Late-Season Longbeard for Aidan - Real Hunt Audio

Turkey season ain't over yet! At least that's what Aidan proved this week on his latest hunt. He slid into the right place at the right time on a hot one! Hear the story on this week's podcast. 

The Hunting Roots Podcast is brought to you by onX Hunt - www.onxmaps.com

www.mossyoak.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Roland once again, welcome back to the Hunting Roots Podcast. I'm Brody Swisher. This is episode 242. Joining me today in the office, my boy Aiden. Aiden, welcome back. Good to be back. Always good to have you. And uh, as we've said in the past, that usually means one of a couple things, but this week it means we've got a dead turkey that we're going to talk about. You had a heck of a hunt the other day, man. I'm proud of you. That was a fine moment in the late season. Late season Longbeard's what we're talking about today. Again, episode 242. This podcast is brought to you by our good friends at Onex Hunt. OnexMaps.com is the website. Go check those guys out. Get that app in your phone if you don't already have it. And uh I know if you do have it, you like me and us, man, rely on it all the time. And that's just it. The other day, Aiden and I were back and forth, and uh we use this app as this hunt unfolded, and uh it's just a beautiful thing. And so make sure you got it in your phone. Onexmaps.com is the website. Also, big thanks to the crew at Moss Yoke. Mossyoke.com is their website. Go check it out. Aiden, you're sporting up. Is that a new shirt?

SPEAKER_01 1:18

New companion shirt. Figured uh I can't get one for Christmas or birthday, so I'm gonna have to send my own money. But I I love it. It's nice and good uh good quality. Whatever the material is, I like it. It's real soft.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

Well it's got that heavy, heavy cotton, whatever it is, and uh it's a pocket, I guess companions, I don't know what they call it, companion's pocket tee or something. And uh I'm sure there's a a name for it, like a a cute and catchy name. You remember what it is? Like a camp t-shirt or a um what's look it up, but the companion's pocket tee, and it's just a they're great. I've got three or four of them, and I I do wear 'em because they're just they're tough, you know what I'm saying? Like a lot of these little cheap t-shirts they wear out, but that's that's kind of like a work wear grade quality, but it's super comfortable at the same time, and yeah, they're just kind of dang near bulletproofing. Now, I mean, for the record though, didn't you get some companion wear for Christmas or birthday or something? Oh surely we didn't leave you high and dry.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Maybe after after NWTF show last year, mom may have got me a companion um button up or something.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Yeah, yeah. I don't know. But I'm I'm that one's on your own though.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

