BOWHUNT FOR THE RIO GRANDE
by Robert Hoague

Apr 21 - Longbeard

Daybreak was one of those Pro Ears events, without them I would not have heard the extremely faint gobble in the direction of the canyon 1,600 yards away. Sunlight came on strong. Yesterdays rain clouds had cleared away during the night. 

Today I set up with the decoys looking at each other. The hen is on the left of the blind and a few steps into the open. The Hazel Creek jake is on the lane in front of the blind. They were ready, I was ready, and the gobblers were not. I broke for lunch at 11:30.

WOOPS!
Some things came up at the office that I had to attend to and I couldn't return until after 4:00. As I walked quietly through the cedars, 50 yards from the blind, I heard multiple gobbles, they were loud and very close. I lined myself up so the blind would block them from seeing me and slipped up to the tree behind the blind. When I dropped to my knees and looked under the tree's limbs I saw three gobblers casually walking along up ahead.

They started down hill and went out of my view. I very carefully circled the tree and got in the blind. It took longer than I would have liked but I couldn't risk being heard. When I cut and yelped at them they sounded off at least 150-200 yards ahead. After that they didn't gobble again.

I waited 15 minutes to see if they might show up. They didn't. So I stepped out of the blind and set up my decoys again. Half an hour later a hen walked down the lane to the left of my blind.

At 6:48 saw the tail and back of a wild turkey in one of the areas where I see turkeys regularly. I gave it 3 soft yelps with a Woodhaven Copperhead mouth call -- which, of course, was already im my mouth. 

The Sony was still at my eye when the turkey stepped clear of limbs and I saw a nice beard hanging down. He promptly turned the wrong way and took a few steps. I cut at him.

He turned broadside. But I must have not been that enticing because he walked away on the same trail that the earlier gobblers had left by.

Two solo hens and a pair of hens came through the area where the longbeard had been. 

As the sun turned the day's light into bright streaks mixed with shadows a hen came down the same trail as the longbeard. I purred at it with the Woodhaven Cherry Slate and it promptly turned and walked over to investigate.

A few very soft yelps brought her all the way in. In the photo below she is watching my jake decoy.

The hen rounded the last limb and eyeballed the jake in all his taxidermied glory.

VIDEO TIME - The hen strolled into the bright light and began preening herself. I clicked my camera over to Video mode and recorded some short segments of what she did. These are the best ones. Enjoy. Preening Video 1. And also Preening Video 2.

So I'm thinking that at the last of the daylight I want to move the blind to cover the area the activity was at today.

At Roost TIme 
I called my brains out at several distant gobbles. 
At least 7 different gobblers responded. They got to me late and roosted down the ridge from me. I dumped my plan to move the blind and waited until it was dark to sneak out. I left my bow and gear in the blind, it would be easier to get in the blind quietly without it.  I'll be there long before daylight in the morning.

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