Post by caretaker on Apr 18, 2011 20:30:51 GMT -5
M ike and I met up at Wallyworld in Oak Ridge Saturday mornin which was a feat in it`s self. We were having Noah weather. The storms started Friday evening and were still going on. We was a hopin they would move outso we could hunt. Now being grown men we should have known better but being contrary ol codgers we just had to use our huntin permits. Oak Ridge is a drawn hunt.
We took Karen my explorer. I call her Karen because I found a disc of the Carpenters greatest hits in the cd player when I test drove her. We stopped by Mickey D`s fer sausage biskits and coffee. I drove and Mike navigated as he had the map and had hunted Oak Ridge before. We drove on down to the gate in the wind and rain. we sat and waited for the gate to open and went on in.. We traveled down the road and there was a road on the left. Mike looked at the map and said to take it. We went down the road for a while and it just fell out. It was a big ol washed mud puddle beside an overflowing creek. It was still rainin and visibility was iffy at best. I knew we couldn`t go to to the left because the creek was there. We couldn`t turn around no room. We decided to go to the right and try to straddle the rut. We were doing fine and were almost across when the left ridge colasped and almost set Karen on her side. I backed out. I held far to the right and made a road. We got across and went a little ways when we hit this long steep hill covered in leaves,mod amd part of the overflowing creek. We made it about 2/3 way up. We slid/backed down the hill. We got turned around and I drove back around the mud hole on the make shif road through the woods I had made. We drove back to the main road. Things just get better from here. It`s gettin on to daylight now and Mikes discovers that the road we were on has a closed sign. We finally find the road we were lookin for and make it up to a beautiful ridge with an old loggin trail on it. We park and start walking the trail. We walked for a while and Mike started calling. We were in luck. We heard the tom`s off down the ridge a ways. We slowly made our way toward the tom`s stoppin and callin as we went. We finally located the birds. We eased up to a safe place and called the tom`s gobbled back. We called again and the tom`s responded but some hen`s did too. Uh o this not be good. We had to call the tom`s away from those hens. We called a few more time and had the tom`s coming in. Then I herd the call break. It spooked the birds. Mike and I decided not to push the issue and scare the birds into the next county. We decided with time runnin out as we had to stop huntin at noon and be out by 1 we would come back on Sunday. We were able to get our fair weather hunter friend Greg to join us on Sunday. We had new box calls and Greg is real good with mouth calls. the less said about my and Mikes mouth calls the better. Mine sounds like a sick jackass and Mikes sounds like a sick goat. We got back in the woods well before day light Sunday mornin and headed for where Mike and I had located the birds. We gave some calls and the tom`s responded. We eased on down with Greg to my left front and mike to my right front. Suddenly Mike and Greg froze and got behind trees. I also got behind a tree. Mike and Greg being a little in front of me could see over a shelf that I could not. They could see the birds. There were hens between us and the toms. I started callin with my box call. the toms gobbled. I worked my box call so Greg and mike could have there hands free and concentrate on the birds. Then the hens called. I waite and worked the box into a soft call and purr. the hens and tom`s responded. Then mike and Greg doubled. I did not get a bird. we hunted some more and did see some more birds and i did call one in but it was a hen or young jake. it didn`t have a beard. I did find a dropped antler and saw some deer. All in all it was a great hunt and I will put in for more Oak Ridge hunts.
We took Karen my explorer. I call her Karen because I found a disc of the Carpenters greatest hits in the cd player when I test drove her. We stopped by Mickey D`s fer sausage biskits and coffee. I drove and Mike navigated as he had the map and had hunted Oak Ridge before. We drove on down to the gate in the wind and rain. we sat and waited for the gate to open and went on in.. We traveled down the road and there was a road on the left. Mike looked at the map and said to take it. We went down the road for a while and it just fell out. It was a big ol washed mud puddle beside an overflowing creek. It was still rainin and visibility was iffy at best. I knew we couldn`t go to to the left because the creek was there. We couldn`t turn around no room. We decided to go to the right and try to straddle the rut. We were doing fine and were almost across when the left ridge colasped and almost set Karen on her side. I backed out. I held far to the right and made a road. We got across and went a little ways when we hit this long steep hill covered in leaves,mod amd part of the overflowing creek. We made it about 2/3 way up. We slid/backed down the hill. We got turned around and I drove back around the mud hole on the make shif road through the woods I had made. We drove back to the main road. Things just get better from here. It`s gettin on to daylight now and Mikes discovers that the road we were on has a closed sign. We finally find the road we were lookin for and make it up to a beautiful ridge with an old loggin trail on it. We park and start walking the trail. We walked for a while and Mike started calling. We were in luck. We heard the tom`s off down the ridge a ways. We slowly made our way toward the tom`s stoppin and callin as we went. We finally located the birds. We eased up to a safe place and called the tom`s gobbled back. We called again and the tom`s responded but some hen`s did too. Uh o this not be good. We had to call the tom`s away from those hens. We called a few more time and had the tom`s coming in. Then I herd the call break. It spooked the birds. Mike and I decided not to push the issue and scare the birds into the next county. We decided with time runnin out as we had to stop huntin at noon and be out by 1 we would come back on Sunday. We were able to get our fair weather hunter friend Greg to join us on Sunday. We had new box calls and Greg is real good with mouth calls. the less said about my and Mikes mouth calls the better. Mine sounds like a sick jackass and Mikes sounds like a sick goat. We got back in the woods well before day light Sunday mornin and headed for where Mike and I had located the birds. We gave some calls and the tom`s responded. We eased on down with Greg to my left front and mike to my right front. Suddenly Mike and Greg froze and got behind trees. I also got behind a tree. Mike and Greg being a little in front of me could see over a shelf that I could not. They could see the birds. There were hens between us and the toms. I started callin with my box call. the toms gobbled. I worked my box call so Greg and mike could have there hands free and concentrate on the birds. Then the hens called. I waite and worked the box into a soft call and purr. the hens and tom`s responded. Then mike and Greg doubled. I did not get a bird. we hunted some more and did see some more birds and i did call one in but it was a hen or young jake. it didn`t have a beard. I did find a dropped antler and saw some deer. All in all it was a great hunt and I will put in for more Oak Ridge hunts.