Turkey Time - No Joy

This is the objective - a nice Tom turkey with a beard. 

There were several around. 

I arrived at 9:30 Saturday morning and immediately suited up.  I walked down the ridge trail and gave a few calls.  Gobbles responded - sounded like behind the barn stand.  I cut thru the deer trail and set up in the field edge below the pond.  Several conversations ensued but then they just stopped.  No more action all morning.  At noon, a hen did dust herself in the dirt outside the kitchen window. 

Sunday morning sunrise.  I had set up the blind in the barn field but I thought that I'd go for a walk first.  Dead silence.  I didn't hear one gobble all the way down the ridge trail and back the lower atv trail. 

At about 8:30, I went in and cooked breakfast.  I came back out at 9:00 and settled into the blind.  Once again I heard gobbles from below the barn stand at about 9:30.  We chatted for awhile but he never showed. 

So I did some chores.  I sprayed the clover fields to control grasses. 

I also did some disking.  This photo was last week but I did it again this week. 

It was a beautiful day with highs in the 70's.  The redbuds still aren't quite at peak.

By next week they may be past peak. 

The apple trees are in bloom. 

Including the new small ones. 

Some of the trails have a blanket of wildflowers. 

The clover fields are variable.  The driveway stand field is the best. 

The main field is the worst.  I may plow it under for fall planting. 

My Spring plots are disked - just need fertilizer.  It's going to be a scramble to get some planting done before I leave for Africa. 

The field below the pond hi-rise is spotty. 

My friend Mark stopped by and we did some shooting.  We blew up some beer cans with pistols and then moved back to shoot rifles.  Mark brought his AR which was fun. 

I shot this kudu target from 100 yards.  Based on scale, that's equivalent to 400 yards.  From the front, I thought that I had 5 non-fatal shots out of 13.  When I turned it over, only 5 of them were sure kills.  I need to get the group lower. 

Of course, while turkey hunting I saw tons of deer.

A groundhog checking out the salt lick. 

Coyote. 

Fox.

Fox again.

And again.

And again in daylight.

Coons.

Taking a snooze in front of the camera. 

Predator on the loose. 

Touring. 

Maybe next week - I think Dave may come give it a try.