What a wondrous and glorious day March 15 is, bringing in the start of the spring turkey season. There is only a limited number of good weather days during the season, so with the sun shining, many outdoorsmen hit the woods in search of a gobbling tom. Reports from the morning hunts in the Lowcountry ranged from gangs of gobblers raising cain, to satellite toms that 'came in silent.' One report was of an early morning missed shot (like about 15 minutes after dawn), that was redeemed later in the morning when that same hunter tagged a boss tom that sported four beards. Another report claimed that the gobblers were so thick, that they had to wait for 'some separation' before a safe shot was allowed by the guide - and a 21-pound tom with an 11-inch beard went to a lucky hunter. Two hunters (on separate hunts) saw a gobbler strut right in front of them, but since they had come in silent and swift, there was no chance in either case to lift the gun and take aim. A snap shot was available in both cases, but the conservation minded turkey hunter would not chance such a shot, and risk losing a wounded turkey to the woodlands; better to take your licks and hit the woods again another time.
To view my feature article on turkey season click Charleston Mercury.
To see past blog entires about the opening day of turkey season click here.
PhotoProvided: Scott Hammond killed his opening day gobbler 'by the numbers' - he made 3 calls and shot him 6 feet away to kick off the 2010 season, and that's a big 10-4
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.