I'm quickly growing my Mossy Oak um closet.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Yeah, yeah. It's uh it's some good stuff. Like I said, the the companion stuff, and you know, it's just good quality. You can count on. And I know there's a wide range of stuff, and somebody might say, well, I've got this and these camo bridges they wore out. You know, we're not talking about, we're talking about this companion line of stuff that's that's their own baby, and it's it's just it's tough, tough stuff, and it lasts and it's good and it's comfortable. So go check it out, mosshook.com. Again, this week we're gonna talk about this turkey hunt. Um I went in and I I said it last week or two ago on the podcast, it's gotten really tough in late season. It's just tough to keep going, uh, particularly for me when I'm not hearing birds gobble. You know, and I've said it for years. I remember Will Primo saying it way back when I first was getting started years ago, decades ago, um, that if they didn't gobble, I wouldn't go, probably. That was because something along those lines. And I've I've said that before and reminded, you know, listeners of that you know statement before. But that's kind of what I've always said too. If, you know, and he was just talking about the love of the sound of the gobble. And it and something like, if they didn't gobble, I don't think I'd hunt them, or something to that effect. And I just remember that too, thinking, that's largely why I like to go too. And it's just a when you're hearing them gobble, it's awesome. And when you're not hearing them, when they're not talking, it just takes my interest level way down. Now, that's not to say that I'm not gonna still go, I'm not gonna still try, I'm not gonna still make the effort and go in there, but but yeah, when there's when they're not talking, I'm almost ready to go back to the truck, you know. Now this year, you know, the bird I killed a while back, early season, nobody gobbled on the roost. And I went on to the next farm and ended up killing a bird and got on a bird that did gobble, but I just don't enjoy it near as much when they're not talking, and and that's kind of what we've had for weeks now, is just non-gobbling from the roost. Um, but with that said, last week went into a farm and got on a spot, and it was, I think I told you or somebody, maybe a buddy, it was almost like opening a day. I heard four, I think, four birds that day, and they gobbled good, they gobbled hard. It was that cool snap, you know, 43 degrees that morning, and and they just gobbled good. I thought, here we go. I mean, it was just revitalized me as a turkey hunter in the last couple weeks of the season to get back. Like, hey, this is what I like, this is what I enjoy, this is good. So you and I go, and and I've that morning I played the birds, uh had birds on both sides of the farm and hit them both, couldn't do anything with either one of them. Um one bird I feel like is just a tough old bird that I feel like has done the same thing. I've played the same game for several years in that that part of the farm on that bottom, and and I think it's just I'd be willing to bet a simple bird and um doing the same thing. So smart, slick, call shy, don't want nothing to do with you calling, you know, we just knows the game. So I took you the other day, we get up and go, and and I'm like, hey, you drop me off down here, or you can hunt with me. You decide, hey, I'm gonna go up and hunt the other side. There's birds you heard up there. So we do our little sneaky drop. I jump out and go get on my spot, and um I think it was that the night it rained all night. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Yeah you didn't we didn't realize that. We woke up and it was like, has it been raining?

