1st time hunting the NW Georgia woods for turkey this year and I find it exhilarating to say the least. No more flat lands of the Osceola turkey in Florida, swamp filled and humid. I'm starting out in the 60's with a cool breeze. That will end shortly but for now, life is good in the woods.
I'm using my trusty Mossberg model 835 with heavy shot # 4's. I've been out twice so far, did opening day by myself with a late 9:00 am start. After about one hour of calling I had a Jake surprise me, no gobbling and he just popped over the hilltop as I was working the box call. Needless to say he turned & churned before I could get a bead on him.
The 2nd time one of my BIL's wanted to go and we got there before sunrise, still dark. I knew where they had been roosting as I found this location while song dog hunting earlier in the month so we headed that direction. What I hadn't mentioned is that we hunt WMA's and as I rounded a turn on the gravel road we spotted the dreaded "other truck" parked where we wanted to walk in. Disappointed but with a plan B in mind we went on down the road a reasonable distance and setup with decoys hoping to coax a tom or two our way.
To be clear we were not competing with the "other truck", just hoping to catch a fly over as they departed their roost. Previous scouting had shown me where they like to head when leaving the roost. We were stationed in what I hoped would be their path. We weren't disappointed as a few gobblers started our way, slowly and ever cautious. The day ended with hens and no toms so we left feeling somewhat hopeful for another day.
WMA's are certainly a challenge however we're up to it and will keep trying. How is your turkey hunt going and what is your shotgun or bow of choice? I'd like to know what calls you use as well & good luck. Drop a comment and let me know how you are doing.
