With the season only about 6 weeks away for MS, what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Once I killed a bird that was headed away from me with another tom one afternoon by hiding behind an old cattle feeder that have fallen down. The tin roof that had fallen sideways to the ground and was standing vertically was the perfect hiding place. I called and he refused to come back up this hill until and stuck my strutter deke out from behind it with the full fan. Moved it ever so slightly and he couldn't stand it. Thought another tom had stolen some hens he didn't know about up there.
He came charging up and when he topped a rise I had by barrel up and waiting. BOOM!!!! Dead turkey.
With a bush hog planting summer plots.
:TrainWreck1:mine is not weird but very awesome! Was set up in a drain between two 120' ridges last year and there was a bachelor group roosted on top 3/10 of a mile away. We couldn't get any closer so I started calling back at the boss hen which was not happy with me. A Tom pitched and sailed all the way down the drain and lit 50 yds from us. A few steps later and he was done. It was an awesome sight! He looked like a sparrow coming at first.
Your going to say NO WAY but here goes. About 5 years ago, a buddy and I went to southern Florida to try and fill our Osceola tag. We were staying at his brothers cabin, that was about a mile off the main road, and the land it was setting on held several nice turkeys. We hunted a lease a few days, with my buddy tagging out the first night we were there. I on the other hand hunted hard 4 straight days but couldn't close the deal. The afternoon before we were to leave, we set out a couple of decoys at the cabin, and were just chillin inside. My buddy went to take a shower and out of no where a longbeard struts his stuff right past the cabin toward a live hen on the north end of the property. I go to the bathroom door and tell him to get his --- out of the shower now! He comes out dripping wet with a towel wrapped around him and hollars,"get your gun". I grab my gun and load a shell in it. The LB's focus is on the live hen and moves to the north end of the property which allows me to slip out the door and get setup by a fence some 30 yards away from the cabin. My buddy cracks the window in the cabin, grabs a slate call and gives a few cuts and some soft yelps and says," He's coming." I'm in a pair of shorts and T-shirt so I hunker down and remain perfectly still setting by this fence. He continues with the soft yelps and whispers to me from the window, "he sees the decoys" and starts calling distance 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50 yards away but I can't see him. Then I hear the familiar sound of him spitting and drumming. I cue in on the sounds and when he breaks out in view at 25 yards I take him. My first Osceola and a hunt I'll never forget.
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
Had one gobbler that would come into a big hay field from the other side of the field that I didn't have rights to hunt on. The property line ran through the middle of the field and there was no way to catch him coming or going. He would strut and gobble from the highest spot (on our side) for hours and not respond to calling from the field edges. It was too aggravating. He was expecting for any hens to come out to him & plenty did. The farm owner had bush hogged some weeds and brush beside the next field over, so I laid down some cut grass & weeds out in the field that the gobbler didn't seem to care about. A couple of days later, I went out in the hay field at night, to the low spot about 25-30 yards from where he liked to strut and laid down a camo tarp behind the low pile of weeds. I put a tobacco sheet on top of the tarp that I covered with mowed grass, weeds, & some pine straw. I propped the end of the tobacco sheet open with an old tobacco stick and some forked pine limbs on the ends. The next morning before light, I crawled in between the opening & waited. That gobbler thought he had the world by the @$$, but he couldn't figure out where the hen he kept hearing was. He took his time, but he finally strutted out to the high spot around 7:45 AM. I waited until his head was behind his fan to move. I clucked one time on a mouth call & when he brought his head up, I busted him with a 2 ounce load of #6s from a 3 inch Federal Supreme (before they screwed the wads up) out of my old single shot. It hurt like a son of a gun from laying down flat & shooting off the top of my shoulder, but it was worth it. He weighed 22 pounds 10 ounces, had 1.25 inch spurs, and 10.75 inch beard. I can see it in my mind like it was yesterday, instead of 20 years ago, like it really was.
Jim
Quote from: guesswho on February 04, 2015, 03:13:52 PM
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
Liar! Cant be done! :TooFunny:
For me the most unorthodox was my first bird because I had no idea what I was doing and did everything wrong!
I decided to try turkey hunting but had no knowledge other than watching it a couple of times on TV hunting shows and reading some articles. I bought a few calls and practiced via the included CD, found a farm and got permission, randomly chose a spot to set up for the next day (the only field that didn't have a mean bull and also a good tree to lean against facing the open field). It was the first day of my first turkey hunt and other than getting to the field before sun up I did everything wrong. I over called a ton, I was below the turkey that was way up the hill, he came down a logging road and ended up on the other side of a fence and across a creek. I mounted my gun probably 45 minutes before he finally showed and I was shaking so bad the tip of my gun was probably swaying in a 4" radius. I was set up along a dried out dike meant to hold run off from the hills. I didn't get to see him until he came up the side of dike which was about 25 yards. As soon as he crested and I saw his whole body, I pulled the trigger. He tumbled over backwards and disappeared below the side of the dike. I ran out to collect my "kill" and hadn't chambered another round. I got to the edge of the dike wall and there was no turkey. I scanned and saw him running so I shouldered my gun and pulled the trigger but it didn't go bang...no shell. I quickly pumped another round and by now the turkey reached the edge of the woods. I aimed at the back of his head and squeezed the trigger just as he was disappearing into the brush. A few minutes later I was holding the biggest bird of my career from a weight perspective. The bird was interesting in that was he actually appeared to be a jake as he had a short beard and short spurs. In those times we had to take them in to register them and the DNR guy thought he must have had a hormone problem or something that turned him into the large beast he was.
