Headed up to ID the day before the opener to get camp set up and a few put to bed. I met BOY along the Snake and headed up to the happy hunting grounds. He arrived and had camp set up by 4:30pm. After a quick change of clothes we headed out to check some meadows and put some birds to bed. We found a goodly sized flock 30-40birds and got them roosted right at dark. Funny thing, we weren't spotting the numbers of Toms that BOY had seen 1.5 weeks earlier. Guessing a few got whacked during the youth hunt, but there were definitely enough around to keep things interesting.
We rode out from camp about 3 miles then walked about another 1/2 mile to get set up about 150yds below the birds we'd put to bed. We set the decoys up and got 'em to start talking with us. There were a couple of Gobblers in the group, but from the sound of it they appeared to be splitting up, some heading up and some down. I stayed with the decoys while BOY tried to head off the ones going up the hill. About 20minutes later I had 17 hens and one jake within 30 feet of me, looking around and feeding. They headed off downhill, but Tom was not with them. I heard a couple of gobbles in the drainage behind me, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the birds. Once BOY came back, we packed up and headed to an area about 3 miles the other way from camp.
Once at the new spot we walked down an old logging road to a meadow that has produced birds in the past. About 30 yards from the meadow we looked up hill and spotted two other hunters. Drat! We headed away from them, angling back the way we'd came. About 5 minutes later we heard a few yelps and a gobble across the drainage from us, so we set up and started calling but weren't getting any response. It was along about mid morning and warming up nicely, so we both kicked back to take a siesta. We both woke about 20 minutes later to a shotgun blast down the hill from us. We clucked and yelped a few times then just stayed quiet. Next thing we know we can hear birds moving up the hill toward us! A few more yelps and a bit of purring and we spot the first hen. She's leading 3 other hens and a Jake! Beings that I only had the weekend, once the Jake came into view and stopped I sat up and dumped him!!
After that it was BOY's turn. We put a group to be that night, but the next day we only had going away sightings and LOTS of other folks. However, that evening BOY headed to a spot way in between where you can get from two roads. He didn't hear anything but was cutting lots of fresh tracks in the snow and mud and decided to head back there the last morning. Walking in way before light he crow called a few times to no avail trying to get a gobble from the roost. Not hearing anything he crossed a drainage to listen and could just hear a gobble the NEXT ridge over. By this time it's getting light, so he takes off and winds up within 100yds of the roosted birds! They fly down but start working away from him. He keeps calling. All of the sudden, he hears them coming back. He spots a few hens through the trees then sees a red head. It stops with just its head sticking up above a log, so he shoots...miss! The birds take off helter skelter. He waits a few minutes then moves in their direction about 100yds and starts calling again. Hens start calling back to him from nearly all sides! About that time he spots a Tom over a 100yds out and heading in his direction, FAST! A few more clucks and Tom is inside of 30yds. Bang! Tom down!!
Here's a couple of pics of our two birds and Camp Gobble!
Some other "hunters" we spotted...
Though short, it was a great few days in some very neat country. Now, I'm just counting down the days to next spring!
We rode out from camp about 3 miles then walked about another 1/2 mile to get set up about 150yds below the birds we'd put to bed. We set the decoys up and got 'em to start talking with us. There were a couple of Gobblers in the group, but from the sound of it they appeared to be splitting up, some heading up and some down. I stayed with the decoys while BOY tried to head off the ones going up the hill. About 20minutes later I had 17 hens and one jake within 30 feet of me, looking around and feeding. They headed off downhill, but Tom was not with them. I heard a couple of gobbles in the drainage behind me, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the birds. Once BOY came back, we packed up and headed to an area about 3 miles the other way from camp.
Once at the new spot we walked down an old logging road to a meadow that has produced birds in the past. About 30 yards from the meadow we looked up hill and spotted two other hunters. Drat! We headed away from them, angling back the way we'd came. About 5 minutes later we heard a few yelps and a gobble across the drainage from us, so we set up and started calling but weren't getting any response. It was along about mid morning and warming up nicely, so we both kicked back to take a siesta. We both woke about 20 minutes later to a shotgun blast down the hill from us. We clucked and yelped a few times then just stayed quiet. Next thing we know we can hear birds moving up the hill toward us! A few more yelps and a bit of purring and we spot the first hen. She's leading 3 other hens and a Jake! Beings that I only had the weekend, once the Jake came into view and stopped I sat up and dumped him!!
After that it was BOY's turn. We put a group to be that night, but the next day we only had going away sightings and LOTS of other folks. However, that evening BOY headed to a spot way in between where you can get from two roads. He didn't hear anything but was cutting lots of fresh tracks in the snow and mud and decided to head back there the last morning. Walking in way before light he crow called a few times to no avail trying to get a gobble from the roost. Not hearing anything he crossed a drainage to listen and could just hear a gobble the NEXT ridge over. By this time it's getting light, so he takes off and winds up within 100yds of the roosted birds! They fly down but start working away from him. He keeps calling. All of the sudden, he hears them coming back. He spots a few hens through the trees then sees a red head. It stops with just its head sticking up above a log, so he shoots...miss! The birds take off helter skelter. He waits a few minutes then moves in their direction about 100yds and starts calling again. Hens start calling back to him from nearly all sides! About that time he spots a Tom over a 100yds out and heading in his direction, FAST! A few more clucks and Tom is inside of 30yds. Bang! Tom down!!
Here's a couple of pics of our two birds and Camp Gobble!
Some other "hunters" we spotted...
Though short, it was a great few days in some very neat country. Now, I'm just counting down the days to next spring!
