No Turkey Luck!

Sharon seting up here, just inside the edge of the woods.

New decoy - check out those turkey prints...it's not the big one!

F4 stand that I got into.

The field in front of me with Sharon set up at the right edge at the corner. 

The big Rooster came out with 3 hens at the very far end of the field behind me.

We signed in at the camp at 12:15 and saw where Richard and Zack had hunted this morning with no luck.  We took our time getting to the backside.  Right before we got to the turn in the road to the stand we had to go into the woods to get around the water which had flooded the road from the small creekbed.  Sharon got setup with her chair, ground blind and new decoy.  After I got home yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and got a hen decoy in hopes that it would bring a bird in.  I made it through the edge of the woods to the deer stand.  Got in and got all set up and about 2:00 I saw something moving in the tall grass at the end of the long field behind me.  I thought at first it could be a deer and grab my binoculars and it was a big rooster walking with three hens in the tall grass.  They continued to walk across the entire field to the right.  I called Sharon to let her know.  They soon disappear into the woods.  Sharon called for the turkeys for another hour and came to me and said that the rooster had already had his hens and we packed up and walked back through the backside and came back around to the left side of the camp.  We walked by three deer stands and checked out each field for turkeys.  We walked that whole field from corner to corner.  It was getting pretty hot and we took our time.  Got back to the truck and signed out at 4:15.  It was then 76 degrees.  We are going to make another last ditch attempt early in the morning and go back to where we were this morning, except I will stay down from her at a corner where you can go over the levee to the swamp.  I will be able to watch the road for a turkey in both directions and she will go down to where she was today and try again to get the big one!

Today's Turkey Hunt

Around 11:00 we will be leaving to head back down to my camp, Jasper Bottom, to try again to harvest a turkey.  My camp is approximatly 400 acres and borders on the right by the Big Black River.  The river is very high now and is flooding the back right side of the camp.  So we are concentraing on the top field which at one time was a huge open field that was planted in soybeans.  ATCO came in and planted trees there - so imagine a big square box with a levee enclosing the entire field.  When you go over the levee on the left it's Mill Pond Hunting Club and if you go over the levee on the backside, it is Homewood Hunting Club and to the right is the Big Black River.  Another hunting club is across the river from us.  We will be concentrating now on the right backside field (F4) stand pictured above.  There is a small creek bed that runs the length of the levee on the right side and that's swollen now.  Hopefully, we can walk the length of that to get to this stand.  Yesterday, we walked the left side, then the backside to get to it.  We saw a lot of animal tracks, plus a huge snake sign that had slither in the smooth mud.  We also saw a lot of crawfish mud holes.

Check back later on today's turkey hunt and hopefully we will see and get the huge turkey that made the tracks that I posted yesterday!

Close Call

Sharon and I got to camp and was surprise to see two other hunters, Richard and Zack, there to turkey hunt also.  We had planned to go to the left side of the camp and we got our wish and they went over the levee to the right side.  We finally got the ground blind all setup in a grove of trees as shown in the picture on the left above and I got in the deer stand.  We settled in to hunt.  Starting around 7:15 I heard a turkey gobble several times on the backside of the camp.  Then about 8:15, Sharon got out of her blind and was going to walk down towards the next stand. As soon as I took her picture leaving and turned around, I see something moving at 200 yards - A TURKEY!  Sharon told me call her if I see one...so I did and she walked back slowly.  About an hour later we stopped hunting and walked over to the area where we heard the gobbler on the backside.  We saw all kinds of footprints in the mud and a huge turkey print.  That is where we will be hunting tomorrow!

 

After we got back to our stands, Sharon wanted to walk back towards the camp and hunt.  While she was gone, all of a sudden I heard this terrible crash through the woods coming down the hill on my right and thinking, here comes a herd of deer.  It was a coyote chasing a rabbit.  Leaves and mud was flying everywhere and got the rabbit in the corner of the field and then he suddenly stopped and looked towards my stand and then took off in the woods.  I think the poor little rabbit survived the ordeal.  We called it a day around noon and headed back home.  We will hunt tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully, we will get one then.  Got to stay positive!

