The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Sports Wednesday, April 18, 2018 B- 5 his ridge to get to. We quit calling and waited for about 30 minutes to see if he would decide to investigate. But we were disappointed. The woods lapsed into si- lence as the bird had moved away from our location. A f- ter a short discussion, Mark and I decided to retire for the day and come back, setting up closer to the tom's strut zone the next morning we could hunt. A tom that is close but not close enough is a com- mon scenario for the spring turkey hunter, and deciding what to do can be tricky. The first option is to try to sneak closer. Turkeys have keen eyesight and are extreme- ly wary of danger, which makes sneaking up on one difficult. However, this op- tion can be fruitful if terrain and vegetation allow for con- cealment during the sneak. Another option is to pres- ent the gobbler with some competition. This can be done by using a gobble call and/or a gobbler decoy or fan. This only works if the bird you're hunting is at the top of his pecking order. If it's a subordinate bird, this tactic may back-fire as the bird may leave the area thinking you're the domi- nate tom. I've personally never tried this option, mostly out of safety concerns (when hunting ground where oth- er hunters may be present, it's best not to present your- self as a tom for obvious rea- sons) and because I prefer the third and last option. This option is straight forward: if you can hunt the following morning, simply leave the area unseen and re- turn the next morning, set- ting up in a well-concealed location within shooting dis- tance of the bird's strut zone. Always wait an hour or so without calling before leav- ing, though, as sometimes a tom will go quiet and come in to investigate. This option, like the oth- ers, has its pit falls. Tur- keys are unpredictable, and while they typically roost and strut in the same gen- eral locations, sometimes they will change habits al- together and your hot strut zone will be as empty as a church sanctuary on Mon- day morning. A fter sitting in the woods for a few more minutes, call- ing every so often, Mark and I decide to head back to the house for breakfast. When we get back, I take my wet boots off and throw my hunt- ing jacket on the chair next to the woodstove. The smell of bacon is in the air and I'm soon seated at the end of my in-laws' dinner table. My back is to an east-fac- ing window and the sunlight that streams through warms my body as if someone were slowly passing a warm iron over the back of my shirt. In front of me is a plate of scratch biscuits sitting next to a large black-iron skillet full of sausage gravy that steams lazily in the morning light. To my right is a plate heaped with bacon. I go for the bacon first and find the edges crispy and brown while the yellow mid- dles are tender and glazed with fatty goodness. Next, I ladle a healthy portion of gravy over a scratch bis- cuit. The gravy is thick and loaded with large chunks of tender sausage. The fla- vor is rich and creamy with a salty goodness much like the bacon. In between bites, I take sips from my large coffee cup that steams with black coffee freshly brewed by Mark. A fter it's all over, Mark and I decide to try another spot across the road from the house. We are soon sitting with our backs to a small clump of trees, not hearing or seeing any turkeys, but feeling pretty good sitting in the morning sun together. "Well, we'll see if we can do a little better next time we go out," Mark says. I pause for a moment before reply- ing. "Yeah, maybe next time the stars will line up and our kind of close will be close enough." CLOSE Continued from page 4 WINS Continued from page 3 Call us at 812-354-8500 or email sports@pressdispatch.net GOT SPORTS NEWS? Nevaeh LeMond and Tessa Vinnedge all singled twice in a 10 -8 win over the Lady Pa- triots. Haylie Fulcher, Brai- ley Mills and Lexie Onyett had one single each. Onyett started for the La- dy Chargers, allowing eight earned runs on six hits while striking out two in four in- nings. Kavanaugh pitched the final inning to pick up the win, allowing no runs on one hit. With the victory, the B- team improved to 5 -0. Pike Central, which played at Northeast Du- bois on Tuesday, April 17, will travel to Forest Park on Wednesday, April 18, before returning home to host Barr- Reeve on Tuesday, April 24. PCHS girls' tennis team splits matches with North Daviess, North Posey The Pike Central High School girls' tennis team defeated host North Da- viess 4-1 on Tuesday, April 10, and lost to visiting North Posey 4-1 on Wednesday, April 11. Pike Central 4, North Daviess 1 At No. 1 singles, La- dy Chargers senior Cass Conder defeated Lady Cou- gars senior Macie Kane 6 - 7, 6 -1, 6 -2. At No. 2 singles, Lady Chargers junior Meredith Benson defeated Lady Cou- gars junior Shae Knepp 7- 6, 6 -2. At No. 3 singles, Lady Chargers sophomore