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Yeah, it was still dripping, like you could hear, like it had just stopped raining. Everything was wet and like you hear it like it had just wrapped up. You hear it dropping off the roof and off the gutters and off the trees, and I'm like, man, it just got done raining. I didn't realize that. And you know, you and I talked about that last week or so, that the fact that when they're soaking wet, they just I don't ever feel like they gobble good the next morning. And I I think it's just probably they're in a bad mood, bad attitude. Um it's just like us. When we're soaked, you're miserable, you're like, man, this now you know is awful. You're just not in the best of moods when you're soaking wet, and I can't imagine that they're not somewhat like that, even though they're a wild animal, you know. Um maybe not, whatever, I don't know. I just can't imagine them being just thrilled to be soaking wet. But regardless, you drop me off, I go to my spot, and I'm thinking, I I just was thinking that maybe the bird that was in the bottom that I couldn't get to budge from the bottom last week, um, maybe he pitched down in the field because he sounded closer like he was out in the field when I was on the other side of the farm. He sounded hotter and closer. So that was my play. I thought he's gonna pitch out in the field, then go back into the bottom. Um, not what he did that day. I sit there and it was a breaking day, nothing. I didn't hear anything on its own gobble. I thought, man, fly down times here, they could have flown down already, nothing happening. And um I didn't send you to the gar hole, but I let you go up to that spot thinking, hey, there was a bird there the other day. One of them I feel like is a Jake, and there's another one that's kind of a shorter gobble, could be a Jake, but it could be in my gut, I kind of felt like it might have been a long beard. So you went up there trying to strike out on your own, and I'm just sitting there thinking, I'm not hearing nothing. I can't hear any birds up your way. And um, and so I just like, man, this is horrible. And Aidan's got up early to come out, talk to spot up, and we get out of here, nothing talking. And so I finally just do a fly-down cackle just to try to fire something up, and I think I did two fly-down cackles, and um on the second one, kind of a delayed response, but I had a you know, just kind of like it woke him up, you know what I'm saying? Just kind of a real weak gobble. And then he gobbled again a little louder, and it's like he finally cleared his throat and he gobbled good. And um, and he started gobbling every few minutes, you know, and um, doing it on his own. I slid down into the spot, getting tighter to a spot I thought, okay, maybe he'll pop out down here, cut the distance about 80 yards or so, made a call, never heard him again. I mean, just absolutely shut him down. That's the same thing. You slip in tight on this bird, shuts him down. And uh, I just kind of knew his routine. He gobbled a few more times, holding his ground, whatever on his own. But so I make my way back up to the truck, I'm like, heck with this, man. I'm tired of this bird, done with him. Uh but then I get a text from you, and you're like, I'm just asking you if you got on anything. You're like, I'm sitting on a bird 70 yards of your reply. I'm sitting on a bird 70 yards from me, and I won't get him any closer or whatever. And I'm like, what in the world? Aiden's in the hot spot. So I couldn't do anything to this bird. I walk back up, take all my gear, go back to the truck that which was between us, and I just like, I'm going to take a nap. Done, done with these birds, done with this place, done with that spot, done with that bird anyway. And I just get in the truck, start checking messages and stuff, and do my deal. And then meanwhile, you're over there having a heck of a hunt. And uh so walk us through your hunt as far as uh not naming any names, not telling about any particular uh anything that might tell about where you're at, but uh walk us through. You you drove up to the drop spot, the parking spot, and then take us on from there.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Yeah, so I I wasn't real sure where these birds would be. Um so I just I started walking the trail that's on this farm and um maybe 50 yards in the trail I cut off where it's a little bit open, um, maybe expecting the birds to maybe walk the trail, and so I was hoping to get where I was off the trail, about 10-15 yards where I could shoot the trail. And I sat there for a while and I I thought, and we said this earlier, but you know the birds weren't gobbling much at all early. It was very late when they did.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Did you were you in the trail? Had you started in the woods? Uh had you heard him gobble before you started in the woods?

