I have been turkey hunting for about 15 years now, but I have never had the chance to go on a Rio hunt. All of my hunting has been for the eastern sub species, mostly here in East Texas, but also in Mississippi and Missouri.
On our trip out to Globe in February Billy Leal (M-m-miss!) said he would hook me up with some Rios come spring season.
Well, season came and we tried to arrange our schedule to allow a hunt. I met Billy at his house Tuesday morning and we headed out. We stopped at his uncles place to see if there were any turkeys, but even though the ranch hand said he had seen some, we didn't see any sign or hear any. We made a couple of coyote stands, but no show, and we decided to head on to his lease about another hour away.
We got there and started scouting and calling trying to locate a bird. We saw some deer, but no turkeys or sign. So we dropped down into the bottom see if any had been down there. We did finally find 2 old gobbler tracks, and I found a matched set of sheds laying a few feet from Billy's bow stand.
By the time we finished walking a couple of miles of bottom road in the head we were kind of whipped. On the way back to the truck Billy shot a coon that had probably grown fat off his feeder during deer season.
About 30 minutes before dark we went up on top where we could overlook the bottom to see if we could hear a gobbler going to roost. We could see a mile of county with most being across the bayou and off the property. We did see a couple of big groups of deer on the fields on the other side, but no turkeys and couldn't hear any.
With light fading, we headed to another field to make a coyote stand, and in less than 2 minutes, Billy got a red fox. I saw a few turkey tracks so we decided to come back here to listen at daylight.
I don't think either of us had much hope of getting a turkey at this point.
I had brought me lightforce, so we made a few stands to see if we could see anything. First stand a coon came in to the lightning jack, but it was early so he got a pass. He hung around and wante do see how he responded to the coon distress sound I just put on my caller. But, I hit crow fight instead. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
Then I got the coon distress, and by this time he decided he was leaving. We went to another spot, and had another coon come in after about 6 minutes of woodpecker distress. This one didn't get a pass. Maybe all the coons were getting all the turkey eggs?
Come gobbling time, we were back at the big field, and sure enough we head a gobble way off on the other side a half mile away. Billy said that was off the property, but we went that way hoping maybe they would fly down and come to the field. But, they must have moved away after fly down, because when we got to the property line we could still hear them way off, and sounded farther than they had at first.
We decided to go back to the bayou overlook and if we didn't hear anything there head back home.
When we stopped the truck on the top of the hill, we heard a gobble down in the bottom. We walked over to where we could see the other side, and there looked to be 4 turkeys on the edge a plowed field where we had seen the deer yesterday and they were gobbling.
Problem was, they were on the wrong side, and off the property. I didn't have much hope, but we fell off down the hill into the bottom and listened to them gobble as we got closer to the bayou.
We got to where we were probably 300 or 400 yards away backed up from the edge of the bayou and set up.
Here is the set up from my view. The bayou was straight out in front of us, and the birds were on the other side. Billy was to my right. There was a little ditch, and then the bank and then the bayou beyond that.
They immediately answered my calls, but I didn't figure there was any way to get them to cross the huge barrier between us. But, we didn't have anything else do but go home so we kept playing the game.
After about 30 minutes, they were definately getting closer, and then we could see them dropping into the bottom from the field on the other side. The way they were group gobbling, I thought they might be jakes, but when they got to where I could see them, they were definately long beards. They were probably 100 yards away on the other side, and they would gobble and pace back and forth.
At this point, I started to get a little optimistic that we could pull them across, since the competition factor between the gobblers was high.
I head a gobble that was definately down in the very bottom, and then I started feeling better, and sure enough I head wing beats. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I whispered to Billy that they had flown across, and called again softly.
A minute later, I saw a head and a long beard was trying to be the first to get to the hen. At 25 yards I made a little cluck with the diaphram to make him stop and shot him. He went straight down, and I turned to grin at Billy.
The bird died right at the base of the second tree a little left of center in the above picture.
I couln't see the other gobblers, but figured they were gone. Then I heard something, so I called and here came the others.
Billy had never killed a called bird, so I wanted him to get one too. About that time the bird I shot started to flop, and that sucked them right in.
It was 4 more long beards! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Billy was just back over my right shoulder, and the birds were a little to my left. He could see them, but wouldn't shoot because it would be shooting right across in front of me.
I was trying to watch the birds as they strutted and pecked at the other birds 25 yards away, get a bead on another one, and see what Billy was doing all at the same time.
I was waiting for at least on bird to go right so Billy could get a clear shot. I whispered to let me know when he had a shot. When I heard "I got it", I whispered "shoot". He shot, I shot and we had 2 more birds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The remain 2 birds looked around nervously and moved off a little, but I figured two for me was enough. I didn't know that Billy only had one shell in his gun, so he couldn't get a second one.
We did a high five and went to check out our birds. It was 45 minutes since we first sat down and started calling.
It was a steep climb back to the truck, so we decided to leave the birds and guns and go get the truck and drive around and take pictures.
It took us thirty minutes to get back with the truck, and while we were taking pictures, the other two birds started gobbling not far away.
Billy wanted to try for a second bird, but after another hour of messing with them, they were having none of it.
We decided we had done good, and it was time to head home.
Here is a picture of the bayou that they flew across. We could see them pacing the far bank.
This looking from the birds back to our calling spot. I was sitting next to the big tree.
My first bird had a 10 inch beard and 1" spurs. The second had a 10 1/2 inch beard and 1 1/4 spurs.
