Leaving home while it was still dark, I took a scenic byway, and it was indeed scenic. Numerous deer were seen, one playing chicken with the SUV at 65 mph. Nearing the wildlife area, I found this tom putting on a show for a female friend, safe in a refuge zone.
I was walking from the SUV at 8:30 am after seeing one truck parked at on end of the wildlife area, and a second on at my hoped for jumping off spot. I decided to split the difference, and headed down to the river. Cresting the ridge and looking down at the lake, I could see 2 toms a half mile away. Slipping under the fence and weaving my way thru the sandplum thickets, I decided to set up at the bottom of the thicket, with the feeder stream and its streamside woods about 100 yards away. Calling sparingly (late season on public lands) I was hoping that the birds I had seen would head my way.
Excited to see sandplums on the limb
Over an hour later, I heard a volley of gobbles directly across from me, and it seemed about halfway up the opposite hill. I contemplated crossing the opening to get into the trees, and then possibly find a way across the feeder stream to intercept, but being that this was my first time here, I wasn't aware of the terrain and foliage that journey would entail, and as it was early, I didn't want to blow out these gobbling birds. Hind sight observation: I should have moved to the river's edge.
Several fun moments with deer over the next 90 minutes, with the first one mentioned in post # 542 above
The day was warming, and for Kansas standards, there wasn't much breeze. I found a nice comfy reclining option with my seat cushion, and before I knew it, the eyelids were getting heavy. I dozed off several times, and then my turkey spidey senses caused me to get the binoculars up, to see a tom in the opposite treeline. I guess he was looking for that sweet sounding hen he had heard sporadically calling from this field, and not seeing her, he turned back towards the woods.
Finally convinced that my setup wasn't gonna work today, I worked my way through the buckbrush down to the feeder stream. Finding a way to cross, I worked my way up the hill towards where I had heard the mid morning volley of gobbles. Finding a good resting spot against a large cottonwood, I let the woods settle down before calling as I had flushed up another half dozen deer walking up the hill.
More fun with deer for the next hours, but no turkeys seen or heard, I moved further away from the main lake edge exploring and hoping for another chance with turkeys. Walking up to the top of the hill, I had a glorious view of a thriving wildlife area, and I thought I now understood what happened earlier this morning.
I hypothesized that after getting down to the lake for a drink (I still have never seen a wild turkey taking a drink!) they walked up a flat open ridge top to get to where they gobbled. I hoped that they had dropped into an adjacent river bottom where they couldn't have seen me in my wanderings. I set up on the ridge and called. Being patient, I enjoyed the scene of deer feeding on the exposed lake bed (drought is strong in Kansas) and was happy to eventually hear gobbling from the lake.
I snap decided that I was going to cut the distance toward the gobbles, and made it 100-ish yards closer. I intentionally picked an ambush spot that seemed to have an opening in the the lake edge brush, and cranked out some cuts on the slate. Immediate responsive gobbling and I thought that finally I was in business. Calling and responding, I guessed that I was dealing with at least 3 toms and as many jakes as well. Coming closer, I could just see dark shapes through the thick brush. My heart was pumping much faster than average, I reminded myself to keep my cheek tight to the stock, and even practiced a left shoulder mount should these birds zig when I expect them to zag.
Coming right to left, these birds were directly in front of me, less than 45 yards away, and completely invisible. Gobbling at me, seagulls, crows, the spray plane flying overhead, I have over 16 minutes of audio on my cell phone as they were totally fired up. Drifting back and forth it seemed that the toms were drifting away while the jakes were moving towards the hoped for opening.
Trying to get a better understanding of what was happening within shotgun range, I used the cottonwood to shield me from suspicious scanning turkey eyes
