Post by: zsully on March 03, 2021, 07:09:31 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on March 16, 2021, 11:41:22 AM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 16, 2021, 02:12:13 PM
Turns out I sawed a sapling in half directly in front of me with my pattern. I searched for hours and could not find blood or feathers or a dead bird. I'm praying he is ok. By far the most sickening feeling I have felt as a hunter. Judging by the speed he was running away he looked about as healthy as he could under the circumstances; I just hope a stray pellet didn't lodge itself somewhere that could lead to death or suffering later on. A humbling experience and one that I am kicking myself for.
Post by: POk3s on March 16, 2021, 03:32:17 PM
Call me crazy but I let 3 walk this morning. We have a front coming through with a lot of rain and since I’m filming my hunts I decided to go sit in a blind on a food plot and see what happens. 3 gobblers showed up with a few hens and they looked like they just got out of the pond. They looked terrible...I guess I felt sorry for them so I let them go. I’ll try again when the weather is nicer. I had a great time even though I didn’t pull the trigger...hope it doesn’t come back to bite me..lol. Wet turkeys make for terrible pics anyway!
Yep, you’re crazy but lots of season left to enjoy!
Post by: POk3s on March 16, 2021, 03:33:30 PM
Sick to my stomach from my hunt yesterday. Endured the rain expecting birds to come out in the private fields adjacent to public to dry off once it started. Sure enough 30 minutes after the rain stopped I spot 2 gobblers by themselves in the field. Yelped to them and watched their heads change color in my binoculars. They come in on a string into the woods. I shoot at 40 yards and one starts flopping. I stand up and the one I shot regains his feet and runs dead sprint across the field he just came from with his buddy.
Turns out I sawed a sapling in half directly in front of me with my pattern. I searched for hours and could not find blood or feathers or a dead bird. I'm praying he is ok. By far the most sickening feeling I have felt as a hunter. Judging by the speed he was running away he looked about as healthy as he could under the circumstances; I just hope a stray pellet didn't lodge itself somewhere that could lead to death or suffering later on. A humbling experience and one that I am kicking myself for.
Dangit man! As many have said, hunt long enough and it’ll happen! Nothing worse than wounding our quarry, but wild animals can endure a lot! Hopefully just a headache!
Post by: twyatt on March 16, 2021, 04:14:38 PM
Delmar - I know that feeling all too well. A few years ago I had 2 gobblers come in on a string, and I shot one at about 30 yards and he hit the dirt. I set my gun down to take my facemask off and the bird got up and flew away clear across a swamp. Terrible feeling that I will never forget, but it happens I guess.
Post by: a_jabbo on March 16, 2021, 11:41:07 PM
Delmar- Like the others have said, it's bound to happen. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't happened to me before. He lives to gobble another day, and you might end up running into him again.
Also, I want to add, DANG it feels good to be back on here talking turkey with you fellas.
Post by: zsully on March 17, 2021, 09:37:03 PM
Delmar- sounds like a good encounter man. Bummer he got away.
Good grief reading these stories gets me jacked up. I stretched a few mouth calls last week and I really like one of them. Hoping to call in a bird with a mouth call I make this year.
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 19, 2021, 01:59:14 PM
Broke the ice this morning guys. This 2 year old had an attitude we dream about. I’ll post the score later
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Post by: Mossyguy on March 19, 2021, 04:05:29 PM
Post by: twyatt on March 19, 2021, 06:49:34 PM
Post by: zsully on March 19, 2021, 07:02:52 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 19, 2021, 07:16:42 PM
How'd I know you'd be the first to punch a tag ???? :you_rock:
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 19, 2021, 09:56:15 PM
It was muggy and windy this morning, and nothing gobbled on the roost. I eased in and gave some soft talk and one of the gobblers answered me. Over the next hour he would answer me, but the whole flock was drifting around me.
After one sequence a different pair of gobblers answered from 300 yards over the property line, and I went ballistic about blowing the reeds out of my call. They ate it up and I believed they were alone based on their attitude. After about 15 minutes of silence I had to hit them pretty hard to answer, and they were in the same spot. 10 minutes later I gave one bubble cluck and they hit back only 100 yards away.
I got in the ready position and 5 minutes later I hear the sphht, vroooom directly down my gun barrel. A couple minutes later and the pair of gobblers walked out of the thick, dark piney ridge into the hardwood bottom I was set up in. The first gobbler stepped into an opening at 38 yards and I let him have it at 8:45 in the morning. It was as good a hardwoods turkey hunt as you can have, and I’m very blessed to come across these birds in such a mood this early in the year.
It felt good to have some redemption after Monday’s mishap, and the first one of the year is always special.
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Post by: Yoder409 on March 19, 2021, 11:34:49 PM
Little tip on Monday's "mishap"............ It happens. You ain't gotta like it. You never do. But it will happen. If he scrammed that hard, he'll live to die another day.
Years ago..........buddy of mine came up from WV to hunt our place. First day we talked to a guy who had "missed one" that morning up on the south end of the next ridgetop. Said he "only got a few feathers". Next day, we spotted a gobbler with a hen in the creek bottom. We got way around above them (on the north end of that ridgetop) and I put my buddy about 60 yards downhill from me. Long story short.........the gobbler got done with his hen and I talked him into coming up the hill. My buddy capped him. BIG bird. IIRC, something like 22 lbs, 11" beard and 1 3/8" spurs. His breast had more than a few fresh #6's in it. My buddy was shooting #4's.
He'll be there for you next time and he will have forgotten about it.
Post by: a_jabbo on March 19, 2021, 11:56:05 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 20, 2021, 12:11:01 AM
Heck yeah, Delmar!!! First blood. Congrats. And so it begins. You guys are chasing gobblers and we're still an month and a half out in PA. These stories will keep me alive for the next month.
I'm in PA, too. And Sully.
But I'm blowing this popsicle stand next Thursday morning. Hoping to be in some Osceolas a week from now.
Post by: Mossyguy on March 20, 2021, 12:23:53 PM
Wife wasn’t feeling too good last night so I left around 9. Gonna try them again this evening.
Post by: skimerhorn on March 20, 2021, 12:31:39 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 20, 2021, 01:22:11 PM
Congratulations delmar. Sorry I'm late to the party. My second son was born yesterday, been getting g ready for him. I listened last weekend here in va and didn't heard anything. Hopefully I'll get back scouting by next weekend and I'll be ready for our opener on April 10. Good luck to everybody
CONGRATS to YOU on the new little turkey huntin' buddy !!!!!!!!!!!! :you_rock:
Went out listening this morning to my usual spot. 18 degrees this morning. Was there 2 weeks ago on a 50-some degree morning and heard ZILCH. This morning.........not so much. There were 3 or 4 or 5 hammering on our big ridgetop. 2 off the lower corner of a clover field. And at least 2 on the other side of the property. Also heard more than one (??? on exact number) way off the property.......but a place I can hunt. Also saw two longbeards feeding by themselves on a neighboring property. Those are also birds that will be across our property as a matter of course.
Things are looking up. :icon_thumright:
Post by: Mossyguy on March 20, 2021, 06:42:56 PM
Post by: zsully on March 20, 2021, 09:12:34 PM
Way to get on the board Mossy!!!!! I knew that trigger finger would be itching too bad to let them pass by a second time!
