(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo2.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo2.jpg.html)
If this works more to come ;D
Ha! Congrats!
Glad to see I have photobucket figured out!This will be a long read...fair warning ;) After killing a 2 year old with beard rot the 2nd week of our home season I have had a heck of a time closing the deal on any other birds. With my son home from college and with a work schedule that allowed us to spend Saturday morning together we had an awesome morning :happy0064:
I have been after some field birds and it paid off Saturday with a bang...more on this later ;D We hit a 40 acre field with a small island in the middle (this island will play a big part in the story) before flydown. An owl hoot produced no response. We started toward some new (about 2' tall) planted pines which is these birds strut zone. Another hoot produced a gobble on the edge of the field opposite of the strut zone. Fortunately the island was between us and the birds :happy0064:
Game on! We crossed the 20 acres to the island and snuck in. Jake (my son) asked if he should belly crawl out and set up some dekes he had in his vest. I replied naw...lets give it a shot without them. Set up 10 yds apart I hit a soft fly down cackle and was cut off with a double gobble..thumbs up were given between the 2 of us. Shooting light was upon us and we heard him fly down. Another soft 4 note yelp on a boxcall brought another gobble, only this time there were 2 toms sounding off. With guns up we sat patiently and quietly. Both birds gobbling but heading away from us on the field edge. A loud and aggressive cut series turned the birds back our way. They closed to with 50-60 yds and we could see them strutting back and forth behind a little knoll in the field with only their head and top of fans visible. This went on for about 15 minutes. Jake let out a couple of soft clucks and some seductive purrs on his slate and the birds cut him off double and triple gobbling. These birds were on fire but hung up behind the knoll strutting left and right. After another 15 or so minutes of our silence I clucked twice and whispered a short series of yelps on the trumpet and these birds turned inside out getting to the top of the knoll on a run. One bird was stretched out scanning the forty yards between us and him and the other was strutting on the knoll. I whispered to Jake..." Are u on the one on the right...Yep...on 3..." I clucked with the trumpet and the strutter broke strut..." 1....2....3.BOOM!!!
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo12.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo12.jpg.html)
Jakes bird had a 10 1/4" and a 4 1/2" double beard and 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" spurs and was the bigger of the 2 by a couple of pounds
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/IMG950927.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/IMG950927.jpg.html)
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo23.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo23.jpg.html)
while my bird had a 9 1/2" bird and both spurs were 1 3/8"
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo19.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo19.jpg.html)
I can't think of a finer way to spend time with my boy!
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo15.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo15.jpg.html)
As y'all know we have some fine call makers on this forum. The 3 calls used on this hunt are all fine turkey killing tools.
Thanks to Mike of Spring Creek for the long box, Gary of Stone Road for the slate, and Austin of Austys Call for the trumpet.
Great calls gentlemen!!!
(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll160/dkthaxton/photo10.jpg) (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/dkthaxton/media/photo10.jpg.html)
Sorry for the long read but it was a great hunt. The telling of the story took longer than the hunt itself :z-guntootsmiley:
headbanger
Great way to end it
Looks like a great time had by all; congrats on some super fine birds and thanks for sharing the story and photo's...................................... :funnyturkey:
Congrats on the birds.....
Great hunt and even better because you got to share it with your son!! :icon_thumright:
Congrats sounds like a great hunt!
congrats!
Congratulations David to both you and Jake. Those are 2 fine birds and worthy of your story. Hopefully that long box helps you for many years to come.
congrats
Thanks gentlemen...very fun hunt with my son! Looking forward to March 2014!!
looks like someone suffered from foot2head syndrome.
Congrats on your birds!
Congrats on the awesome birds and season.. :icon_thumright:
:icon_thumright:
congrats on what had to be a great hunt
Quote from: Gooserbat on May 13, 2013, 04:05:14 PM
looks like someone suffered from foot2head syndrome.
Yep, someone needs to research why so many gobblers die from this disease
Pretty awesome :icon_thumright: