I had been huntin' on my good friend's Kasey’s place in SE'ern Kansas for the two previous days with a few birds gobblin' to my callin’ ...
... but unfortunately they were flyin' down & hangin' out on the freshly tilled fields on the neighborin' properties ...
... bein’ in a new place & not bein’ sure about access, I wasn’t about to be crossin’ any property lines ...
It sure seemed like they wanted nothin' to do with the taller grasses & were headin' to the newly planted & tilled fields in the area ...
Kasey decided to go out with me Sunday mornin' & take me to some of the other farms in the area that he had access to - which was obviously a good move for sure ...
We first got set up under a ladder stand on the edge of a planted corn field across a creek bottom treeline from another cornfield that had birds workin' in it ...
... a couple of clucks & yelps from a Dawkins slate got a bird gobblin' to the right & then another bird fired off from the left ...
... both birds were some 250+ yards from my location, with me about in the dead center of ‘em on the field edge ...
After sittin' for a while with some sparse callin' on the slate & a mouth caller, I had the birds gobblin' but not comin' into sight ...
... I figured the birds were with hens & decided to moved on the bird to the right ...
I backed out of my set-up to check the other corn field & then headed up the field's edge to close the gap on the gobbler ...
... when I got within about 40 yards of the field's corner by the treelined creek, I spotted 4 hens & 2 jakes, but couldn’t get a visual on the gobbler that was still firin’ off from in the treeline ...
I sat it out 'till the hens & jakes moved off into the top edge treeline & the gobbler then moved into the first cornfield I was set-up in earlier ...
... pretty sure he was headed for the
"Dawkins Hen" he had heard & gobbled to earlier ...
I let him get a ways out into the cornfield before movin' in through the treeline & crossin' the creek to get set-up on that field's edge ...
I hit him with a few yelps from a new Frank Hegler
"Hard Times" trumpet I had with me, & then gave him an earful with a Gary Joffrain’s green Magnolia mouth call ...
... he gobbled to both, & started headin’ back my way – the Dawkins slate then sweet talked him to be bearin’ down on the set-up, gobblin’ the whole way there ...
...
all 350+ yards comin' back across the cornfield ...
When he got to within’ range he fired off again & blew up into full strut - I then I heard a hen go off to our right, across a fenceline on a neighborin’ field ...
... I wasn’t about to let another hunter; or uninvited hen; in on this deal – so off went the safety & the Benelli was let in on the hunt as soon as the gobbler's head came out of the tuck ...
... it closed the deal in proper fashion & sat the fine gobbler right down were he stood – no floppin’ about it ...
I surely can't thank my buddy Kasey enough for lettin' me come up to his fine place in Kansas - had a great time huntin' & doin' a little deer season prep work on his mighty fine piece of property ...
... & of course big thanks to Mr. Frank Hegler, Mr. Darrin Dawkins, & Mr. Gary Joffrian for makin' some mighty fine turkey killin' callers for me ...
... what a great way to close out a great Spring 2010 Season for me - thanks to all my huntin' buddies, & to all the great callmakers that were right there with me -
can't wait for Spring 2011 ...
