Post by Big Joe on Apr 14, 2018 20:31:20 GMT -5
Well the middle daughter came out and we HAD to go turkey hunting this afternoon. It is still windy here but at least its down to a manageable speed - less than 20 mph. She had her oldest and she wanted to try too. We dug her out a 20ga with recoil suppression, then Tater decided he was going to. So back to the safe to find him another 20, nothing doing he saw the old 16 single beak-over and had to have it... I told him it was not a nice one to shoot but it didn't mater that's the one he wanted. So I dig out the calls and we all get changed and grab a few ground blinds and some extra stakes and cord. We get the blinds set where I think will be best with the wind but they will not have much time for a shot if I can get them out of the cover. Drive back to the barn and walk back to the blinds. Its set up in kind of a V pattern with me and the kid at the rear point. I stick flags in the ground and tell everyone don't go past the flag or you might shoot a person and that would be ugly. Tater has two flags and is pretty much limited to a straight down the middle shot. Girl is left handed so we set everyone up to cover their best side. About 2 I can hear some calling but its pretty far off but I let out with the magnum mouth call and danged if I didn't get an answer. So I motion for everyone to get set. I have tater in front of me with a short vee shooting stick set up, the girls are using single sticks. He gets set up and I wait on the girls then call again and I get multiple answers so I get out the antique double box call and hit it and they are coming toward us and it seems at a fair speed to. I try the hen cluck and it sounds like they are just inside the tree line. If they make us its over so I try again with the double and shake a little bush beside me and everything just blows up -- Its a big flock of jakes but all look shootable. I keep waiting to see if anyone is going to start the party. I cluck soft and several head straight at me, they get about 20 yds in front of the girls and 25 yds from the boy and its like they had a secret signal.. all three at nearly the same time. When the leaves and feathers settle down they all got one... Nothing to brag about but that part doesn't matter the two young ones look like they are having a private pow wow dance after laying their weapons on the ground and kicking their birds. The daughter calls home and tells her hubby they both have a jake so he is headed out too. I tell tater he should call in too and before we can get to the barn it sounds like a clown posse coming after us... If we were trying to be quiet they killed that. Everyone did the oohs and ahhs then we loaded up and came in. The other men helped clean the birds and I cleaned the weapons and had them put away before the butchers got finished LOL. This is the first animal the girl did more than hold the bucket to put the meat in. Both kids were messes -- they had to have showers and clean clothes but it was so worth it. I did try to talk them out of going because of the wind, guess they showed me.... I know there is still some Toms out there so if the wind will lay I may try next time. J doesn't seem interested and Tom wants to try with his bow at the lease. I will have to see if anyone got pictures (I know someone did) the biggest thing in them will be smiles. Everyone is happy and I have a new feather on my trophy board LOL.. And my aunt showed the kids how to make "horns" out of a tail feather -- no one was to happy about that one but life is what it is. The kids will never forget how now and the parents will just have to keep taking them... Me I am going to get my piece of pie and coffee and come right back here and be the quiet Man LOL.