• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Hen turkey walks within five yards

essdub

essdub

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2015
Messages
1,252
Location
Greenville South Carolina area
I'm in my backyard shooting my long bow at several targets when I hear"cholk...cholk..cholk".
I look at where I just walked to retrieve my arrows and move my deer target and there's a hen turkey just hanging around within five yards of that spot. I was standing in the spot where she's at no more than a minute before this because I started hearing her as I walked back to the yard from that spot.
It's like they freaking know I can't shoot them.
I've had them wander through the yard a lot after turkey season ends (last year it was the day after season ended and it was a big Tom , and my neighbor and I were firing every rifle pistol and shotgun around at the time he walked within yards of us). This hen clearly didn't feel threatened.

Oh and I jumped what I believe to be the big buck I hunted so hard (and screwed up every opportunity to take) the last few years. The clear cut (now six years old) is very very thick now and about 3/4 of the way up the hill from the creek, there's a small plateau and dip where they left a line of about ten trees in a single file across the field. I was wandering around in there this morning and a big bodied deer jumped up and ran into the nearby woods. I didn't think they'd be there during this 92 degree heat so exposed to the sun, but I guess I was wrong. That was about forty yards beyond where the turkey Is standing in the pic. I just thought these were interesting
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1465086553765.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1465086553765.jpg
    81.2 KB · Views: 43
No. I take it back. After reviewing some of my notes and pics from the last two years, I believe the buck I jumped this morning was this guy. I let him walk several times last year, but he could be looking pretty good this season. I remember now that I wrote that he usually walks in to the woods onto MY TRAIL from that clear cut up high near the top of the hill at right edge of the turkey picture above. Then he walks down my trail that I cleared a couple years ago toward the creek (away from the camera and slightly to the right in the turkey pic above)

From this pic, the turkey in the above pic would be 75 yards straight back beHind the deer (to the right) and almost 200 yards forward (straight over the deer' s back, up the hill)
I don't own the clear cut. My property borders it on the north and the west in roughly an upside down "L"shape. From this deer pic, the thick heavy growth starts right where the trail cam is sitting and continues back behind the camera downhill to the creek which is another 100 yards south. I don't own the other side, but it is a pretty steep hill with 10-15 yr old pines and was until recently a part of a piece of land leased to a hunting club
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1465094990633.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1465094990633.jpg
    121.3 KB · Views: 41
So I got curious and wanted to know why (and exactly - to the foot - where) this deer is bedding in the same place as he was last winter. So I went out there today while it was raining and the wind was blowing pretty good.
Like I said before, the hill kinda plateaus there and then there's a depression on the uphill side that serves to drain water off towards one of my usual stand sites forty yards away near a much larger draw . That's where the little line of trees is located. They're in a straight line across the little "ridge"in the hill (maybe 3/4 of the way up the hill) and it appears the he will change which side of the tree he beds on. The weeds there are a lot taller than I thought (maybe 7 ft or better) and the handful of trees right there in his bed have rubs from several years.
With the wind either coming almost straight down or straight up the hill (nearly perfect south facing slope) and the little depression he's in around those trees (biggest one maybe 8" and 25' tall) he's got good visual coverage in at least two directions no matter which way the wind blows. And during season our winds are primarily out of north so he's got the thermals coming uphill too. There's no easy approach so I haven't really been paying much attention to the center of that clear cut. It's too far to shoot with bow from cover in any direction.
There is ONE possible spot I could maybe access going cross wind by climbing through the larger draw. I'll have to check that out more. It's about 20 ft deep and maybe 50 ft wide in that area. But any other way to the possible trees (one looks like it could be great - if I can get to it) would carry my scent to the deer and maybe let him see me too. It's pretty exciting to find this little spot. I've been hunting here for years and I've never even noticed that particular little sanctuary.
I've got some work to do, but I don't wanna continually bust through his area. So I'm gonna come up with a plan and then maybe August/early September go in there to set up the tree and make sure I have a lane to shoot and a path to get to the tree.
 
Here's an aerial pic. My property is on the left and top of the clearing. Well part of my property. The creek is at the bottom And most of my usual spots are just out of frame top the left or just it of frame to the upper right hand side. the hill is north/south (picture is turned slightly - note the compass in the upper corner)hill is lowest at bottom left and highest at top right. On the left edge of the clear cut is a draw where parts of it are 20' deep and 50' wide.
Near the top of the image, you see a horizontal line of green. That's where this buck is (apparently most of the year since he was there during last November and is there now). Just above and top the left of that line oft]trees, under the canopy is the deepest, widest part of that draw. If I can get through it without noise, I might be able to set up in one of the trees on the perimeter for a forty yard.I circled the deer bed, the draw (it's actually a little too the right of my line) and the tree I think I can set up for a shot fun cross wind (maybe I can get to 35) shot.
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1465161614302.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1465161614302.jpg
    62.1 KB · Views: 35
  • uploadfromtaptalk1465161699297.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1465161699297.jpg
    62.1 KB · Views: 35
We have a hen that has been coming to eat my neighbors bird seed every morning for the past 2 weeks. She must have a nest nearby. My wife opened the front door one morning and the turkey was sitting on the hood of her car!!?!?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top