They're Toying With Me (As Usual)

 I was out by myself for a quick turnaround this weekend.  It was raining, foggy and thundering when I arrived on Saturday afternoon.  Turkey season is mornings only at this point so I pretty much just went for a walk.

There wasn't much else that I could do with the ground so wet.  So I put on my raingear and went out to check cameras.  The ticks are bad - I was careful last week and still picked 3 off.  Back to wearing tick gaiters.

The dogwoods are blooming now - they are mostly just understory.

But large, pretty blooms.

During the walk, I bumped three Toms that were walking under these redbuds.

I was hoping to see them in the morning.  Some of my plots are turned up.

And, in the other ones, I may be making some progress against the thistle and other weeds.

Poop of the week - I'm pretty sure this is a coyote or bobcat poop where everything has been washed away except for the undigested hair.

In the fish pond, I spotted a bunch of tadpoles.  I've been led to believe that these are unlikely to survive in this pond with the fish - they are pretty much just bait.  Here's a little video showing the swimming.  Tadpoles in the Fish Pond

So I spent some time looking for morels.  My area that normally produces a lot of black morels was empty this week but I spotted a few golds.

One of them was pretty huge.

On Sunday morning, when I was about to have my eggs for breakfast, I spotted some movement just out the window at the bird feeders.  Here's a video.  Gobblers at the Feeders

I went ahead and ate my breakfast.

Then I suited up and headed out to hunt.  When I stepped on the porch, I spied movement on the driveway - more (or the same) Toms.

They sort of went across the field and I thought they might be headed for the clover below the pond.  I went and set up there with two decoys.  I called a bit and waited.  I watched 3 red heads come over the crest of the hill to point X in this photo.  They came down and got a look at the decoys from about 80 yards, then they circled up into the trees.

They worked their way thru the woods down to the Lucy Trail.  Once again they came out to the field edge, looked at the decoys, and then turned and headed back into the woods.  I was calling and they would pause and turn - but then resume.  About 10 minutes after they left, I heard a shot from down below in the valley.

Something was just not quite right with my decoys or calling.  Here's some of the action that was on camera this week.

Photos from last week.

A few random updates:

1.) the killdeer nest in the middle of the driveway is now empty and abandoned - did they hatch?

2.) I have a bracket on order to roof mount the Starlink - maybe this week.

3.) I got another notice from Silencer Central that my "ATF form is still pending".  It has been more than a year since they received the form and cashed the check.

4.) No news on the 375 H&H that I have had on order - last word was a possible manufacturing date in May.

Joan and Violet last week.

More from the trailcams.

Sneaking off to the right.

Antler progress just beginning.