Snake and Jakes

As Sharon made her way to the levee on the right side of the camp to hunt, I hunted the ground blind stand on the road.  So, from 1:30 to 3:30 we hunted.  It was very windy and I did hear a turkey gobble several times to the left side of the levee and was hoping that Sharon was calling it in.  It finally stopped and then I noticed something moving in the grass in front of my stand.  It was a baby snake but do not know what kind.  If anyone out there knows what it is, please leave me a comment.

At 4:00 we went back over to the left side of the camp where I had seen the two turkeys come out yesterday morning.  While we were walking in and got closer to the first stand we eased around a turn in the road and Sharon saw a turkeys head to the right in the field and said she was going to try to get closer to it.  I stayed back and waited.  Soon I saw two jakes running up the hill and then she motioned for me to come and said that three jakes were coming down the hill to feed and she spooked them and two went back up the hill and the other jake and turkey ran into the woods.  It was exciting to see this just walking in.  So she stayed there to hunt and I went on down to the next stand as shown.  We only hunted for about an hour and came out.  We are planning to leave the house at 5:30 in the morning to get the ground blind set up near the stand and I will get in the stand with my camera.  This could be her MS turkey...

Afternoon Turkey Hunt

Sharon and I will be heading out this afternoon to turkey hunt again.  She purchased a non-residential license and hopefully will get her a MS bird this week.  Will post later of this adventure.


To the left is a picture of the morning sun shinning on moss in a tree on the other side of the levee from where I was hunting yesterday morning.

Gobble Gobble/Update

Heading to the woods to see if Sharon and I can harvest a turkey...

Update - Got to the woods around 6:30 and everything in the woods was waking up...and owls hooting...so we need to go earlier next time.  We walked in and I got in a camo ground stand on the road, while Sharon walked further into the woods and over the levee.  We did not see anything and walked back to camp together and took a break.  Around 10:00 we took off for the other side of the camp.  I got on the first stand and she got on the next stand down from me.  Both stands I have seen turkey off of.  About 11:40 I saw something move through the woods and started to grab my camera and saw it was a turkey -put it down and grab the 20 gauge shotgun.  The turkey was running from the edge of the woods and came out in the field 72 yards in front of me, stopped for a second or two and then another turkey came running in behind it and they both took off across the road and up the hill.  When Sharon came out she said she had heard the turkeys gobbling in two different direction and then it sounded like they were headed in my direction...sorry to say...I did not hear them but was excited that I actually got to see them.  I also noticed when I was in the stand and worked my call, that it made an echo through the woods and they were slowly making their way towards me.  I did not have time to pump my gun because they were right on top of me before I knew it and also to far away to make a shot.  It was so exciting just to see two of them and know that I did it.  Maybe next time everything will fall into place and I will get my first turkey and Sharon will get her a Mississippi turkey!  PS:  Walking out, Sharon found a turkey feather on the ground and gave it to me for good luck!

 Early morning turkey hunt and saw nothing.

Sharon headed towards the levee to hunt.

Making another hunt - Sharon walking to the next stand down from me.

Turkeys came from the left edge of field and crossed over in front of me at 72 yards and then across the road and up the hill.

  

I used the caller on the right the most.  The black one was just too harsh of a sound.

                 Me - waiting on Mr. Turkey!

We found a turkey footprint in the mud.

Going Turkey Hunting

This weekend is the opening of turkey season here in MS and I will be trying my hand at turkey hunting after so many years.  I will also be taking my dance instructor, Sharon, who hails from TN, turkey hunting with me.  I recently posted her with her first turkey taken in TN and now she wants to get a MISSISSIPPI bird!  One day last week, I took her down to my camp, Jasper Botton, in Claiborne County, to scout around for turkey signs and showed her the layout of the hunting grounds.  Hopefully, she and I will harvest one!  Wish us luck!

We put up a target to shoot at and zero in the shotguns. 

On the way home we pulled over on side of road and I took some pictures of cows.  This little fellow was giving me a look...I guess he was trying to figure me out!

This little guy decided to get up in the food trough.  

