Normally we hunt NE first but circumstances this year had FD and I in KS first. FD had not hunted KS before but he promptly tagged out 2nd morning he was there and I got one of my tags filled. Tried a couple more days to get tagged out but it did not happen so we packed up and headed to NE so FD would have tags there. Arrived at the hunting grounds late afternoon and checked in with the landowners before doing a walkabout on one of the properties. Sign was not as plentiful as expected but we did hear a couple of gobbles and managed to put one to bed.
The next morning, I set up on the edge of a big corn stubble field with a hardwood bottom to the north and waited for the turkeys to wake up and start talking. But is seemed that they decided to sleep late and were not very talkative. A few gobbles and a little hen chatter but pretty quiet overall. I finally heard them fly down but instead of heading for the field, they headed down the bottom and shut up. I had only heard one other bird and it was across the bottom so I decided to make a move. There is another small field across the bottom that was in corn last year so I headed that way to check it out and see if I could strike up the gobbler I had heard. There was nothing in the field but when I did a series of yelps, I got a answer from a couple hundred yds down the bottom. Game on!
I got set up under a cedar facing a plum thicket and cedars that bordered the cornfield. After a couple more gobbles, I heard the hens and they were not heading my way but then I hear another gobble much higher up the hill. A few clucks and soft yelps that were answered and he was closing the distance fast, heading straight to me. But the first thing I see is 3 jakes off to my right at the fence line. Knowing that the jakes out here are notorious for gobbling like big boys, I am a bit apprehensive because the grass and plum bushes are thick and tall that it would be impossible to confirm he was a longbeard. I catch a glimpse of 2 heads moving through the cedars. I am ready when they step into a clearing, rubber necking, trying to find that hen. I could tell one of them was significantly bigger than the other and then the bigger one gobbled. When he shot his head back up, I fed him a load of mag blend.
He was a mature bird, 19 lbs., 7 1/4" Beard and 1" Spurs.
Later the same afternoon, we headed to a different farm. Before I could get to the spot I was headed to, I saw hens and then strutters already there. I had some cover between them and me but not enough. I had the sun in my face while the birds were on the other side of the meadow in the late afternoon shadows. I watched them for a while, knowing I needed to make a move to get in a better place to have a chance of working them. They meandered out into the meadow, quartering away from me and I eased back and dropped off into a dry wash without getting busted. Once in the dry wash, I was able to move undetected and got behind a couple of big trees with cedars beside them for cover. A couple of soft yelps and the strutters all answered and started easing my way but very slowly. A bit more coaxing and they eased my way. I picked out the one doing most of the gobbling and strutting and until I was comfortable with the range. When he broke strut and raised his head, I let the mag blend fly.
NE #2, 20 lbs., 8 1/2" Beard and 7/8" Spurs
After the Sat. morning hunt, it was a trip to Omaha to swap sons.
Sunday morning, I head up to the ridge above a big corn stubble field where I had hunted earlier and had a bird hang up before I could see him. When I heard a similar gobble pattern, I headed across the ridge, through the burr oak draws that fed down to the corn field. I got about as close as I dared and got set up with my back to a couple of oaks that were almost touching at ground level but forked like a V above grade. A few yelps and the gobbler hammers but about the same time a whole herd of deer starts blowing their lungs out between me and the turkey I am talking to. They mill around a while snorting and generally raising a ruckus in the woods before they finally move on. But now the turkey has gone silent........., old where'd he go.
I run a soft yelp series on my slate over glass and I get my ears pinned back by a close, thunderous gobble directly behind me. Now what? Then the hens start clucking and I know they are close but 180 degrees from where I am set up to shoot. I had no idea at that point that I would have a chance of getting turned around but I knew I had to try. I eased my head around to see 2 hens not 20 yds from me, then the gobbler stepped into view. They were looking for the other hen but were slowly heading downhill and were about to disappear behind some thick brush where I could not see them. I eased my gun up and turned as quietly and quickly as I could. By the time I got contorted enough to get a shot, the hens and gobbler were out of sight but another longbeard stepped into the clear spot with his head up. Bang, flop! It was about a mile back to the truck but it was mostly down hill.
18 lbs, 10" Beard, 7/8" Spurs.