Post by: Yoder409 on March 20, 2021, 10:38:51 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on March 20, 2021, 11:17:17 PM
This afternoon I went to the spot where I passed on the three. My dad killed one here on Thursday and I knew there were other birds around. I leaned up against a comfy pine tree and got settled in. I wasn’t there 15 minutes when two hens walked out about 60 yards and began picking around in the grass. Not 5 minutes later I looked up the dirt road and saw 3 gobblers trotting towards the hens. They linked up with the hens and fed around for about 20 minutes but were staying put at about 75 yards.
All of a sudden all 3 stretched their necks up and stared to the left. A bigger gobbler stepped out in a half strut and mean walked straight to the trio. When he got there he realized he had made a mistake...the 3 younguns surrounded him and began to usher him out of the field. I never had a shot since they were all bunched together. Once that task was complete they went back to what they were doing. I made a few yelps and got one to strut his stuff a bit. I did it again and they slowly made their way closer to my hiding spot. At 30 yards I yelped, all 3 stuck their heads up, and I let the last bird have it. He wasn’t a heavy bird-4 ounces shy of being 16 lbs-but a fun 2 year old nevertheless. It was a great afternoon!
(https://i.ibb.co/9HqgvMv/8-E698839-6-C73-4-BBB-914-E-785402800166.png) (https://ibb.co/RTCbS5S)
(https://i.ibb.co/HnpqH9p/71-C81-CD3-6695-44-AC-9057-675-C264-FCAE3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/72NK10N)
Post by: a_jabbo on March 21, 2021, 11:55:06 PM
Heck yeah, Delmar!!! First blood. Congrats. And so it begins. You guys are chasing gobblers and we're still an month and a half out in PA. These stories will keep me alive for the next month.
I'm in PA, too. And Sully.
But I'm blowing this popsicle stand next Thursday morning. Hoping to be in some Osceolas a week from now.
Yoder, ZSully is my best bud and lives 15 mins from me. We'll be out chasing em together as usual.
Post by: a_jabbo on March 21, 2021, 11:57:11 PM
Nice bird, Mossy! Good ending to your week.
Post by: Mossyguy on March 22, 2021, 08:31:24 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on March 22, 2021, 09:34:48 PM
As you may know a lot of times evening hunts can turn into evening naps. At one point I was in that “not awake but not asleep” mode when I thought I heard a gobble. Two minutes later I heard it again...this time I knew for sure it was him. I let out a few yelps and sure enough he gobbled and he couldn’t have been more than 100 yards away but I couldn’t see him. I decided to keep quiet and wait him out.
An HOUR LATER I catch movement and I see him peeking over the end of the ridge I was set up on. Unfortunately my gun is on my knee but not shouldered. He slowly makes his way towards me. At 20 yards he walks behind a big pine tree and I bring the gun up as quickly but as quietly as I can. Once he clears the tree I pull the trigger and down he goes.
I know lots of folks like to “run and gun” but it’s nice to just sit back, enjoy the afternoon, and see what happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it did!
(https://i.ibb.co/pxB2dHV/308-FDFB9-FC71-4-D3-B-957-C-C0-D9-A167411-D.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PNvxg2X)
json corrector (https://geojsonlint.com/)
Post by: zsully on March 22, 2021, 10:15:21 PM
I won’t lie, I’ve never killed a bird in the evening. Someday I hope to check that off the bucket list.
Post by: Mossyguy on March 22, 2021, 10:43:37 PM
I won’t lie, I’ve never killed a bird in the evening. Someday I hope to check that off the bucket list.
My last 4-5 birds have been in the evening. Around here in the early season they’re usually henned up and don’t talk very much. We know the birds are there...it’s just tough to get on them in the mornings. If you can catch him by himself later in the day there’s a good chance he’ll play the game.
Post by: a_jabbo on March 23, 2021, 12:01:37 AM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 23, 2021, 10:44:37 AM
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Post by: twyatt on March 24, 2021, 03:51:58 PM
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on March 24, 2021, 10:03:56 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 24, 2021, 11:34:24 PM
Leaving in 5 hours for Osceola land.
Post by: Mossyguy on March 24, 2021, 11:52:26 PM
Dang, but I wish I could fall asleep..........
Leaving in 5 hours for Osceola land.
I’d be the same way! Good luck!
Post by: a_jabbo on March 25, 2021, 12:38:45 AM
Post by: POk3s on March 25, 2021, 11:05:35 AM
Post by: Mossyguy on March 26, 2021, 11:32:56 AM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 26, 2021, 11:02:25 PM
Won't be able.to post pics til I get back up north. And I didn't bring a scale with me. So he won't be contest material. Apologies to the team. But I'm pretty well on cloud 9 right now.
Post by: zsully on March 26, 2021, 11:46:32 PM
Post by: twyatt on March 27, 2021, 06:01:21 AM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 27, 2021, 06:05:27 PM
Congrats on the royal slam Yoder!!!! That’s awesome! Those southern birds don’t score well anyways so you definitely haven’t let the team down. We just anticipate that one of those big old Pa birds would’ve been an upgrade from those dinky Osceolas anyways. LOL!
Sully.........
My cousin killed one of those dinky southern birds yesterday morning.
18-19 lbs
10 3/4"
1 1/4"
That bird was a HOSS !!!!!!
Post by: zsully on March 27, 2021, 10:26:51 PM
Post by: a_jabbo on March 28, 2021, 12:22:40 AM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 28, 2021, 09:23:59 PM
Killed a gorgeous blackwing this morning on a textbook hunt. Probably 18-19 pounds with a thin 9-ish inch beard and one nice spur.......one goofy spur.
The hunt was AMAZING !!!!!
Pics and stories when I get home. I got a room for the night in Georgia on the way back, now.
Post by: POk3s on March 29, 2021, 02:34:17 PM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 30, 2021, 03:22:59 PM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 30, 2021, 03:25:52 PM
I was fortunate enough to score on this ivory spurred bird this morning. He’ll definitely be an upgrade from my last, as he outweighed him by 6 pounds. The beard would have been longer if I hadn’t shot some of it off.
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Post by: twyatt on March 30, 2021, 06:30:03 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 30, 2021, 07:49:02 PM
Great pic !!!!!
Post by: zsully on March 30, 2021, 08:47:49 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on March 30, 2021, 09:04:54 PM
15 hours of driving later, cousin and I rolled into Alachua county, Florida. Had a bit of a visit with our host and crashed out.
Morning had my cousin (who had never hunted turkeys in his life) going with our host and me going a bit farther on into the property. The property is a lot of big pine stands with clearcuts, foodplots and sand roads spread throughout. I picked a spot where a long straight section of road intersected three 5th rows and bordered a recent clearcut. Figured it would be a good natural corridor. Gobble time came and I heard 3 or 4 birds at distance. Most of them in the direction of the other guys. At 10:30, cousin connected on a SLAMMER. 18-19 lbs 10 3/4" beard 1 1/4" spurs. I stuck it out til around 12:30 but never could coax anyone to come by.
