THOUGHTS AFIELD….
by Kirby Keller
May 2018
“A GOOD HUNT”
I was awake before the alarm went off, yes, I admit I still have difficulty sleeping soundly in hunting season; too much excitement and anticipation! After dressing quickly, gulping down some oatmeal and a cup of coffee, I picked up my trusty shotgun and stepped out into the cool, pre-dawn darkness.
Standing there listening to the sounds of the forest while my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I pulled out my owl call and sent a “who, who cooks for you” echoing through the valley and waited. Nothing! I tried again. Immediately after the second call, a thunderous gobble exploded on Slab Mountain about four hundred yards from where I stood. In a few minutes, I called the second time, and again the gobbler answered and then a second gobbler chimed in. I had located them on a ridge that I knew very well and had easy access via an old logging road. Now the birds seemed to be gobbling constantly. It sounded promising!
After crossing a small creek, I began the climb up the ridge to a bench area where I spotted a large Hemlock to set up and make a few soft yelps. Instantly, the old tom answered and was moving in my direction. I heard a double gobble and realized that two birds were moving in my direction. Movement caught my eye about sixty yards up the ridge; two long beards were coming at an angle. They were going to circle me. Darn! I was set up on the wrong side of the tree.
The birds came in to about fifty yards and stopped. Then one bird took a few cautious steps toward me, but didn’t give me a clear shot, thanks to a multiflora rose bush. For the moment we were in a standoff; my mind was racing (my heart was racing, too) what should I do? To shoot was out of the question; I didn’t want to just wound the bird. Then, a shot rang out at a farm across the valley. Both birds putted and trotted up the ridge out of sight, and that was the end of that movie!
I sat there another half hour, making a few calls, but getting no response. By this time, the sun was shining and the woods was alive, but the turkeys had vamoosed! The rest of the morning, I relived this hunt, asking, what if? What if I had set up on the other side of the tree, would I have had a clear shot? Later, back at the cabin, I reflected on the morning: that was fun! I couldn’t wait for the next day’s hunt. No, I didn’t harvest a gobbler, but hunting is about so much more than taking an animal. To experience nature, see wildlife in its habitat and face the challenges of the hunt is a gift to treasure.
Good hunting!
by Kirby Keller
May 2018
“A GOOD HUNT”
I was awake before the alarm went off, yes, I admit I still have difficulty sleeping soundly in hunting season; too much excitement and anticipation! After dressing quickly, gulping down some oatmeal and a cup of coffee, I picked up my trusty shotgun and stepped out into the cool, pre-dawn darkness.
Standing there listening to the sounds of the forest while my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I pulled out my owl call and sent a “who, who cooks for you” echoing through the valley and waited. Nothing! I tried again. Immediately after the second call, a thunderous gobble exploded on Slab Mountain about four hundred yards from where I stood. In a few minutes, I called the second time, and again the gobbler answered and then a second gobbler chimed in. I had located them on a ridge that I knew very well and had easy access via an old logging road. Now the birds seemed to be gobbling constantly. It sounded promising!
After crossing a small creek, I began the climb up the ridge to a bench area where I spotted a large Hemlock to set up and make a few soft yelps. Instantly, the old tom answered and was moving in my direction. I heard a double gobble and realized that two birds were moving in my direction. Movement caught my eye about sixty yards up the ridge; two long beards were coming at an angle. They were going to circle me. Darn! I was set up on the wrong side of the tree.
The birds came in to about fifty yards and stopped. Then one bird took a few cautious steps toward me, but didn’t give me a clear shot, thanks to a multiflora rose bush. For the moment we were in a standoff; my mind was racing (my heart was racing, too) what should I do? To shoot was out of the question; I didn’t want to just wound the bird. Then, a shot rang out at a farm across the valley. Both birds putted and trotted up the ridge out of sight, and that was the end of that movie!
I sat there another half hour, making a few calls, but getting no response. By this time, the sun was shining and the woods was alive, but the turkeys had vamoosed! The rest of the morning, I relived this hunt, asking, what if? What if I had set up on the other side of the tree, would I have had a clear shot? Later, back at the cabin, I reflected on the morning: that was fun! I couldn’t wait for the next day’s hunt. No, I didn’t harvest a gobbler, but hunting is about so much more than taking an animal. To experience nature, see wildlife in its habitat and face the challenges of the hunt is a gift to treasure.
Good hunting!