Join us as Fred Lutger, David Mills and Robert Hoague go for the Grand Slam this Spring. Our plan is to begin in Florida in mid March and move on to Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee. Look for the daily updates, lots of on the spot pictures, and plenty of video for BowTube.com as the hunt progresses.
Nebraska - Day 2 - Down In The Valley By Robert Hoague
Apr 1, 2008 - 3:52:22 AM
Well before dawn's early light we drove to the Valley and unloaded the ground blind, two chairs, 2 hen decoys and our other gear. Then I hid my truck 100 yards away in some trees. Because Fred had tagged his first gobbler it was my turn do the shooting, if anything showed up to shoot at. I have a new BowTech 82nd Airborn and was real anxious to introduce it to turkey hunting.
It's my turn to do the bow work this morning.
Two hours later a flock of hens hurried into view at the top of the hill and kept going. A group of jakes was next and another hen flock followed.
When we saw 6 longbeards on the hill top Fred called. The longbeards walked down hill 50 yards and checked the valley out, but from where they were our decoys were blocked by the blind. They returned to the top of the hill and moved on. We had better luck with the next group of wild turkeys.
At 9:37 over a dozen hens came into view on the top of the hill. They were being followed by 2 gobblers.
Fred called. The hens kept on going. The gobblers walked down hill and stopped where the longbeards had stopped. A few more calls and they came down toward the blind. Twenty yards from the blind they spotted our decoys. Instead of going directly to them the gobblers circled around the opposite side of the blind. I was ready as they came into the shooting window
The gobblers come into view through the ground blind's window.
They stopped. The largest beard was 4 inches. Not what I was looking for.
They look around. They have visible beards but I want to try for longer ones.
Fred yelped at them and they gobbled over and over
Fred calls are answered by gobbles.
A sudden, unexpected, gobble sounded to the left of the blind and two beardless jakes walked into our shooting window. They looked the decoys over and walked on.
At noon we moved the blind to the top of the hill. We broke for some biscuits and gravy made by our host Mrs. E. Afterward, Mr. T drove Fred and our second ground blind to the North side of his property and set it up in some cedar trees that ran along the river. They saw several hens and longbeards on the drive there and back.
That afternoon we returned to the blind on the hill top.
Five hours later 6 longbeards walked all over the area where our blind had been in the morning. They went into the picked corn field.
Just out of bow range, a big flock of hens rushed by us. So were another hen group and some jakes.
The bottom line was that the longbeard action was where we were this morning. But the hill top had been the place this morning, so we left the blind where it was.
Once we were sure all the birds were past us we returned to the farm house and we ate a delicous home cooked dinner, complete with apple pie for desert.