On the way back to camp we found strut marks on the road. I decided to try that area in the evening. Got in there shortly after 4:00 and set dekes where a narrow foodplot came up to the road. I got just a little ways off the road......back against a pine and a palmetto clump between me and the road. Waited 5 minutes or so and started calling. about 30 minutes later, a hen was on the road just off my left shoulder. Clucking and purring. CLOSE !!!! But couldn't see her out of my peripheral vision. Too close for me to move a muscle. She eventually drifted off behind me and across the road. Purring as she left. Probably 15-20 minutes later, I thought I heard a spit/drum way back the road behind me. About a minute goes by and I'm SURE that's what it was. Then I hear wings dragging and a louder spit/drum. Repeat. Repeat. Closer. Closer......... He appears out of the very corner of my eye. 5-6 yards from me, tops. He struts past me headed for the dekes, then breaks strut and starts the mean walk. Hammer gets eased back. He goes straight to the hen first and drops into a strut. Then spins and drops strut. I had set up with my gun on the shooting stick pointed straight between the dekes.....red dot on. A couple more steps and I sent it. My first ever Osceola lay on the road at 32 yards.
The set:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50999556909_8bb0c6c586_k.jpg)
The bird:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51084551687_b472c4e75e_k.jpg)
The happy guy:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51015315845_60182c48a2_z.jpg)
So much celebration was had around the campfire that night. Saturday morning we got up, bid our gracious host "goodbye" and headed to cousin's house on the Gulf. Stayed near Clearwater that night and were on the road southeast at 4:00 AM. We arrived in Polk county just a bit before gobble time. Neither of us had ever laid eyes or feet there before beyond Google Earth. We drove a ways into the property and parked the truck. Walked back out the way we had come in a little ways and a couple birds started gobbling. One to our east ....one to our west. Both a half mile away. We were standing there when two hens rounded a bend in the road about 300 yards out, headed our way. It was DANG dark. Never figured there'd be birds on the ground yet. I sent cousin over to a huge oak and I plunked a decoy. Got situated and called the pair inside of shotgun range. But they weren't sure of the deke and slowly fed back the way they came. Both gobblers had flown down by then and continued to hammer way off in the foggy distance. We got up and decided to go back past the truck and farther into the big oak hammock. The gobbler to our east was WAAAY across a huge savannah type field......gobbling in the fog. We got a good ways in......the hammock bordered the big savannah field ........and I looked around. Picture perfect setting. I pulled out a paddle caller and let out some awfully loud yelps. He hammered back !! I cut him off and he gobbled again. Hit him one more time and yet a third answer !!! I told cousin that dude knows where we are anyways. I pointed him to a big oak ad told him to get comfy there. I set up a pair of dekes on the sand road in the hammock and joined him at the oak.
I started floating a few yelps and easy cutts on a diaphragm. About 5 minutes and cousin whispers "turkeys !!" Three hens were coming up the hammock the same way we had come in.........feeding and puttering around. Coming right up our way. I told cousin this was a good thing. But I hadn't heard the gobbler since we had sat down. I told him to keep an eye to the left......the direction of the savannah......because I figured the gobbler had gathered hens and shut up OR he was coming. The words were hardly out of my mouth when out of the bright, sunny fog he appears and walks into the hammock 75 yards away !!! He sees the hens and breaks into a strut and heads for them. The are still coming toward us in a bit of a J pattern. The longbeard drops strut and kind of starts a J to parallel them and in turn heads our way, too. Cousin told me the shot was mine. The tom came out from behind a small group of trees and went behind a palmetto clump. Hammer back. Told cousin he'd be in range when he stepped out. He came out in full strut and then dropped strut, walking briskly, quartering our way......faster than I wanted to shoot at him. His J pattern quickly had him walking almost straight at us and the dot rested on his wattles. At 41 steps lay my second Osceola longbeard.
The set and the bird as he fell:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51082860036_68c1924393_k.jpg)
Those cool black wings:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51082954397_3ab95f22ad_k.jpg)
The (VERY) happy guy:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51084592662_2ef53ec207_c.jpg)
This second hunt HAS to rate as one of my most memorable of all time. The insane, unique beauty of that central Florida country........... Going in on the total blind and coming out with a mature bird......... The distance from which the bird came........ The fact he came in TOTALLY silent and I DIDN'T screw up........... Has I sat down with pen and paper, I wouldn't have scripted it out so perfectly.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50997939909_c192b0c052_k.jpg)
Post by: Yoder409 on March 30, 2021, 09:09:01 PM
???
Post by: zsully on March 30, 2021, 09:20:37 PM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on March 30, 2021, 10:29:48 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on March 30, 2021, 10:32:36 PM
Haven’t been much since I killed the last one. I’ve been staying away from one spot as my dad had been trying to get his second bird. We’ve had some crappy weather today with more for tomorrow. After that it looks promising! Here in the next week or two we should have some of the hens laying so the boys should be getting fired up!
Post by: Yoder409 on March 30, 2021, 11:24:21 PM
Congrats on the birds everyone! Hey Yoder...we’re going to take up a collection and get you a dern scale ;D
Save your money. Or buy me some lessons on how to not be a dumb arse with that money. ::)
Of ALL the things I needed to remember to take................
Hopefully I have a good Eastern or two from my home turf left in me.
Post by: POk3s on March 31, 2021, 11:33:57 AM
Post by: a_jabbo on March 31, 2021, 11:46:21 PM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 05, 2021, 09:10:48 PM
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210406/3f94262a886206e7c5e756c2fe712bb7.jpg)
Blessed to have been successful at 2:30 today. It was an incredible hunt. Had him at 10 yards strutting and drumming
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Post by: zsully on April 05, 2021, 09:53:13 PM
Post by: Hoosier2 on April 05, 2021, 10:33:28 PM
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Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 05, 2021, 11:15:37 PM
That’s awesome!!!! Congrats Delmar! I do have to be a touch critical though. Your story telling on this one was weak. I feel like you owe us northern folk sitting on the bench right now a better write up. LOL!You’re right!
The day was a frustrating one. Not because of lack of action, but because I couldn’t get a game plan together and execute. I heard a minimum of 8 birds this morning, and was so overwhelmed I couldn’t decide which bird to set up on or what to do. I lacked focus. By 10:00 I had wasted an awesome morning and hunkered down and took a nap.
I woke up rejuvenated and decided to grind it out. Set up in one spot, nothing, so moved up 150-200 more yards and setup in a cane thicket on a field edge. Within 20 minutes I hear a hen telling on a ridge in front of me. Not aggressive, but more of the pleading “I need company Yelp.” I met her calls with my own, and after 20 minutes of constant talk back and forth, she was standing in the middle of the field at 40 yards looking for me. To my disappointment, she was by herself.
Until 10 minutes later. She had calmed down and was content in the field. I hear the unmistakable “sphht vrrroomm” and through the cane, see a black mass grow behind the hen in the field. He was already at 30 yards. He ignored the hen he had completely, and it was clear he was determined to find the one he heard in my direction. Problem was, he was at my 3:00, and I was situated with a tree touching my right kneecap. I had no move.
He continued to strut, drum, look, strut, drum look, until finally he was at 10 yards, and the path he was on would carry him about 3 steps in front of my gun barrel, which I didn’t want, at all. He then cut hard into the cane/woods looking for me, moving from my 3:00 all the way to my 5:00. It was now or never. When he went behind a tree I flipped my gun to left handed. It was such an awkward postition I couldn’t shoulder it, but was looking straight down the stock.
He saw this obvious movement, and started putting. But I put my red dot on the other side of the tree when he started retreating. I shot, and the recoil sent the stock of my gun directly into my face and giving me a fat lip. But I had a dead gobbler at 17 steps, making it well worth it. This was my first bird with my new 20 gauge, hopefully my next one is a little more conventional. He was a fine bird to end my MS season on. Those midday birds you grind and work hard for are extra special
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Post by: Yoder409 on April 06, 2021, 05:16:01 AM
GORGEOUS set of hooks !!!
