Got the wife out today walking in at 0507 in the lightning and was set up with a blind and decoys about 0520. Nothing all morning. Abouts 0730'ish decide to pack up do some walking down the trail (over grown road) thats about 100 yards to our south. Backout of our spot a little ways to get to fire break that goes straight to the main trail.
Get to that trail, turn left and up about 75 yards we hear a gobble ahead and right. Sweet! Backtrack 50 feet or so to get to another fire break thats on a hill that over looks an open area on the left of the trail thats like a small valley. Get to yelping as a noob does and it gobbles back but closer. I see him about 50 yards out and he cuts down the fire trail we're sitting on going away and never looks back. Darn'it. Pack back up, get back onto the main trail and move up another 100 yards to try and head him off. Plop down next to some trees, yelp, and instant gobble out front of us, but not close. Only gobble that time. Tried yelping for 5 more minutes with no response. Pack backup again to continue on and try farther down.
We get another 75 yard down the road and two hunters aproach, I wait to see where they are going and if need be i'll go back my way as not to interfer. Guy starts yelling at me,, " Did you hear me calling that bird?", As he points to right side of the trail. Nope I didnt hear anything,, bull crap he reply's. Ask my wife as I'm half deaf, nope all she heard was a gobble. Guy continues on, "well he heard you and took off to you" My imidiate response is I'm sorry if I messed ya'll up I honestly heard nothing but a gobble and appoligize. Then berates my calling and hunting ability, then says something about "silent calling" ,,,,(WHAT?? Your calling softly and crying I didn't hear you??)
This is where is gets interesting. Says he had the bird at 30 yards, but told his daughter not to shoot or we woulda been ducking, and if it was him that was hunting we WOULD have been ducking. I'm standing there in amazement, appolagize once more and bring up the point of this is what your teaching our youth?? That its alright to shoot at other people? Mentioned it was public property, not his own back yard and things like this should be expected. He continued to carry on about ducking his shots, and he'll be back out on monday and if he sees me, I'll be ducking his shots then.
I continued to ask why you teaching this kinda crap to a youth hunter. I actually felt sorry for her, the look on her face was on the verge of fear.
Had I tried to illegally stalk a gobbler, I might have been able to see them, or gotten close enough to hear him yelping, maybe not. Not even certain we where after the same bird as we meet up a decent ways from where we originally heard the gobble, had to be a distance of 100-120 yards, maybe. As the crow flys, this bird was 100'ish yards from where we where set up this am.
I don't think I could have done anything differently to get any other outcome. I just hope turkey karma goes around and someone gets to hit a dry spell.
Get to that trail, turn left and up about 75 yards we hear a gobble ahead and right. Sweet! Backtrack 50 feet or so to get to another fire break thats on a hill that over looks an open area on the left of the trail thats like a small valley. Get to yelping as a noob does and it gobbles back but closer. I see him about 50 yards out and he cuts down the fire trail we're sitting on going away and never looks back. Darn'it. Pack back up, get back onto the main trail and move up another 100 yards to try and head him off. Plop down next to some trees, yelp, and instant gobble out front of us, but not close. Only gobble that time. Tried yelping for 5 more minutes with no response. Pack backup again to continue on and try farther down.
We get another 75 yard down the road and two hunters aproach, I wait to see where they are going and if need be i'll go back my way as not to interfer. Guy starts yelling at me,, " Did you hear me calling that bird?", As he points to right side of the trail. Nope I didnt hear anything,, bull crap he reply's. Ask my wife as I'm half deaf, nope all she heard was a gobble. Guy continues on, "well he heard you and took off to you" My imidiate response is I'm sorry if I messed ya'll up I honestly heard nothing but a gobble and appoligize. Then berates my calling and hunting ability, then says something about "silent calling" ,,,,(WHAT?? Your calling softly and crying I didn't hear you??)
This is where is gets interesting. Says he had the bird at 30 yards, but told his daughter not to shoot or we woulda been ducking, and if it was him that was hunting we WOULD have been ducking. I'm standing there in amazement, appolagize once more and bring up the point of this is what your teaching our youth?? That its alright to shoot at other people? Mentioned it was public property, not his own back yard and things like this should be expected. He continued to carry on about ducking his shots, and he'll be back out on monday and if he sees me, I'll be ducking his shots then.
I continued to ask why you teaching this kinda crap to a youth hunter. I actually felt sorry for her, the look on her face was on the verge of fear.
Had I tried to illegally stalk a gobbler, I might have been able to see them, or gotten close enough to hear him yelping, maybe not. Not even certain we where after the same bird as we meet up a decent ways from where we originally heard the gobble, had to be a distance of 100-120 yards, maybe. As the crow flys, this bird was 100'ish yards from where we where set up this am.
I don't think I could have done anything differently to get any other outcome. I just hope turkey karma goes around and someone gets to hit a dry spell.