Cows, cows, and more cows!

Bad Boy Buggy Ride!

A first class toy!

Did I mentioned my Bad Boy Buggy ride?  It was a week ago today that Hershel, Rex's dad, took me for a ride in his new TOY!  Could not believe how quiet it drove through the woods.  He took me up a very steep hill where some Indian Mounds are located.  Their hunting property, which is so cool, has multiple Indian Mounds and this one particular mound has a deer stand on it.  As we were coming back down the hill, I took a picture and you can see how steep it is.  He said that a few years ago he had had a 4-wheeler accident and luckily the way it rolled, it flipped over him and was pretty well shaken up.  He told me that he thinks about that accident everytime he travels the area.  This Bad Boy Buggy is his pride and joy and it's well deserved for the "Chief" of the Christmas Place Hunting Club.  Charming, Just Charming!

Spring Has Sprung

Yesterday, while walking our peek-a-poo, Katie, I noticed how our Japanese magnolia tree was budding out - true sign that spring is on the way.  We are having sunny skies now and the weather is really nice.  I love Spring and it's my favorite time of the year besides, Fall.  Katie is pictured here on our porch with leaves all around her.  I need to get the broom out and also start raking leaves, I guess.  We have this humongous oak tree that hangs over our house from next door and always, always have a ton of leaves falling all the time.  Spring has sprung!

A Blue Grass Hoedown

In between turkey and hog hunts, we were all invited to Paul T. Brown's cabin in the woods near the Christmas Place, for a Blue Grass hoedown last Saturday.  Paul T. Brown is a well known New York Times bestselling author from Brandon, MS and is a widely published, award winning and nationally acclaimed wildlife photographer and writer.  His work has appeared in such publications as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Sporting Classics, North American Whitetail, Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine, Turkey Call, and many other.  We were warmly welcomed by Paul and his family/friends and enjoyed the afternoon with good food, fellowship and music.  Again, thanks for a wonderful time Paul!  Above are pictures of a wolf, turkey and a Pope & Young deer of his fine harvests in our great outdoors!  

Contact Paul T. Brown, P.O.Box 5066, Brandon, MS  39047, Telephone (601) 829-1222 or 1-800-323-3398.  Fax: (601) 829-1656.  E-mail paultbrown@bellsouth.net.

Web sites:

http://www.trueexposures.com/

http://www.prayingeagles.com/

Scenes At Camp

A nice campfire.

John, Joe, Jaysen from Minnesota and their friend, Ron standing by the campfire. Being Yankees they were enjoying the nice warmer weather here in Mississippi compared to a lot of snow where they come from.

Denise and I enjoying the day at the Christmas Plantation and Hunting Club.

Rex's Dad, Herschel, with his friend Dorothy.

Rex with Dorothy and his Dad, Herschel. 

Happy Birthday Rex!

Today, my bestest friend and blogging mentor, Rex, at Deer Camp Blog is celebrating his birthday.  Go over and wish him a very Happy 52nd Birthday!  Bob and I want to thank him for his great friendship and wish him the very best that life has to offer and many more happy returns of the day!  Happy Birthday Rex!

Arrowhead and Pond Stands

The Arrowhead Stand is one of my favorite stands to hunt off of at the famous Christmas Place.  I have seen a lot of deer from this one tripod stand that sits in the middle of a huge field...one day I saw 18 in all.  This is the same stand I took pictures of a bobcat and a yearling suckling.  Last Saturday afternoon around 4:50, I did hear a hog squeal and thought any minute it would come up the hill from below, charging across the field, but nothing.  Later a possum came by to visit me and that was it.  Sunday morning Rex took me to the Pond Stand which is not far from the camp house.  On the way we passed by two dogs laying in the grass as we drove by them.  On the stand I saw two Mallard ducks (male and female) fly in and enjoyed watching them through my binoculars.  Later the two dogs that I had seen earlier walked across from the pond and faded into the woods.  I'm surprised that I did not see a hog since they love to wallow in the mud around the duck pond.   Regardless, it was a good hunt just to be in nature and enjoy the great outdoors! 

                      Decoy ducks in pond.