On Tuesday I had an opening day repeat of last year. I scored on an afternoon hunt in S. Carolina on a gobbler that charged in on B-Mobile only to meet the business end of my scattergun. I was set up on the edge of a field where we had seen turkeys throughout the previous year. We had also seen a gobbler sporting a nice paintbrush the previous afternoon.
At 16:00 I heard a thunderous gobble in the woods about 100 yards behind me. :o I called to him and he gobbled again. I called twice more with him gobbling back each time. Enough of that, it was time to go silent and let him come looking for me. ;) I figured when he stepped out and saw B-Mobile strutting with a couple of hens, he would follow the script and do what I needed him to do. Only one problem with that plan, I hadn't counted on the lady that owned the farm to come driving by me 5 minutes later. Yeah, she did that, and yeah, the gobbler went silent. ::) But the turkeys on that farm are used to farm vehicles rolling by, so I figured the gobbler would come back out in the field eventually.
At 18:15, 3 hens stepped out in the field, followed by the gobbler. Right on cue, he spotted B-Mobile, popped into strut himself, and ran across the field, still in strut, all the way to my set up. :icon_thumright: He circled B-Mobile twice, the second time lifting his head in a threatening manner. I had no choice but to defend my helpless decoy. :fud: So I dropped the hammer on him, and he went down and didn't even flop at all. :icon_thumright:
Checking out my bird, I found that he was a 2 year old, and not the big boy sporting the paint brush from the previous afternoon. The next afternoon, I saw yet another bird, but I had let my friend borrow B-Mobile, and this gobbler wasn't interested in my hen dekes. He was a different bird still, so that left at least 2 more gobblers in the area, and likely more. Needless to say, I know where I'm going when I go back up!! :chucknorris:
18 lb's 12 oz's, 9-1/2" beard, 15/16" spurs - 56.5
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11a.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11b.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11c.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11f.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11d.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/sc11e.jpg)
Awesome story. Congrats. :icon_thumright:
Team Osceola, Team Osceola, Team Osceola :groupwave:
Congrats Rut :happy0064:
Great job Jim, Congratulations!!!!!! :z-guntootsmiley:
Great story, awesome pics, good luck with the rest of em!
Congratulations - good reading too.
Congrats!!
Well done, nice bird and pictures.. :icon_thumright:
Nice bird, congrats! :icon_thumright:
Great job! They were sure shut beak where I hunted opening morning.
Occasional farm vehicle traffic is one thing but logging trucks and loggers are a good bit more disturbing. Hopefully they'll be completely done long enough for things to calm down and the season to still be open.
congrats good looking bird
Congrats Rutn! Boy his head is colored up blue.
Have you killed a FL bird yet?
Congrats, Jim. That is a great story, and a nice bird, as well. Looks like it is warm down there..Well done..Mike :you_rock:
Congrats!! :you_rock:
:icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Quote from: hobbes on March 19, 2011, 10:17:05 AMHave you killed a FL bird yet?
No, central Florida's season opened this morning. I just got home last night, and I didn't get drawn for a permit for the opener. I am not going to fight the crowds at the few WMA's that don't require a permit. So I'm home, and not happy about it. :(
Well......good luck when you do get back out.
:z-guntootsmiley:
Very nice gobbler,congrats!!!
Congrats! Fine bird, good pics and a great read! :icon_thumright:
Congrat's on a nice longbeard.
Congrats!! :icon_thumright:
congrats :icon_thumright:
Congrats. I love all that blue in his head.
Great story and great looking bird - congratulations! :icon_thumright:
Quote from: WyoHunter on March 19, 2011, 02:01:49 PM
Congrats! Fine bird, good pics and a great read! :icon_thumright:
:icon_thumright:
Quote from: joshua on March 19, 2011, 02:19:15 AM
Awesome story. Congrats. :icon_thumright:
:agreed: :icon_thumright:
Congrats on a great hunt!
Congrats on a nice bird!
Nice hunt. Way to stick with it.
Nothing like the unplanned of coyotes, bobcats, and
farm trucks. :TooFunny:
God Bless,
David B.
Good job Jim! :icon_thumright:
Good job!! :z-guntootsmiley:
:icon_thumright:
Congrats... :icon_thumright:
Congrats :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: great story!!
pittboss
Good deal :icon_thumright:
Now that the central Florida season has started, and I don't have anyplace to hunt right now, I'm jonesing to get back up to SC. Oh well, work beckons. Got a busy week ahead, and then I'm calling and videoing for my girlfriend on her hunt this weekend.
:icon_thumright:
Great bird!!!
congrats!
Shane