ;) ;D ;D
Pappy
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Great story...reminds me of one where I made a big mistake that I didn't realize until my shotgun clicked when I squeezed the trigger instead of going off! I had forgotten to load it, and spent the next 15-20 minutes moving slower than frozen molasses getting my pump shotgun chamber open, retrieving a shell from my pocket, chamber the round and closing the action back to fire. All of this with the gobbler strutting and gobbling 20 yards in front of me around the decoy I had set up. Most exciting hunt I ever had, highly recommend leaving your shotgun unloaded! ;)
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After meeting John, I would bet he wouldn't even need a shell! He could just start telling a story and the gobbler would laugh himself to death! A/Ho Joe
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Great story, JW! Nice bird and call too! :)
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X2 what Wolf Watcher said. Plus I am suprised he did not hit on any of the hens. >:D
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Hot dang! ;)
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SWEETTTTTTTTTTTTTT
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Way to go Jdub!! Great bird and story. dp
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Awesome story and very fortuitous set of events! Congrats on the turkey, glad you persevered despite your setbacks.
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So what is so odd about this story ? Sounds like normal turkey hunting to me. Congratulations ! ' Frank
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JW,
You are making it hard for me not to return to SD this spring. Nothing prettier than a Merriams.
Sean
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I am envious JW! Beautiful bird. Josh
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Thanks everyone. It's pretty much normal for me on that ridge. I took a Regional Director for the National Wild Turkey Federation up there once and he was surprised to count 130 birds on the roost site. What can I say, the half million dollar trophy houses up there feed them well!!! He later shot a nice little mule deer up there with a flintlock muzzleloader and had no knife! He had to field dress it with the sharp rock from the lock mechanism! I ain't the only screw-up on that ridge!
Mullet: When you really get hungry for that Merriam's I'll take care of you. Just not on Mistakes Ridge! That's MY honey hole!
CherokeeKC: Reading my tale while on the crapper?!?! Dude! :o Not sure if I am offended or honored. :-\
Bevan: When I get the gobbler population thinned down a bit more I will start chatting up the hens. Ever see the breasts on them? Yum! And nice legs, too. Heck, my first turkey was a hen with a 5" beard! Booyeah! >:D
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That is one beautiful bird JW. I love the white tips on the feathers. Ours don't look like that around here. Congratulations
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Great story JW.Beautiful bird and call. God Bless
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I cleaned the muscle and fat from the tail base and packed it with borax. It's now pinned on a sheet of cardboard to dry. I will be sawing out the spurs and stringing them on the cane yelper call later.
As for the wing feathers....I think I am going to save those for the arrows I make for that wonderful ERC longbow that youngbowyer made for me!
Legs, thighs, wings, and the back all went into the pressure cooker today for 45 min at 10# pressure. The meat will be pulled off the bones and divied up with the stock to freeze. Later on I will make soup from it by adding a diced tater and a small bag of mixed frozen veggies. Ten minute homemade soup meal! The breast is in the fridge in a light brine of 1/2 cup each of sugar and salt in a gallon of water. The breast will plump nicely with this brine. I will be boning it out tomorrow morning and freezing each half. Slice across the grain in 1/2 inch steaks or cubing up for stir fry works just fine as well as skewering and grilling with teriyaki. The heart went to the redtail hawk, the head and neck to the great horned owl. Since it was steel shot there was no chance of giving either bird lead poisoning.
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we need to get JW to write some articles for PA, Bub
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If I can get someone to doctor the photos and add a stickbow and a stone pointed bloody arrow I will get to work writing it today! >:D
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I had one of your oh crap mornings. This is our last weekend and we are hunting a place that requires a 10.6 mile boat trip. There is very little room for mor than 3 hunters and we figured nobody would be there but us because of the thunderstorm, hail, and tornado warnings. We couldn't believe it when a boat went flying past us when we only had about 5 minutes more of travel.
It turned out he went where we were going but was going way north of us.
Well now my aww you know what moment. I had a bird come in on me real fast and only had a second to see the red head. he had been gobblin' a long way off and working his way through a swamp. Actually there were two birds. Well, I slamed the bird with my 3 1/2 Mag @ twenty yards. And then he gets up :o, I hit him again while he is running sideways. Then he flys in a big circle and crashes about thirty yards from me.
