Turkey Time - Spring has Sprung

Turkey season opened Monday but I didn't get a chance to hunt until Saurday morning.  Dave was going to join me but he's commuting to a new job and he made the smart move to have some family time.  They'll be relocating soon and I'll miss my local hunting buddy.

The turkeys were out and about on the cameras.

Here's one at 7:21am on Monday.

Two at 7:24am on Wed.

Yeah, this is what I'm looking for.

So I walked the whole lower atv trails at about sunrise.  Heard some gobbles further down the valley.

I decided to set up right where they were showing up all week - my decoy fell over.

I gave up and went to the field where I had set up a ground blind.

There were a lot of close gobbles and they seemed to be answering my calls.  Then this hen showed up.

The hen fed in the field and pretty much ignored my decoys and my calling - for most of an hour.  Then, two jakes came storming in at about 10:45.

I made a good shot and put one down.  The other jake was upset and attacked the body.  I guess he figured he had an advantage.

Although a jake (juvenile male), I thought he was a pretty good bird.

The beard and spurs weren't great but it was meat for the freezer.

When I put the fan on the barn wall, I realized how much smaller he was.  I've killed 4 turkeys - 3 jakes and one mature Tom.  I guess that I'm going to have to develop some patience and let the jakes walk.  Mature Tom's have a tail fan with all the feathers of the same length.  They also have longer beards and spurs.  We're allowed two male turkeys per season so I may try again in the morning.  It's supposed to rain and I am headed in to a christening.

After breasting out the turkey and putting it in the freezer, I made some breakfast with the bacon of the month.  This one is almost like ham - very good.

It was a nice sunny day and the flowering trees were in bloom.  These are crabapples.

Not quite peak yet.

The apples were in bloom.

The pears are done and already starting on the fruit.

The new apples.

White crabapple.

Redbuds.

At home in Mason, the tulips were up.

Crabapples there too.

The driveway food plot clover is still very suspect.

This substantial black snake has taken up residence in the firepit.  He was out sunning most of the day.

Last week Joan and I did some touring.

Camera run.

I sprayed the clover last week.

Look how skinny she looks.  Everything is greening up so she will be plump in no time.

Alot of kissing on camera this week.

Doe vs bunny.

Squirrel.

Groundhog.

Turkeys.

Raccoon.


Everybody is moving in the Springtime.