Shel- by Vaughn defeated Lady Cougars junior Chavannah Knepp 7-6, 6 -3. At No. 1 doubles, the La- dy Chargers' team of junior Kirsten Jansen and sopho- more Audrey Keepes de- feated Lady Cougars ju- niors Kaitlyn Allen and An- na Sargent 6 -0, 6 -0. At No. 2 doubles, the La- dy Chargers' team of senior Jayden Ashby and junior Grace Smith lost to the La- dy Cougars' team of junior Shelby Taylor and sopho- more Lauren Kain 6 -0, 6 - 7, 7-5. In junior varsity doubles matches, the Lady Char- gers' team of junior Katie Spalding and sophomore Chloe Roy won 6 -4; the La- dy Chargers' team of se- nior Gretchen McCrary and sophomore Hannah Beane lost 6 -4; the Lady Char- gers' team of sophomore Adair Kabrick and fresh- man Kenley Beck won 6 - 1; the Lady Chargers' team of freshmen Shelby Ridao and Makayla Stanley lost 6 - 2; the Lady Chargers' team of freshmen Zoey Davis and Aalyah Landazuri won 6 - 0 ; and the Lady Chargers' team of Ridao and Stanley won 6 -4. With the win, Pike Cen- tral improved to 2-1. North Posey 4, Pike Central 1 At No. 1 singles, La- dy Chargers senior Cass Conder lost to Lady Vikings senior Kimberlyn Weaver 6 -4, 6 -4. At No. 2 singles, La- dy Chargers junior Mer- edith Benson lost to Lady Vikings senior Christine Scheller 6 -1, 6 -2. At No. 3 singles, Lady Chargers sophomore Shel- by Vaughn defeated La- dy Vikings senior Katlyn Downey 6 -2, 3-6, 6 -4. At No. 1 doubles, the La- dy Chargers' team of junior Kirsten Jansen and sopho- more Audrey Keepes lost to Lady Vikings seniors Annie Goetz and Kennedy Livers 6 -2, 6 -1. At No. 2 doubles, the La- dy Chargers' team of se- nior Jadyn Ashby and junior Grace Smith lost to the La- dy Vikings' team of senior Stephanie Patton and soph- omore Mallory Motz 6 -1, 6 - 2. In junior varsity doubles matches, the Lady Char- gers' team of junior Katie Spalding and sophomore Chloe Roy won 6 -5; the La- dy Chargers' team of se- nior Gretchen McCrary and sophomore Hannah Beane won 6 -5; and the Lady Char- gers' team of sophomore Adair Kabrick and fresh- man Kenley Beck won 6 -4. With the loss, Pike Cen- tral fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pocket Athletic Con- ference. The Lady Chargers will travel to Southridge on Wednesday, April 18, be- fore returning home to host Heritage Hills on Tuesday, April 24. The Pike Central High School boys' basketball team held its annual awards banquet on Sunday, April 15, at the IP&L Communications Building. Pictured above are the Junior Varsity team award winners. They are, from left to right: Austin Holder (Most Improved Award), Andrew Krieg (Academ- ic Award), Judah Leathco (Leadership Award) and Noah Whann (Mental Attitude Award). Submitted Photo The Pike Central High School boys' basket- ball team held its annual awards banquet on Sunday, April 15, at the IP&L Communica- tions Building. Pictured above are the Fresh- man/C-team award winners. They are, from left to right: Stephen Krieg (Leadership Award and Academic Award), Andrew Claridge (Most Improved Award) and Jaden Guth (Mental Atti- tude Award). Submitted Photo Left: The Pike Central High School boys' basketball team held its annual awards banquet on Sunday, April 15, at the IP&L Communications Building. Pictured above are the Varsity team award winners. They are, from left to right: Kyson Western (Most Improved Award), Kaleb Claridge (Guts & Glue Award), Breyton Booker (Academic Award), Cameron Henson (Kiwanis Mental Attitude Award), Bryant Nalley (Charger Pride Award) and Tyler Tormohlen (6th Man of the Year Award). Submitted Photo Pictured above are the Pike Central High School cheerleaders for the 2017- 18 season. They are, front row, left to right: Abigail Sutt, Alexis Huff, Mi- ki Feldpausch, Kayla Sanders, Emily Brasher, and Hallee Stephens. Second row: Kathleen Hanebutt, Madyson Satterfield, Halli Fair, Haven Longest, An- jelina Ruiz, Grace Brandle, Jenna Meyer, Lexie Neese, Avarie Hartke, Jenna McLain and Madyson Hegedus. Not pictured: Caitlyn Tyree. Submitted Photo Pike Central Middle School eighth grader Alaina McClellan gets set to hit a return shot during girls' tennis action against visiting Loogootee on Tues- day, April 10. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central Middle School seventh grader Hannah Fair reaches up to re- turn a shot during girls' tennis action against visiting Loogootee on Tuesday, April 10. Ed Cahill photo The Pike Central High School cheerleaders held their annual awards ban- quet on Sunday, April 15, at the IP&L Communications Building. Pictured above are the award winners. They are, from left to right: Kathleen Hanebutt (Outstanding Sportsmanship Award), Abigail Sutt (Varsity Most Spirited Award), Kayla Sanders (Outstanding Leadership Award), Emily Brasher (Mental Attitude Award), Jenna Meyer (Varsity Academic Award) and Grace Brandle (Junior Varsity Most Spirited Award and Junior Varsity Academic Award). Submitted Photo PCMS GIRLS' TENNIS