If you don’t put forth the effort, you can’t be disappointed with the results. While turkey season isn’t over just yet, it basically is for me and I have nothing but a few memories to show for it. I wasn’t sure if I’d get back out this season given my travel schedule and preference for fishing, but I did make it out for an evening hunt on Saturday. What got me interested was getting trail camera photos of a group of gobblers a few evenings during the week, and consistently on my upper road camera. I thought setting up an ambush point might work as I assumed the birds had been roosting nearby. With that in mind, I loaded up the truck and headed out around 4:30.
I wasn’t sure exactly where I would set up but I ended up creating an awesome spot for myself. I used my Nukem Blind amongst some fallen timber to create a great ambush point about 20 yards from the road the birds had been walking. Better yet, I could see down the road for a good distance both directions, which would give me time to spot the birds and prepare for a shot with a low likelihood of them seeing me first. What I couldn’t control though was the weather. We were on the backside of a storm system that brought a lot of rain and high winds, and I was concerned that might keep the birds on lower elevations.
Not long after I got situated I got a notification from my CuddeLink app that new photos were available. Sure enough it was the group of gobblers, but they had been in the Homestead Plot about an hour earlier. The good news was the birds were on Horseshoe Hills, but I had no idea what direction they’d go from there and I was about 800 yards away. It turns out they didn’t come my direction and all I saw were a couple deer and squirrels. It was still worth my time though because it allowed me to find a new spot to set up for future hunts and frankly, any time in the woods is worth it.
I don’t know if I’ll get back out or not. I have work travel to the Professional Outdoors Media Summit near Minneapolis the day after Memorial Day, and I won’t return until Friday. Saturday is the last day of the season. I’ll continue to monitor my cameras and think about whether I want to give it one last try. I didn’t put in much of an effort again this spring and the results speak for themselves. I can’t be disappointed though. The time I wasn’t spending in the woods was spent on the trout water, and you just can’t be two places at once.