This year didn't get out to Roseburg area for opener because I opted for the Washington hunt on the opener. So, when we got to our usual areas, they had been pounded on by hunters and weather.
Thurs. 4/19 we arrived fairly early but my hunting partner had worked the graveyard shift the night before. We set up camp and I left him there to adjust his sleep schedule while I went out in hopes of finding birds for the next day's hunt.
Right off the bat things didn't look real promising. The private properties in the area just didn't have the birds I'm used to seeing. I was hoping it was because they were gathering on public land for that springtime urge. I was wrong. The weather and/or (?) had spread the birds before we got there. I saw one group of 5 birds but, as is usually the case when you're moving around, they made me first. Off they trotted. Looked like maybe two redheads with one being considerably larger then all the others (guessing that was the tom). Since this was not a "search and destroy" mission but, rather a "recon", I didn't mess with the birds.
The following 5 days tested our resolve and patience. From the time we got there on Thursday to the following Tuesday we never heard a gobble on public land. We also did not see a single redhead. The birds were quiet and not much sign. Some of their normal roosting areas showed no sign at all. We spent time in the blind and putting our boot prints all over the public land but my hunting partner had to return to work on Wednesday so he left Tuesday after the evening hunt.
As luck would have it, Wednesday morning at dark-thirty I finally heard my first gobble from a known roosting area. It sounded like a tom but, because I hadn't been hearing any gobbles, I couldn't be sure. It didn't matter at this point, I'd already decided to take the first legal bird on my first tag anyway. I started moving to get in postion (closer to his roost) but he didn't wait for me and jumped out of the roost before full light. I was right, he was a tom and alone. He pretty much pinned me down out in the open. So, I laid as flat as I could and belly crawled toward him. Before that plan could play out, he gobbled himself up a hen and they walked off into the brush for their honeymoon escapades.
I decided not to pressure him too much and left him alone until later. I spent alot of time on the rest of my trip playing hide and seek with this bird without success.
On Thursday 4/26 I set out on my evening hunt to a ridgeline above where I'd been hunting the tom. It was intended as a spotting trip more then anything. It turned into a spot and stock after I spotted 6 birds on a hawgback almost a mile away. I watched them as I made my way to a point above them. I got lucky and they continued on the exact route I figured. Only four of them made it to our meeting place and a hen started to pull them off to the side. It was too late though, they were in my range. One shot and this bird had my tag wrapped around his leg.
Sorry for the pic but, I didn't have a camera at the kill site and had no one there to take the picture.
I did have one more close call on my Saturday afternoon hunt but, when I woke up to the sound of oak leafs crunching, he was on my right side at only 35 yards. I couldn't move around for the shot in time without spooking him. For all I know, he could've walked right in front of me if he didn't make any noise doing it. Oh well, that's turkey hunting for you. When you're putting in long hours you end up napping sooner or later.
Roseburg....the other turkey hunt.
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