So the morning after the 'Almost' post my dad and I headed out bright and early again at 430 am and got to the parking lot about the same time. 4th time out is a charm right!?
First time I went out I didn't see anything..
The second I heard them but didn't see anything..
The third I saw turkeys but didn't shoot one...
So by all ideals this should be 'the day' right....???
Dad and I head through the hills to the same spot I was yesterday hoping they are there. We get almost there and hear GOBBLE GOBBLE! Yes! They are there this is gonna be a good day!
We set out some decoys.
Hide down in the trees and wait.
Two ducks fly in right next to us and a hen duck lands about 15 yards from us.
They are talking a lot but not as bad as yesterday. We can hear a couple of toms and a couple of hens. Its about 15 min before daylight. They are still in their roost in the trees in front of us. They are gobbling back and the hens are talking and chirping also. They are being stubborn and not coming out of the roost.
Its shooting hours now.
They're still in the roost.
I can see one or two faintly through the trees hop down off the branches but they stay buried in the thick.
It starts to snow!?!?
Light flurries start to float down like cotton swirling in the air. Its nice and warm outside. Its mid may!
Well these dang turkeys are being stubborn so dad and I decide to hike up the hill kind of around them and see if we cant come into them. So we start hiking up the hill. Not bad.
We come to the top of the first little hill. Dad says I think it clears up a little bit further. Ok we go up the hill some more into the thicker trees. Its still snowing pretty good by now.
Then it gets really thick. Lots of trees and branches and bushes. We're having to climb up this hill using the branches from the bushes to pull ourselves up. Its so thick they're snagging your feet and catching all over. Ive got probably 15 lbs worth of stuff in my backpack. Plus carrying my gun in one hand.. and the weight of my gun.
Well after clawing and crawling our way up this mountain dad ends up jumping 4 of the turkeys that took off. They sail down the hill and he gets a shot off at a jake but misses. See that flat spot down there in the thick of the trees.. that's where we started.
We could see the same 3 doe I saw the day before out in a clearing also. We could see where we parked the truck at. We could see all the way to Logan. And I'm pretty sure we could see Russia from there.. Just sayin..
Its hard to tell but really this hill is about a 70 degree angle. We hiked up it. This wasn't quite the top of the hill we got to.
We always tease that my dad is part mountain goat. Really. I think he is. I'm pretty sure he jumped out of the womb and took off hiking up a mountain to go hunting. If you've ever gone hunting with him you know exactly what I'm talking about... and that I'm serious. I'm not complaining by any means... just giving a little insight.
After climbing and fighting all the brush we made it to a clearer spot. We were pretty high up from where we started and worked our butts off getting there.
Hi mom! We stopped a few times along to rest.. and catch our breath.. and not die. Mom called one of the times. She's still workin hard in Alabama with the tornado victims. Its funny you can be on the top of a mountain in the middle of no where and talking on the phone.. I checked my facebook while he was talking to Mom.. Technology!
Then we started down a ravine. You really cant tell in the picture very well but this is a good 75 degree angle. I'm not kidding. Its pretty straight down and covered heavily in dead fallen weeds and grass. It blankets the ground all over up there. This is looking up hill. I could face uphill standing still, reach out my arm straight and probably touch the hillside thats above me.
And this is dad downhill.
The pictures really do not do ANY justice to the angles and degrees that we walked. By the time we hit the bottom my knees were jello. They were so wobbly I kept having to stop before they buckled. Out of all of the hikes I have ever done or gone on with my dad this had to be one of the most strenuous out of all of them and that's saying a lot! A lot of uphill and steep hills and thick thick ground covering. But hey we did it!
We didn't get a dang turkey. We were headed back to the truck and I was teasing my dad after hiking our asses all over this dang mountain I bet the turkeys would be waiting at the truck for us laughin..
We were about 5 min from the truck and a turkey started gobbling. I'm pretty sure he was laughing at us. We got into the truck and started for home. There were 3 hen turkeys out in the field next to us.. laughing.
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