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Wells
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2005
Grand Slam 6-Pack
 Grand
Slam 6-Pack HOME PAGE
Illinois Bowhunt For Easterns
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Day
1 | Day 2 | Day
3 | Day 4 | Day 4 Robert |
 
Guides Bob McNeff
and Fred Lutger
|
Our
host for the Illinois Hunt is Wells Creek Outfitters. Famous
for its trophy whitetail buck operation they also have spring wild turkey
hunts guided by Fred & Bob McNeff.
For
Information on Wells Creek buck or turkey hunts call 217-894-6804,
or Email:
wellscreekoutfitter@yahoo.com.
Visit the web site at Wells
Creek Outfitters. |
Fourth Day
Robert Hoague - At 7:44 things got real
interesting and I found a new use for the Double Bull Blind.
Several gobbles were in the
area as daylight lit up the field I was hunting. My blind was on the fence
and gave me a good view of the field.
At 7:44 I got busy with
my camera. First a gobbler came out of a gully 150 yards away and I zoomed
in on it.
Three hens followed the
gobbler. I glassed them and saw a fat, long beard on the tom.
A second gobbler -- the
binoculars showed him to be a jake -- came from the woods and stalked around
as the longbeard put on a show for the hens.
The longbeard was not the
only turkey "showing" -- the hens were bumping into him and circling him.
He was turning at a dizzying rate. Notice the hen to the left of the longbeard
(below). It has puffed up the feathers on it's neck and is rushing at the
gobbler.
The hen laid down in the
grass. But before the spinning gobbler could get stopped the other hen
pecked the hen back to her feet.
The hens continued circling
and bumping the longbeard. And every time one lsid in the grass for him
the other hen would peck her back on her feet. The jake came out of strut
and walked around the other turkeys.
At this point I had an idea About How
To Get Closer.
I wanted better pictures
of the amazing scenario I was witnessing. The blind was staked on the inside
and I pulled the stakes up. Then I slid the blind forward 6 inches. The
turkeys didn't notice. I kept moving, a few inches at a time. I laid my
bow on the ground in front of me and scooted it forward each time. When
I had covered 40 yards I took a few pictures.
As the hens kept the longbeard
busy I slid the blind, inches at a time, toward the turkeys. The longbeard
was constantly turning one way and then the other. He had to be dizzy and
I wondered if the hens had him totally giddy. It sure looked like it.
Thirty more yards and the
turkeys looked larger in the camera viewfinder. In the picture below the
longbeard is on the back of a hen. The jake is stalking around.
Then the Jake took advantage
of the longbeard's diversion and made a move for a hen.
When the gobbler noticed
him with a hen he charged the jake and chased him.
Then the longbeard returned
to
the hens.
Again the hens circled and
wooed the longbeard.
Finally, all the turkeys
walked back into the gully. The pic below is the jake as he enters the
drop off.
The first picture taken
was logged as 7:44 and the last one (above) was at 8:53. The whole deal
lasted over an hour.
With the turkeys out of sight I wanted
to move the blind more aggressively.
In my pocket I had a new
bow carrier called the
CrossFire Sling (from Pro
Ears). I hooked my bow to it, ran my arms through the straps like
a backpack, which put the bow behind my back so it wouldn't be in my way.
Then I grabbed the blind
by the front center hub, lifted it off the ground and walked at a slow
pace, keeping watch through the mesh window. When I could see into the
gully I set the blind down. A turkey was in the trees below.
The turkey paid me no attention.
So I drug the blind some more. I stopped when I saw the longbeard's fan
and took its picture.
The gobbler stepped into
view and as I took a pic he looked right at me. I was busted.
Surprise!!! The gobbler
didn't spook, instead it took a few steps down hill.
Picture taking time was
over...
I needed another 15 yards
to get a shot. I went for it. Looking through the mesh I saw the side of
his head -- 10 yards away.
I sat the blind down and
quickly unfastened my bow. As I knocked an arrow he laid down. This was
a steep angle and I drew (still standing) and put my pin on him through
the D-5 window. I could see the tip of his head and his wing feathers.
I put my pin on the feathers so the arrow would break his back.
And released.
The arrow hit and, surprise,
the entire group of turkeys flew up!
They only flew a short ways
and started assembly calling. The jake walked away from them and passed
close by but I had already shot the longbeard and watched the jake walk
away.
Soon several of hens were
re-grouped below me and I took a picture of one as it walked to another
hen.
I waited an hour.
First I walked to the fence
and got my backpack and turkey gear pack. Then I went over the side into
the gully. Ten yards down I found a pile of wing feathers, 9 or them, all
sheared off neatly.
The leaves were scuffed
up from the turkeys. There was no blood. None.
I continued down the steep
hill and saw my arrow sticking in the muddy bank of a creek bed. No blood.
No tiny feathers or goop on the shaft, feathers or nock. Nothing but mud
on the broadhead.
This all added up to a miss.
I looked for two hours anyway. There was absolutely no longbeard anywhere.
My shot cut feathers and nothing else.
What a day. The hens
wooing the longbeard and pecking each other when one would lay down for
breeding. Moving the blind. Finding a useful new piece of equipment (the
crossFire bow carrier). Actually getting within 10 yards of the turkeys
without them going ballistic -- they were not spooked by the Double Bull
blind. And getting a shot at am Eastern longbeard.
Sure I wish I had gotten
the big longbeard. Definitely. But it didn't happen. A bunch of other cool
things did happen and made it a day in the turkey woods that I'll
never forget.
| This was a real good hunt.
Both Doug and I released arrows with the intention of taking a gobbler.
These eastern gobblers are
very vocal on the roost and you hear them during the morning too. There
is a large wild turkey population in the Brown county area we hunted.
Fred Lutger and Bob McNeff
have a well organized wild turkey hunt. There were two hunters who hunted
with shotgun and both bagged a gobbler.
For
Information on a Spring turkey hunt call Freddie Bear Sports at 708-532-4133
or Email fred@freddiebearsports.com. |
 |
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