Day 8 - Mon was also cold at 34 but again, no wind. Again, tree called with no response & no response to any calling all morning. It started out really nice with mostly clear skies & only a few puffy, white clouds. That all changed about 9 when the rain clouds rolled in. It sprinkled off & on starting at 9:30 & the wind picked up as well. It was 46 when I left at 11:15 with no birds heard or seen for the 7th straight day.
Day 9 - Tues morning it was 30 with no wind & clear skies. At 6:10, wait…..STOP THE PRESSES!!!! I saw a hen. I SAW A HEN!!!! After Mon, this was only the 3rd bird, all hens that I had seen in 8 days of hunting. She ignored the dekes & my calls & kept moving west across the fields to the nest woods. Maybe 10 – 15 mins after I saw her, I spotted something white moving along the tree line of the woods to which the hen was headed. I thought it might be the smoky hen I had seen twice before but thought it was too big to be a turkey. I couldn’t see it very well through the binos & they kept fogging up as well. Shortly after 8, I saw something white moving across a field towards me. This time I could see it through the binos & it was indeed the smoky hen. It took over ½ hour for her to travel the 400 yds she eyed the dekes & walked right by them. I have never shot a bearded hen or a smoky of any type but I had noticed a dark spot on her breast where a beard would be. I kept trying to grow a beard on her but it didn’t work. She had walked past me about 30 yards but turned & walked past me at 10 – 12 yds. The dark spot could have been a very short beard but I wasn’t 100% sure, so she walked out of sight. It’s just not worth the risk killing a hen you THINK has a beard only to find out it doesn’t. Still no gobbling so, in desperation, at 10 I dug out my gobble shaker & sent out 2 singles & a double gobble with no response except to PO a fox squirrel who started cussing me up & down. After 10 mins or so, that last nerve was frayed so I turned &, in a loud voice said: “WHY DON’T YOU SHUT UP!!” Darned if it didn’t!! Wish I could do that with some people I know. LOL. I left about 11:15 with a slight breeze & 50 degrees that actually felt like 50. Anyway, except for the 2 hens, no other birds & no gobbling. This is getting depressing. After Mon, in 8 days of hunting, no gobbles heard, no gobblers seen, & only 3 different hens encountered. Hopefully the warm up will set them free.
Day 10 – Weds the weatherman was full of garbanzos again, 41 at 6 & 58 at noon when it was actually 34 & 66. There was very little breeze so it was a relatively nice day with blue skies. As I got off the 4-wheeler at the edge of the woods, I thought I heard a gobble but it wasn’t very distinct. About ½ ways to my blind, I though I heard another but, again, couldn’t tell. I got the dekes out & was ready to go at 5:52 when, FINALLY!!!! I heard a gobble!! It was in the general vicinity of where I had hunted Sunday. I don’t know what suddenly changed to flip this guy’s switch but he was hot, Hot, HOT!!!! He gobbled every 2-3 minutes on the roost &, when he flew down, he went nuts, gobbling every 30 seconds or so. This went on almost non-stop until 6:30 when I heard the last gobble of the morning. I called a couple of times & it sounded like he was coming my way but never showed up. Again, no hens heard or seen. I left about 11:45 without a happy ending. The morning didn’t end as I’d hoped but, all told, it was better than the previous 8 days combined & hope springs eternal for the last part of the Ohio season.
Well it’s off to town to do some last minute shopping for my NY trip then back home to load the truck & chillax for the rest of the day
There will be no hunting Thursday as that is a travel day to NY for the opening day on Friday & a Friends of the NRA banquet Sat night. I sure hope the weather & birds are a lot more cooperative there & when I get back home to finish the Ohio season.
These are the meals I will be taking along to The Roost in NY.
Squirrel Cacciatore
Squirrel Jambalaya
Squirrel Picadillo
Squirrel Chowder
Turkey Chili
