Interesting Morning

[cw642]

In all my years of turkey hunting I have never re-played a hunt over in my mind as much as Sundays. Not because we filled a tag, but more so because of what could have happened.

I worked late all week so I didn't have a chance to scout and with the weather changes it wouldn't have helped much anyways. After getting done with work on Saturday I went to town with our boy and picked up his tag and stopped by a WMA near the house. We crested the first hill and spotted a flock working to one of the roost we were going to check that night and came up with a plan for the morning. Waited until dark and no other vehicles even passed the WMA so I figured we'll be alone. Perfect.

Got the gear loaded, we even woke up on time, no other vehicles in the parking area, and it was still dark out. Perfect.

Now the next part is where it gets goofy. It's Easter morning so it could be quiet, but it's also the last day of A season so who knows. We get to the spot and set up. A jake and a hen decoy 15 yards inside the edge of the woods in a clearing, in chairs with our backs to a pine on the edge of an open field, and nothing but a small pond with some shabby cover on the fence line of the field. In front of us is where the birds headed the night before, the roost is on a peninsula so they should more than likely be coming back out the same way. Now my 10 year old and I have hunted a lot of states, harvested tons of birds together, and have hundreds of hours in the turkey woods together. The birds start gobbling; we have a bachelor loud mouth to the West that won't quit, the birds to the North had hens with before roosting so as usual in early season they are quiet, a few soft tree calls is all it should take, and thats when we hear it; 3 yelps from behind us. Our boy looked at me and said "hunter". Yes the ten year old said hunter, in 3 yelps he knew it wasn't a hen. See he's also a Grand National Turkey Calling Championships First Runner-Up. We've traveled the calling circuit for the last 3 years and heard every kind of caller there is. He also knew that not too long ago we walked from that exact location of where that hen that just yelped, and it was still before flydown. So worried about our safety I stand up wave my arm, look for the caller. Nothing.

Fast forward through the hunt. The bird to the West comes 150 yards hangs up because of pond, continues to gobble his head off on the private land 70 yards away. Birds to North tree yelp a little, gobble on the roost once, one flydown cackle, and they are on their way. They came our way as expected, only they decided to go 25 yards to the East of us through the brush. Unfortunately we had turned towards the West in case loud mouth popped in, and as I turned my head a hen busted me and flew. Putt putt putt, another bird see's us and alarms the flock, a few clucks and purr's and we have them back settled down. They move into the field behind a clump of cedar, and the little guy spins around and uses the back of his chair as a rest and is ready. He knows we are in deep trouble if those birds who are now headed between us get us in line with the other caller. Two gobblers are hammering behind the Cedar, and he says "first beard". At that moment I should have stopped him and spooked the birds off before anything could have happened. Like I said I couldn't see the caller behind us, but in the back of our minds we both know he's there. I was just about to end it and a Jake comes out and he shoots. He drops him. Normally he runs out after the 30+ turkeys he's harvested or been with for. This is the first time I had to stop him not knowing what the unknown caller was going to do.

At this point I'm looking for the other caller, but nobody shows. I watched pretty close as we packed up our stuff, still no sign, and as we headed to the truck I look allover where I thought he was and nothing. Maybe we we're hearing things? We get closer to our truck and there is his truck, but he's not around. I was going to leave a little note for him, when he comes into view on the other corner of the 10 acre open field.

I didn't really say much and he asks if we got it, and then he proceeded to tell us not only did he think we were hunting in that exact location, he even called to see if we'd respond to him and was set up on the fence line on the hill. Now the kicker, he says he was just out there scouting for archery and wasn't even hunting. In my younger days I would have read him the riot act, but with the kid with it's a different story. I kept a cool head and was halfway polite and as I usually do when I meet other turkey hunters on public ground, I offered him one of my business cards.

I know it's public land but I almost feel like something needs to be done. I debating whether to call the DNR and see what they say or just leave it alone.

[brittman]

I certainly scout for turkeys before my mid-season season opens, but I refrain from calling if I am occasionally out walking. I often walk mid-day to look more for sign that birds themselves. I stay on established trails and would never enter an area if a vehicle is parked at an approach. But I do not expect my fellow MN hunters to behave the same. On the occasion that I hunt well traveled public land, I often place a sign (dated) on the trail about 250 yards before the area of where I intend to hunt. It simply says turkey hunters ahead, please turn in another direction today. I will remove this sign when I leave the area.

I have also heard a ghost hunter calling several times over the past 20+ years. One time we had gobblers coming hard right at us. The ghost caller was well behind us. Turns out what we were sure was a hunter was indeed a lonely hen. The other times I have simply stood up and approached the hunter - whistling or talking loudly the whole time.

I also try carry a blaze orange cap with me when hunting public land. I always wear it or attach it some where when carrying out a dead bird.

[brittman]

All that said, it appears the real problem is YOU. If you indeed were positive that another hunter was moving towards you or actually set up within shotgun range - YOU should have done more than stand up and wave your arms and then quietly resume hunting. You should have flipped off your camo (pulled out blaze orange if available, used your voice and at least walked the area or simply moved on or repositioned to another location.

There is simply NO reason to put yourself or your son in this type of potential danger. Not that this should matter, but the fact that you have killed so many birds together and "were scared" as the long beards moved between you and the ghost hunter possible position ... WOW.

Take this as a lesson learned.

[123fish]

I've got one that will top anything said here yet. Just got off the phone with a buddy who was hunting northeast Nebraska. Has a single hen decoy out and is sitting in a blind. Looks out the side window and sees a gobbler in full strut about forty five yards. Starts to get ready to make a shot and sees a face peek around the "gobbler". Realizes it's a hunter sneaking up on his decoy and yells out that he is sitting there and don't shoot. The guy stands up and unbelievably he has his little boy sneaking right along with him. The guy is from Louisiania and tells my buddy how effective that decoy is. My friend tells him it is a very good way to get shot. I told him the guy should have been arrested for child endangerment. That about tops anything I've ever heard of as being just plain stupid.

[cw642]

Britmann, I agree. Working 70 hrs a week and the outlook of having very little time this Spring made me greedy for the chance to continue hunting the one day I had to spend with the boy this weekend. Your absolutely correct we should have ended it right after we first heard him there. That is part of why it's bothering me so much. Not so much the fact he hardly sounded like a turkey, not the fact that he knowingly called just to screw with us and not even the fact on that 20 acres there is only one roost area and of course it was apparent where we were hunting. Do I think that it may have been hunter harassment just to protect his later season hunting spot? Maybe. The fact is I should have gone out and found him right away and confronted him.

[brittman]

He certainly could have been "protecting" "his" area for later seasons. Sad and simply unnecessary.

I have found that if you know the area, mid season segments (D-F) are as productive as early (A-C). These gobblers move around. If a gobbler is killed off public land, others may backfill in if the habitat is good and hens are in the area.

Sure the easy birds are gone and some may become silent off the roost or circle in loops or other methods of being tricky, but the birds are there.

Youth get the whole season now so I am sure other chances will become available for your son. Good Luck.