I've killed a couple that I've slipped up on. One I shot at 52 yards thinking he was ~45. Was walking down the road towards a new area late morning where I knew there was sign and he just stepped out from behind an oak tree. I hit the dirt, closed as much distance as possible before he got nervous. Pulled the trigger on my trusty 870 and down he went.
Killed another, with the same gun, early in my turkey hunting career and before I got a bit more patient while walking and calling. I'd walk and do the hard core run and gun and call and wait for a response. I'd slip in/out of food plots while doing this. I crossed the road and got into the plot but nothing there. I slipped out down the other road and eased out into the road. I could see a big bird in the middle and slipped back and yelped. When I eased back out all I could see was beard swinging side-to-side outside his body. At that point I just stepped back and waiting. he stopped in front @5-7 yards he realized there was a problem. That's when the gun went boom.
And, if you watch too much outdoors programming, I guess it is unorthodox that I killed a bird with two single clucks. He gobbled every breath coming to me until his death. One of my most memorable hunts ever!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Ah the crawling kill story..
Opening day 2013 I was working and I completed my job early and begged the boss to let me go home so I could hunt and he did. I arrive at the lease and drive past the "big red hill" to a favorite spot to kill one. When I arrived no gobble. Bummed I figured well it's mid day he's moved so I left to start scouting. I drive past the red hill again and see gobbler tracks in my tire tracks. No more than 30 minutes later. I hide the truck, put a hen decoy in the road, and set up. After a few minutes I make a serious of yelps and nothing. I keep looking to my left and there's one bush blocking my view. I lay the gun down and walk to the bush, I stop and start breaking limbs and glance down the road and there's a full strut turkey luckily facing away from me. Thing had came in quiet.
The delimea...I left my gun where I was sitting!!
I crawl slowly back to my tree and set up. After about 5 minutes of soft yelps he still hasn't gobbled. Now I'm thinking no gobble and haven't seen him come so he must of seen me. I grab the gun and crawl back to the edge of the road and sure enough nothing! So I ease up to see around the bush I started breaking and there he is!!!
2 alarm clucks and 2 steps is all he made after seeing me get up. The 870 and 3.5 mag blends done the deal and he flopped dead. After getting my bird and thinking man that was a longer shot than I thought I got the range finder from the truck and I had shot him at 52 yards. Heck of a shot but not proud of shooting that far.
After all the commotion in just standing there and another gobbler steps out at 10 yards and runs off. Being the kind feller I am I let my cousin in on the secret and 2 days later he killed possibly that other bird at the bottom of the "big red hill".
Quote from: jakesdad on February 04, 2015, 04:32:39 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 04, 2015, 03:13:52 PM
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
Liar! Cant be done! :TooFunny:
It's getting real deep in here!! Must have been a penned raised turkey.
Quote from: jakesdad on February 04, 2015, 04:32:39 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 04, 2015, 03:13:52 PM
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
Liar! Cant be done! :TooFunny:
I was ready to raise the BS flag as well. :toothy12:
Killed one left handed with the rear sight broke off. He was a real boss Tom. My buddy laid in a hole surrounding a tree for hours (place worn down by cattle) to kill a field bird. It was the only "cover" for hundreds of yards. That was a hard earned bird. They were within 150 yards in an open pasture for hours before one broke and came in.
Last years opener here in NY was my crazy hunt.What an opening day experience. The night before I had roosted two birds and this morning set up on them 100yds away on a pipeline. Around 7:30 they flew down and where 60yds away. I did some soft calling & everything was going good until a hen flew straight to them. The gobbler & Jake would gobble but not leave the hen who was by 8:30 pulling them away with her. I tried to stalk them and was doing OK but for every yard gained it seemed as if they were pulling away. I decided to gamble and ran straight toward them. The gobbler and jake ran straight downhill off the pipeline on one side and the hen on the other side.
I gave them about 15 minutes and started to call. Immediately I heard them both gobble about 150 yards downhill. I called again multiple times and could here them getting closer. Being patient, I wasn't going to call again when I thought they were about 70 yards away. Within minutes I seen the white and red heads coming through the brush. At 36 yards when they were in full strut the 870 and Turkey Thugs size 6 got to eat. Not my biggest bird but still a nice bird. 8.5in beard, 1in spurs and weighed 18lbs 12oz.... I have seen turkey's broken up in the fall and then called back together but never in the spring. The only thing I can think of was that because I was hunting on private property, these birds hadn't ever seen a crazy white/camo fat man running down the pipeline a day in their life. Must have been some site to see...Lol
I was hiding behind a dirt hump and a gobbler coming. Couldn't see him till his head was about 2 feet from my barrel if that. I pulled the trigger and he started flopping right into some muscadine vines. I jumped up and wrangled him down and got ahold of his feet. I almost got flogged to death. I looked like Mary Poppins but instead of an umbrella it was a flying turkey. I ended up stretching his neck under my boot. Not a pellet in him that I could find. Only turkey I ever killed without a gun.
Quote from: fsu33952 on February 04, 2015, 08:32:55 PM
Not a pellet in him that I could find. Only turkey I ever killed without a gun.
