3seasons Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 (edited) Been working an outage at our plant for the last month now and the 13hr nights are starting to catch up with me. Been getting off in the morning in time to get a quick listen\hunt in before I have to crash for the day. Haven't heard a bird in the same county since season opened 5 days ago. I've also been hunting some private land with a friend that I know has had 10 birds gobbling up until season started. I just figured its gonna be one of those years, everyone else is laying them down and I cant hear one, just gonna keep grinding it out and sticking with them until they crank up. I arrived at my spot on some public land Monday 3\21 around 6:20am. to my surprise there was no one else in there, as there had been the day before. As day broke I hooted and to my surprise I heard 2 birds in opposite directions gobble. I make my decision based on the terrain and tree cover and head out. After I cross over 5 ridges I stop and hoot again this time sounding like an Owl going through puberty, I started laughing out loud it was so bad, but two owls light above me and start going crazy and this made the gobbler start gobbling more allowing me to move and pinpoint his location.By now its 7am and its good light and I'm thinking he's on the ground so I push a little farther hoping not to bump him. I slipped up to a tree on the end of a huge ridge that fell of into a large creek bottom. There are two finger ridges between me and the huge ridge he is on but I can't move any closer. I let the woods relax and I make a call with a call that I had gotten the day before, for my birthday, from my niece. I called and he answered and it sounded like he was still in the tree and it was now 7:15. I made a few more calls and saw a hen pitch out of a tree up the big ridge and flew to my far left out of site. I said "Ugh O" under my breath. I reach into my vest and pull out my 4 Track MadHatter pot made by Redbeard. I make a soft yelp put pur and he cuts it off. I wait a couple minutes and hit it one more time this time a little more aggressive and he cuts me off again, I just set the call down and got ready. At 7:26 I hear wind and wings and I catch a glimpse of a turkey flying straight to me, he flew over the big ridge a creek adn two finger ridges, when he lands he's 40yds from me at my 11oclock. He half struts and then breaks jumps a creek and runs up my barrel straight to me and stops at 26yds to look around for the hen he had heard. I settled my dot and squeezed the trigger on my 20ga. and he flips. My first bird of the 2016 season is down. I leaned my head back against the tree I was set up on and said a prayer to the Good Lord. I jumped up and walked down to my bird said another prayer and looked at him. He's got thick 9" beard and sharp 7\8"spurs. For a pressured public land bird I couldn't be happier.. Edited March 25, 2016 by 3seasons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted March 25, 2016 Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 Congrats, Good to know Maddhatters calls work that good, I got me one also for this year! Owl going through puberty....ROFL! Soooo...I take it the other two above you were teenage female owls??? j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Congratulations Scott...been tough hunting these henned up birds in MS so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Congratulations Scott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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