Post by huntergks on Oct 22, 2015 12:01:28 GMT -6
Opening morning, 10/17/2015, Ron, Walt, & I jumped in the Gator to head to the fields across the road from Gobbler’s Roost. Since the Gator has only 2 seats, Ron put 1 of his “school” chairs in the back & I took that position. Since it was only 28, it was a cold ride. We headed up into a green field & spotted a small flock, maybe 10-12. Ron headed to the far end of the field hoping that the birds would head into the woods around a power line. He started back towards where he had last seen the birds thinking they had left the field since he couldn’t see them. Being in the “Safari Seat” I could see that they were still in the field but headed in the right direction. We stopped & waited until they were well into the weeds/briars at the edge of the woods before letting Jinger Lou off leash.
It wasn’t long before the songs of fall, dog barking, birds yelping, & wings beating filled the air. Ron & JL went down & too the left to set up while Walt & I briar-busted our way to an old logging road. He dropped over the side & set-up while I continued down the trail until I found a fork in the road near the Slauson Cutoff where I set-up near the base of a tree facing down hill so I could see/shoot up or down the road as well as down the hill which is where I expected the birds to come from. I started to yelp & kee-kee about 20 minutes after I sat down.
It wasn’t long before I had a bird responding in front of me. We conversed for about 10 minutes but it never showed itself. I occasionally heard a bird keeing but nothing real close. The wind picked-up & was really screaming for quite a while. When it laid, I heard a distant gobble to my right & behind me. A few minutes later, I was literally surrounded by gobbling jakes. I have heard birds gobble in the fall before but never like this. They were going completely & totally nutz!!!! There were several uphill from me yelping & gobbling so I managed to turn around without spooking any. They kept calling & responding to me. Within 5 minutes of my changing directions, I heard a yelp behind me, turned my head, & there stood a jake at about 10 yards. If I hadn’t turned around, DEAD BIRD!! DANG IT!! It saw me move & took off yelping down hill but didn’t spook the others. A few minutes later, another went uphill at about 20 yards but never offered a shot.
I could hear the birds moving downward to my left. I turned back around &, about 10 minutes later, I saw a jake in the saplings to my left. It gobbled a couple of times & dropped into the road. I yelped/kee-keed but it continue away. A short while later, I heard Walt shoot & the birds around me made a heckuva racket moving out. Walt had also heard the gobbling but it was a hen-of-the-year that came to him. That was about it for the morning.
It wasn’t long before the songs of fall, dog barking, birds yelping, & wings beating filled the air. Ron & JL went down & too the left to set up while Walt & I briar-busted our way to an old logging road. He dropped over the side & set-up while I continued down the trail until I found a fork in the road near the Slauson Cutoff where I set-up near the base of a tree facing down hill so I could see/shoot up or down the road as well as down the hill which is where I expected the birds to come from. I started to yelp & kee-kee about 20 minutes after I sat down.
It wasn’t long before I had a bird responding in front of me. We conversed for about 10 minutes but it never showed itself. I occasionally heard a bird keeing but nothing real close. The wind picked-up & was really screaming for quite a while. When it laid, I heard a distant gobble to my right & behind me. A few minutes later, I was literally surrounded by gobbling jakes. I have heard birds gobble in the fall before but never like this. They were going completely & totally nutz!!!! There were several uphill from me yelping & gobbling so I managed to turn around without spooking any. They kept calling & responding to me. Within 5 minutes of my changing directions, I heard a yelp behind me, turned my head, & there stood a jake at about 10 yards. If I hadn’t turned around, DEAD BIRD!! DANG IT!! It saw me move & took off yelping down hill but didn’t spook the others. A few minutes later, another went uphill at about 20 yards but never offered a shot.
I could hear the birds moving downward to my left. I turned back around &, about 10 minutes later, I saw a jake in the saplings to my left. It gobbled a couple of times & dropped into the road. I yelped/kee-keed but it continue away. A short while later, I heard Walt shoot & the birds around me made a heckuva racket moving out. Walt had also heard the gobbling but it was a hen-of-the-year that came to him. That was about it for the morning.