Stunned him with the muzzle blast. Now THAT is a story. :TooFunny:
A very good friend of mine that past away last year was a logger, drove a log truck for quite a few years, I told him I was gona start turkey hunting, and he said hell just ride with me one day you can get all the dang turkey you want! Then he told me a few months before that he run over a turkey with the truck, he said there about six or seven just running along road beside the truck, and all of them decided to cross the road, well the last one didn't make it! He didn't know that he had hit one till come back in from that run, he also run over a bunch of deer! An 80klb. log truck will make bloody mess of anything!
It had stormed/rained all night long. The next morning I was in a bottom hunting along a decent size little river/creek. (It is about 40 yards across and flowing muddy ). I hear a gobbler fire off on the other side so I slipped up to the edge and sat down knowing I couldn't cross it. Nothing ever gobbled on my side so I gave hime a few yelps. He responded and I could tell he was coming. 5 minutes later three white heads appeared on the opposite bank. I didn't really think thru what was gonna happen if they showed up because it would be too dangerous to swim and get him if I shot across the creek. All at once the soaking wet turkeys go to fly the river.... I guess their feathers were wet because the first one ended up splashing across in the water. When it was said and done.....they were all three within 5 yards of me (behind me/ had flown right past me). I'll never forget it
Love to hear all the unconventional turkey stories. Sometimes you've just got to make it happen!
I had a very unconventional year last year. First bird of the year was a similar story to tomstoppers. There were actually 6 longbeards and a few hens hanging out in a field with 4 satellite jakes. Every time I'd reposition on the longbeards the jakes would come running in. The big birds would work a little, but never close the distance to shotgun range. I managed to belly crawl to the edge of the field for my last setup and again, the jakes came running but eventually worked away. The longbeards were busy feeding and following hens around so I got on my knees and got as close as I could to the birds, and when they alerted, I ran in them and broke them up. One particular bird ran the length of the field by himself, so I walked down to where he entered the woods, called and he gobbled. Few seconds later he steps out and is down.
Another time a buddy and I split up to work the edge of a huge overgrown field, probably head high weeds, but enough blown down to be able to see fairly well in the field. Not 5 minutes after we split up I got within 30 yards of an outside corner of the field and saw a hen running from me out into the brushy field. I knelt down and pulled my facemask up and called. A bird gobbled just around the corner and strutted around right to me. He must have thought I was the escaping hen. A bird shock gobbled to my shot, so I called my buddy (who was a little pissed I had killed a bird not 5 minutes after we split up) and got him over to me. I called the other bird in to the wide open and he managed to miss.
Fast forward a couple weeks and 3 of us went separate directions in the same area of the first bird. They dropped me off on the other side of the block in the morning and I had no luck, so when my buddy called to tell me he had missed AGAIN, I told him to pick me up to try a different spot. We ended up parking where he had missed, and when I called from the truck, a bird gobbled a couple hundred yards away. I headed towards that bird and stopped half way to where I thought the bird was and called, but got no answer. I walked maybe 10 yards and something told me to call again. This time he gobbled maybe 25 yards away on the opposite side of a hedgerow from me, just barely tall enough to conceal the bird. I dropped to my knees and knew I had nowhere to get set up, so I pulled my facemask up and called softly. I heard him drum and saw the top of his fan not 25 yards away, so I got my feet under me, stood up and dumped him when he came out of strut to run. Another bird not 5 minutes after we split up.
Laid in a sand trap on a golf course wearing desert storm camo one morning. When the Tom hit the putting surface, I popped him.
Quote from: guesswho on February 04, 2015, 03:13:52 PM
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
I've never killed one out of a blind. But I try a blind hunt a few times each season.
Killed several without decoys, and a lot with decoys.
Here's a no deke story. Went to a field on a Florida WMA with pockets of woods in it. The turkeys liked to roost in the woods around the field and pitch down in it. That morning 3 birds gobbled around the field, and fog hung over the area. 2 walked away gobbling, but the third kept gobbling from the same place. I snuck to that area using the woods to cover my approach. Finally I spotted a gobbler standing alone gobbling.
I slipped to the left using more woods for cover. I snuck down to the where the woods started tapering off. I eased forward a few more steps when out of the fog, multiple turkeys materialized, and all raised their heads when we saw each other. I froze, then slowly sank to the ground, hoping my leafy camo would help me.
Once I was on the ground, the previously unseen hens started putting nervously. I slowly purred on my diaphragm, then let out soft, contended clucks. The hens calmed down and started doing the same thing. I crawled forward a couple feet to a spot where I could see the turkeys through the brush. I started looking at the turkey heads through my scope, trying to see if the gobbler was with them.
Finally he gobbled, a mere 12 yards away!! :gobble: :o I eased the crosshairs onto his neck and squeezed the trigger. He was a good gobbler, and it was a really exciting hunt!! :fud: :turkey: :you_rock:
Another time, I wouldn't have been able to kill this gobbler without a deke. My friend and I watched a field strutter from first light until nearly noon. He bred the hen he was following and ran off a couple of other gobblers. We could only get about 150 yards from him, by crawling in and setting up on a wooden fence line.
Hunting ended at noon in Ohio, so at 11:30 we were desperate after watching him from first light. When the gobbler had his fan up, my friend stood up and stuck my strutting jake deke into a rotten fence post. Then he started gobbling at him with his box call. Every time my friend gobbled, the gobbler would turn around and look. At this point they had drifted in to 100 yards out. Using some bushes and the fence, I was able to belly crawl 40 yards down the fence. The gobbler was still out of range though.
