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"Russell,
Just picked up one of your glass calls to round out my B&B collection. You may remember I inquired about ground blinds in an email last week and mentioned that I had ordered a Cabelas quick set. It arrived Thursday afternoon and I rehearsed setting it up in my driveway ( I live in downtown Charleston, in the two hundred year old Rectory of St. Philip's church... yes I'm a pastor).
We've had very little "gobbling" this year and really so on the property I hunt in South Clarendon County next to the National Wildlife Refuge Pine Island Unit. I killed a nice bird the first week of the season more by accident than design and had a few close encounters but just couldn't close the deal. Seemed that our full strut "pretty boy" was spooking off the birds.
Quite frankly, I have used every conceivable decoy set up and have yet to have a bird really respond. We concluded that the boss gobblers have so established themselves that the competition is tired of being "whupped" and keep their distance.
Hit the woods about daylight Friday am and tried out your "hooter". The owls loved it but no gobbles. I then checked out my trail cameras and determined that between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm the birds were moving over our game plots. I decided I would have to set up an ambush, the way I hunted all my life after fall gobblers in NE Florida.
I set up my Cabelas quick set in about 5 minutes, settled in a comfortable chair inside. This blind ventilates very well and has shoot thru screens. Basically I kept the windows closed except two that faced over the small field so that the blind would be dark inside. I was settled in about 8:15 and started reading Scripture to get ready to preach Sunday. I did a soft run on my slate call, set it aside. Heard nothing.
At 9:00 I looked up and lo, there stands a fine gobbler, alone and making no noise about 20 yards away. In about 30 seconds I shot thru the camo screen (it really works!) and the bird was down. I know my Papa was proud watching from heaven since his now 61 year old son had downed a bird with no shot in the body! I use the Winchester Elite high density stuff in a 3.5" no. 6's in an Remington 870 with an extended choke. I know they cost $4 apiece but it will take off a turkey's head at forty yards. I drug the old boy (19 lb., 9.5" beard, 1" hooks to the blind) and returned to my studies. Stayed there till 11:00 and had a hen come by but decided not to stay for the rain. This blind is not water proof and will drip inside.
Plan to give it a shot on Monday. I then head to Florida where I may have a chance to try an Osceola. Hope you've had good luck in Barnwell, would love to hear about it.
Haden+"
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Other Stories:
Russell's Eastern in Carolina
Russell's Merriam in Musselshell
Russell's Osceola in Southern Florida
Russell's Rio in Southwest Texas
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