SwampCollie

Well, today is my birthday, and I acctually for the first time in my life felt older this morning when I woke up. Kinda nice being born in the spring and having a suitable excuse to skip work to turkey hunt. Its really the only day I acctually try like the devil to kill a bird for myself. I find that I try harder to get birds in front of other people than I do just for me, except on the 19th of April. Been lucky enough to score on 3 of the last 6 April 19ths, and I only got to hunt 5 of them. The other two years were due mainly to incliment weather, which is always a possibility, and I don't really blame myself. This year however was a little bit different.

I had a bird going ape on the limb this morning. I was trying to pick a fight with him. I was gobbling back at him, gobbling at geese, gobbling at car horns, and it really lit him up hearing another "gobbler" so close to his home turf sounding off like I was. I'm not really sureif it made him mad, or if he was just shock gobbling my gobbles, but turkey's were going nuts everywhere, and the prospects for brunch by 9am looked favorable.

I moved up to the top of a knoll where it opens up and started making some soft hen yelps, then I simulated a fly down and cut hard about a minute later. I heard him come out of the tree about 250 yards down near the swamp and he hit the ground gobbling, which is strange because they usually hush up once they are coming. No sooner had I thought this, than some damned tresspassing house mutt either spotted or heard him and gave chase. I have had some still mornings ruined by deer dogs running in the spring on our farm nearby the hunt clubs, but never a porch dog way back in the middle of the woods. Needless to say, that was that. The bird was dead on a string and I had the tag out and thecheck station on hold and somebody's stupid dog just happen to wander into our little game. I did happen to catch up with the offending animal and I cussed the hide off of him, but what else could I do? I don't have the heart to hurt someones pet, which this clearly was, but I would have given its owner what for. With the work schedule the way it is, I don't know if I'll have another crack at this piece of land or not. Places to hunt are getting scarce these days. Hard times. Oh well, at least I didn't have to work.

Talondale

Sounds like a good time none-the-less. Happy Birthday. Mine is next Wed. I always have an excuse that weekend for turkey hunting, no questions asked.