My buddy kept gobbling at the strutter, and he kept looking back. Finally, at 1145, the gobbler had enough of the jake gobbling at him. He dropped out of strut, turned and marched up the hill to whip that jake's butt!! When he passed by me, I dropped him at 38 yards!! :fud:
I have no doubt that if it wasn't for that strutting jake deke, and my buddy's gobbling box call, I wouldn't have gotten that gobbler that day. :z-twocents:
About five years ago, I was hunting before work one morning. I went to a bird that was already gobbling on the ground and called without any response. Time was getting away and I had to slip out to head to work. I headed back towards the truck and I spooked the gobbler which was down in a hollow between me and the next ridge. Upon his flight out of there, he flew into a limb or stob sticking off the side of a big white oak tree. He fell to the ground not far from me and couldn't run or fly. I hated to see him go out that way, but I ended up having to shoot him on the ground. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. He was a nice two year old with about a nine inch beard or so. Crazy as hell for sure.
While bass fishing in a farm pond with a good buddy one spring, a gobbler came out of the corner and started making his way toward the pond. We were still in camo from the morning hunt so he didn't see us yet. We decided to crouch down behind a log and see how big his Spurs were when if he got close enough. He keeps coming and heading straight for us. I had a pretty good arm back then and my buddy once ran a 4.4 at southern miss. We decided that if he got within 20 yds that I would throw a small lighter knot at him and joe would run him down when I dazed him. On 3 was the count. 1,2, and I stood up and flung the knot at him with great precision, joe was just about to grab the Tom and the lighter knot hit him in back of the head and knocked him cold!
Blong, that certainly is bizarre and unorthodox for sure :OGturkeyhead:
I forgot about one hunt many years ago. A few of us waded in to a beaver dam to set up for an evening duck hunt. It was fall turkey season, and someone in the woods near the beaver dam busted up a flock of turkeys. One flew over us before we had our wits about us and knew what it was. When the second one flew straight overhead my buddy dumped it into the decoys. Never shot any ducks that night but we came home with a good bird.
It was in the late 80s and I had taken a few gobblers w/the 870 and decided I wanted to kill one really bad w/the flintlock. You couldn't shoot a gobbler w/a single projectile and I didn't have a black powder shotgun, so I decided I'd shoot 5 shot out of my .50cal. Talk about a crappy shot pattern at 15 yards!
I arrived about 1/2hr before light after the 2hr drive and found that I ran off half-cocked and forgot my overcard and cushion wads I had hand cut! What to do...and daylight was coming fast!!
I cut a chuck of one of my extra socks off and crammed it down the barrel of the .50 cal flintlock over the powder, then another chunck of sock over the shot and ran out my buddies back door as he laughed.
I got to where I wanted to setup a little late but HE was there hammering. I made a few soft calls and that big bruiser glided in to about 20 yards. He came around the tree (allowed me to come up and aim) and boy was he something. I fired and the big gobbler didn't even run, just walked off snapping his head up here and there, LOL. I must not have hit him w/any pellets at all. As I stood there w/my rifle on my foot shaking my head, a jake sailed in to about 10 yards w/a hen and I watched them go over the hill the way the gobbler went. I was really irritated then.
I reloaded, (yes more sock as I didn't fully understand the compression theory for powder) and at midday I was licking my wounds from having such a hoss get away at such a close distance. 3pm found me skirting the woodlot and I got an answer to my handmade shell call. I quickly moved into the edge of some brambles and setup, giving him a few more yelps, which he cut off gobbling to. I laid the hammer back on the flinter and got ready. I see his head pop up over the thick stuff at 25 yards...I gave a soft purr w/the shell call (once his head went down) and here he comes. 20 yards, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6...KerFlatch- BOOOM! At the shot he took off running and I laid the rifle over and was up hauling in full-bore pursuit. After only about 50 yards through the cedars I started gaining on him and not too much further he fell over dead as a hammer!
It turned out to just be the jake, but I really didn't care. I sacked him hillbilly style, in more ways than one!
Wess
A few years ago, I wrote articles for a local outdoor magazine. I got notification from the editor that a fellow who had a deer hunting operation wanted to start offering turkey hunts as well and wanted us to do a story about turkey hunting his place. The staff photographer and I headed down to this fellows home base and got the grand tour. It was really nice layout and had great accommodations. We headed out the next morning to a bird gobbling on the roost and set up. Directly we hear that he has what sounds like 2 hens with him. All three flew down together and headed across the highway. We didn't go after them as we thought that we couldn't hunt that area, but the owner told us later that morning that he also owned the property that the birds had gone to.
Well, that afternoon we headed out to that other property to see if we could catch up with the group before they made their way back to the roost. There was a big power line right-of-way that ran through the place and I had the photographer hang back while I snuck up to see if there were any birds in it. On the third step, I see 2 feathered humps about 40 yards away with their heads down feeding. I wheel around and we quickly sat down in a stand of seedling pines just out of sight of the two humps. He gets his camera ready just as the first hen walks past us at 8 yards with the camera clicking shot after shot. This was repeated with the second hen at 7 yards. I have my head turned as far to the left as I can to keep watching that last hen as she went by.
Suddenly I hear it. Pfffft dmmmmmmm. It's close, man I mean REAL CLOSE! I turn my head towards the sound in front of me. There is the strutting gobbler not 8 yards from me right down my barrel. He saw me move, dropped out of strut, turned to vacate the premises and ate the entire 1 3/4 ounces of copper coated lead 6's in that shell. All that was left to do was to take the photographs of this mangled gobbler and write the story.