My 2016 Nebraska season was over but it was definitely a memorable one! I do so enjoy turkey hunting in the mid west and Nebraska in particular. I have met a bunch of might fine folks out there look forward to the visit with them about as much as the hunt itself. Already looking forward to next year!
The next morning, I set up on the edge of a big corn stubble field with a hardwood bottom to the north and waited for the turkeys to wake up and start talking. But is seemed that they decided to sleep late and were not very talkative. A few gobbles and a little hen chatter but pretty quiet overall. I finally heard them fly down but instead of heading for the field, they headed down the bottom and shut up. I had only heard one other bird and it was across the bottom so I decided to make a move. There is another small field across the bottom that was in corn last year so I headed that way to check it out and see if I could strike up the gobbler I had heard. There was nothing in the field but when I did a series of yelps, I got a answer from a couple hundred yds down the bottom. Game on!
I got set up under a cedar facing a plum thicket and cedars that bordered the cornfield. After a couple more gobbles, I heard the hens and they were not heading my way but then I hear another gobble much higher up the hill. A few clucks and soft yelps that were answered and he was closing the distance fast, heading straight to me. But the first thing I see is 3 jakes off to my right at the fence line. Knowing that the jakes out here are notorious for gobbling like big boys, I am a bit apprehensive because the grass and plum bushes are thick and tall that it would be impossible to confirm he was a longbeard. I catch a glimpse of 2 heads moving through the cedars. I am ready when they step into a clearing, rubber necking, trying to find that hen. I could tell one of them was significantly bigger than the other and then the bigger one gobbled. When he shot his head back up, I fed him a load of mag blend.
He was a mature bird, 19 lbs., 7 1/4" Beard and 1" Spurs.
Later the same afternoon, we headed to a different farm. Before I could get to the spot I was headed to, I saw hens and then strutters already there. I had some cover between them and me but not enough. I had the sun in my face while the birds were on the other side of the meadow in the late afternoon shadows. I watched them for a while, knowing I needed to make a move to get in a better place to have a chance of working them. They meandered out into the meadow, quartering away from me and I eased back and dropped off into a dry wash without getting busted. Once in the dry wash, I was able to move undetected and got behind a couple of big trees with cedars beside them for cover. A couple of soft yelps and the strutters all answered and started easing my way but very slowly. A bit more coaxing and they eased my way. I picked out the one doing most of the gobbling and strutting and until I was comfortable with the range. When he broke strut and raised his head, I let the mag blend fly.
NE #2, 20 lbs., 8 1/2" Beard and 7/8" Spurs
After the Sat. morning hunt, it was a trip to Omaha to swap sons.
Sunday morning, I head up to the ridge above a big corn stubble field where I had hunted earlier and had a bird hang up before I could see him. When I heard a similar gobble pattern, I headed across the ridge, through the burr oak draws that fed down to the corn field. I got about as close as I dared and got set up with my back to a couple of oaks that were almost touching at ground level but forked like a V above grade. A few yelps and the gobbler hammers but about the same time a whole herd of deer starts blowing their lungs out between me and the turkey I am talking to. They mill around a while snorting and generally raising a ruckus in the woods before they finally move on. But now the turkey has gone silent........., old where'd he go.
I run a soft yelp series on my slate over glass and I get my ears pinned back by a close, thunderous gobble directly behind me. Now what? Then the hens start clucking and I know they are close but 180 degrees from where I am set up to shoot. I had no idea at that point that I would have a chance of getting turned around but I knew I had to try. I eased my head around to see 2 hens not 20 yds from me, then the gobbler stepped into view. They were looking for the other hen but were slowly heading downhill and were about to disappear behind some thick brush where I could not see them. I eased my gun up and turned as quietly and quickly as I could. By the time I got contorted enough to get a shot, the hens and gobbler were out of sight but another longbeard stepped into the clear spot with his head up. Bang, flop! It was about a mile back to the truck but it was mostly down hill.
18 lbs, 10" Beard, 7/8" Spurs.
My 2016 Nebraska season was over but it was definitely a memorable one! I do so enjoy turkey hunting in the mid west and Nebraska in particular. I have met a bunch of might fine folks out there look forward to the visit with them about as much as the hunt itself. Already looking forward to next year!