Post by: Mossyguy on April 06, 2021, 11:28:27 AM
I’m headed out here in a little while and will stay until fly up time. Been seeing a good bit of movement mid afternoon so we’ll see what happens.
Post by: Mossyguy on April 06, 2021, 04:50:30 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on April 06, 2021, 08:26:46 PM
I called about every 20 mins or so and nothing happened for the next hour and a half. At around 2:40 he let out a gobble that rattled my britches as he was close and to my right. I slowly turned my head to hopefully catch a glimpse of him.
After a couple minutes I caught movement but by this time he came over the ridge I was sitting on at about my 1 o’clock at 50 yards. He would gobble and strut but seemed to be content on where he was at. He strutted behind a tree and when I heard him again it sounded like he was walking away from me. I took my hand and scratched in the leaves. Another minute passed and he came out from behind the tree strutting and took a few steps towards me. At that time he noticed my lonely hen I had set out and he came in strutting the whole way. At 25 yards I ended my season. The bird was a nice 2 year old- 9 3/4” beard, weighed 18 pounds and his only spur was 3/4” but sharp as a tack. I guess it’s time to start fishing now!
(https://i.ibb.co/4T9x3zt/25007-DA5-31-FF-42-A2-9-B61-36-D61-FBC806-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tsk5FgK)
(https://i.ibb.co/7gyGQ7K/943-A38-E7-3-C21-4-C9-F-81-AA-22-F6564-B76-A3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dbKQtnD)
(https://i.ibb.co/Q9YF6PJ/91950-E6-D-709-C-4-D08-87-B3-6-B7974-F9-E92-E.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cJ2cN6y)
Post by: Yoder409 on April 06, 2021, 08:30:04 PM
CONGRATS !!!!!
Post by: Hoosier2 on April 06, 2021, 09:05:20 PM
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Post by: zsully on April 06, 2021, 09:30:56 PM
Delmar, I appreciate the follow up. That story was much better too.
Only two days of work and a 5 hour drive stand between me and my turkey season. Hopefully we can continue this trend up north.
Post by: a_jabbo on April 06, 2021, 09:59:02 PM
And another big HECK YES to Mossy! Both some great birds. I am super jealous to say the least.
Went out this morning to listen and found the turkey coop. Just need to secure the permission to chase em.
Post by: POk3s on April 08, 2021, 10:37:14 AM
Post by: twyatt on April 08, 2021, 05:28:40 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on April 08, 2021, 05:49:30 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on April 08, 2021, 06:30:17 PM
Still over 3 weeks to wait, here. But, hey.......... I just inherited some scouting and prep time. Tested positive for the Rona yesterday, so.......... I've got some free time on my hands. :begging:
Got the Rona and still have to wait 3 weeks? Talk about a double whammy..
In all seriousness though...take care of yourself Yoder. Hopefully you’re one of the ones that it doesn’t affect very much.
Post by: Yoder409 on April 08, 2021, 07:29:39 PM
Oh, yeah.......... And about 90% of my taste is gone. That's the WORST part, so far.
Post by: zsully on April 11, 2021, 01:35:10 PM
In other news, our newest teammate now leads the team with the biggest bird! Congrats, David!!!!! Now you owe us a story!
Post by: Mossyguy on April 11, 2021, 03:35:25 PM
Ahhhhh. Yoder that’s a bummer. Hope you’re feeling better.
In other news, our newest teammate now leads the team with the biggest bird! Congrats, David!!!!! Now you owe us a story!
I saw that...it’s story time!
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 12, 2021, 05:53:06 PM
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Post by: zsully on April 12, 2021, 07:54:35 PM
(https://i.ibb.co/6WxVBYH/0-CCB0-F55-48-B6-4-B48-8-CBF-6-EBCEE9028-B4.jpg) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/TLTkV8K/C7-A686-C6-F898-41-E8-92-B9-4-CED2-E00489-C.jpg) (https://imgbb.com/)
Post by: Mossyguy on April 12, 2021, 08:21:20 PM
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 12, 2021, 08:33:12 PM
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Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 12, 2021, 09:11:57 PM
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Post by: a_jabbo on April 12, 2021, 11:58:06 PM
Congrats again, David! Sounds like a fun hunt.
Big congrats to Zsully and Twyatt on those two solid birds! What an epic hunt.
WV opens next week and soon after PA. Bring on the gobblers.
Post by: Yoder409 on April 13, 2021, 07:11:15 AM
This Rona stuff is the weirdest........... I don't really feel BAD. But I'm not worth kicking outta the way. Just no energy at ALL. I did do a little scouting this morning, though. I opened the sliding door in the sunroom at gobble time and listened to a bunch of birds whilst slurping my coffee.
Keep them longbeards comin, boys !!!!!
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 13, 2021, 03:53:52 PM
Post by: POk3s on April 13, 2021, 05:22:54 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on April 13, 2021, 06:39:14 PM
The family property, where 99.9% of my spring hunting gets done is 285 acres. It's just 4-5 minutes' drive from my house. Here at the house we have about 12 1/4 acres. It's all field and most of it is so steep a cat's gotta put his claws out to get traction. I told my wife a while back how cool it'd be if I could pull off killing a spring bird on our little postage stamp, here at the house. So we put a trail camera up behind the house last weekend.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51115132015_6b7f9d97d3_k.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51114341681_6d8eb5c16c_k.jpg)
This is literally a 3 minute walk if I walk slow out my back door. I started mowing that strip 2 years ago for just that reason........to attract turkeys in the spring. The tree the camera is (was) on is in a small notch I cleared in the fencerow with my Kubota bucket back in the winter just in case I wanted to toss a blind in for the kids. The blind is in.
Guess I need to do some yard work with my boy..........trigger control.......see if I can get him ready for youth day.
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 13, 2021, 08:30:59 PM
I got served another piece of humble pie this morning. Missed. Not as angry about missing the shot as I am about my setup. Had the perfect setup in a saddle, decided to move up 25 yards in case he went high on me. Little did I know the crest was only 10 yards away, not 30. When I got there he gobbled so close I was stuck. Sure enough came beep bopping along and wasn’t a step over 10 yards when I shot and got to watch him fly away. Gonna go back after him in the morning!
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Post by: Yoder409 on April 13, 2021, 09:27:13 PM
Get back on that miss horse and ride it, Delmar !!! They ain't that bright. That bird could easily be workable again tomorrow.
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 14, 2021, 03:50:45 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on April 14, 2021, 06:17:19 PM
Better letting them walk than taking an iffy, irresponsible shot. Kudos !!! :icon_thumright:
That's a bunch of longbeards that'll be there to die another day. Keep after them.
