Finally back on line after two weeks on the road hunting and working.
Two chums and I did the 9 hour drive south to Wasaga Beach to hunt turkeys in the Elmvale area. We arrived the night before opening day and talked with the landowner who lets us hunt on her farm. She told us that turkey numbers were down this year, but there were some around, and roughly where they were roosting.
The next morning, I dropped my two partners off in the closest area to where the birds were roosting (I have shot one turkey and they havent) and I headed down to the far end of the property. It was getting light and I set my decoys up in a spot where I have had birds come out before.
Before I could finish with the decoys, a bird gobbled about 100 yards away to the left of me on the ridge above me. I got set up against a big maple and started calling softly with a Primos Freak and a diaphram call. The bird immediately gobbled back. I called a couple of more times and the bird kept gobbling back at me and was coming closer. Then it went silent.
I watched for 4 or 5 minutes, no bird. So I called again, and immediately a bird gobbled twenty yards behind me. I peeked around the tree and he was right behind me - all fanned out and strutting. I realized later this was a different bird than the one originally gobbling at me as I would have seen him cross in front of me.
I got the shotgun up and as I swung around the tree, he started to run. I called again and he stopped behind a tree. I gave another call and he stepped out behind the tree about 35 yards away and I dusted him. It was 15 minutes after legal shooting time!
Only bird we shot - all we saw for the rest of the week were hens and a couple of toms out of range that we couldnt get a shot at.
Beautiful bird - just over 10" beard and 1.25" spurs. No access to a scale - we estimated that he weighed over 20 lbs (unfortunately I cant enter him in the contest).
Two chums and I did the 9 hour drive south to Wasaga Beach to hunt turkeys in the Elmvale area. We arrived the night before opening day and talked with the landowner who lets us hunt on her farm. She told us that turkey numbers were down this year, but there were some around, and roughly where they were roosting.
The next morning, I dropped my two partners off in the closest area to where the birds were roosting (I have shot one turkey and they havent) and I headed down to the far end of the property. It was getting light and I set my decoys up in a spot where I have had birds come out before.
Before I could finish with the decoys, a bird gobbled about 100 yards away to the left of me on the ridge above me. I got set up against a big maple and started calling softly with a Primos Freak and a diaphram call. The bird immediately gobbled back. I called a couple of more times and the bird kept gobbling back at me and was coming closer. Then it went silent.
I watched for 4 or 5 minutes, no bird. So I called again, and immediately a bird gobbled twenty yards behind me. I peeked around the tree and he was right behind me - all fanned out and strutting. I realized later this was a different bird than the one originally gobbling at me as I would have seen him cross in front of me.
I got the shotgun up and as I swung around the tree, he started to run. I called again and he stopped behind a tree. I gave another call and he stepped out behind the tree about 35 yards away and I dusted him. It was 15 minutes after legal shooting time!
Only bird we shot - all we saw for the rest of the week were hens and a couple of toms out of range that we couldnt get a shot at.
Beautiful bird - just over 10" beard and 1.25" spurs. No access to a scale - we estimated that he weighed over 20 lbs (unfortunately I cant enter him in the contest).
