May 28th - Oh those turkeys!

The morning was a complete bust...The birds have gone
completely silent...So I didnt stay out too long since I have
so much going on the next couple days and the lawn looks
crappy!  Plus it was 61 dregrees out but the humidity was
near 100% and I was dripping with sweat with just a t-shirt
on...

I spent the rest of the morning lining up my topsoil delivery
and getting the John Deer 110 backhoe set up for the weekend
so I can begin to get the front lawn landscapped...

By mid morning I decided to get the food plots done with
Frigid Forage Wild Game Buffet on one of them and Eagle
Seed soybeans on the other...Got some rain coming this week
so a good time to do it...

On my way up to the plots I turned the corner of the driveway
and right on the slope heading up towards Ralphs is a big ole
tom standing right in the road...As I got close he headed towards
the flats...I turned around at Ralphs and noticed he was back
in the road but heading to the power lines...

I had my gun with me so decided to try to do an ambush on the
power line...I had no camo on and only the mouth call I learned
to use while in VA; and I had about 45 minutes before legal
shooting ended, which is noon, so this was going to be an interesting
experiment...

I got in place and yelped; and got him to gobble but he was way
down towards my house still...In 10 minutes he and the hen with
him had gotten right up near me..This was going to work!

Then the worst thing that could happen...Did!  My mouth completly
forgot how to blow the call...Here I had been practing for over
2 weeks and could do all the calls and now this!  I thought I was
doomed...

Because I was on the opposite side of the power line road, I
couldnt see over the bank so really didnt know where he was
at...Thus didnt know where he was going to pop out and who was
going to pop out first...And I couldnt call so I was at his mercy...

Less then a minute later I see this head come out over the weeds
looking to my right...All I could see was his head and top of his neck...

HE WAS 6 FEET AWAY!!

But because his neck wasnt really visable I couldnt tell if it was
the tom or the hen...One more step up the bank is all I could think
about...

Then he turned and looked right at me and instantly he popped right
up in the air and took off...I still cant say for sure if it was the tom
or the hen but based on what size looked like Im sure it was the tom...

Lessons learned:
1.  Always keep your gun in the truck until end of shooting time,
2.  Always have at least your face mask and gloves in the truck, and
3.  Always have your calls in the truck.
4.  Turkeys have AMAZING eye sight...This bird picked me out even
though I was against a bank f saplings, briers and weeds.

This was a big confidence booster even if it didnt end with a bird
down...This showed me I could call a turkey in even without being
an expert...

Another fun day!