Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Turkey hunter vs Duck Hunters: a funny encounter

I decided to hunt today, which was the last day of our fall turkey season. I tried a close WMA instead, one where I video'd turkeys a couple of months ago while squirrel hunting. There's lots of turkey's here. But I saw none today. But I did have a kinda funny encounter.

When I showed up at the parking area, there was an SUV parked. I figured another turkey hunter or a small game hunter, since that was all that was in season today, except for ducks. You have a to hike a really long way to get to water. But I do that. Near there is where the birds generally hang out. So I went about a mile and a half to where I like to hunt and found the hill where I saw turkeys last time I squirrel hunted there. I figured it would be a good place to start. It overlooks two ravines that drain into an old, drained beaver pond. There's still a creek down there, but its not very big. I picked a tree and settled down, then let a few soft yelps out of my glass pot call. It was very still. Temps were in the upper 50s. Skys were clear. Way in the distance, I heard the occassional waterfowler shooting on the main river.

A little while later, I heard geese way in the distance. Then, I heard the most god-awful honking coming out of that old beaver area downhill from where I had settled in. It sounded like a car horn. It was horrible. What the hell? Then I heard some whistling. Not human whistling. Like some kind of bird. What the hell is going on down there? (This is the same area where I heard the sounds of a blue heron and turkeys fighting a couple of months ago.) I kinda wanted to go look, but it felt like it was a downtown Philadelphia bar at 2am - not a place I really wanted to go. Then I heard shooting. Holy crap, a lot of shooting. Then I knew there were goose/duck hunters down there. It settled down a bit. The I heard more goose calls. Not much like a goose. But someone was trying. The all went quiet.

About 10:30 I heard voices. I heard a lot of F bombs. Then I saw two guys coming up one of the ravines I was covering. They were wearing a mish-mash of camo, waders, and both had their faces painted. One guy was wearing a camo hat, the other a camo doo-rag. The guy with the camo doo-rag had a giant fishing net over his shoulder filled with decoys. They were just yammering away. They got to about 20 yards of me and I said in a loud voice, "Hunter here." OMG, I thought they shyt themselves. I scared the hell out of them. I stood up and they finally saw me. I walked over to them. Hunting was over so I decided to be friendly and chat.

The guy with the net told me they found this place on x-hunt, or whatever, and decided they would hike to the creek, since it was so far they were confident no one else would be there. They both said they were beginner duck hunters. The guy with the net said they shot 16 times that morning and got one wood duck. The other fellow reached into his vest and said "I got my dream duck" and pulled out a pretty little male wood duck. Their only bird that morning. A few more pleasantries and we both went on our ways.

I went about 100 yards or so north along the beaver pond area, and they left. The woods settled back down, but I didn't see anything. I tried a pine thicket, but saw nothing. In fact, other than some tweety birds, I didn't even see a squirrel today.

So it was a day. Not the greatest. But I was outside on a nice day, and met some nice, albeit loud, duck hunters. But it was still better than working.

Looking into the ravine that leads to the old, drained beaver pond:


And yours truly:

Definitely a breed of their own..

You ain't lyin'.......

Used to hunt a 6 or 7 acre beaver dam. Had it 99% to myself unless I took someone along. Could hunt the entire thing in chest waders save for a little deep stuff around the beaver house.......which was in the wide open middle so no biggie.

Then a handful of the Pittsburgh Steelers started hunting it......from a freakin' BOAT !!

Bunch of sissies. But they pretty much ruined it for me.

It all sounded good, no reason to find fault with anyone and start criticizing other hunters…

It was good. Met a couple of nice guys. Swapped a few stories. Wished each other luck and went on our ways. But their goose calling. LOL. Sounded as bad as my mouth turkey calling. This was my second fall turkey hunt in the 2023-2024 season and both occassions I mets duck hunters. And both groups were super nice.

Left side of your gun, remote for the go-pro?

You ever hear me on a mouth call for Turkeys,

You’d leave the woods in fear of what alien creature might be out there………

Thank Gawd David Halloran makes pot calls.

Yes. Handy little thing.

interesting story. Theres a bow hunter telling a similar story about a fall turkey hunter name me setting up near him. The guy was rattling antlers to tell me he was there until he finally waved.



Surprised no red dot on the gun

I tried a dot sight on a different shotgun and didn't care for it. So I removed it. I do have a red dot on a slug gun, though. That gun has no iron sights.

Some of the best turkey hunters I know are some of the worst on mouth calls.

They do take practice and getting used to, no doubt. I spent a lot of time getting good with mouth calls, really wanted to keep my hands free and minimize movement. There's so many more to choose from now too than there was when I decided diaphragm calls only! They're much better too...

Only other calls I have anymore are a couple box calls. Otherwise, all my calling is using mouth calls.

My mouth calling is so bad, that I'd have better luck just walking thru the woods yelling, "Here, turkey, turkey, turkey!"

Loved your story and being out in the woods sure beats working.