;) ;)
Quote from: TauntoHawk on February 05, 2015, 11:53:26 AM
Blong, that certainly is bizarre and unorthodox for sure :OGturkeyhead:
I killed one with no decoys, no blind and no turkey call one time!
It was about year 3 or 4 in this crazy, stupid, addicting sport and I had yet to call one in on my own (had killed a couple called in for me and called one in for someone else). After our morning hunt, I joined up with my brother about 11am. We were walking to a field that was a good strut zone and I decided to hold up and blow the crow call. When I did, behind us, from where we had just come, a bird gobbles. A good ways off. We turn back to that bird and before we enter the next intersection, I blow the crow call again. Triple gobble. Was that one bird or two? Still about the same distance away after we had covered a few hundred yards. Head to the next intersection and blow the call one last time - still a ways off and definitely 2 birds. I look at my brother and say 'I know where they are headed'. We run to an old railroad tram that crossed through our lease and parallels the road I know they are walking down. We run/walk about a mile to the first road that cuts back towards the one they are on. I know that they love to head in to the swamp on the tram road and figure maybe we are ahead of them now. I look at my brother and say sit right here, they will come down this road. We sit down and pull on our masks and I pop the mouth call in. As I get ready to start thinking about calling, here come Mr Tom at a fast stroll down the two rut road. My gun is already up and I put the bead on his cranium and squeeze. Down goes Frazier. At the shot, Tom2 jumps and flushes, just out of range for my brother to get a shot. Never made a single call and was still huffing from our run.
Good buddy of mine and I were hunting on my friends cattle farm when we spooked a nice gobbler. The bird ran up the hill right into a 3-sided corral. As we cested the hill imagne the shock of seeing the bird that you thought you lost. The bird eventually made its way out but by that time it was too late. First bird my friend had shot in 6 years.
I've killed many more in "untraditional" ways than I have by sitting against a tree at daylight and calling one off the limb.
Most involved some element of belly crawling (aka, the Missouri Sneak) for as shot and/or better position.
Probably the weirdest was in 2005 in central MO. A buddy and I roosted a couple near a creek bottom, but overnight really bad weather - wind, rain, sleet, moved in. We really had to convince ourselves to even go out, but since we knew where they were, we went anyway.
At daylight we were greeted with one half hearted gobble from about 60 yards away and then some soft tree yelping at 30 yards from a hen we did not know was there. We sat still and quiet well after "normal" flydown, I guess the birds were not overly excited about the crappy weather. They pitched down and wanted nothing to do with our calling. We watched them move off and I had an idea they would go to the nearby cattle pasture bottom to feed and watch for predators.
We made our way to the edge of the woods, and sure enough there they were; two gobblers and one hen. Between us and them was a steep hill leading up from the bottom. We set up on the edge of the field anticipating they would walk the fence line up the hill if they were interested.
Well, turkeys being turkeys, they had their own plan. Suddenly, one of the gobblers took off flying at us! In a panic (ignorance, really) I shot and whiffed. It landed in a tree about 20 yards away and my friend leveled him. In the meantime, the other gobbler flew in and landed in the SAME spot and I rolled him out of the tree. They were both nice 2 year old gobblers and to this day is my only double with him! On as side note, it is perfectly legal in MO to shoot a turkey out of a tree as long as it is not where it roosted the night before.
Another memorable hunt was the first time I took a kid hunting during MO's youth season. It started off very normal. Two gobblers pitched down in a field and headed straight for my brand new jake mobile decoy. Now, the hunter was 8 years old and was accompanied by his 17 year old cousin, who was my student when I was a high school Ag teacher. The 8 year old was shooting a single shot 20 that we had patterned good to 30 yards.
The two gobblers rushed in and waylaid my decoy, I mean flat out kicked the crap out of it. The silk tail went flying one way, the decoy the other and they kept at it. I guess all the excitement got the better out of the hunter, he shot and I watched the wad sail over one of the birds at 20 yards. Like 8 feet high. Remember that single shot part . . . Well, the 17 year old had the extra shells in his pocket! I was about 20 yards behind them watching in dismay as both gobblers went straight up in the air at the shot, landed and continued to beat my decoy! Then, I saw the 17 year old frantically digging for another shell . . . the birds still did not care! Finally a shell was dug out of a pocket and when the break open 20 gauge was cracked one of the birds began to be VERY suspicion of all the extra activity under the cedar tree and began to move away. As the action was slammed shut, the hunter beaded on the other bird (which was the same one that was missed) and rolled him into a pile of feathers! If I remember correctly, this north MO bird was over 24 pounds!
Not a hunt but an odd encounter from 2007 or so.
I was in graduate school in Kentucky and went back to MO to visit after the spring semester, which was during turkey season. I was too poor to buy the out of state tags, so I would stand outside at the inlaws house and listen to the gobbling. My brother in law killed one the morning we had to leave, and it was a story. He shot (too far) and managed to wound one and chased it down and finished it off with a stick.
We just left their house to head back toward Lexington, when I saw a gobbler in the road. He tried to cut left to the woods, but was blocked by a woven wire fence. I slammed the brakes and caught him! He was a full grown gobbler, inch spurs, 20 lbs ish and a 9 inch beard. I got in the back of the truck and we went back to show off my catch and release gobbler! I used to raise chickens and turkeys when I was in high school, so I knew how to handle them so they don't get hurt or hurt me. Control wings and legs and you are likely in business, they rarely peck. I think I have pictures of this somewhere.
