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At Rick's Ranch
Second Day
Afternoon Hunt
 
At 3:00 Rick and I walked
to a field and set up. We didn't know it yet, but it was gonna be a big
gobbler happening longbeard afternoon with an unexpected twist. And a little
on the spot video for ya, too. GO...
Morning
Hunt
I woke up at 4:30 and got
ready. We had to be in the woods extra early today so we would be set up
well before daylight. We could not just walk towards where the turkeys
were gobbling yesterday before dark. This side of the river was too thick.
Rick drove to the opposite side of the river and we hiked toward the river.
Half an hour later we set up on a high spot next to a woods road. Soon
gobbles rang out on three sides of us. When we heard a turkey fly down
we made our first call. We heard more gobbles and some more turkeys fly
down. Then the Toms went into hush mouth phase. Nothing came our way.
At 7:30 we pulled the set
up and followed the road to an area where Rick has seen turkeys in the
past. We set up where there was good visibility and waited. We saw a hen
right away. At 10:00 we had been turkey less and Rick left to get the truck.
Meanwhile I waited in the blind, just in case. And just in case happened
at 10:10 when I heard two gobbles in the distance. I clucked and yelped
on the Woodhaven slate and got a response from them. Their gobbles became
noticeably louder ... and then I heard a gobbler that was much closer.
And again, closer yet.
I glassed the area in front
of the blind and picked up the top of his white head, 100 yards away and
coming slow but steady.
Yikes! Behind the blind,
down the road, I heard Rick's truck coming. Quickly, I peeped through a
slit in the blind's window. The truck was about 70 yards away.
I jammed my arm out of the
blind's right back window waved it frantically. Rick stopped. I motioned
for him to back off, hoping he would interpret it as that. He did.
I waited 3 minutes on my
watch before I clucked and purred on the slate. The answering gobble thundered
from the woods. I clucked on top of him and shut up. So did he.
In the woods a red neck and
head took shape and a huge longbeard stepped into the clear 65 yards from
me, steady looking for his late morning rendezvous. My camera was with
Rick and I missed a super photo opportunity of this big gobbler strutting
his stuff.
We, the gobbler and I, had
another issue.
The decoy was in the woods
road and on the opposite side of the blind from the longbeard. After 15
minutes of showing his stuff he dropped strut and had the look that he
was going back into the woods. I yelped at him and he blew my ear drums
out with a gobble.
And then the longbeard left.
When we returned to camp
we ate and I had a choice of driving 30 miles into town to update or taking
a nap. The nap won out. When I woke up we went to the area where Fred Lutger
and I had hunted on our first hunt with Rick. It was gonna be a good choice.
First
Day
Afternoon Hunt
Rick drove us to a new area
and we walked to a field next to a river populated with woods and large
turkey roost looking trees. This definitely looked like a good turkey place.
Rick popped up the blind while I placed the decoy and we were ready to
go on the edge of the woods overlooking the field. An hour later the wind
picked up and the windward side of the blind popped in. Fortunately, in
my new turkey vest, called a Tree Apron, I carry 4 tent stakes and I slipped
out of the Double Bull and staked down the cord attached to the windward
side. That worked until the wind got more serious. The Double Bull also
has corner grommets and we staked down 3 of them.
Half an hour later the sky
turned dark and the wind picked it up a few notches. This weather was not
conducive to turkey hunting. We broke down the blind and walked to the
truck. On the way back to camp Mr. rain joined the wind. Our hunt was over
by 5:00. At 7:30 the rain stopped and Cathy Philippi fired up the grill
outside. In a few minutes she came inside and told us to come out. Gobbles
were coming from the river area behind the camp. We listened to them until
dark. The closest sounded 200 - 250 yards away. Rick and I knew where we
were going tomorrow morning.
Morning Hunt
Rick and Cathy Philippi met
Debbie (my wife) and I north of Fort Worth and drove to Rick's ranch in
Jack county. We got situated and sacked out for the night.
Per previous arrangements
Jason Balazs arrived at 6:00am and Rick directed him to where he was going
to hunt. Then Rick drove us a short distance and parked by a plowed field.
We crossed the field and followed a game trail through the woods to a creek
where we slipped and slid down and up the steep, muddy bank. When we came
to a small opening in the trees we set up. It was a very peaceful morning.
No turkeys though.
Our view from inside
the original model Double Bull blind.
Jason Balazs heard
two gobblers roosted in trees by the creek he was close to. He circled
around them and set up on the other side in an adjacent tree. The gobblers
stayed in the trees until 7:50. When they flew down they walked away.
Jason Balazs returning
from his morning turkey hunt on May 2, 2007.
They continued to gobble
so Jason folded up his blind and crossed the creek. He set up 3 decoys
and his blind in a corner of an overgrown food plot area. The toms gobbled
and Jason called. They answered but kept moving further away. Later, at
10:00 Jason was ready to go and packed up his decoys.
A gobbler belted out 200
yards away and Jason quickly set up one decoy, hopped back inside his blind
and began purring on a Primos slate. The bird did not gobble again and
at 10:30 Jason packed up to meet us back at camp.
We ate a fine home cooked
breakfast, courtesy of Cathy Philippi, and talked about the morning's hunt
and other things. An noon Jason started his drive back home. Rick hit the
hay for an afternoon nap. Debbie and Cathy went fishing. And I drove to
Jacksboro to get a Verizon wireless signal and upload the hunt.
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