Billy's was 10 iches and 1" spurs.
Billy, thanks for a fun trip!
On our trip out to Globe in February Billy Leal (M-m-miss!) said he would hook me up with some Rios come spring season.
Well, season came and we tried to arrange our schedule to allow a hunt. I met Billy at his house Tuesday morning and we headed out. We stopped at his uncles place to see if there were any turkeys, but even though the ranch hand said he had seen some, we didn't see any sign or hear any. We made a couple of coyote stands, but no show, and we decided to head on to his lease about another hour away.
We got there and started scouting and calling trying to locate a bird. We saw some deer, but no turkeys or sign. So we dropped down into the bottom see if any had been down there. We did finally find 2 old gobbler tracks, and I found a matched set of sheds laying a few feet from Billy's bow stand.
By the time we finished walking a couple of miles of bottom road in the head we were kind of whipped. On the way back to the truck Billy shot a coon that had probably grown fat off his feeder during deer season.
About 30 minutes before dark we went up on top where we could overlook the bottom to see if we could hear a gobbler going to roost. We could see a mile of county with most being across the bayou and off the property. We did see a couple of big groups of deer on the fields on the other side, but no turkeys and couldn't hear any.
With light fading, we headed to another field to make a coyote stand, and in less than 2 minutes, Billy got a red fox. I saw a few turkey tracks so we decided to come back here to listen at daylight.
I don't think either of us had much hope of getting a turkey at this point.
I had brought me lightforce, so we made a few stands to see if we could see anything. First stand a coon came in to the lightning jack, but it was early so he got a pass. He hung around and wante do see how he responded to the coon distress sound I just put on my caller. But, I hit crow fight instead. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
Then I got the coon distress, and by this time he decided he was leaving. We went to another spot, and had another coon come in after about 6 minutes of woodpecker distress. This one didn't get a pass. Maybe all the coons were getting all the turkey eggs?
Come gobbling time, we were back at the big field, and sure enough we head a gobble way off on the other side a half mile away. Billy said that was off the property, but we went that way hoping maybe they would fly down and come to the field. But, they must have moved away after fly down, because when we got to the property line we could still hear them way off, and sounded farther than they had at first.
We decided to go back to the bayou overlook and if we didn't hear anything there head back home.
When we stopped the truck on the top of the hill, we heard a gobble down in the bottom. We walked over to where we could see the other side, and there looked to be 4 turkeys on the edge a plowed field where we had seen the deer yesterday and they were gobbling.
Problem was, they were on the wrong side, and off the property. I didn't have much hope, but we fell off down the hill into the bottom and listened to them gobble as we got closer to the bayou.
We got to where we were probably 300 or 400 yards away backed up from the edge of the bayou and set up.
Here is the set up from my view. The bayou was straight out in front of us, and the birds were on the other side. Billy was to my right. There was a little ditch, and then the bank and then the bayou beyond that.
They immediately answered my calls, but I didn't figure there was any way to get them to cross the huge barrier between us. But, we didn't have anything else do but go home so we kept playing the game.
After about 30 minutes, they were definately getting closer, and then we could see them dropping into the bottom from the field on the other side. The way they were group gobbling, I thought they might be jakes, but when they got to where I could see them, they were definately long beards. They were probably 100 yards away on the other side, and they would gobble and pace back and forth.
At this point, I started to get a little optimistic that we could pull them across, since the competition factor between the gobblers was high.
I head a gobble that was definately down in the very bottom, and then I started feeling better, and sure enough I head wing beats. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I whispered to Billy that they had flown across, and called again softly.
A minute later, I saw a head and a long beard was trying to be the first to get to the hen. At 25 yards I made a little cluck with the diaphram to make him stop and shot him. He went straight down, and I turned to grin at Billy.
The bird died right at the base of the second tree a little left of center in the above picture.
I couln't see the other gobblers, but figured they were gone. Then I heard something, so I called and here came the others.
Billy had never killed a called bird, so I wanted him to get one too. About that time the bird I shot started to flop, and that sucked them right in.
It was 4 more long beards! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Billy was just back over my right shoulder, and the birds were a little to my left. He could see them, but wouldn't shoot because it would be shooting right across in front of me.
I was trying to watch the birds as they strutted and pecked at the other birds 25 yards away, get a bead on another one, and see what Billy was doing all at the same time.
I was waiting for at least on bird to go right so Billy could get a clear shot. I whispered to let me know when he had a shot. When I heard "I got it", I whispered "shoot". He shot, I shot and we had 2 more birds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The remain 2 birds looked around nervously and moved off a little, but I figured two for me was enough. I didn't know that Billy only had one shell in his gun, so he couldn't get a second one.
We did a high five and went to check out our birds. It was 45 minutes since we first sat down and started calling.
It was a steep climb back to the truck, so we decided to leave the birds and guns and go get the truck and drive around and take pictures.
It took us thirty minutes to get back with the truck, and while we were taking pictures, the other two birds started gobbling not far away.
Billy wanted to try for a second bird, but after another hour of messing with them, they were having none of it.
We decided we had done good, and it was time to head home.
Here is a picture of the bayou that they flew across. We could see them pacing the far bank.
This looking from the birds back to our calling spot. I was sitting next to the big tree.
My first bird had a 10 inch beard and 1" spurs. The second had a 10 1/2 inch beard and 1 1/4 spurs.
Billy's was 10 iches and 1" spurs.
Billy, thanks for a fun trip!
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