I am rather happy with how things went today, I have been trying to get some decent pictures of wild turkey for a few years now and today I was able to. They are not magazine quality, but they are the best I have gotten by far.
These turkey and the deer came to my calling around 6:30 this morning, which also made me feel good because I am using three calls that I have made/assembled myself as well as some strikers that I have also assembled. I was fearful the deer would smell me and start blowing at me as it was coming in ruining my opportunity for photos.
If there is one thing I do not like is there is a bit of noise in the pictures because the silent setting for the camera will not let me make my own adjustments, if I did not think the sound of the shutter would scare the turkey away I would be shooting in manual mode or maybe shutter priority mode both of which would give me more options.
Here are a couple of the pictures, I have room to improve but I really am very happy. Last one shows them slowly making their departure.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ucgstckl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MIMuQ5Ul.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CpQ5HDUl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xCIuD1Yl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/v4n1t6yl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xqyPMfql.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/QzUh2oIl.jpg?1)
By the way, no I did not even bother to reach for my gun, these came out at 6:30 and I knew going in I wanted pictures quite badly. I had another that I called in around 9:30 and I was getting ready to shoot but realized that I had some stuff to do today and I was not sure I could get the turkey slaughtered and get myself cleaned up in time to do what I had to do. I only wish I had realized that sooner, I could have tried to shoot in manual mode as he was coming in from a distance and may not have heard the shutter. He eventually calmly walked off into the woods.
Man, those are great! Congrats!
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Excellent pics!
Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on May 05, 2022, 08:17:20 PM
Man, those are great! Congrats!
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Thank you very much, there are more, I did not want to flood anybody that may have a slower computer or phone though.
Quote from: g8rvet on May 05, 2022, 08:33:24 PM
Excellent pics!
Thank you. Hey do you know if maybe my decoy setup was bad? I had them set about 20 yards in front of me spaced out and I had honestly expected if anything came in they would stay near the decoys but these dropped down to the left before they ever even fanned out? I lost so much time there are things I just don't know and I was wondering if I should change the decoy setup in the future so my photos could be more forward of me instead of to the left where they got into the higher corn stubble. Thanks and here is a picture of the setup if it helps.
(https://i.imgur.com/ENIuxTwl.jpg)
Well done, Steve. Photographing wildlife is a huge challenge, you did good work!
Quote from: paboxcall on May 06, 2022, 12:56:37 PM
Well done, Steve. Photographing wildlife is a huge challenge, you did good work!
Thank you very much.
I like the pics. Good job.
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Quote from: Cowboy on May 06, 2022, 06:41:07 PM
I like the pics. Good job.
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Thanks, I was nervous about sharing them here, y'all know good from bad and I don't quite think these qualify as good but better than my last attempt.
You got them in close. The only thing I tend to do when field hunting is face the decoys right at me. I think if the gobbler is interested, they want to cut the hen off and they head the way the hen is headed. I also am hunting and want the gobbler facing away from me. I have sat and enjoyed the show more than a few times before pulling the trigger.
Quote from: g8rvet on May 06, 2022, 08:15:52 PM
You got them in close. The only thing I tend to do when field hunting is face the decoys right at me. I think if the gobbler is interested, they want to cut the hen off and they head the way the hen is headed. I also am hunting and want the gobbler facing away from me. I have sat and enjoyed the show more than a few times before pulling the trigger.
Thanks bud. To be honest this was the first time I have had them dancing in front of me so it was a real thrill and I think a big part of why I was shaking as I was taking the pictures. They gobbled a bit on the way in but not much once they got there. I have seen them at distance across the field but never within 20 yards of me.
The one I got a few years ago they gobbled a lot from a distance but then just ran right in as a pair and I had to pick my safe shot. The most they did would not even be called half strut, more like a quarter strut.