So there I was at 5:45 sneaking through the woods like a poacher . I worked my way around the birds and climbed the point ridge at the boundary line fence . Made the top and stopped for a breather . The moon was strong between scattered clouds that were moving fast . When she shown brightly I could easily pick out the turkeys against the sky and thought about the hunters of decades ago that would actually go out on nights , or early mornings just like this one , to get some meat for the table .
The point ridge is no more than 40 yards wide at the boundary of the property . I zig-zagged from one side to the other as I headed for the point itself. Most of the turkeys were near the point . Last evening we counted 7 turkeys from our place down the hill by the cabin . This morning I busted 10 , and one that wouldn't budge . I later did get him to fly just as the eastern sky began to lighten .
So , Daniel arrives at the appointed time and we slowly move up the slope to the point , and wait for light . One of the turkeys was a big and heavy feller . As he left his limb he looked like he was barely moving though his wings were beating very rapid . Some of the birds flew south ,,,some west ,,,some east . That big moon made my job a sight easier but also gave the turkeys an advantage over me . That , and the fact that they generally pitch out of their tree and glide down to the top of the point ridge . The top has zero cover . Wide open and clean . I wanted to be up there but taking someone who has had very little turkey hunting experience prodded me to set up at the base of the point where a tractor path goes along one side of the little ridge and bends around the point itself and down through the woods . I set us up there hoping the westward birds would come up out of the holler , or those that flew south would come up to the point . By the time the action started the trees were rocking in the wind . When it was light enough for turkeys to be on the ground I began calling . First with the trumpet , then a scratchbox , mouthcall and box . The first bird to reply was no doubt the big ol' boy ,,,,,slow croakin' yelper . He moved fast too . But , he wasn't coming toward us but rather going along the slope of the next ridge south of our position . Then he turned north and came down to the bottom . By this time another jake was really putting out the lost yelps . I stayed with him on the mouthcall . He came to within 75 yards but we couldn't see him . These were the only two birds out of ten that called ,,,,that I could hear anyway . Then it got quiet again .
Evidently the westward birds had regrouped and went right over the point ridge to where the jake was yammerin' .The big boy probably just cut an angle up to join them as well . We never heard from any of turkeys from the east .
I enjoyed every moment and so did Daniel . This was my first attempt to scatter a flock from the roost and the second flock I've scattered .