Post by: zsully on April 14, 2021, 11:15:06 PM
Me: “Son of a b!&@h is flying”
Twyatt: “No way! Holy s&$@, he is”
He lands about 200 yards from where we are standing on a sandy road that borders this lake. We scramble to get set up and then give him a couple minutes to collect his thoughts. I call, he answers. I put the call down. We wait 10 minutes and he doesn’t show. I yelp......nothing. I cutt hard, he gobbles further away. I pour it on and he answers half a dozen times. I set the call down......20 minutes still hasn’t shown himself. I yelp and he gobbles, less then 100 just around the bend in the road. After what seemed like forever I hear Twyatt whisper the three best words you can ever here in the turkey woods, “I see him.” He came around the bend in all his glory, strutting and closing the distance. His beard looked almost long enough to trip on and his fan was perfect. I had the gun leveled on the most open spot on the road which would’ve been about a 15 yard shot. A perfect first opportunity for the 410 I was carrying. He kept coming and made it to 20 yards and that’s where everything went wrong. He came around a small pine tree that had been obscuring my dainty 275 pound fame from his vision during his approach. His eyes locked on mine, he looked straight into my soul and I fell apart. He popped his wing and spun still unsure of what he was looking at. I adjusted quickly rushed the shot and sent $5.70 worth of tss 9.5’s flying past his head but he wasn’t there anymore. He flew away unscathed and left me in utter ruins. How is it that a 20lb bird can make a grown man loose his mind and every ounce of composure I seemed to ever have? I’m not sure I’ll ever know that answer but good Lord I hope it never stops. So there it is.....my sweet-bitter finish to my first ever trip to Va. I promise you though, it won’t be the last time I match wits with a Virginia gobbler.
Here’s the lake he flew over:
(https://i.ibb.co/hDnbpLJ/9423-A407-A4-CE-4726-9498-5-FC5193-C7-C8-C.jpg)
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 15, 2021, 02:21:19 PM
Speaking of misses, I redeemed myself this morning with a fine Alabama double bearded gobbler. He’s my first double beard. After missing 2 days ago, and spooking the absolute hell out of that same bird yesterday, and then spooking another bird I struck at 11;00 yesterday, I was feeling pretty low.
I went back to the spot I struck that bird this morning and he dutifully gobbled around 5:55. He was in a fresh burn. I set up in a saddle and tried to call him up, but he didn’t seem to interested, so I worked my way down the backside of a finger ridge to get more on his level. I did my series of clucks and WAM. Birds gobbled directly behind me and CLOSE. I spun lighting fast to that direction and within 5 seconds I see the first red head looking over the crest. Another 5 seconds and this birds walks out into the open. I swung the 20 degrees or so quickly, settled on his waddles, and was so relieved when I saw him go down. It’s amazing how a successful hunt will make you forget about all your previous “idiot moments”
In total there were 4 longbeards in that group, so I’m excited to get back after them. They are pretty far deep onto the public land, so I’m not too worried about people getting at them this weekend. Alabama has been a grind and has humbled me every day, and I’m so blessed to have gotten this bird. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210415/4248a21fd6526902200cf59e289ee0c6.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210415/6a55ec2677c61823a62fe5b2dea0b6f3.jpg)
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Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 15, 2021, 04:11:25 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on April 15, 2021, 07:02:32 PM
CONGRATS !!!!!!
Post by: zsully on April 15, 2021, 09:01:14 PM
Post by: Delmar ODonnell on April 15, 2021, 09:53:07 PM
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Post by: a_jabbo on April 16, 2021, 12:12:26 AM
Post by: POk3s on April 16, 2021, 01:38:31 PM
Delmar, another dandy bird and a dandy hunt! I’m leaving a week from today for leg one of my spring journey!! Keep killing it boys!
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 17, 2021, 10:30:15 AM
Fast forward to this morning. Set up in a new spot where I’d seen some birds and did my calling routine, which is very little calling at all. The second round of calling brought a hen down right in front of me, then another, then a gobbler. Even a small gobbler beside hens looks big. So during the fly down stress of looking around and clucking I shot him. He ended up being a small gobbler at 16.5 lbs, he did have a 9” beard and both spurs were long, black and sharp with both being just over an inch. Go figure...
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Post by: Yoder409 on April 17, 2021, 12:25:30 PM
I finally got my whooped COVID butt outta the house this morning (quarantine was over Thursday) and went to the property to listen.
Birds gobbling EVERYWHERE !!!!!!
In listening and then looking on the short ride home, I bet I heard 15 gobbling birds nd saw at least 6 gobblers in fields with hens. Not all were on our property. But the vast majority were in places I can hunt. Looking promising, for now. Still 2 freakin' weeks til our opener. The way green-up is going, the woods is going to be a jungle by then >:(
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 17, 2021, 04:15:16 PM
CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!Glad you’re feeling better now Yoder. Get after them!
I finally got my whooped COVID butt outta the house this morning (quarantine was over Thursday) and went to the property to listen.
Birds gobbling EVERYWHERE !!!!!!
In listening and then looking on the short ride home, I bet I heard 15 gobbling birds nd saw at least 6 gobblers in fields with hens. Not all were on our property. But the vast majority were in places I can hunt. Looking promising, for now. Still 2 freakin' weeks til our opener. The way green-up is going, the woods is going to be a jungle by then >:(
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Post by: Mossyguy on April 17, 2021, 07:42:11 PM
Next week I’m going to try and get my dad on his last bird of the season. Unless he’s been whacked within the last few days there’s one hanging out in the area where I shot my last one. It’s a different bird than the one I got pics of a few weeks ago.
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 19, 2021, 04:04:37 PM
Post by: zsully on April 19, 2021, 10:02:07 PM
I took the boys out scouting this past Saturday we put eyes on 15+ longbeards. Four of them were in a yard. Easton insisted that he wanted to hunt there, and said a boy that rides his bus lives there. Naturally I refused because the house sits on 5 acres. It’s just not a big piece. Anyways he kept begging me to go ask permission so I figured this is a great opportunity to teach the boy a lesson. We had a conversation about shaking someones hand and looking them in the eye when you speak. We talked about safety and how we would set up in his side yard so we weren’t shooting toward the road or the house and we talked about how we would only be asking for permission for youth day next Saturday. Then we talked about how we weren’t going to be upset if he didn’t grant us permission because we were asking to hunt really close to his house. We went over everything at the house before we left then I quizzed him again on the way over. Then I made him ask. Dang if my boy didn’t strut right up to that door, shake that mans hand, look him in the eye, talk about safety and ask if we could hunt just once next Saturday and he got his permission!!! Easton has been floating on cloud 9 ever since and I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t dang proud of how he handled that! I’m looking forward to going back to listen for them tomorrow.
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 20, 2021, 02:12:27 PM
Post by: POk3s on April 20, 2021, 04:31:40 PM
Post by: Hoosier2 on April 22, 2021, 08:00:59 PM
Sunday am had more of a game plan. Go to the same setup as Saturday and the birds were all over the place 4 birds within 400 yards. A few are across the pretty good ditch and don’t think I have a play with those birds. A bird behind me across the county road seemed like the guy who would play. Well sure enough he hammers where he spent most of Saturday on the north end. Well his girlfriend decided she wanted to fight my hen decoy. Pretty cool experience. I’ve witnessed too many toms and jakes assault my jake deke it’s almost expected but this was a first to see a hen with the similar response. Well I give out a few cluck n purrs and he hammers. 50 yards. He’s not far behind her. Well she finally loses interest and moves on. I’m sitting there waiting for him to show up. 6 min go by and nothing. As I peak out of my blind window. There he is coming down the tree line. I was about 10 yards down the corner of the timber on e/w tree line and he was coming on the n/s tree line. He stops 5 yards of the corner and never comes in full to the dekes. As a pretty good kiss my he gobbled about 3 times and spends the rest of the morning right where he was previously. That was the extent of my Kentucky trip. Damn fine encounters just no shot opportunity.