SPEAKER_01 10:32

I I was on the ground for 20 minutes or so, and then I heard him gobble. Um and it was quite a ways off. But even still, it was you know, I was I was torn. It it kind of sounded like a Jake, but it also sounded like a long beard. Yeah. And so I sat there for a little while and I I hadn't made any calls, and he was gobbling pretty good, pretty consistently. Um and so I I got up and made a move closer, and it was about the time that you said you did a fly down cackle. I also did one, and he responded pretty quick. And so I sat there for a while, trying to figure out if I should get closer, should I stay here? Because I was I was still in an open area, but I knew it was gonna get thick quick, and I I was thinking, you know, I could probably sneak through this thick crap because he's not in it.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Um and so after a little bit of decision making, I was um I made the choice to go through the thick crap and try and get to the open area where the bird was. And so that took a while just because of how thick it was. But then I got back there and found a spot where there's just a cluster of four trees, and I got in that cluster, and so I had some good cover and I made a call and he slammed right over, you know, he was probably a hundred yards, but it it just sounded so close, and there was this little ridge, not a ridge, but uh you know, a little high point right in front of me, and the bird was right behind it. And not long after I called, I I just see his head poking up, and so he started coming in here and he got about 75 yards, and he just stopped. Yeah, and it was just strutting, and you know, I I'm I'm thinking it's about to go down. Uh he's gonna come in closer. Um, I called a couple more times and he's answering. I mean, he's just slamming, he's answering every call I make, but he never moved any closer. Once he got 75 yards, he just strutted back and forth. He'd go a little bit to the right, then he'd come back to the left. Um, you know, he'd gobble when I wasn't calling. He was just, you know, he was fired up. Yeah. But I just I couldn't get him to come any closer. And so it was uh it was a chess game between, you know, trying to figure out, you know, you know, should I move any closer when he gets behind a tree? You know, should I wait? And so like I said, for an hour I just sat there and waited, and um finally, you know, he goes and starts to inch a little bit closer and he's getting, you know, 50 yards. And at one point he gets to about 25 yards, and I've got a 410, so like that's why I didn't shoot him 50, yeah. Yeah. Um and so once he gets at 25, and this has been an hour, like I said, it's been an hour that I've watched him strut. And so he gets at 25, and I just like, man, I gotta make it happen right here. And so he gets out there and he's been in a strut, he pokes his head up, and then I just pull the trigger and he uh he drops down to the ground and then starts you know wobbling off. Um so I go chasing after him. Um he's not running real fast, like uh I definitely hurt him. Yeah. Um but I have to go run after him. Um I go and shoot a second time, miss him. Because it has to take two shots for me, apparently. Uh and I go chase him down and beat him a couple times and had to end up cutting him. Slit the old throat. Get the throat slit. But um that was the second turkey of the season for me.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Hagged, hagged.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Pretty awesome experience. Just watch it unfold.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Well, killing one of the timber like that. I don't think you've had many timber hunts. We've done a lot of field edges and stuff. Um try to think of any any timber hunts you've been on where they're doing it in the field or you know, in the woods like that. But I mean that sound, you heard it. I mean, that sound is just so much different than the timber when they gobble. Feels different, sounds different. Um, you can feel it. I don't know if you notice that. I don't know if you could feel it. Sometimes it's different, but I mean, when they get in the timber, depending on the train, you can feel it, you feel that rattle. You like you, it's like you feel the rattle in your chest, like, ooh, man, and just vibrates your own chest. But isn't that the most panicked feeling when you're running one down, you've shot him, and he's hopping and flopping, and you got one shell. You had you didn't know it at the time, you only had two shells in the gun. Yeah. It's the most panicked feeling when you you go and you're trying to shoot that second shell. Especially like the second shell, it seems like it's always you don't really try too hard on the second one, because you're like, hey, shoot again, you got three shells, shoot again. And a lot of times that second shot's just kind of a panic mode, just shoot from the hip, just shoot fast paced. And then that third one's where you dial in and you're like, dude, last shot. You don't get him this one, you're done, you know, or it you know, whatever. And that's just a panic feeling when you're running, you're trying to run, and you're trying to be about half running, you maybe stop to shoot or shoot on the run. It's just a crazy, crazy panic moment. But he was just kind of hopping and flopping and rolling and going and Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