Had a gobbler and 3 hens in the middle of a 100 acre pasture in Missouri. The wind was howling so he couldn't hear my calling (not that he was gonna leave his hens). Gobbler went behind a blow down (only tree in the pasture) and I sprinted to it about 400 yds and shot him before he could see me.
:jesus-cross:
Quote from: Curtis-UGA on February 05, 2015, 04:13:56 PM
Had a gobbler and 3 hens in the middle of a 100 acre pasture in Missouri. The wind was howling so he couldn't hear my calling (not that he was gonna leave his hens). Gobbler went behind a blow down (only tree in the pasture) and I sprinted to it about 400 yds and shot him before he could see me.
He woulda had to have been behind it a loooong time for me to make it 400 yds!
:alien: Last year, my hunting buddy Joe, aka the turkey whisperer, called a very very shy tom to me with the help of his little brother pushing big brother to his demise. This is not the strange part. Joe and I split up after lunch and took some other friends out. I saw 3 birds cross the tote road and put a sneak on them. They were down in the hollow below us. I put out 2 of the old featherflex hen decoys that I started hunting with and started to call. Remember that this is the exact spot where I shot one in the morning and that bird was very shy. The 3 birds started to gobble and ran in. They circled one of the decoys, brushing their chest against her. It was weird but awesome. They were average 2 year olds and I wanted to hold out for a limb hanger. I didn't even have my gun fully mounted. Then, the most aggressive of the bunch knocked her down and started to mount my decoy. I have daughters and my paternal instinct took over and I ended the perverts reign. Average bird but a good experience. We laughed all the way to the truck. Al Baker
Quote from: guesswho on February 04, 2015, 03:13:52 PM
Quote from: northms on February 04, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
what's the most unorthodox or bizarre way you've killed a bird?
Killed one without a blind or decoy one time.
I have NEVER killed one with a blind or decoy. I guess the way most guys hunt today that would be considered unorthodox!
Standing up, in the middle of tapping a kidney....
What a great thread. Just about every one of these stories brings back memories of some hunt. Some turkey hunts, some other hunts.
Early in this past season, I got setup close on a couple of gobblers roosted on the side of this long ridge line. A few light calls and they both flew out and strutted to me. I took what looked to be the biggest. Giving the spot a rest for a few days, I came back to hunt the other gobbler. I hunted him a couple of times, he was much more leery; he'd gobble, come close enough for me to see him, but never close enough for a shot.
One morning he roosted at the top of the ridge, and never budged. Giving him the silent treatment for about 30 minutes, he still had not moved. After a while he quit gobbling. I decided to move to the top of the ridge. At the top, there was an old logging road than ran the length of the ridge, opening up into a big open area with high tower power lines.
Slipping down the logging road I get to the opening where the power lines are. I expect to see him strutting in the opening, but he is not there. I take a few more steps and to my left I hear flopping. I see the gobble flying out of the trees, gliding across the opening. Too far for a shot, I just stand watching him sail across... UNTIL..... he hits the power line! With a loud twang, I see him loop-d-loop around the powerline, having his wing snagged on the line. He does one and a half loops, then breaks free, and tumbles to the ground. Dead as a door nail when I get to him.
Years ago my dad had a flock of poults along with mama flush from the edge of a motorcycle trail in LBL as he rode by. One of the poults hit him square in the chest protector he was wearing. When I rode up the bird was flopping dead in the trail. The poult was bigger than a quail but couldn't have been flying for long.
I had an odd one when I was younger. Had hunted the morning up until about 10 with no luck, my uncle wanted to try one more spot which is a logging road that went around a long point. So me and a friend drop him off, go to the other end of the road and park. I got out and called, nothing answers so we decide to look for some mushrooms. We walked about 50 yards from the truck and looked for a bout 10 min when my buddy looks toward the truck and I think he's having a seizure pointing and mumbling. When I look up I see a gobbler in full strut standing right beside the driver door, of course guns are in it so we watch the bird strut and he goes around to the passenger side. We run up the hill, I grab my gun, put a shell in it and my buddy walks around the back and puts on a "turkey drive". Bird runs by the truck and starts down the ridge road in front of me where I put a fine straight away shot on him. Definitely an odd hunt.
On a hunting trip in Texas we got in late the night before opening day to an old ranch house in the middle of no where, I couldn't see a tree tall enough to support a bird for miles. After a short night with little sleep because a cow kept licking the bedroom window we got ready to hunt. The landowner took the other guys out in a truck to the back side of the ranch, and my dad and I set out on foot in the opposite direction. Our plan was to just walk the ranch road until daylight and hopefully hear a bird and work it. Probably a mile down the road we saw something on a telephone pole a couple hundred yards away. It was just getting daylight and the various birds started to wake up, and then a gobble came from atop the telephone pole. We both looked at each other with complete disbelief, and then scrambled to find a place to set up. I stayed out front in a little opening along the road and my dad stayed back. After a few soft calls from my dad we watched that bird lift off that pole and sore to the same little opening I was in. He only got to stand on the ground long enough for me to find him in my scope. After it was over and we made it back to ranch house the landowner said yeah where else would he roost. I guess it's common down there. all 4 of us limited out in 3 days on turkey to complete our Rio part of the grand slam.
Quote from: zelmo1 on February 06, 2015, 06:10:14 AM
Then, the most aggressive of the bunch knocked her down and started to mount my decoy. I have daughters and my paternal instinct took over and I ended the perverts reign. Average bird but a good experience. We laughed all the way to the truck. Al Baker
Hahahaha. That made me pee my pants a little.
