Trying to beat the heat I left early for the hayfield featured in last years thread (
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=258728 ) wanting to accomplish two goals. I was bringing my .243 to verify the scope and I were shooting where it was supposed to go, and to pull the memory card from the trail camera.
The swather had not made it to cut the hay yet this year, as everytime the soil dries enough for the machinery to get into the field, it rains again. Walking up the hill from the road, I had to knock down nearly a dozen mega spider webs crossing the footpath. Did I mention yet that I don't like spiders? Peeking around the corner of the tree line I saw a young whitetail looking at me wondering what she was looking at at first, then figured out that I was not a buddy, snorted and flagged her way away.
I got comfortable over the sticks and made sure the brain, finger and gun was going to be lethal this fall (come on lottery, get me my Kansas elk tag!) for critters hooved or clawed. Missing small cause I was aiming small, I felt happy with the results.
Just as I had declared myself still eligible for the USAF marksmanship award, I looked up and saw six turkeys had crossed through the hedgerow and were feeding their way towards me. As the hayfield has a series of terraces in it, once the superjakes disappeared behind a clump of yellow clover and the contour of the field let me move, I made my way towards a hoped for intercept point out in the middle of this large field. I made my way to a very thick clump of Johnson grass and watched these birds feed their way towards me. Now I was really kicking myself for leaving my camera at home, knowing that any pics would be of the "crappy cellphone" variety.
Minutes later, these six had worked there way close enough that I declared them to be in shotgun range. I patted myself on the back for being such a good ninja, and was really enjoying the show of nature doing its thing. The turkeys were picking away at seeds of the tall grass heads, and every so often chasing down a grasshopper as they continued their way down the adjacent terrace ridge. The lead five were know far enough to my left that I had to shift to the right to put myself once again behind the screen of grass I was using to hide myself. In my head I am imagining a scenario how this group or turkeys might randomly decided to feed my way, and I contemplate touching one as it passes by or it least throwing a glove at it just as it recognizes the nearby danger. A flutter of movement to my right reveals a turkey trying to run down a tasty grasshopper meal. He's about seven yards away.
RING RING!! My cell phone text alert sounds off, this turkey stares at the clump of grass and the dark shadow behind it. On high alert, he calls out danger: putt, Putt, PUtt, PUTt, PUTT!! Knowing something is amiss, he heads towards his buddies. They all look at him as if he must be mistaken.......maybe thinking in their little turkey brains, "what are you so nervous about, there nothing out here except seed heads and grasshoppers".
They start to swerve a little more to my left, no longer headed my way. It's getting hot, I've had my fun, and I should be getting the memory card and head home. I stand up and address the turkey flock, "hello boys, thanks for the show". They look at me, themselves, then back at this strange and wonderful turkey ninja suddenly transported into their midst ( thanks again Enterprise and Mr. Scott) and they exit gently stage left.
As you might have guessed, here is the best of the cellphone pics.
