Figured I'd start my misadventures thread.
Hedgelj 2023-24
- Thread starter Hedgelj
- Start date
Spent some time today getting ready for spring turkeys and groundhogs.
Bought a stevens 301 .410 for my daughter to use. Put a sigsauer Romeo 5 on it.
At 20 yards with #9 TSS
At 40 yards with the same load
Bought a stevens 301 .410 for my daughter to use. Put a sigsauer Romeo 5 on it.
At 20 yards with #9 TSS
At 40 yards with the same load
Had my son shoot my 870 20 gauge with a simple jelly head choke and winchester double X #5s at 40 yards
You've probably read about my issues with the 350 legend 150 grain deer season xp, will i have a bunch of it and my CVA cascade shoots it well so it's gonna be a groundhog round.
6 rounds at 100 yards.
6 rounds at 100 yards.
Then i confirmed my zero (slight adjustment) in my precision AR at 100 yards
The other three were my first group then i made a slight adjustment.
Then i looked up and there was a groundhog at 230 yards. His mistake...
The other three were my first group then i made a slight adjustment.
Then i looked up and there was a groundhog at 230 yards. His mistake...
Had my daughter target shooting the .410 at 30 yards. Even with the small size of the stevens 301 she can't hold it steady. So i broke out a shooting stick and she's good to go.
I haven't scouted yet (hoping in the AM) but i know where they traditionally roost. Debating between using the ghost blind or lugging ten tons of crap by taking a pop up and two chairs.
I haven't scouted yet (hoping in the AM) but i know where they traditionally roost. Debating between using the ghost blind or lugging ten tons of crap by taking a pop up and two chairs.
So here's my plan. I'm going to lay out stuff tonight after track practice. It'll be my daughter and I in the morning as my oldest has basketball pool play for his last AAU tournament tomorrow morning in Clev.
I'm going to wander and try to roost a bird or two (or at least have an idea where they are) tonight. Then I'm going to take a pop up blind, decoys, 2 chairs and a bog pod with me in the morning for my daughter. We'll set up where I think the birds will go and figure it out on the fly. I also have some other property we can "walk in and gun" for if the morning becomes a bust. For tomorrow evening I may try to recreate last year for the ambush as they head to roost if they are in the same trees as they generally are.
My oldest did get his hunter's ed cert so that's a nice way to get the year started. He has been hunting the last 3 years with just his apprentice and he took the completely online course. He said I've taught him too much because it made the class really boring because there wasn't as much to learn. LOL.
Sunday we have AAU basketball tournament and my daughter has her first soccer spring game so its probably not going to happen unless she wants it to in the morning.
I'm going to wander and try to roost a bird or two (or at least have an idea where they are) tonight. Then I'm going to take a pop up blind, decoys, 2 chairs and a bog pod with me in the morning for my daughter. We'll set up where I think the birds will go and figure it out on the fly. I also have some other property we can "walk in and gun" for if the morning becomes a bust. For tomorrow evening I may try to recreate last year for the ambush as they head to roost if they are in the same trees as they generally are.
My oldest did get his hunter's ed cert so that's a nice way to get the year started. He has been hunting the last 3 years with just his apprentice and he took the completely online course. He said I've taught him too much because it made the class really boring because there wasn't as much to learn. LOL.
Sunday we have AAU basketball tournament and my daughter has her first soccer spring game so its probably not going to happen unless she wants it to in the morning.
So I have my hunting daypack ready to go with calls, 3 hen decoys, hearing protection, ammo and head nets; a pop up blind, 2 chairs and a bog pog tripod. The gun is sighted in and I just got her and apprentice hunting license and turkey tag and my turkey tag.
Now I'm gonna light a cigar and wait till it gets a little closer to dusk to wander to roost them. I hope I can give her a good experience tomorrow.
I've got to make her some hot chocolate in the morning.
Now I'm gonna light a cigar and wait till it gets a little closer to dusk to wander to roost them. I hope I can give her a good experience tomorrow.
I've got to make her some hot chocolate in the morning.
Good luck too you both, Doug! Looking forward too the hero pictures!
As much as I think this is stupid, I can get on board with some kids having fun. Good luck!
Last night i had no responses to owl hoots or coyote howls.
