Post by shane on Feb 23, 2004 11:52:47 GMT -5
You better go get you a snack, cause this might take a few minutes.Man what a Sunday. We went to Mertzon to visit the in-laws and out-laws this weekend, my F-I-L lives on about 5 ac. that butts up to my B-I-L's 5 ac. that borders Spring Creek in Irion Co. I walked out on my F-I-L porch Sunday morning at about 7:30AM to have my morning caffeine and nicotine fix, and when I looked across his place down towards my B-I-Laws place, I see the most gorgeous sight that I have seen in awhile. There was 23 hens with 6 gobblers fan'd out strutt'n their stuff. 
Well it was all I could do to finish get'n my fix and make a mad dash to my pickup and grab my Turkey Vest(a permanent fixture in my PU). I ease my way towards my B-I-L's land and get about halfway across his place and sit down along the fence line. I pulled out a diaphragm, pop it in my mouth and then grab a slate call. The very first set of yelps I let out I get hammered back at on the first yelp ;D, it was not from the 6 gobblers I had first seen, but another one down on the creek, I worked him for about 5 minutes and got him with in about 20 yrds of me strutt'n his stuff before he went and joined in with the first group. He had about an 8" beard, man was it nice to get to see one strutt'n his stuff for me(why does it take so long for Springtime to come back around 
) I waited for about 10 minutes and started back in, when I heard a half hearted tripple gobble slam back at my cutts. I look down in the direction of them and see 3 jakes in a dead run towards me. They came with in 10 yrds of me(sitting in my blues jeans, tennis shoes, black T-shirt, and my turkey vest) They hung around strutt'n for a few mintues and then wondered back towards the creek. I played around for about 30 more minutes getting gobbles coming from the other side of the creek but they were wanting me to come join them. Along about that time is when I felt like my world had come to a screeching hault, I hear the most unpleasant sound I have ever heard while out calling Turks, I here...."Shane...Shane, you need to come get ready to go into town." It was my Mother-In-Law 
....picture yourself on a wondeful morning, turks all around answering your calls and you hear your M-I-L calling you....it was like the devil himself had showed up 
).
Before I tell you what happened Sunday afternoon, let me explain to you the land I was on. This out in the country and there is about 10, 5 ac. tracts along the creek, and about 10, 5 ac. tracks that border them. Nearly everyone down on the creek has a feeder set out yr round for the Turkeys, most of the places on the creek our little weekend cabins. On the other side of the creek there is gobs of Pecan trees that line the creek with wooded and farm land behind them. Being that small of lots, no one hunts down there...they just feed'm and watch'm. Now after some well thought out explaining to my B-I-L and F-I-L about how anyone that would be around would just think someone was just shooting a varmit or something, I think I got them convinced that with a well thought out and safely placed shot, it would be OK to shoot one or two this Spring. ;D(they have lived there for about 7 yrs and I have been working on this since day one......so once again in Turkey hunt'n...persistancy prevails)
Now, as ol' Paul would say...."The Rest Of The Story!!"