I I mean, he he was definitely not getting away from me. Yeah. But I didn't want to get him too far.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Right, yeah. That little 410 banger is about is about right. Uh, of course, shooting through the timber, I mean, it's a different deal. You get some deflection and different stuff in the rush or whatever, but uh uh yeah, you definitely don't have the payload of a 20-gauge or the 12-gauge and set little 410s. A little sporty, a little challenging, but uh that's so cool. And I I can't believe just uh how talkative he was. And I and I wasn't hearing him. That was what was weird about that this morning. I was telling a buddy yesterday, the week before, I could hear birds on both sides. If I was on one side of the farm, I could hear the other ones, and I just bounced back and forth playing the birds. But that day, you couldn't hear the birds, you couldn't hear the bird I was on gobbling, could you?

SPEAKER_01 16:44

I only heard the bird I heard.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Yeah, and I couldn't hear the birds you had up there. So I don't know if it's uh if it was the weather, if it was uh the acoustics, if they just weren't gobbling hard. They were soft gobbling, and the other day it was 43 degrees and it was clear, cooler, um no humidity. I don't know if it was a weather thing or if it was just the birds. Like I said, they were wet and they weren't talking much and they were just soft gobbling. I'd be real interested to, you know, kind of do a deep dive on that. I mean, because sure, birds, I mean, they're like people. They don't have one volume for gobble. It's not like they gobble, say, hey, hit the gobble, and they just do the same volume every time. I mean, they they can gobble just like the bird I was on. At first gobble, he just, you know, just like he, you know, just like I said, just like us when we wake up, our voice is froggy, and we we're not talking hard and strong, whatever, and we have to clear our throat. His second gobble is a little bit more uh clear and stronger, and then this about the third gobble, he was gobbling good, you know. And so I just wonder if it wasn't a thing of that. You know, they were just weak, you know, passive gobbling that morning because we could not hear each other as a bird. And so that was interesting, but just the fact that he was gobbling as good as he was, you know, late season, I've said it a million times, it's feast or famine. You have some of those that are like my hunt where it's just you know, they're not doing much of anything or not talking at all, and then you have those where you're you know you get on a hot one. And I think the key to your hunt, man, it sounds like you you got in the bubble. At first, when you first sat down, and you sound like you were in the same spot I was the week before. I sat down, had a little bit of opening along that trail, and it was kind of clear and where you could shoot and see. Uh, and I was trying to get him to come out of that thick stuff or come through that thick stuff, and it didn't happen. He went the other way, or he hung up over there where you're you know, where you were, and fortunately you had the wherewithal, you moved into that thick stuff, and got through that thick stuff, because it's like the thick stuff separates where you started off and where I was the other day from the open ridge that he's on. I needed to do that the other day. I just didn't think I could get away with it. And uh he's over there strutting just a beautiful open ridge, and you got through the thick stuff and you got in his little bubble, and we've said it before, you know, he's he'll sit over there and listen to you calling and calling. He's like, I'm here, I'm strutting, I'm gobbling, you come to me. And and there's birds, that's all that's what they're gonna do, especially this late season. You know, they're just gonna hold their ground, they've played the game, they've been called at, they've been decoyed, and they're shy of everything. He knew he was in a safe spot, and he's like, I ain't budging. You can come to me or we're not gonna play together, you know. And the other day, I just left. I was like, he's not coming, I can't get to him, I'm done. And I left. You got through the thick stuff and you got into his zone. If you can get into that zone, and you know, like I said, you're not in his bubble, he's not coming, he's gonna hold his ground. But if you can get into that bubble, into his zone, um, then I feel like, you know, I know that they will come, they'll start easing that way. That's what you saw. He was at 75 and he tried to hold his ground, but he's like, you know what? That sounds good, and he kept gobbling everything, and he just kind of kept, you know, be patient long enough, he'll keep easing over there. Now you called a lot. I was surprised he'd let you get away with that, but that's just a hot bird. He was fired up. You know, the bird I was on, if I got that aggressive when I went and when I got that aggressive, he shut up and was like, no, I ain't talking no more. I'm done. I'm you know, I'm not playing with you. I know you're not real because you know, hens just up in the morning, they don't, they're not as that as talkative, you know, necessarily. And so your bird, though, he was hot, he gobbled at everything, cranked up, and and he kept working his way back to you. And that's what was that was what was so cool about it was just that that he kept, you know, easing that way, easing that way. And it's a testimony to your patience. You waited on him and uh just waited him out. And when you're on a hot one like that, it's a lot easier to do, you know. I was one on one that he could have been coming, who knows? He shut up when I first called, and he may have been maybe he was slipping my way, you know, quietly and without uh letting me know, but I didn't have the patience to wait on him. I I tapped out and left. Um you had a hot one goblin good, and so it makes it easy to sit and sit tight and wait them out. Uh but here let's play the audio. I've got this from that hunt. Let's get the little you you hear the sucker. How far do you think he was in this video? It's probably 50, 50, 60 yards right