Indianas opening day yesterday was the worst opening day I’ve had in almost 20 years of chasing birds. 29 at first light. 2” of snow overnight. Birds did not gobble. Sat all morning until 1 pm and never heard a bird. Driving out of our property 3 strutters and 4 hens are out in the neighbors cut corn field. 2 really pretty strutters but watched for 10 min and they never gobbled. Heading back out Sunday as the weather should break. Taking my old man out we had a great hunt last year I was able to call a perfect 2 year old to 20 yards. My favorite memories are getting to share the turkey woods with my old man now being 32 and getting ready to have my first son in June! Keep grindin men
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Post by: Yoder409 on April 24, 2021, 08:46:27 AM
So, I stood and watched 3 full fans strutting RIGHT where we would have gone.............
From that one place I had a minimum of 11 gobbling birds in 4 different directions that I could have walked in and set up on. So, I'll be back out tomorrow checking up on things. Then, hopefully, next Saturday, there's still at least one of those boys hanging out there.
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 24, 2021, 05:10:13 PM
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Post by: zsully on April 24, 2021, 07:11:32 PM
This was my first youth day with my son Easton and to say it went well was an understatement. Preparations started a couple months ago with getting him comfortable shooting the little 410 I got at the end of January. The scouting started a couple weeks ago and we picked up permission to hunt a farm close to the house that had a good flock on it. This is where I would be completely ignorant if I didn’t bring up the support of a friend like a_jabbo. Over the last couple weeks we’ve both been scouting but he’s really put the time in learning these particular birds. Last night while the family and I were at the baseball field practicing, Adam was watching the flock and tucking them into bed. After that and after I got the kids put to bed he and I went back out in the dark and set the blind up in the field. Last but certainly not least Adam did the calling so I could focus on coaching Easton through the hunt. With everything prepared and ready for the morning I went to bed. I felt like I had just closed my eyes when Easton woke me up asking if I was ready to go turkey hunting........it was 12:55am. He came back in three more times through the night to make sure we weren’t going to be late, 1:55, 3:30 and 4:50. The last time I conceded and rolled out of bed. We got to the blind and didn’t wait long before we heard the first two birds sound off to greet the morning. The gobbling was good and at fly down a hen landed almost in our set. Four gobblers and 3 hens hit the field low and drifted to our left where they picked up 2 more longbeards. As the large group drifted left Adam got a bird on our right fired up. But he was deep. 3-400 yards deep but he liked what Adam was saying and came off the ridge and entered the field. At this point we have 6 longbeards to left and one to the right each about 125 yards away. As the lone gobbler starts gaining ground on our set two longbeards from the group on the left break and it was the slowest race to the blind you’ve ever seen. The two from the left ended up in the decoys and at 15 yards Easton killed one and the celebration was on. The bird had a 9 & 3/4 inch beard, 7/8 inch spurs and weighed 20.38lbs. A real good bird for his first. I thought he was hooked before but now he is on fire for turkey hunting. Can’t wait for many more years of chasing birds with Easton and Adam.
(https://i.ibb.co/2FpnbR5/4-B3-B042-B-7990-4-F27-AEFB-21518-AA9-AB07.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/99jZdLp/DB099-B98-353-E-44-C9-879-E-14376-F7-B16-F9.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/cr17vBX/206-E9041-2257-4-AC1-B1-A5-78-CBB84494-FF.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/R7Sf6wD/72-EB8654-B7-B5-48-E8-B8-BA-933-CA8948810.jpg)
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on April 24, 2021, 09:51:03 PM
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Post by: Yoder409 on April 25, 2021, 05:16:05 AM
CONGRATS to the young man AND to dad !!!! That's the stuff the best memories in life are made of. Enjoy every minute of it. And don't blink.
Need to get that boy signed up on our team next year !!!!
Post by: POk3s on April 30, 2021, 11:31:16 AM
I’m hitting stride on my trip and have killed three birds in the last three days after going birdless the first 4 days. Have one more place left to hunt and 3.5 days left to get it done! Just tried to enter my best scoring merriams, which isn’t much? But I forgot how much of a pain in the butt posting pics is!! I’ll get them posted up soon!
Post by: Yoder409 on April 30, 2021, 10:11:26 PM
Awesome stuff sully! Congratulations!!
I’m hitting stride on my trip and have killed three birds in the last three days after going birdless the first 4 days. Have one more place left to hunt and 3.5 days left to get it done! Just tried to enter my best scoring merriams, which isn’t much? But I forgot how much of a pain in the butt posting pics is!! I’ll get them posted up soon!
Sounds like you're having a heck of a week, bro !!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS !!!!!!!
Let's go git 'em, PA boys !!!! Hunt safely !!!
Post by: Yoder409 on May 01, 2021, 11:09:51 AM
I had to cross a field in the moonlight so I got in early. I was sitting by 5:00 or shortly before. First gobble was back over my right shoulder at 5:10 !!!! In a few minutes there were 3 various birds gobbling. The other two at distance. Closer daylight, they fired up in every direction. Probably heard a dozen or so. The bird I was hoping to target fired up with another at about 200 yards. I laid down some tree talk and shut up.
First bird that came at me was a lone hen. Came straight from the gobblers right past me. Then two fat jakes followed her. The gobbling birds were in a field corner and not talking much. A raspy hen opened up where they were, so I went at her. Wasn't long til 2 more jakes and 3 or 4 hens were coming. Then the white head and full fan.........and another longbeard with a pretty good limp. The hens just pushed ahead of the strutter like on TV. He came straight into range but the limpy longbeard was RIGHT beside him. Couldn't shoot without capping them both. Something with the 2 jakes.......a scuffle or something.....I wasn't focused on them......and the longbeards kinda side-stepped and turned around, still side by side. They started away slowly.......strutter still strutting. I was thinking I may have to shoot Limpy when the strutter dropped about half way out. As best I can remember, he's only the second spring bird I ever shot in the back of the head. 36-38 yards, I'm guessing.
So-so 3 year old or strong 2 year old. 19 lbs 9 oz 8 1/2" beard 7/8" spurs, but sharp.......which usually 2 year olds are still rounded here.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51151158034_6aea5bda2c_k.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51150374626_b955661a45_k.jpg)
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 01, 2021, 02:50:13 PM
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Post by: zsully on May 02, 2021, 09:38:26 AM
Yoder, are you posting that beautiful thing in the harvest thread so we can add that to the tram score?
In other news. Had a great hunt with A_jabbo yesterday and as you gents can see he wrapped his tag around a stud bird! I’ll let him tell the story but man did we have to work for it.
Post by: Yoder409 on May 02, 2021, 10:32:13 AM
POK........ Just occurred to me...... Although my 3 days have been spread out over a month...... I'm 3 birds for 3 days, too. Must be a Killer B's thing !!! :you_rock:
Post by: twyatt on May 02, 2021, 03:11:48 PM
I should be tagged out, but I have quite the list of dumb things I've done or that's happened to me so far this year.