Not really unorthodox, but an interesting hunt that comes to mind is one from 7 or 8 years ago. In the brief version I was set up on a gobbler on the roost. I had a coyote sneak in from behind me, so I spooked it off. About 10 minutes later another cpyote came in where the first one came from. I spooked it and it ran down into the hollow where the first one ran. The gobbler flies down and comes in on a string, his big thick beard swinging as he closed the distance. I cluck to stop him at about 25 steps. Boom!! He flies off, but lands in a tree about 40 yards down the hill. The squirrel hunt begins...I slip down the hill and spot the gobbler about 30 feet high in the tree. He would raise his head and peak through a fork in the tree, then lower it's head to hide. Afraid he was about to fly off, I shot when he raised his head. He didn't move. Thinking he is dead I am now trying to figure out how to get him out of the tree. About 5 minutes go by. He hasn't moved and I have walked all around the tree. I plan to ascend the tree when all of a sudden the gobbler pitches out and sails down into the hollow towards the direction the Coyotes had ran. I hear him either crash or light in a tree. I wait about 15 minutes as I listen, then ease down to look for him. Found nothing and walk back up the hill about 30 minutes later. But, I had not heard him fly off at any point, so I went back down into the hollow. I found him dead, feathers and blood everywhere. Beard was gone, one breast exposed and a large chunk out of the breast. No pellets in breast. No way of knowing what happened, but I wondered if he fell from the sky and one of the coyotes saw an easy meal. I never did find any trace of the beard.
Several years ago, while hunting private property near here, I heard a gobbler sounding off from the roost. I eased through the woods, and discovered he was roosted in a walnut tree in the middle of a large pasture. There were hens in trees close to him, and as it started to break day, they all flew down and the gobbler started strutting. I had stopped about 15 yards from the edge of the pasture, and was down on one knee watching the birds perhaps 150 yards away when suddenly the tom dropped out of strut and began running to the southwest corner of the pasture as fast as he could go. My first thought was that he had been boogered by another hunter, but I saw no one. I eventually eased into the 40 acres of woods he had run into, but was never able to call him.
The next morning, I was at the western edge of the same pasture, along the fence line between the property I was on, and the neighbor's 40 where the bird had gone the day before. I sat up well before daylight, and figured if he was roosted in the same area, I had a great chance of working him in. Sure enough, he was roosted in the same walnut tree, with his hens nearby. I called just enough to let him know I was there, and shut up. Daylight came, and they all fly down and he begins strutting. About 10 minutes in, the gobbler again drops out of strut and begins running to the southwest corner of the field. He never gobbled again.
The next morning, I came in from the other direction and hid in the fence row on the southwest corner of the field. He was roosted in the same tree, and I watched him fly down and begin strutting. I never even called. After 10 minutes or so, he went out of strut and headed my way at a dead run! I shot him at 15 yards. I have no idea why he ran like that. I would have never killed him if he had decided to go a different direction every morning, but he didn't. One of the nicest birds I've ever killed with 1 1/2 inch spurs.
I was hunting a bird that was coming down a field edge every evening to go roost in a holler. Well I never could catch up with him so I decided to try the evening route. Finally late that evening his hens started right towards me and he was right behind. His hens walked about 20 yards Iin front of me and on down the field. Well he made It to about 75 yards and he decided he wanted to go to the other side of the field . He was about 150 yards and getting farther away and all of a sudden a horse runs after him causing him to fly and land 40 yards from me. I let him walk on in a little closer and shot him with my tk2000.
Ford F-150 :newmascot:
Back in the early 80's, I was hiding in an old outhouse. I had eleven jakes walk within about 20 yards of me. Yes, I did shoot one of them.
I have two stories.
1-After a morning of hunting my dad and I are driving home and as we pass a field there are 4 toms in full strut about 200 yards off the road. We fly into town and ask the land owner for permission and he says, "go get one". We drive back and they are still there, strutting behind a big brush pile. That was the only thing between them and the road. The field had just been plowed and the wind was blowing in my face so I told my dad to drop me off and I will be back in 2 min with a bird. As he slowed the truck, I jumped out put a shell in and ran right for the brush pile. When I got to it, I pulled my gun up and stepped to the side. All the birds drop out of strut and looked at me. From there, I picked the closest one and hammered him at 12 yards. My dad was in the truck a 1/4 mile away watching the entire show.
2-Last year I ordered a trumpet and really wanted to use it. When I got to the farmers house, I parked 30 yards from the barn and gathered my gear, but before I left, I put my mask on and started cutting a hole so I could play the trumpet. After I cut the hole, I yelped a few times to make sure my facemask was perfect. When I was done, I pulled my mask off and went to grab my gun from the truck. As I am doing this, I see 3 red heads coming right for the truck. The ycross the creek, duck under the fence and are now 30 yards from me. I slowly loaded the gun, stepped away from the truck and shot one of the jakes. It was my last day to hunt back home so I was okay with taking a jake. I could not believe that by messing around with a call and making a few yelps would bring birds running right to the truck. I could not believe how fast it all happened.
Wow....there's been quite a few birds that iv killed that have crazy stories behind them. Just to save writing time, I'll just pick a funny one.
