My opener, the highlights and lowlights
After a long winter, Pennsylvania's spring turkey opener finally arrived. This year I decided that I was going to keep the 12 guage in the gun cabinet and carry the crossbow exclusively. Shooting Ten Point's Stealth XLT, Gold Tip arrows and American Broadhead Company's Turkey Tearrors.
I was able to put a few birds to bed Friday evening but knew I would have quite a bit of company come morning. I knew of 4 other hunters that would be in the same 300 hundred acres. The eastern sky broke clear with light and variable winds. Temperature was 30 degrees. Perfect weather for a change. I made a long walk around a bird that my buddy was going to set up on and headed to the bird I wanted to target. When the red birds started their morning routine, the gobbler announced his prescence to all that were listening. Hurrying into position on a flat, on the same level as the bird, I settled in waiting for shooting light. Some hens could be heard behind me with a few other distant gobblers. The gobbler in front of me was sounding off every few minutes and seemed at least interested in my tree calls. When I heard him fly done, I tucked tight against the tree and waited. I never heard or saw that bird again after he hit the ground. My buddy's 12 guage boomed in the distance and he conformed on the radio that a longbeard hit the ground. This was my setup at first light. The gobbler was about 100 yards in front of me further out this ridge.
After about 2 hours, without hearing this bird or others close by, I packed up my stuff and slowly eased along this ridge calling. Arriving at my favorite deer stand, I let out a few cutts followed by a series of yelps and was immediately answered by a group of toms below me. They were close so I got set rather quick . Once I got settled in, a few soft yelps brought an immediate response again. Soon, it became apparent that one bird was breaking off of the group and heading my way. I saw the fan first coming up the hill then the bright white head. This hill has a series of benches on it and this bird stopped his approach at 20 yards just below the lip of the bench only offering me his head and neck. I thought for sure he would take the few extra steps needed to expose his chest but he never did. He sidehilled me to 30 yards then cut up to the bench but the multiflora rse prevented a body shot with a arrow. I was sick as this bird walked away. It was a sure kill with the gun but I soon remembered the promise to myself that it was crossbow only this year. This was the setup from the gobbler's point of view. I am tucked against the tree behind the decoy.
After the longbeard departed, the two other toms came in for a look but they wee both jakes and I passed them as the landowner did not want any jakes taken as turkey numbers have been declining on the property. I did work one other bird at 11:00 but never got him interested. He answered a few times then headed for parts unknown. It was a great morning despite having a longbeard at 20 yards and not getting a shot. Cleaned up on some Morel mushrooms which seemed to be everywhere this year. Big ones as well. I never saw a Morel as big as the one below. A true giant that made my hand a forearm look small.
I spent the afternoon fishing one of the local trout streams after helping our Fish Commission with an in season stocking. Must have caught 30 trout and kept three for dinner with the fresh mushrooms. A fabulous day for sure. Gonna be hitting it hard the rest of the season. Should get five more days to fulfill my quest to finally affix a tag to a crossbow harvested Pa. gobbler.