1. Had a bird coming on a string and out of nowhere 2 random dogs run through the woods and bugger everything up.
2. Sat all morning one day and decided to leave at 11:30, but before I do I decide to walk down and check out the creek bottom below this field I had been hunting since it was a new property. I hit the call just for fun in this creek bottom and a bird hammers back and is CLOSE. I move over about 60 yards to where I think I'll have a better shot at him, and of course he comes straight off the ridge and walks just to the left of where I originally was, then finds his way up into the field and finds my decoys I had left out, and proceeds to beat the crap out of them. I end up belly crawling back out to the field, and up the hill and towards the bird, sit up and shoot and miss and fill my jake decoy slam full of pellets/holes.
3. Had a bird come in as pretty as you could ever dream of, only to miss him at 10 steps. He's probably deaf now, but certainly not hurt, or didn't seem hurt as he flew a country mile out of my life.
4. Nothing but silence the other day, so I really put on some miles walking logging roads trying to strike a bird. Call it quits and am back at my truck around 10am after hearing nothing all morning so I can go to work, and a bird gobbles twice as I'm standing at my truck. He sounded pretty close but I couldn't tell where he was, so I walk out to the asphalt road to call at him and try to pinpoint him, and believe he probably was so close he saw me, as I never heard another peep again.
That's just a handful of the nonsense I've had this year, and I've hunted almost every day of the season so far. The rest of the days were just silence. Anyways, congrats to you guys killing birds. I'm hoping my trip to PA with ZSully and A_jabbo will turn my luck around, and hopefully I don't bring any of my bad luck with me.
Post by: POk3s on May 02, 2021, 03:21:34 PM
Basically the first 3 days were spent in one area. I had birds gobbling at the first high spot I had marked on the map. A great start! I made a move and got in front of a group. Handful of hens, a couple jakes, and a longbeard. I promptly missed him. The first turkey I’ve missed in quite a few years! I shook it off after a while and thought, “no big deal, there’s quite a few birds around”. I got close a couple more times but really commenced to get my butt kicked for the next few days and me and my buddy, Brenner, headed for spot two.
The first day I called a handful of gobbling jakes to the gun and passed them all. I then roosted three different gobblers. Two were together, and one by himself but a long ways off and I couldn’t get him pinpointed. The next morning i got set up on the two together. You guessed it, two more jakes. This time I couldn’t take it anymore. It was morning of day #5 of a 9.5 day trip and I had to get that monkey off my back so I let it fly! He came in half strut and gobbling, so I believe he deserved it ! Took some pictures, video, hung out with my turkey, got back to the truck and figured I’d head over to where I heard that turkey way off to try and fill another tag. Got to a high point, hit the call, crow call, everything. Nothing. I figured I’d just stay in the woods and hope he gobbled as I snuck around. I found a big whitetail shed, and shortly after that a hawk flew over and shreaked. He hammered to it! Hawk again shreaked and he hammered again letting me pinpoint him. I got to the high spot adjacent to him and commenced to call in him, a jake, and a hen. Just like that, two birds in a matter of a couple hours.
Went back to camp and told my buddy all the stories and he tells me his. He called a perfect white tipped merriams to the gun and missed him. He was sick about it but anxious to get back to the woods. We hit a ridge and were going to call our way down it but at the first spot I hit the glass call and a bird hammers. He wasn’t enjoying the slow play game so Brenner told me to get on the call. I poured the coals to him and brought him to about 25 yards. He had a great white tip to take back to New York! We tried to find another for him but never could before we splitted ways. Off to spot #3
I went for a walk after some driving and was able to lay my eyes on a longbeard but never could get him to play. I then struck one from the road, and promptly played the game and missed him too! Two misses in the same trip. I wasn’t real happy. That night i roosted the bird I missed and the one I laid eyes on. I elected to go after the one I missed. After setting up wrong in the morning I was able to circle around him and kill him on the high point he was gobbling on. Hung out with that turkey for a while,, watched the sunrise, took more pics, etc and decided I better hit the road for the last spot.
Crossed yet another state line and headed to a small chunk of public that doesn’t get much pressure and that I had a lot of confidence in from years past. I spent all through the middle of the day in there, sitting and calling, and prospecting around. Nothing. Just when I was about to pull the plug on it, I finally got a bird to gobble. I knew where they liked to roost so I headed over there hoping to pick their path correctly. They were heading straight away from me last I saw them so I thought it would be much more of a roosting mission. About an hour later I hear birds right in front of me and see them closing fast! It ends up being about 7 jakes and one longbeard. I shot him at about 15 yards. Mission accomplished!!!
I made an entire video series out of this hunt and just published episode 1 from the first few days of grinding through the trip. It can be found here.
https://youtu.be/5zQM-34_kwM
Otherwise I’m working on posting pics now!
Post by: POk3s on May 02, 2021, 03:26:44 PM
Post by: POk3s on May 02, 2021, 03:31:49 PM
Post by: POk3s on May 02, 2021, 03:33:10 PM
Post by: POk3s on May 02, 2021, 03:34:30 PM
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 02, 2021, 03:40:47 PM
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210502/f8adfb769dba9efc203200d42e1667fd.jpg)
He did tell me there were 2 more longbeards there. He also told me where he saw them and that he was done hunting for the season.
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Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 02, 2021, 04:22:49 PM
Post by: Mossyguy on May 03, 2021, 04:21:02 PM
Since tagging out so early I was able to focus on getting garden stuff done and had our first fishing trip of the year yesterday. Even heard a bird across the road from my house after the season closed so I know there’s at least one left for next year!
Post by: Hoosier2 on May 03, 2021, 07:41:52 PM
I decide to push north thru the timber to strike a lone bird. After 300 yards and the north property line not a peep. Decide to stop by my truck to regroup. Decided I would go to where I originally planned on setting up which is about a 5 acre mowed pasture that was a failed vineyard experiment and I’ve been convinced it’s a great strut zone for those sunny days. The kicker is the half mile driveway runs along the east side so there’s a risk that a neighbor, homeowner, Amazon, etc don’t randomly come down and blow the whole show.
From 8-940 I set up in the back corner where I had harvested my bird last year. Beautiful setup under large cedar tree don’t need a hub blind Bc you’re so hidden. It was a perfect sunny Indiana morning. I’m near convinced my birds react completely different on those blue sky bright sunny days. As I’m drifting in and out on a dull mid morning sit. A crow hammers out south of me 100 yards. GOBBLE GOBBLE! In a state of disbelief that I had dreamt of what I heard. Bird hammers again. Hit gooserbats bacon with a some yelps and cuts. Bird cuts me off and I hear a second gobble. I made 2 call sequence to them and went silent. This vineyard was an old ridge with timber the birds came from a saddle in the vineyard and the next time they gobbled was 50 yards just over the rise in the hillside and I knew they were right there! 2 beautiful birds came to my dsd jake and hen. One bird stayed in full strut and he was the target. The other bird was a way better scoring bird but something about those ones that come in full strut get me all worked up. My 3.5” Winchester longbeard 6 found its mark at 27 yards and that was the completion of my Indiana season.