This morning we get out and still no shock gobbles. It was sprinkling. I heard two gobbles aways down a valley while i had sent my daughter to get the side by side so we could be more mobile. When she got back to me it was starting to rain hard so we set up on a field near the top of a ridge so we could see both sides.
A bit went by, the pop up was leaking. She got damp, cold and asked to be done. So we were done and now it's AAU basketball time.
I will probably try to ambush at another patch of woods this evening.
This morning we get out and still no shock gobbles. It was sprinkling. I heard two gobbles aways down a valley while i had sent my daughter to get the side by side so we could be more mobile. When she got back to me it was starting to rain hard so we set up on a field near the top of a ridge so we could see both sides.
A bit went by, the pop up was leaking. She got damp, cold and asked to be done. So we were done and now it's AAU basketball time.
I will probably try to ambush at another patch of woods this evening.
Left field
Active Member
So there is a patch of woods where the turkeys almost always roost. They don't often respond to my calls in the textbook manner so I've adopted other methods. Last spring i had a high adrenaline hunt with my oldest son getting his first turkey, a nice Jake, by ambushing them en route to their roosting trees.
We went out and drove the side by side part way there. Then i hit the coyote howler and sure enough a shock gobble was heard a few hundred yards away. That's a good sign so we we hiked in and set up.
I was in the pop up with my daughter using a bog pod and a stevens .410 with tss #9s. My oldest was next to us using a ghost blind, and my benelli shooting tss #9s.
We relaxed for a bit then I hit a few clucks on my slate. Nothing.... but about 10 minutes later we hear a gobble in the valley behind and below us. I waited almost a half hour and then gave a few more calls and still nothing. But then i heard gobbling behind us and closer but in a different direction.
Then we start hearing at least 5-6 different birds in all directions. But the closest ones are in front of us. I have us set up so that as soon as we see a bird in front of us its within 40 yards. I tell my daughter to get ready and we pull the hammer ask the way back but the safety is still on. Then she and i spot motion next to a root bak from a wind blown tree. Sure enough here come two birds over the hill. They stopped long enough for me to verify they both had beards. They take a few more steps and separate. I ask my daughter if she had a spot at the one on the right and she points "this way?
and i say yes . She said she did so i tell her take the safety off and i her the click. Then i tell her sqeeze the trigger when you're ready and "BOOM" and the bird drops like a ton of bricks. The other one stands there and takes another step forward. I ask my son if he had a shot and he said yes, so i tell him to take the safety off and squeeze when ready. "BOOM" the bird drops and then gets up and runs. He tries a second and third shot but misses and it runs out of the woods with me in pursuit and sprints across a few hundred yards of pasture. So there went the double.
We went out and drove the side by side part way there. Then i hit the coyote howler and sure enough a shock gobble was heard a few hundred yards away. That's a good sign so we we hiked in and set up.
I was in the pop up with my daughter using a bog pod and a stevens .410 with tss #9s. My oldest was next to us using a ghost blind, and my benelli shooting tss #9s.
We relaxed for a bit then I hit a few clucks on my slate. Nothing.... but about 10 minutes later we hear a gobble in the valley behind and below us. I waited almost a half hour and then gave a few more calls and still nothing. But then i heard gobbling behind us and closer but in a different direction.
Then we start hearing at least 5-6 different birds in all directions. But the closest ones are in front of us. I have us set up so that as soon as we see a bird in front of us its within 40 yards. I tell my daughter to get ready and we pull the hammer ask the way back but the safety is still on. Then she and i spot motion next to a root bak from a wind blown tree. Sure enough here come two birds over the hill. They stopped long enough for me to verify they both had beards. They take a few more steps and separate. I ask my daughter if she had a spot at the one on the right and she points "this way?
and i say yes . She said she did so i tell her take the safety off and i her the click. Then i tell her sqeeze the trigger when you're ready and "BOOM" and the bird drops like a ton of bricks. The other one stands there and takes another step forward. I ask my son if he had a shot and he said yes, so i tell him to take the safety off and squeeze when ready. "BOOM" the bird drops and then gets up and runs. He tries a second and third shot but misses and it runs out of the woods with me in pursuit and sprints across a few hundred yards of pasture. So there went the double.
What makes it a little bit more awesome is my kids great maternal grandfather was a key player in the reintroduction of turkeys in Ohio. He passed away in the 90s but the Ohio NWTF has an award in his name that they give out.
