Monthly Archives: April 2010

Hunting

Turkey Hunting

Finally, Wednesday afternoon, getting out to go hunt a gobbler, no luck this time, but after I had been in my hide for about thirty minutes, out walked a full size, turkey hen. This was a big one, not the hens that I saw on Sunday afternoon, they were young ones, jakettes, or properly, jennies.

The big hen saw the two, hen decoys that I had put out and made a bee line for them. Right away I started snapping pictures of her.

None turned out except for this one, where she was looking in my direction, probably trying to figure what was that thing in the creek bottom, behind the cedar tree? The hen was twelve feet from me when I got this “shot”!

Having finished my taxes, when this posts, I’ll be in a different “hide” trying to lure in a gobbler.

Hope springs eternal!

Hunting

Opening Day

As the sun was coming up on Saturday morning, April 3, I was tucked into a “hide” along a creek where last month I’d spotted turkeys roosting in the trees along the same creek. There had been nine birds but it was too far to make out their sexual proclivities, probably hens?

This morning, to whet the big birds competitive spirit I was using two decoys, a gobbler and a hen. Maybe this would draw out a suitor? No luck and by 9:30 AM the sun was up good and in my eyes so I called it quits.

Saturday afternoon I was in another hide, in a different creek bottom, behind a cedar tree, practically invisible. One hour into my hunt, around 6:30 PM, out walked two hens. They looked at my two decoys and couldn’t figure what was going on. Not being able to unlimber my camera, I froze, they fed along and walked right between the decoys and me. Holding my breath the two hens moseyed along to within fifteen feet. I didn’t move anything, even squinted my eyes, both birds looked right at me and just kept moseying! Probably if I had even blinked, both of them would have been long gone! Exciting, but no meat on the table.

Sunday, being Easter was a no hunting day, Layla and I had to attend a funeral on Monday morning and now, income taxes have reared their ugly head, so it’ll be hit and miss on the turkeys for the next two or three days.

But still, hope springs eternal.

Hunting

2010 Spring Turkey Season Opens

Last year, a terrible drought stricken spring led to a poor turkey season, but two days before spring season opened, I “shot” these pictures of a nice, gobbler that responded to my calling. My “hide” was a good one, he came within ten feet of me and these were the best shots” that I had all season.

However, this morning at sun up, the 2010 spring turkey season opens in Mills County, Texas. The big, birds have been moving around and, during my scouts, I’ve heard scattered gobbling. It looks like this year the State has gotten it right, timing the opening day with the breeding season.

As this is posted, with two decoys out, I’ll be scrooched into a hide along a creek on the southeast side of my ranch. Turkeys have been roosting along this creek and maybe today I will entice a gobbler?

Hope springs eternal!

Hill Country Happenings

A Pretty Good Day

To get the day started off on the right track I went to my Church’s, Men’s Prayer Meeting and after that I got a hair cut and caught up on the local gossip. My plan for the rest of the day was to try to find the general location where a heifer had just dropped a calf, then go to Georgetown and play softball, drive to Cabela’s and pick up some stuff, stop by the grocery store in Lampasas, then come on home in time to go scouting for turkeys.

Back home before 8:30 AM, I jumped on my four wheeler and went out on my place to try and find a heifer and her calf. Not wanting to “find” the calf because the mother wouldn’t return to it, I was just wanting to locate the general area that the calf was in. This searching would leave me plenty of time to find the cow, get back to the house, change clothes and then drive to Georgetown, the game starting at 1:00 PM.

Driving slowly along the trails I didn’t find the heifer, but I found something sharp, the results being a flat tire on my four wheeler, my first of the day. Calling Layla, I told her to get into my new truck and come out and pick me up. She complied, but called me several minutes later inquiring as to the status of the keys? They were in my pocket! She brought the Jeep to pick me up and, not changing clothes, I had to hurry to get on the road.

After passing through Lampasas, I was speeding along U.S. Highway 183, a nice four lane job, when I noticed two cars ahead of me signaling for a left turn. As usual, before turning left, both cars swerved over into my lane forcing me to head for the shoulder. That was too close! On the shoulder I encountered some type of very hard object, resulting in a loud thump. Not two hundred yards down the road, clump, clump, my second flat of the day!

After two hours of prayer, phone calls to the dealer, grumbling, eighteen-wheelers roaring past me within ten feet and manual labor, I successfully changed the tire. I had just purchased the ruptured tire, a special brand, five ply with a Kevlar lining. This type of tire is a must for driving on our local dirt, County roads and plowing through mesquite and it didn’t have over a two hundred miles on it, having only been on my new truck since last Thursday.

Being too late for softball, I headed on into Georgetown and, one hour later, the tire dealer replaced to damaged tire. Heading on toward Cabela’s, the radio announced a fire on Interstate 35 in Austin. This was bad news! Austin’s traffic is horrible at best and with a fire it would be impossible! After my shopping this would cause me to route around the city and add an hour to my trip. If I got back home before dark I would be lucky However, I wasn’t lucky and the moon was up when I rolled in at 9:30 PM.

Counting my blessings, I got home safe, I only had two flat tires today, I avoided an accident in my new truck, I didn’t hit a deer and best of all, I didn’t get squshed changing the tire along the busy highway! The heifer showed up too, just a little worse for wear, but the calf is still in hiding. Overall, a pretty good day!