here. Yeah. Alright, let's let's play this. See if I can crank it up here. Aiden's popping off on this bird and 56 yards, he just slamming. Let me back it up here. All right. Now I'm gonna that first gobble. I want to play it again. Because this first gobble sounds like a little bit shorter gobble. I I remember that bird. We've heard him. I think we heard him opening day when y'all doubled. Um there was uh I think that's a bird. And he was on a, you know, he wasn't on, he was on different part of the uh different part of the farm, um, across the line, maybe. I don't know. He was he was way over in there. Um, but I feel like I feel like that's the same bird had we've heard him before somewhere, I don't remember, as far as another hunt throughout the season. And I heard him the other day, because I th that's what I told you. There's a Jake, and then there's another bird that I think could be um could be a long beard, but maybe it's a you know short goblin Jake, and uh that first gobble, you hear it. Let's I'm gonna play it again. You you can hear he's got kind of a just a cut-off short gobble. See how he kind of just stops, you know, he he you know, just stops and uh but then that second gobble lays it out there a little stronger. He rolls on that second one. And you see when he hit that second one, listen to it again. I'll blow your call. You hit that, you hit that note, you know, you hit that harder note in there, and kind of like that pleading sound, you're just doing your yelping, but then when you hit that one note, a little bit more aggressive yelp in it, that's when he popped off. Listen to it again. You hear that when you threw that last note or two and you took it up a notch, a little harder yelp, he popped off on that. I've I've seen that before. Um when you do that pleading sound, just that little and you put that yelp on there, it sounds like you're you're searching, looking, aggressive, excited, whatever, and he popped up on that. And uh so cool though, man. I I just hindsight, I wish I'd been sitting up there with the camera with you, because that sounds like a great hunt, but then at the same time, uh I don't know if the two of us could have got moved around in the woods or not without getting busted. But uh such a cool hunt, man. I'm proud of you. And um, I don't know if that's your first hunt on your own, get out there and do it on your own, but that was pretty cool. Um bittersweet for me, because I like being there beside you. It's always fun to tag team, but it's also cool to go off on your own, I know, for you and know that hey, I I don't need dad with me. Yeah, yeah. And um, pretty cool stuff. Proud of you tagged out in Tennessee for Aiden. I've got a tag still. Um I'm gonna have to get off and go do something else. We're not messing with that farm anymore. But uh we'll see. Um little bit of time left, some beautiful weather. Time to get out there and get after it. So we're gonna try it. And uh, got a couple buddies we still want to hunt with. You're gonna try to get out with the buddy yours and see if you can't get old 50 cent on a bird, maybe. So we'll see. Let me share a word with you, real quick. A word from the word for the weak. Proverbs 13 20 says this. He who walks with the wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. It's so important for us to watch who we hang out with. And I remember my parents tell me this before. You know, you hang out with goofballs, you hang out with fools, you turn into a fool. Um, you hang out with smart folks, slick people, good good folks, and you know, the company you keep will uh oftentimes determine how you end up. And it's a lot of what this verse is saying. He who walks with wise men will but will what? Be wise. It's gonna rub off on you. But the companion of fools will be destroyed. The people you hang out with will rub off on you. And um I know a lot of times we're like, oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna change them, I'm gonna help them, and uh more times than not, though, it seems like if you're not careful, uh they'll rub off on you, and they'll change you for the bad. And so you've got to watch who you hang out with. And that's not to say don't be hanging out and try to minister to people, help people, encourage people, uh, see people come to know the Lord, but you've got to watch who you're spending your time with as far as that circle, your your tight circle uh of people. And that that circle gets tighter and tighter the older you get, you realize, oh, I don't have fifty good friends, I don't have twenty good friends, I don't have ten good friends, I got just a few good friends, that's what you need. If you've got a companions that are just tight dudes, handful of folks, maybe one good dude you can hang out with that sharpens one another. Iron sharpens iron, and uh so one man sharpens his friend, and that's that's um that's true, and that's what we need to remember. Watch who you hang out with. Want to be wise? Hang out with wise people that'll rub off on you. Um and again, the flip side of that, man, you want to act like a fool, just go hang out with a bunch of foolish people, and they'll rub off on you as well. So good word this week. Aiden, appreciate you being on. I guess you're officially a camera guy from now on for the last week of turkey season.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Yeah. I gotta get you on more.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Yeah, yeah, we'll see what happens. And uh I make just do a little fishing. Catfishing season is here as well. Bluegill going on right now. Good time to be out on the lake, on the ponds, and so looking forward to that. But we shall see. We'll knock it out here, and you're officially on summer break from college. That's good. You uh in fact, that was your first day. I guess you killed that bird on your first day of summer break. So great way to start the season. Guys, appreciate you listening once again. I want to encourage you to go and share the podcast with your friends, your family, your Memals, and your peopals. Tell them all about it, bring them back here for next week. Chase him with all your heart, soul, and strength. We'll see you right back here next time. Shoot straight. God bless you.