- Details
- Category: Hunting
- Published: Thursday, 28 November 2019 19:04
- Written by Greg
Fall - Chasing Birds
The fall bird season started and we were all over the map trying to get it done. Our first hunt was back to Idaho to fill our remaining turkey tags. Once we located turkeys, we found them to be very vocal, but it took a lot of coaxing to get them to come within range. One flock of a dozen toms passed by at about 70 yards and fed out of sight. But our patience paid off when the flock of 50+ that we'd been watching for almost two hours headed our way. The flock had been visible in the field since the moment we saw them fly down from the roost, but they had kept their distance until curiosity got the best of them. There had to be at least 15 mature gobbles in the bunch, it was exciting to see them strut around for such a long time.
Took some time to lure this gobbler in... Carson packing out a long beard
Waterfowl season was up next. We had several fun hunts but definitely struggled on some. Not only did we sometimes struggle to locate birds, but we also had are share of trouble getting our boat stuck in deep gooey marsh mud. More than once we ran aground and spent hours trying to dig ourselves out -- you'd think we'd learn.
Fall is a great time to be out in the marsh
Duck season opener...limited out Carson dropping a rooster pheasant
One of my sons was lucky enough to draw a swan tag. While we didn't see a lot of swans, we did call in a few that just wouldn't commit to the decoys. After a couple of close calls a loner finally made a pass and decided that our decoys looked friendly enough and decide to come join the party. As the swan swung around and headed back toward us, Dallas took aim and dropped the swan as it came into range.
Called in this loner Who skirted our decoys But liked what he saw
Dallas dropped tundra swan as we called it back Scratched out a goose and a few ducks
The Utah fall turkey hunt was in full swing, so we loaded up and headed south. While we took decoys with us, we only ended up using mouth calls for whatever reason. My youngest son was dead set on using his crossbow on this particular hunt, but to be honest I was skeptical that we could get within range. Boy was I wrong. When he fired, a turkey stood just 20 yards in front of us, with a hundred or more not much further away. A few turkeys jumped at the sound of his shot, but they quickly settled back down and began walking to our right toward some big cottonwood trees. As one of the turkeys cleared the flock, the single blast from my 12 gauge dropped him in his tracks, we both had shot our turkeys!
Located a good number of birds on the fall turkey hunt and got them in to within 20 yards
First turkey with a crossbow I followed up with the 12 gauge
Next up was a trip for geese, but the destination was north of home this time. The first morning was a mad scramble -- as the last of the decoys were being set up, the geese were committing to the spread. Geese were literally landing in the decoys 15 yards ahead before guns were even loaded with shotshells. Ended the first day with 5 limits of Canada geese! The second day was a little slower, but still an awesome hunt!
Had 2 limits of Canada geese within minutes Bunch of mallards too!