Florida Spring Gobbler Season Report - #2 First Week

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Monday day #3.

I ended up camping Sunday night to hunt monday morning. I figured I could get on the pasture bird so that was the plan for the hunt. I waited at the 4way on the hill at the sink hole block for gobble time. gobble time cam eand went, nothing! Finally, a full 20 min. after he should have gobbled I heard him and was able to course the direction. That would be the only gobble I heard from him that morning. I moved that way a 100 plus yds and set up and did some calling but he would not respond.

Wanting something a little hotter I decided to leave and try to prospect another turkey to fool with. I stopped at the corner of the pasture and got a bird to gobble to the south down the fence line a couple times. I went that way and it all fell apart. I flushed a bird in the open woods. Don't know what it was but never heard the tom again. I headed to work from there.
Tuesday day #4,

I scouted Monday night and found some good strut sign left by my backup bird at the powerline. The next morning the only bird I heard gobbled across, deep in the block to the west. I have never been in that block so I decided to strike out and go to him.  Later, Steve told me "If I had been there I would have advised against trying to cross that block!" Now you tell me! It was miserable thick pine flatwoods and cypress ponds and I thought I would never get there. It turned out that the gobbler was roosted all the way across the next road in a duck pond!. I set up on him  from the road as he was only 75 yds off it and i figured he must have flown up from there and I had a good chance he would pitch back down to it. Wrong again! He gobbled a couple times after I  got set up then shutup and I never heard or saw him again. I have no idea how he got out of there. I did hear a bird on the ground about a half hour later but he never materilised and I did not know which direction the gobble came from. I suspected SSW but that was just my best guess. I moved that way but it was getting late and I headed for work.

Wednesday day #5

I scouted tues. pm in the dark and found some hot strut sign on the creek road. I cold camped that night and the next morning I went to that spot.  The bird gobbled one time on roost early. I parked the truck and tried to go to him but he did not gobble again. I had to set up off a tee in the road not knowing how far he was. After a half hour or so, I finally heard him gobble on the ground. He was at the absolute maximum end of my hearing range and I was not 100% sure it was him. I heard him quite a few times before I decided to go north and see if I could get on him. After about a hundred and a quarter he gobbled at a real crow and I had him marked. I moved ahead some more and called at him and he answered.  Just ahead was a place open enough to maybe film but I was really pushing the envelope. I moved the 30yds to that spot with my finger crossed and gritted teeth. I got set up quick and waited for a minute to call.

I never heard him again! Busted! That was my only real opportunity at a killable bird so far this season I my high pressure style cost me that one.

I did not scout this afternoon as I knew I was not going to hunt in the morning.


Thursday day #6, no hunting, windy I did scout pm for friday


Friday day #7, I decided to give the bird a try back on the creek road by the little burn. I heard a gobble way north pretty much out of hearing and to far to try to go to. Only heard it once or twice and was not 100% sure on the direction. I cranked the atv and took off prospecting.

I ended up over at the duck pond and as I got to the S.E. corner Something made me stop. I can't get it out of my head how the bird I hunted here on Tuesday here. I wanted to see what was out there in that old pond. I found an old trail to get thru the thick edge that rings the perimeter of the open pond. when I broke thru I could hardly believe my eyes and I knew instantly why the bird did not fly into the road that morning.....the pond was dry and looked like a new rye grass field with islands of high grass and tusocks dotted here and there....a turkey paradise!!! I'd guess 12-15 acres in size. As a matter of fact the next thing I saw was a long beard walking out fron behind a tusock to my left. He picked me out standing there and went back. As soon as he was out of sight I scrambled back to grab my gear and the hunt was on!

I slipped from tusock to tusock until I was as close as I was getting. There ended up being (2) jakes, the long beard and (4) hens there. They fed back and fourth against one side of the pond and only the jakes ever came into range. The jakes were the only birds to answer me except for about (3) gobbles I was able to drag out of the old gobbler. He strutted and chased jakes and put on a show for a full hour and then the flock lined out and headed S.W. to get up on the hill and out of the sun. It was fustrating not being able to pull them over to me but it was a great show and I was amazed that I was able to make about 5 moves on them without getting caught!

I found a gator still living in the dry pond in a cave he had excavated. I was able to track his sign from one cave to another and took a few pictures for everyone to see. I doubt to many people get to see a gator cave, slide, etc.

I expect to have some good turkey hunts on this dry pond! Here's some pictures, What a turkey magnet!

Friday afternoon I tried to roost here on the pond and actually got there in time to hunt but I did not here a gobble.

Gobbler's turd!

It's not over by a long shot!

Good Luck,
Larry S.

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