We were sitting around talking Sunday afternoon, kinda cuss'n and discuss'n stuff when I was telling them about feeding my 3 dogs along with, what seems like every stray cat in Eastland Co., my B-I-L tells me he thought he still had a live-trap over at his place, I could just start trapping the cats and donate them to the local Yotes ;D. We sat around for alittle while longer and then head down to my B-I-L's place to look for the trap. We pull right down to the creek in my PU, and when I step out, I look up and there is 9 gobblers not 10 yrds on the otherside of the fence that we our about 15 yrs from. They actually head right towards the fenceline and start walking up and down it(no their not scared of people.....well not yet ;D, they know people = food). At this point, I couldn't help it, I told my B-I-L..."watch this" I pop'd in a mouth call and just HAMMERED down as loud as I could a series of cutts followed by 3 screaming yelps at them at 15 yrs away. This is when I almost soiled my drawers. The freak'n creek went nuts!!!! Not only did I have these 9 gobblers gobbling their fool heads off at me from 15 yrds away, but there were gobbles all up and down the other side of the creek. I grabbed my longbox and hammered down on it and that when I got more to gobble farther back up in the fields behind the Pecans on the other side.There were some where around, what sounded to be 10 to 12 different groups of Gobblers on the opposite side of the creek. Some were spread out along the creek and some back up in the fields behind the creek. Just guessing I would say some where in the range of 75-100 gobblers...maybe more. If I'm Lie'n...I'm Die'n...and I promise you..I aint Die'n...(knock on wood). Before you pop off saying BS...just remember no one hunts them and feeders yr round. I'll have Louisiana Hunter and Momma LH down opening weekend to vouch for me on this(Now I know LH aint no reliable source ;D...but Momma LH is!!).LH, this is the place I told you awhile back about...the one I said you could wake up to Turks everymorning. I had the creek rock'n for about 10 minutes, with anything from a mouthcall, longbox, slate, glass, and a ol'locator call. Each time I called, I gave them everything I had, would'nt hold back, I would call as loud as I could with each call, and they would go nuts. Got the others working up out of the fields and towards the creek. There is alot of older birds around there, that I know are supporting some RAZOR SHARP HOOKS!!! After that, that's when I told my B-I-L...."you know, I don't have a problem at all with woop'n another mans butt...I will be taking a couple of these home with me come April" ;D There has always been alot of turks there, but the population has skyrocket'd.That was by far, with out a doubt in my mind, the MOST turkeys I have ever heard in one place in my life time. I know this sounded far fetched, but now you see why I almost soiled my drawers.....did end up with a few skid marks in'm.
COME ON APRIL!!!!!
Well it was all I could do to finish get'n my fix and make a mad dash to my pickup and grab my Turkey Vest(a permanent fixture in my PU). I ease my way towards my B-I-L's land and get about halfway across his place and sit down along the fence line. I pulled out a diaphragm, pop it in my mouth and then grab a slate call. The very first set of yelps I let out I get hammered back at on the first yelp ;D, it was not from the 6 gobblers I had first seen, but another one down on the creek, I worked him for about 5 minutes and got him with in about 20 yrds of me strutt'n his stuff before he went and joined in with the first group. He had about an 8" beard, man was it nice to get to see one strutt'n his stuff for me(why does it take so long for Springtime to come back around ) I waited for about 10 minutes and started back in, when I heard a half hearted tripple gobble slam back at my cutts. I look down in the direction of them and see 3 jakes in a dead run towards me. They came with in 10 yrds of me(sitting in my blues jeans, tennis shoes, black T-shirt, and my turkey vest) They hung around strutt'n for a few mintues and then wondered back towards the creek. I played around for about 30 more minutes getting gobbles coming from the other side of the creek but they were wanting me to come join them. Along about that time is when I felt like my world had come to a screeching hault, I hear the most unpleasant sound I have ever heard while out calling Turks, I here...."Shane...Shane, you need to come get ready to go into town." It was my Mother-In-Law ....picture yourself on a wondeful morning, turks all around answering your calls and you hear your M-I-L calling you....it was like the devil himself had showed up ).Before I tell you what happened Sunday afternoon, let me explain to you the land I was on. This out in the country and there is about 10, 5 ac. tracts along the creek, and about 10, 5 ac. tracks that border them. Nearly everyone down on the creek has a feeder set out yr round for the Turkeys, most of the places on the creek our little weekend cabins. On the other side of the creek there is gobs of Pecan trees that line the creek with wooded and farm land behind them. Being that small of lots, no one hunts down there...they just feed'm and watch'm. Now after some well thought out explaining to my B-I-L and F-I-L about how anyone that would be around would just think someone was just shooting a varmit or something, I think I got them convinced that with a well thought out and safely placed shot, it would be OK to shoot one or two this Spring. ;D(they have lived there for about 7 yrs and I have been working on this since day one......so once again in Turkey hunt'n...persistancy prevails)
Now, as ol' Paul would say...."The Rest Of The Story!!"
