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Author Topic: North Florida Eastern  (Read 2798 times)

Offline TURKEYWHACKER

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North Florida Eastern
« on: March 22, 2016, 12:15:50 AM »
On the Florida opener I hunted a friends property near Live Oak. Day one started with rain and I was more than happy to hide out in a elevated box blind to stay dry. After the rain quit I moved to a natural ground blind and soon saw 2 hens walk by along the pasture edge. I slipped along till I located them along with the gobbler that was courting them. A few courtesy gobbles and he took his hens and left. The afternoon I spotted 4 hens followed by a gobbler about 200 yards out. A few yelps and he gobbled. Another series of yelps and he turned and spotted the decoys. Things were looking good as he kept heading my way, sounding off at my clucks now. At about 80 yards he went into full blown strut mode, did a couple spins, looked at the decoys and walked away. I cut back into the woods to get ahead of him. He continued to answer my calls, but obviously had a destination in mind. He put on one heck of a display about 300 yards out in a little green field before heading towards his roost. My friend told me to try out his new Ghost Blind for the morning hunt. To say I was skeptical was an understatement, I mean that thing was 4 mirrored panels. No way something so ridiculous was gonna work...or would it? We set it up after dark and stashed my decoys behind it for the morning hunt.
A bird gobbled from the roost several hundred yards out and I hoped he would work my way after flydown. I had him gobbling and closing the distance then all went quiet. Suddenly I see something running across the pasture and a quick look through my binos showed a gobbler high tailing it like the Devil was on his tail. I yelped as loudly as I could to see if he would stop and was shocked when a second bird gobbled at what sounded like about 100 yards. This was soon followed up by a hen just pitching a fit. Whatever she did, I copied. That only made her madder. So I started to cut off her yelps with cutts. Wow did she flat out loose it. The gobbler went silent, so I went with low clucks and purrs. Suddenly to my right a black beach ball with a glowing head came running in and stopped beak to beak with my jake decoy. The picture of me peering through that Ghost Blind was the last thing he never saw. BOOM, game over.
I used a couple new calls on this hunt including a Hooks Executioner 2 diaphragm and a Rebel Yelp Outfitters crystal with aluminum on the bottom. Hope this works on this weeks Osceola adventure that team mate Black Magic and I will be going on.
My heaviest bird to date going 19 lbs with an 11 1/8" beard and a matching set of 1 1/4" spurs which scored 66.125
« Last Edit: March 22, 2016, 08:50:48 PM by TURKEYWHACKER »

Offline TURKEYWHACKER

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2016, 12:17:25 AM »
A couple more.

Offline cramerhunts

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2016, 08:19:54 AM »
Man that's awesome! Congratulations and good luck on the Osceola!

Offline TrackeySauresRex

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2016, 09:05:54 AM »
Congrats on a great Tom! We're on the board, Great job! :jackson:
"If You Call Them,They Will Come."


Offline Twowithone

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2016, 10:48:10 AM »
Congrats on your Gobbler. :firefighter:
09-11-01 Some Gave Something. 343 Gave All F.D.N.Y.

Online Dr Juice

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2016, 12:15:11 PM »
Awesome job ... the team is on the board!!  :happy0064:

Offline RutnNStrutn

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2016, 12:28:31 PM »
Nice gobbler brother!! Congrats!!  :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:

Offline blackmagic

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2016, 12:34:54 PM »
Congrats again bro! Great bird!
 If we don't get one this weekend it won't be from lack of effort.  After last weekends frustrations, i'm looking forward to the hunt.

Offline Thebody

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #8 on: March 22, 2016, 01:20:57 PM »
Nice job! 
Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.  Mike Tyson

Well He shoulda armed himself if he's gonna decorate his saloon with my friend.  Will Munny

Offline TURKEYWHACKER

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2016, 08:53:11 PM »
Thanks guys. That's gonna be a tough one for me to improve on...but it won't keep me from trying. :icon_thumright:

Offline Deputy 14

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2016, 11:37:54 PM »
Nice, congratulations.

Offline Hayudog

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2016, 01:39:03 AM »
Fine bird. And the blind looks pretty cool too. Wait til a Tom comes up to fight one in the mirror!

Offline Mountainburd

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Re: North Florida Eastern
« Reply #12 on: March 23, 2016, 05:12:14 AM »
Congrats on the icebreaker! And nice hooks too.