I started to get up and get him when the head pops up ??? He jumps up and takes off running across a field towards my buddies. I shoot again and knock him down and then miss twice while he's zig-zaging. I took off after him and my buddies are laughing their you know what off. Finally he stopped and I wacked the crap out of him swinging my 835 like a baseball bat. It turns out that when I grabbed him there was a BIG Tom 10 yards in front of me going, what the %^&#. My buddies are wondering why I'm hitting the Jake with my gun and not the big Gobbler.
I never saw the big one :'( I'm taking extra shells in the morning. :)
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Well, DUH! You shot the jake because the big dominant gobbler had better genes! It was a conservation based sportsman's decision. Sheesh! ;D
If your buddies had any ethics or sense of fair play they would have understood!
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Sounds like you should thow a slug into the pocket. for just in case.
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Do they make a 40mm grenade launcher for your shotgun? To heck with slugs, you need serious "fahr-power"!
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Decoys and a bayonet in the morning. ;D I'll make them slow down.
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X2 what Wolf Watcher said. Plus I am surprised he did not hit on any of the hens. >:D
Well JW just might have been the one the hens were trying to protect! :o
They could have been warning him! Hey, the old man is coming, run! :o
Way to go JW! Luck is just good from another angle! That is a nice one!
Some nice wing feathers! I told Eddie, all he has to do is come out to my place in Montana, and sit on the porch, and he can get his Grand Slam, ;) Man, a cold wet frosty arse, and a bunch of mouthy females trying to ruin a man's day! Seems it is the same in the animal world too. ::) Yep, gold bond, or monkey butt, powder. Glad you were able to bring him over to the dark side. Amazing the power, sex has. Poor guy, he probably thought he was the stud of the woods, and now he had another hot mama wanting to experience the wondrous elixir of his love. ;) He was already chalking her up be in his line up! Yep confidence and an ego like can get you killed! ;) Sounds like mistake ridge might have been an ancient landing zone for UFOs. ::) :o Congrats, and put a couple extra shells in your coat and leave em there! ;) As well as a check list. ;) Oh go ahead, and take Eddie there, just give him some 3 1/2 inch magnums! >:D ::) ;D ;D
Wayne
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REDEMPTION
Went out Sunday with a 16 yr old kid so I could call for him. He had been out several times with different people before but had not connected. We chased around, up and down, had several set-ups with no luck before we gave up and went home for lunch. I got him working on a hackberry stave (Thanks, Iowabow!). He roughed it down to dimension rather quickly while I downed water like it was water!
We went back out in the evening and I got a gobbler to sound off at about a mile away. We straightlined across two ridges and a creek to get set up on his ridge, only to have him go silent. We sat him out and called gently for 20 minutes. Finally he blew over the ridge at 75 yds. He was strutting back and forth at the edge of reasonable range when his hens did an end run and were alarm putting in my back pocket. I went into overdrive and brought him into the 30 yd mark and he dumped his very first gobbler! 4 yr old bird with nice long spurs and 8 3/4 inch beard.
There were two sets of tracks going in to that bird, but only mine came out. Word has it he's still walking about three inches above earth still!!!
That cane yelper is magic, I tell ya.
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Nice story. Reminds me of the hunting down south of you in the Pine Ridge of Nebr. Long distance locating and some footwork.
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Forty-nine years old and I can still keep up with a 16 yr old high school track runner.
Mind you, I was eating a bowl full of of Advil with cream and sugar this morning.
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Alright JW! Oh indeed that kid will remember that hunt the rest of his life! he may have been walking on air, but to him you will always be nine feet tall! Way to go. My first, and I might as well add, only turkey was when I was eight years old hunting with my Dad in the Big Cypress swamp, and we came upon some turkeys feeding on the other side of a palmetto, and myrtle head. We snuck up to the edge, and the turkeys were within range of my Winchester single shot .410 with number four shot. Bang, I dumped him. One #4shot went through the center of his heart.
I can still see that moment to this day! I miss my Dad, and all the fun times we had hunting and fishing together. He was one heck of a Turkey hunter, and could call them in. I just never took it up enough to be addicted to it. Though I do plan on doing some turkey hunting in Montana. That is a lucky kid to have someone like you to mentor him. I bet he will be looking for some bamboo now....... ;) What no pictures?
Wayne
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White tipped butter balls and black hills gold ...sucks to be you ;D turkey hunting shure can be full of adventures ....congratulations j dub