| TURKEY HUNTING 2002-WEEK 2 |
| Week 2 May 2-3-I went down by myself to Hocking Co. Thursday evening. Stayed in the 1880's House. Did not hear any birds fly up to roost that night but saw deer everywhere. They were on the move early. Friday morning I walked up the hill behind the log home of the landowner. When I reached the top of the ridge I heard a gobble close by. The Tom was roosted in a tree at the head of a small ravine about 125 yards below the ridgeline. I then slipped down off of the ridge about 20 yards towards the roosted Tom and sat down against a large tree. He was sounding off about every few minutes or so. I waited awhile for the dawn sky to brighten and then I made a few soft clucks and purrs followed by a soft tree yelp. A few minutes later I made a fly-down cackle and followed it up with a loud and lusty yelp. The big boy reacted with a loud gobble. A short time later I heard him fly down. He then gobbled his head off as he walked back and forth at the base of his tree. I could hear him but I couldn't see him. He did this for 10 minutes or so as I called occasionally with soft purrs, clucks, and yelps with my slate call. I was trying to play hard to get hoping to lure him up the hill towards me. Finally he moved from beneath his tree and by the sounds of his gobbles it sounded like he was walking to my right along the hillside far below me! After a few minutes I could determine that he was going further and further away from me. I then scampered up the hill and hustled along the ridge top a few hundred yards and then I slipped down the hill and sat up against another tree. I was hoping to head him off at the pass. I then made a series of yelps and he answered with a loud gobble! After a few minutes I heard movement below me. I was expecting to see him but it was two deer that were just passing through. For a long time the Tom was silent, then I heard another gobble from him. Good, I thought, he didn't get spooked and the game was still on. But soon I heard some soft and faint clucks, purrs and yelps coming from far below me. The big boy gobbled once or twice more and then I heard him gobble where the other 'cluckers' were and that was the last I heard of him!!! That was it for the morning. I didn't hear another bird gobble. That evening I went back to the ridge above where the gobbler was roosted to see if he would come back and fly up in the same area. Sure enough about 8:15 he gobbled a few times below me and then flew up. He sounded off for about 20 minutes as the sun set over the ridge top. I knew where I wanted to be in the morning. May 4-Saturday morning I was up at 4:30 and out the door at 5:15. I walked east along the top of the ridge, past where the Tom was roosted below, then slowly picked my way down the hillside as the sky turned the pink of dawn. I wanted to be set up along the same hillside that he traveled the morning earlier. Around 6:00 the Longbeard gobbled. He sounded further off than I anticipated. I waited until it got lighter and then made a few soft purrs and tree yelps. He gobbled for about ten more minutes or so and he then flew down. He did the gobble gobble thing below his tree for another 10 minutes or so and it sounded like he would gobble back at me when I yelped. A few times it sounded like he was getting closer. This went on until after 7:00 when he eventually gobbled off in the opposite direction along the hillside! "Curses, foiled again'! I then climbed back up the ridge and headed west to see if I could head him off. Soon I heard another gobble and I eventually managed to get about 100 yards from him and sat down on the ridgetop. I didn't know if it was the same Tom or not. I then yelped and he gobbled back. Again the Tom stood his ground and would not venture any closer. The woods was thick between he and I so I moved a few times to get a better location. But to my dismay the Longbeard eventually gobbled off in the distance. Well that was it for the week. That just goes to show you that "Roostin' Ain't Roastin'!" |
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