May 20 “Patience”
That’s right Patience! This is the key ingredient to being a
successful, not only Turkey, but hunter! Today started out just like the rest of my
recent posts. More of the same old…blah…blah…blah, about how tired I am, having
the energy to make the 60 mile journey and the consecutive 6 day work weeks.
But, today was a little bit different. This would be the last day of the spring
season! The last day of hunting for the next 4 months! So, needless to say, at
the 3:30 a.m. wake up call I was ready to go. Tired. But Ready.
I decided this would be a dual-purpose trip. I would also be
freshening some of my mineral licks in this certain area. The night prior, I strategized
on how I would make toting 40 lbs. of Trophy Rock and Mineral material up the 1
mile railroad hike, all while carrying my hunting gear. Well, naturally, my
plan fell apart shortly after leaving the house, as I forgot the duffle bag I
was going to use to carry my mineral stuff. So, even with a lack of sleep, I
was able to improvise.
As I was approaching my hunting area, in the pre-dawn, it
became apparent that the sun was slowly making its way to the horizon. I pedaled
down, and made up some time. After grabbing my gear and dumping the contents of
my work/tunnel bag, I had what I needed. I started hiking at a fairly quick
pace. I spend a lot of time running and lifting just to stay in shape just for
this 1 mile hike. Just as I was starting up the tracks, a train began heading
my way (probably only the 2nd/3rd time in 4years). So, I
stepped to the side, only to find it was a loci slowly moving into position for
loading. Apparently, the engineer could see me in the dark. As I stepped back
onto the tracks, he flashed me with his lights. I continued on, regardless,
only to catch up to the locomotive in a strange spot. This was the area where I
turned to walk up the holler. Well, I tried not to get to close, being that I
was carrying a gun, in the middle of nowhere, and in the dark. Unfortunately,
this did not faze the operator as he commenced to having a conversation a 5:10
a.m. with an armed man! I politely responded and tried not to engage him, as he
was already ruining my morning with his not so stealthy engine sitting near my
prime spot, idling.
Eventually, I made it to the top of the ridge, having dumped all
my mineral stuff at the head of the holler. Let me say that, I was sweating
balls! I did my usual pre-dawn locater calls, with no response. I moved
further down the ridge, and was able to conjure up the same results, nothing.
So, as the sky began to lighten, I sat at the bottom of an oak, hoping for
that little bit of luck. Well, still nothing! In the meantime, I started
hearing what I thought were birds, at differing directions. So, I moved out on
a point and began to call. Again, it sounded like a distinct gobble, but this
time farther away and at a different location. I moved further back down the
ridge, to where I basically started in the dark. This time I just sat down and
called. I had put myself in a position to try and see a bird coming. But, the
slope of the ridge and the unusually green spring, had squashed any chance of
that.
While sitting at this location, and contemplating an early morning
surrender, I suddenly had a response! There was a bird, approximately 600-700
yds. away, and he seemed on fire. This wouldn’t be easy, as he was across a
large beaver pond and more than likely on the bordering private property. After
coaxing another response, I began to move. I had a slight advantage, as earlier
in the spring, I did some shed hunting in the area and knew the terrain fairly
well. I closed the gap fairly quickly, and was able to locate the bird with a
few yelps from my H.S. Strut Glass Witch. Just like I thought, he would be right
on the border of the private property, which I was not willing to cross. So, I
was able to squeeze out the last little bit of public land, which just happened
to be on the edge of a really steep bank.
I got into position and had the bird responded at 100-200
yds. Immediately, I did not like the spot I had set-up at. There was no visibility
and any shot would be, literally, uphill. One quick adjustment and I was set,
not my preferred set-up, but it had to do. Within less than a minute, I could hear
the bird 40 yds. above me in the leaves. I couldn’t turn and he was in a bad
spot. Suddenly, he popped out at 25 yds. Instinctively, I turned my head to
see, and the gig was up! This is where the “Patience” part comes into play, as had
I just stayed still for about 5 more seconds, he would have been in the kill
zone. But, the adrenaline rush and (honestly) the thought of not seeing a bird
this morning had got the best of me.
In the end, I wasn’t mad that I didn’t harvest a bird. It
was the thought and sorrow that this was the last day of a fairly limited season.
Each year that passes, my passion for chasing turkeys across these woods
deepens. Who Knows? Maybe one day this will surpass my pursuit for attempting
to harvest big, mature, whitetails!
The rest of my morning was spent climbing the ridges to set
out my mineral licks. These two (2) locations had been established 3-4 years
prior and have become one of my better areas for capturing big bucks on my trail
cameras (other passion). This year I would, again, be using my homemade mineral
powder, along with the Trophy Rocks. The Trophy Rocks are a naturally mined
(Utah) mineral substance that deer seem to like. Plus, in most instances, they
last for a fairly good part of the summer. Even when they dissolve/disappear,
there still seems to be some remnants left in the soil. My “homemade brew”
consists of three parts: Trace Mineral, Stock Salt and Dicalcium Phosphate.
This is made in 100 lb. batches and will last me awhile, at a cost of less than
$30.
So, stayed tuned, as we’ll see what the summer brings. And,
hopefully, some big boys will be walking by!
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