Three of us went out Friday morning (me, my coyote hunting partner, and my granddad) with the two of them as shooters and me guiding so to speak. We heard one long beard gobble and set-up in an old field with them about 50 yards closer to the turkeys than me. After working the birds on the roost with my Mike Yingling Copper pot I finished them off with the Hook's Executioner II.
I made 5 series of calls to the roosted turkeys and the gobbler answered every time. At 6:55 I saw two hens and a gobbler fly down that we didn't know were there and he started strutting about 70 yards down from me (120 yards from them) and was still strutting when he hit the 45 yard mark to me. I picked up the 935 and put the bead on him in case he got wary and waited on him to pass me and head up their way. At 7:25 the gobbling bird gobbled on the ground only a few yards out of the field. I gave him a soft series on the Executioner II and he followed 2 more hens, 8 jakes, and another long beard into the field. At this point I relaxed my gun and watched the 3 gobblers strutting. When the gobbling tom and the tom with him got about 20 yards from my granddad and buddy I gave a hard series of cutts on the Hooks and all 3 toms hammered back at me. As soon as the toms relaxed I heard the double boom and 2 of the toms were on the ground! I watched the lone strutter run off. I could have killed him too, but I wanted to leave one to hunt again.
Sequence of Events:
4:45 - My buddy and I walked out my door
5:45 - We all walked out of my grandparent's house
5:55 - Got out of the truck
6:15 - First gobble
6:55 - First Strutter hit the field
7:33 - I cut, 3 gobblers gobbled, two shots fired
7:34 - The congratulations started and the hunt recapped
8:00 - Eating breakfast and having coffee telling the tale to the other hunters in the family
Buddy's bird:
9" Beard
3/4" Spurs
17 pounds
Shot with H&R 20 Gauge single barrel and HWT 6's
Granddad's bird The Boss gobbling bird:
8.5" Beard
1" Spurs
19 pounds
Shot with Winny 1300 NWTF and Win HV 6's