The story of clover

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austin1990
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The story of clover

Unread postby austin1990 » Mon May 23, 2022 3:28 pm

Couple weeks before season I'd heard a bird on a ridge and haven't been back since. So I decided I'd go and see if he was still in the area, being second weekend I figured if he was alive, he'd definitely been messed with, but it was only lead I had after other spots had played out. I made it to the listening spot right at 5 am and parked, it's about 0.6 miles from where I'd heard him before, but it's a big tall ridge and you can hear a long ways down both sides. I sat there and listened to the whipporwhills and it seemed like every few minutes the wind kicked up a little more, finally by 5:40 it was so windy I didnt expect to hear him, I could drive farther down the road and loop around the other side, its lower and out of the wind so off I went. Got parked, and waited in silence for few minutes and gave a hoot. I was answered by an owl, and few seconds later I heard something flying, and the owl lit in a tree about 20 yards away and commenced to hooting for 2 minutes or so. I never answered him, and neither did a Turkey. After a brief silence I heard a gobble, a long ways and couldnt course it, but i think it was to the west. I hoot, the owl hoots, nothing answers. Finally the owl flies away, and after a few minutes he gobbles again, this time i think north, and decide if that's where he is I know the area really well and I've spent a lot of time in there over the years. Its real rough country and it's just over a mile to him, you'd have to go up and down super steep terrain and bluffs, enless you come from the other side, which is nice gently sloped. But in order to do that, you have to drive back about 10 miles and go down and turn on another road and drive 10 miles or so and hope someone isnt there. Well that's what I decided to do. It was right at 7:15 by the time i got around there and much to my surprise no one was there. I gave up on this area a couple years ago, bc of there always being someone there. I gather up my stuff and take off, couple hundred yards in and I notice several clumps of clover, I've always had a thing for looking for 4 leaf clovers and usually find 4-5 a year, actually found 3 last week at work. Anyways I start looking for Turkey turds, and clovers and wasnt seeing either one. After about 40 yards I finally spotted a 4 leaf clover.  I pick it and put it in my vest pocket and continue on my way. Calling every little bit and working my way to the top, after 0.8 miles I make it and have yet to see any Turkey sign or hear one. I stopped there and hung out for a bit and called, nothing, so I continued working the ridge east and it was much the same. Finally a little after 9 I decided I did just misjudge the bird that bad and he was actually to the west, not the north. Just through the wind and distance I was off. So I start working the 1.6 miles to the truck with the plan to drive back around and try him. About 500 yards from the truck i thought i heard a gobble, so i pull out my slate and on the 3rd Yelp he cuts me off, hes 250 yards or so, so i started hoofing it down the trail made it about 100 yards and theres a small rise at 60 yards, told myself if i can get there, I'll setup, he gobbles and i can see his fan coming over the lip, i was to late. So here i am, in middle of a road, no cover and theres the Turkey, so i crouch down, and slide over to a white oak. He pops over the rise and starts strutting back and forth at 55-60 yards, after a few minutes he goes out of sight to the right, another few minutes go by and I'm thinkin he's probably going to come up the ridge to me here, and bc of the tree I cant shoot, so I decide I'm going to get down, and crawl down the trail a little bit to a smaller rise and see. I get on my belly and I catch movement, its him, coming out of the brush and back into the trail at 40 yards strutting, I get the gun on him and he now notices the blob in the trail, that wasnt there a few minutes ago and periscopes his head up, but it was to late! I let him have it, hopped up and got down there to him and was surprised to see he was in that patch of clover I'd come through earlier.  A whole lot of luck was involved in this bird, and it's always special to get a public bird here in AR.
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greenhorndave
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Re: The story of clover

Unread postby greenhorndave » Tue May 24, 2022 2:24 am

Great bird and super cool hunt! :clap:
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Sometimes when things get tough, weird or both, you just need to remember this...
https://youtu.be/d4tSE2w53ts


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