Quiet Gobblers During Windy, Rainy Week

Week No. 3 of Georgia’s turkey season was a pretty quiet one for me.

I was limited on my time in the turkey woods last week. Wednesday and Thursday were my off days, and they were less than ideal days to be in the turkey woods. Wednesday was a washout in my neck of the woods. A little rain doesn’t usually deter me from getting after the birds, and I have even had some success chasing a bird or two that coughed up an involuntary gobble in response to a rumble of thunder. However, when you mix in some high voltage, via lightning bolts, I tend to run for cover.

Thursday presented ridiculous conditions of another variety. Incredibly high winds made hearing a bird next to impossible. In a way, it reminded me of a typical South Dakota spring day. Nevertheless, Jody Hawk, of Monroe, and I headed to Cedar Creek WMA and gave it our best effort. We never heard a bird, but I was reminded of how great it is to just be able to get in the turkey woods and renew old friendships.

We shared some great stories and talked about just how many lifelong friendships are born in the spring turkey woods. We gave it our best shot and were rewarded with a filling of satisfaction from the effort we gave. The old saying, “You can’t kill ’em at the house” is still true enough, but you would have had to step on one to hear it on Thursday.

I still received some reports from a few friends this week who continue to say the hens are in control each morning, and the evenings are pretty quiet for the most part. The weekend showed promise, though, as I had several friends call me to tell me about some good gobbling going on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Don’t forget the midday stuff, either. Nathan Mason interrupted my day at work on Saturday with a text picture of a big old bird he hammered on Saturday afternoon. That made the rest of my weekend seem to crawl by. He used an old, but deadly, method to get him close. He was set up around noon and was fighting the urge to dose off after hunting since daylight. He finally got the attention of a mouthy hen around 2 p.m., and he started giving everything she gave to him right back to her. The unmistakable spit and drum from a gobbler at an extremely close distance got Nathan’s attention, and shortly afterward the 3-year-old stepped into view at 17 yards. He never got any closer as Nathan introduced the bird to a load of No. 5s through the JEBs choke. Nathan had been trying to close the deal on a couple of birds in the area since opening day. Persistence pays off. You gotta stick with it, even through the frustration of some quiet days.

I’m off several days this week, and I plan to hook up with Bobby Knight and his son, Jake. I have three birds located that we plan to visit. Hopefully this week we will begin to see  and hear a little more action. I’m still believing that the best of the season is still ahead.

Good Luck!