OK. Just got home from 4 days of hunting with Bow Boy (middle son). We had an awesome time. We started out leaving our house at 6 AM on Thursday monrning. Looked for birds along the drive but didn't see many. After setting up our camp we decided to do some more scouting. At 8:30 pm we go to one of our spots and I blow the peacock (suggestion of BowHunter45). We get an immediate gobble. After spending a few more minutes enjoying the view we crystalize our plan to head back in the morning to find that bird.
Friday morning: We drive to a close spot to where we heard the gobble the night before. Oh, I forgot that we slept through the alarm clock so instead of getting up at 4:15 we rolled out of bed at 6:00. Anyway, as we are getting out of our truck in the morning I close the truck door and the gobbler fires off. And he's close. Hurry. We grab our gear and I push the door lock on the truck which gives off a chirp and more gobbles respond. We hurry off to set up and it already sounds like the bird is getting closer. I quickly put up a burlap piece of fabric for a quick blind and set up my decoy (this turns out to later be a mistake). We set down and I start some soft yelps. The bird is going crazy and coming in fast. After 5 minutes I do another soft yelp and the bird fires off about 15 yards from us but around a bush, aghh. He then starts drumming, making hissing sounds and we can hear him ruffling his feathers. Here is our lesson learned. Sometimes it pays to be flexible. Bow Boy should have leaned out probaby and tried to get a shot. Instead we just sat waiting for the bird to come just another yard closer and around the bush so that we could see him. Instead he wandered off gobbling his head off. Still it was an exciting time. He just didn't want to get any closer to the decoy. Again, should have listened to advice of Bowhunter.
Saturday: It was overall a slower day. Lots of activities in the woods with a lot of noise which I don't think helped hunting. But, we did get permission to hunt a piece of private that we were really after. I also discovered that my slate call could bring in an elk!. I start yelping at one set up and I hear a roar of hoofs and next thing I know a bull elk (fuzzy nubs for horns) is at about 5 yards looking at me. I wish I would have had my camera.
Sunday: We decided to go back to the private property. We set up early and start waiting. After about an hour a bird starts to wander out. Bow Boy who has now fallen asleep wakes up and turns his head. Putt Putt Putt. Game over. Dang. We drive around some more, hear some more gobbles and then drive back by the private property one last time before we have to head home. There in the field is a massive longbeard. I drop off Bow Boy and he walks up the road while I park the truck. Bow Boy scales a small hill and pokes his head over to see the bird, 30 yards. Pulls his arrow back and what happens next? The arrow hits an electric fence wire and deflects off course. I can't believe it. He managed to hit a wire? We find the arrow in the field and one of the blades is gone. A birthday bird for Bow Boy was not to be. But at least he got off a legit shot.
Bottom line: Birds were still vocal. We saw Elk, Moose, Turkey Vulture, Toads, Turtles, Turkeys, Rabbits, Owl, Coyote, and I got to go hunting with my son on his birthday. It was a great time.
