Morning turkey hunt, a bit rambling.

[Tim Richards]

Spent another morning in the woods. Not a gobble, yelp, cluck or putt to be heard. Some hens have been seen with chicks? poulets? this week. I did see a mature tom Tuesday afternoon in full strut with three hens, no toms since.
I was sitting under a big old white pine when I heard steady, low "bleh" over and over moving my way. Took a look over my shoulder to see a doe heading my way. Dressed in 18th century town clothes, she didn't seem to notice me until I took a couple of pictures. I suspect she had a fawn or two nearby. Maybe the tom will show tomorrow.

The doe was approaching this mature white pine. A retired Forest Service forester friend of mine estimated its age in the 200 year range, give or take a decade or two, its probably middle-aged. Its survived at least two forest fires and numerous lightning strikes, though a strike a few years ago split the heavy, thick bark so its days may be numbered. Many a buck has been taken by my family from under it since the late 1800's.

One last picture from this morning's hunt, the Grandfather Oak. It would take two men with long wingspans to reach around it. I like to sit under it to think, listen to sounds of the woods, and, of course, hunt. Perhaps it started its life around the time of the Civil War. We had a selective cut about 5 years ago, the largest oaks (smaller than this one, which we wanted saved) had rings numbering from 98 to about 120.

 

[Kuckus]

Nice story, beautiful country, and a great looking fowler :thumbsup: ! Does it get any better folks?

 

[spitfire]

Nice Pictures & story thanks for posting :thumbsup: !

 

[paulvallandigham]

Hunting is about being there. Look at the dew on that grass- or is it winter wheat? in front of and behind the doe? This is a shot at about 7:30-8 A.M. and it doesn't get much better than this. Maybe if a big old Tom were to be strutting under that little pine in the foreground just before you smoke him, but otherwise you have to " Be There ". The smells, the sounds, the quiet, the wind, the sensations on your skin as things fall off trees you never noticed before, the time you have to actually really look at leaves, and twigs, spiders, and bugs. If you are really good at listening you can tell the location and direction of travel of animals and people in the woods by the concentric rings of sound the forest gives up as its early warning system. That doe may have caught a flash of light off a lens, or heard a mechanical sound as the camera winds itself, but it is more likely the doe heard the chatter of call of some bird or small animal that saw one of these things, and put out an alert call that the doe heard. She is staring hard, because she doesn't have good depth perception and cannot see through that pine tree in the foreground unless you move. Glad you are enjoying the time in the woods. Thank you for the pictures and the inspiration.

 

[shmrck1]

TDR,
Thanks for sharing the photos, but a
special thanks for the story behind them.
Is it family property or property that
you have access to??
snake-eyes :hatsoff:

 

[Tim Richards]

Paulvalandingham:
Very good observations. It was about 7:30am and we had a very heavy dew. The doe was so intent on where she was going she didn't notice me until the flash from the first picture of her I took. I believe there were fawn(s) behind me as that was her direction of travel, her low, persistent bleating, and the fact instead of running off she circled the tree and kept going.
Snake-eyes:
This property was purchased by a great-great grandfather about 1880. It has been in the family since that time. As my grandfather's brothers used to kid him, he was land rich and penny poor. We have 240 acres, a neighbor began farming it again a couple of years ago. We've resisted the occasionaly urge/pressure to sell it since we can never replace it.

 

[Bob J]

We've resisted the occasionaly urge/pressure to sell it since we can never replace it.

You're right about that. Its very nice to see the land being kept and passed down to the next generation. My Dad left my brothers and I a piece of land for hunting and conservation. He believed in good stewardship as you and your family obviously do. Beautiful photos and story :hatsoff:

 

[KyFlintlock]

Great pics, thanks for sharing. Good luck on Tom the next time you get out!!

wess

 

[The Baron]

Nice pictures. It's pretty cool to have opportunity to hunt from a historical "family-favorite" tree. Thanks for sharing.