After the shot the second bird stuck around and proceeded to assault my turkey and my jake. Love when they stick around like that. Put on an awesome show that I was able to pull my phone and record for 2 min. I finally grew impatient and the Tom was still out by my spread so I got up and started walking to my bird I got within 7 steps of that Tom before he knew I was there. Stupid Indiana only gives us 1 tag. It was another perfect morning to be a turkey hunter. Pretty 2 yr old. 7/8” 9 1/4” beard 23.5 lbs. Enjoy boys
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Post by: twyatt on May 03, 2021, 08:17:08 PM
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 03, 2021, 08:18:25 PM
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Post by: a_jabbo on May 03, 2021, 09:21:27 PM
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(https://i.ibb.co/2FXfCkB/hooks.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fXmPyx7)
(https://i.ibb.co/Y0cgnrS/IMG-8542.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bbstwfV)
(https://i.ibb.co/Bq7pDV2/IMG-8554.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MMjvTDk)
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 03, 2021, 09:29:05 PM
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Post by: zsully on May 03, 2021, 10:12:45 PM
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Post by: POk3s on May 04, 2021, 10:10:04 AM
Post by: Yoder409 on May 05, 2021, 07:51:21 AM
You fellers are layin' em down !!!!
This dude hurt my feelings yesterday. Worked him and another longbeard from the limb, along with 6 or 7 hens. Had the boys fired up stiff. But they wouldn't pull off their strut zone 80 yards out. I called one of their hens off them and right to me. They watched her and never followed. Eventually they drifted off with the rest of the hens. I knew exactly where i wanted to be this morning. Put my rain gear on and got situated 100 yards uphill from his roost. He gobbled a few times early. Then gobbled strong when distant birds got going. Saw a lone bird..........figured it was a hen......pitch down slightly right of straight in front of me. Right after that, he dropped into the same place. I gave a couple 3-yelp series almost too quiet for a rainy day and turned the dot on. Silence and no turkeys anywhere to be seen. I can see out through the woods to my right a good ways and knew they hadn't come up over that way. Can also see decent to the left. I was sure (??) he was still out over the knoll somewhere. Looking and looking for a turkey hunter's eternity. Probably not more than 10 minutes..........but you know what I mean. Can't take it anymore and give another REAL SOFT 3-4 yelp series and POW !!!!!!! Right in my face !!!! Just aa couple yards down over the knoll farther than I can see. I shift my gun a whisker to the left and can see a turkey's back, walking. Then a white cap. He needed to clear a couple trees and he'd hit a good opening. Which he did. I gave 2 quick clucks and he stopped and ran his head up.
2 year bird. Haven't taped or scaled him yet. But 5/8-ish spurs Maybe 9 on the beard and not heavy. Guessing 17-18
If he ends up being upgrade........which I doubt....... I'll get him all official in the scoring post.
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Post by: Mossyguy on May 05, 2021, 12:37:01 PM
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 05, 2021, 12:58:16 PM
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Post by: POk3s on May 05, 2021, 05:12:48 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on May 05, 2021, 05:43:27 PM
You guys are killers!!!
We ain't the Killer B's for no reason atall, boys !!!!! :you_rock:
Post by: zsully on May 05, 2021, 10:54:25 PM
Twyatt showed up this afternoon and we took my boys and went scouting. Found 3 lonely longbeards at one property, 1 across the road from a farm we can hunt, 2 at another farm, then 5 longbeards and 2 hens at the last spot. We’ve got options for the morning. Wish us luck!
Post by: Yoder409 on May 06, 2021, 07:51:02 AM
Best of luck !!!!!!!
Post by: zsully on May 06, 2021, 10:01:25 PM
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Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 07, 2021, 06:50:49 AM
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Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 09, 2021, 02:23:32 PM
Post by: a_jabbo on May 09, 2021, 11:37:57 PM
Post by: zsully on May 10, 2021, 08:59:35 PM
Post by: Yoder409 on May 11, 2021, 07:06:30 PM
Da killerz is doin' what killerz do !!!!!
:you_rock:
Post by: a_jabbo on May 12, 2021, 10:24:27 PM
(https://i.ibb.co/TR42HbS/IMG-8628.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Np9CLmP)
(https://i.ibb.co/0JSkHG4/IMG-8629.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pX8gYLV)
(https://i.ibb.co/Ms3t7Tj/IMG-8630.jpg) (https://ibb.co/DtSvQX6)
Post by: twyatt on May 13, 2021, 10:26:48 AM
Post by: twyatt on May 13, 2021, 11:17:33 AM
The gas line was my goal of where I had planned to set up, and I ALMOST decided to drive my truck most of the way down this dirt road this morning vs walking 3/4 of a mile to get to the gas line, thankfully I didn't. As I'm easing my way down the road at gray light, I don't get 3-400 yards from my truck, a bird gobbles right in front of me, and he's close. Closer than I want to be. The road turns almost 90 degrees in front of me, and he's just off the 90. I scramble backwards about 20 yards, set my lone feeding hen decoy in the road, and quickly find a tree. He had gobbled once more as I was getting set up, and I thought I might be in the clear but still very uncomfortable that he might have seen me. A few minutes go by and no more gobbles. I'm thinking surely I busted this bird. Then a hen pitches out of a tree from behind me and lands in the road near my decoy. Hmm, ok, if she didn't bust me setting up, maybe he didn't. She fools around feeding and staring at my decoy for a little while, and as she's working off, she starts yelping and a bird gobbles about 300 yards behind me. Whew, well even if I busted the first one, now I've got another one close by, now I'm gaining confidence that this might work on bird 2 even if the first is gone. As she works off out of sight, I hit my pot call and the 300 yard bird gobbles again twice. I put the call down, and a few minutes later I see a bird running down the road towards the decoy - another hen. She mills around for a minute or two, checks out the decoy, and walks off the same direction as the first hen. Now I'm thinking I'm between the gobbler behind me and have 2 hens out in front of me now. Then silence, few minutes go by, more silence, few more minutes, and then I hear what I think is spitting, but it's off to my right, and I've got my head sorta tilted to the right to keep the sun that's starting to peek through the trees from blinding me with the brim of my hat. I don't move, still not sure exactly what I'm hearing, but it doesn't stop, over and over, so I ease my head up slightly to see where my hat had been blocking my view of the road to the right, and there he is, standing in full strut at 15 yards with 2 hens in front of him. My heart rate goes through the roof, and I ease my head back down to block my view of him and his view of my face. He's got to come around the 90 before I have a shot, and right now he's at my 2 o'clock. He is steadily spitting and doing his little dance, and these 2 hens are just slowly feeding around. If they take the route that the first 2 hens took, I won't have a shot, I need them to come around the 90 closer to my decoy. After what seemed like an eternity, the hens start easing around the corner and making their way towards the decoy, dragging him along in full strut. The 2 hens come on by, and he makes it into my clearing and boom! Dropped him at 19 steps, and done before 7am. Never did I expect to just walk up into a flock this morning, but fortunately everything worked out and seeing him come up that road in full strut with the sun hitting him was absolutely beautiful. Still not sure if he was bird 1 that had shut up, or bird 2 that I had heard behind me. Regardless, awesome morning, and he's a little bit of an upgrade for me. 1 more tag left, and 3 days left to hunt!
Post by: a_jabbo on May 13, 2021, 05:23:07 PM
Congrats on a great bird my man!!
Post by: twyatt on May 13, 2021, 05:45:50 PM
Post by: zsully on May 13, 2021, 11:14:01 PM
I’ve been told the war paint makes my co-workers uncomfortable. I’ll tell you this, I think my dang nose still hasn’t regained its shape after wearing that face mask. If I had to do it for a whole season I might end up looking like a pug dog. I hate that thing. Back to the paint for Saturday!!!!
Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 15, 2021, 04:17:43 PM
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Post by: Meleagris gallopavo on May 15, 2021, 04:20:25 PM
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Post by: twyatt on May 15, 2021, 07:16:20 PM