We were sitting around talking Sunday afternoon, kinda cuss'n and discuss'n stuff when I was telling them about feeding my 3 dogs along with, what seems like every stray cat in Eastland Co., my B-I-L tells me he thought he still had a live-trap over at his place, I could just start trapping the cats and donate them to the local Yotes ;D. We sat around for alittle while longer and then head down to my B-I-L's place to look for the trap. We pull right down to the creek in my PU, and when I step out, I look up and there is 9 gobblers not 10 yrds on the otherside of the fence that we our about 15 yrs from. They actually head right towards the fenceline and start walking up and down it(no their not scared of people.....well not yet ;D, they know people = food). At this point, I couldn't help it, I told my B-I-L..."watch this" I pop'd in a mouth call and just HAMMERED down as loud as I could a series of cutts followed by 3 screaming yelps at them at 15 yrs away. This is when I almost soiled my drawers. The freak'n creek went nuts!!!! Not only did I have these 9 gobblers gobbling their fool heads off at me from 15 yrds away, but there were gobbles all up and down the other side of the creek. I grabbed my longbox and hammered down on it and that when I got more to gobble farther back up in the fields behind the Pecans on the other side.There were some where around, what sounded to be 10 to 12 different groups of Gobblers on the opposite side of the creek. Some were spread out along the creek and some back up in the fields behind the creek. Just guessing I would say some where in the range of 75-100 gobblers...maybe more. If I'm Lie'n...I'm Die'n...and I promise you..I aint Die'n...(knock on wood). Before you pop off saying BS...just remember no one hunts them and feeders yr round. I'll have Louisiana Hunter and Momma LH down opening weekend to vouch for me on this(Now I know LH aint no reliable source ;D...but Momma LH is!!).LH, this is the place I told you awhile back about...the one I said you could wake up to Turks everymorning. I had the creek rock'n for about 10 minutes, with anything from a mouthcall, longbox, slate, glass, and a ol'locator call. Each time I called, I gave them everything I had, would'nt hold back, I would call as loud as I could with each call, and they would go nuts. Got the others working up out of the fields and towards the creek. There is alot of older birds around there, that I know are supporting some RAZOR SHARP HOOKS!!! After that, that's when I told my B-I-L...."you know, I don't have a problem at all with woop'n another mans butt...I will be taking a couple of these home with me come April" ;D There has always been alot of turks there, but the population has skyrocket'd.That was by far, with out a doubt in my mind, the MOST turkeys I have ever heard in one place in my life time. I know this sounded far fetched, but now you see why I almost soiled my drawers.....did end up with a few skid marks in'm.
COME ON APRIL!!!!!
.....I just looked at him and said "ya thank"! Dang Ol'Deer hunters...what do they know. LH, if it works out......I promise you, there is some TROPHY.....and prbly some record book birds around there. But we will have to come up with a good game plan to get them in a clear shoot'n lane.....but I don't think that will be very hard to do. After we hunt my places around here and we head over there(that's what will seem like forever), we will be staying in my B-I-L's weekend trailer house about 50 yrds up off the creek. Prbly just shoot'm off the front porch 
We have my other B-I-L's lease we are going to hunt about 15 miles up the road. Yep.....just counting the days my friend....just counting the days. This sounds like one of them TALL TEXAS TALES......but you aint gonna believe the number of birds around there!!!! Heck I've been around there for 7 yrs and I still couldn't believe how many I had gobbling yesterday afternoon. I have never....or should I say....never in my life even thought about that many Gobbler hammering like that. It was one of them things that I would have said..."75-100 gobblers gobbling....yea right...have another BudLight"...but believe it or not....I was stonecold sober(I hate it when that happens ;D). It was truely unbelievable. I'm still in disbelief myself. Like I said, my B-I-L and the rest of my family just laughed at me, they think I've totaly lost it.