Leah's Juvy Hunt....No bird but CRAZY Morning.

[gophert]

Well the weather man was wrong thank goodness so we had decent weather. The bird I had roosted for Leah, of course, was not there. He was deep in the woods and headed the other direction. So, at about 7:30 we headed to a pipeline where I had heard a bunch of gobblers gobble last week. The decoys were set and I let out a few yelps to get started. After a few minutes hens started cuttin and cackling at me from our right. Wouldn't you know it, 15+ hens and 2 strutters. I laid the cuts back and here they came, but slowly. I told Leah to get ready cause those 2 big boys were following the ladies. After all the cutting and yelping back and forth I caught movement in my eye from the left of the powerline, 4 longbeards!!!!! (see video) They were already in range (35 yards), but stopped right behind a cedar three and Leah can't get a shot. All of a sudden they see those 2 strutters and turn into the woods and make a beline to those strutters, just in the woods out of range. A few minutes passed and we are watching the strutters again and I hear drumming. I look back at the decoys and there is a bird in full strut just across the pipeline. I told Leah to hit the safety this boy is coming. Exactly when I said that, those 4 longbeards attacked the other 2 strutters! I'm talking aggravated purrs and wings flapping. I can't watch cause we are focused on the strutter in front of us. All the commotion must have scared the strutter we were watching cause he tucked tale and took off. CRAPP!!!!! The 4 "tough guy" long beards whooped those other two gobblers and went back into the woods and that was that. The hens fed on by and the hunt was over. All in all we saw 8 total strutters all within 70 yards and could not get a shot, but it was great. My friend was running the camera and here are a few hightlights. I must say that I am very proud of Leah. This was her first hunt without the comfort of a blind (i am weaning her off the blind). We had hens looking at us at 5 yards and they never spooked.

http://youtu.be/k06ImgXVSPM

[Shooter]

Pretty good footage Tim. At least Leah got to watch an awesome show, and some experience.

[devastator]

keep at it !

[joshua]

Good looking spot. Ya'll bust one soon.

[el diablo]

That's an awesome hunt! I doubt they get away next time.

[Rockhound]

7 gobblers on one place is crazy enough to me lol we drove an hour and fifteen min. This morning to hear 3 gobblers gobble 7 times all together before they disappeared.

My farm hasn't seen 7 gobblers in the last 7 years, I have 7 hens and 1 Jake this year and that's the biggest flock we have seen in about 8 years.

I don't know what's wrong with the turkeys here but they ain't getting thicker

[GOLD HUNTER]

[gophert]

7 gobblers on one place is crazy enough to me lol we drove an hour and fifteen min. This morning to hear 3 gobblers gobble 7 times all together before they disappeared.

My farm hasn't seen 7 gobblers in the last 7 years, I have 7 hens and 1 Jake this year and that's the biggest flock we have seen in about 8 years.

I don't know what's wrong with the turkeys here but they ain't getting thicker

What's crazy is that this place had NO turkeys on it last year. All of a sudden they are covered up. There are about 8 jakes hanging around too so I'm hoping next year will be even better.

[Rockhound]

That is crazy lol I can drive an hour north and have great hunting but here in Lawrence co. South of highway 64 its nearly nothing. A local store has a juvy hunt contest every year and last year there were state officials gathering blood samples from every Lawrence and Wayne county bird checked in, (which was about 10 or 12) to figure out what was wrong but nothing came of it. It honestly went from bring able to walk out my back door and hunt 10-12 gobbling birds everyday to nothing in 1-1/2 yrs. And not just my farm everybody was crazy trying to figure it out but no one has. Its getting a tiny bit better but not much.

Almost like the birds get up to an age of 6 months or so then they die or just disappear lol

[pedro]

Great hunt even with no bird.

[Hoobilly]

thats alright hunting in my eyes. them hens on the edge looking into the brush at you guys were really rubber neckin lol