NCST8GUY
Frozen H20 Guy
It was a LOT more.
It was the LAST day I had a chance to put ANY ink on my big game tags. Zero deer, Zero Bear, and closing in on zero turkeys. The thought of another unblemished big game card sent me on a FURY to put a turkey on there at all costs! I considered one stupid turkey as the difference between a small victory, and complete total agony of defeat. I took a few days off of work, and headed to the club for the last 3 days of the season.
The hunting Gods were lined up against me. I have suffered already this season through a broken pickup, cows tearing down my blind, turkeys watching me reconstruct it at first light, cows doing it again, torrential rains, the river flooding, creeks flooding, the best parts of our lease being permanently changed during ongoing construction, running out of sammiches, a turkey lounger that is so comfortable you fall asleep for an hour, 25 mph winds, forgetting my club keys, forgetting my boots, etc etc. The list goes on. A typical turkey season for me. (ALL of these happened during my 3 day hunt at the end of the season mind you).
So the evening before the LAST day of turkey season (big game season), after hunting 2 hard days with ZERO gobbles or sightings to my name, I pretty much knew it was over. So I decided if I'm going down, I'm going down in FLAMES!!!
I start talking SMACK!! to the other friends staying overnight. I tell them how they can use my ATV tomorrow, or eat my leftovers (RARE!), or hunt my blind, becuase....and I quote...."I'll be done hunting by 8 am". I predicted how the hens would yelp, and Gobblers would "be on FIRE" in the am!!! I'd have to choose between longbeards. I was going to call as loud as they do on TV, and somewhere in the 800 yard audible radius of my calling, would be some bird dumb enough to HAVE to check out wtf was going on up there in that pasture!
FYI, don't ever predict such things.
I awoke right at the alarm, ate a biscuit, and was dressed and ready EARLY (5:05) for the short drive and 700 yard walk to my probably collapsed blind. But in fact, it was not. It was still standing!! I placed ALL my decoys 30 yards at 12:00 and raised the windows ninja silent. I was in a PRIME spot to hear probably 8-30 different gobblers along the river bottom. So I waited............And waited. And around 6:15, when I KNEW I should hear gobbles and didn't, I hit the owl hoot. Nothing. I knew at that moment, I picked the wrong farm to hunt the last day of turkey season. I decided to purr and putt every 10 minutes or so, hoping to draw something, anything into my guns range.
My setup.
It was the LAST day I had a chance to put ANY ink on my big game tags. Zero deer, Zero Bear, and closing in on zero turkeys. The thought of another unblemished big game card sent me on a FURY to put a turkey on there at all costs! I considered one stupid turkey as the difference between a small victory, and complete total agony of defeat. I took a few days off of work, and headed to the club for the last 3 days of the season.
The hunting Gods were lined up against me. I have suffered already this season through a broken pickup, cows tearing down my blind, turkeys watching me reconstruct it at first light, cows doing it again, torrential rains, the river flooding, creeks flooding, the best parts of our lease being permanently changed during ongoing construction, running out of sammiches, a turkey lounger that is so comfortable you fall asleep for an hour, 25 mph winds, forgetting my club keys, forgetting my boots, etc etc. The list goes on. A typical turkey season for me. (ALL of these happened during my 3 day hunt at the end of the season mind you).
So the evening before the LAST day of turkey season (big game season), after hunting 2 hard days with ZERO gobbles or sightings to my name, I pretty much knew it was over. So I decided if I'm going down, I'm going down in FLAMES!!!
I start talking SMACK!! to the other friends staying overnight. I tell them how they can use my ATV tomorrow, or eat my leftovers (RARE!), or hunt my blind, becuase....and I quote...."I'll be done hunting by 8 am". I predicted how the hens would yelp, and Gobblers would "be on FIRE" in the am!!! I'd have to choose between longbeards. I was going to call as loud as they do on TV, and somewhere in the 800 yard audible radius of my calling, would be some bird dumb enough to HAVE to check out wtf was going on up there in that pasture!
FYI, don't ever predict such things.
I awoke right at the alarm, ate a biscuit, and was dressed and ready EARLY (5:05) for the short drive and 700 yard walk to my probably collapsed blind. But in fact, it was not. It was still standing!! I placed ALL my decoys 30 yards at 12:00 and raised the windows ninja silent. I was in a PRIME spot to hear probably 8-30 different gobblers along the river bottom. So I waited............And waited. And around 6:15, when I KNEW I should hear gobbles and didn't, I hit the owl hoot. Nothing. I knew at that moment, I picked the wrong farm to hunt the last day of turkey season. I decided to purr and putt every 10 minutes or so, hoping to draw something, anything into my guns range.
My setup.