Hunting in Kentucky a few years ago I got on some birds that were fired up but seemed to hit a wall 80 yds out. After a repositioning a couple times I came to realize that the wall was..a wall...well, a cliff. I let the birds move off, got right at the top of the cliff and called them back. Ended up shooting the what appeared to be the biggest of the three almost straight down. At the shot he proceeded to flop into a pretty good sized creek that was running hard from the 3 previous days of pouring rain.
I had a hell of a time finding a way down to start with, then came the chase. Picture a normally same human running along the banks of a creek with a long stick , cussing, slapping at a ball of wet feathers as it made it's way downstream fast. I finally wrangled him out of the creek in a sharp bend. Fine lookin thing he was.
As I was walking out with my soggy prize, I ran into a crew of state workers who were putting limestone on atv trails. One of the uniformed guys with a camera around his neck, asked if he could get a picture of me with the bird. I agreed,but couldn't imagine a more decrepit turkey to have a picture taken with. Oh well, at least they didn't see the whole episode.
Quote from: Bigspurs68 on February 07, 2015, 11:33:37 PM
Wow....there's been quite a few birds that iv killed that have crazy stories behind them. Just to save writing time, I'll just pick a funny one.
Hunting in Kentucky a few years ago I got on some birds that were fired up but seemed to hit a wall 80 yds out. After a repositioning a couple times I came to realize that the wall was..a wall...well, a cliff. I let the birds move off, got right at the top of the cliff and called them back. Ended up shooting the what appeared to be the biggest of the three almost straight down. At the shot he proceeded to flop into a pretty good sized creek that was running hard from the 3 previous days of pouring rain.
I had a hell of a time finding a way down to start with, then came the chase. Picture a normally same human running along the banks of a creek with a long stick , cussing, slapping at a ball of wet feathers as it made it's way downstream fast. I finally wrangled him out of the creek in a sharp bend. Fine lookin thing he was.
As I was walking out with my soggy prize, I ran into a crew of state workers who were putting limestone on atv trails. One of the uniformed guys with a camera around his neck, asked if he could get a picture of me with the bird. I agreed,but couldn't imagine a more decrepit turkey to have a picture taken with. Oh well, at least they didn't see the whole episode.
:TooFunny: :TooFunny: I can picture that.....
I had recently moved to mississippi and decided to go hit some public land after work to do some hunting but mainly just scout since I'd never stepped foot on this particular spot. It had just rained a bunch the previous day and the low land had a lot of standing water. I was walking in a trail for awhile and decided to help a little bit to see if anything responded and boom there was a gobble. Well there was a creek that separated me from the turkey and it was about four foot deep in the middle. I frantically looked for an alternative and jogged up the edge of the creek hoping to find a narrow spot and the turkey kept gobbling and was getting close fast. I came to a bend and spotted a large tree that laid across. So I hopped up on it and started across. I was nearly to the other side and decided to call to see where the gobbler was or find out that he had seen me strolling across the log. I let out a couple sharp cuts and he let loose 50 yards away.
I saw his head coming through the timber while crouch on this log over water with no where to go if I stand up he will see me and there's just some small trees on the bank. So I decide to bail off the log and into the water. Luckily the water wasn't too deep just about a 18 inches. I slowly move to the bank edge sit in the water next to the uprooted tree trunk. I hear some drumming and the gobbler comes around the tree about 5 steps from me and I let him have it. I was soaked and pretty cold but glad I got him. Defiantly an odd encounter for me.
Quote from: jcour4 on February 08, 2015, 05:32:18 PM
I had recently moved to mississippi and decided to go hit some public land after work to do some hunting but mainly just scout since I'd never stepped foot on this particular spot. It had just rained a bunch the previous day and the low land had a lot of standing water. I was walking in a trail for awhile and decided to help a little bit to see if anything responded and boom there was a gobble. Well there was a creek that separated me from the turkey and it was about four foot deep in the middle. I frantically looked for an alternative and jogged up the edge of the creek hoping to find a narrow spot and the turkey kept gobbling and was getting close fast. I came to a bend and spotted a large tree that laid across. So I hopped up on it and started across. I was nearly to the other side and decided to call to see where the gobbler was or find out that he had seen me strolling across the log. I let out a couple sharp cuts and he let loose 50 yards away.
I saw his head coming through the timber while crouch on this log over water with no where to go if I stand up he will see me and there's just some small trees on the bank. So I decide to bail off the log and into the water. Luckily the water wasn't too deep just about a 18 inches. I slowly move to the bank edge sit in the water next to the uprooted tree trunk. I hear some drumming and the gobbler comes around the tree about 5 steps from me and I let him have it. I was soaked and pretty cold but glad I got him. Defiantly an odd encounter for me.
Reminds me of my buddy last fall. He had sat in a treestand for over 2 hrs. without seeing a deer. As it's getting dark he watches a bird fly up to roost about 70yds from his stand. He climbs down from the the stand and sneaks to within 35yds of the bird. He lets an arrow fly(ya, he shot it off the roost, but did it with a bow at 35yds). The bird dropped out of the tree and landed in the creek. He was afraid the bird was going to get away and without thinking jumped into the creek touching bottom at about 4'. Needless to say, the water temp at the end of October in Iowa is not your normal swimming temps.
Let's see, I've crawled up on them, sat under their favorite roost tree in the afternoon, sat on field edges and not called at all, but all those birds I killed just always come up a bit short of the ones I called to the gun.
Quote from: stone road turkey calls on February 07, 2015, 11:57:47 AM
Ford F-150 :newmascot:
It's amazing how much damage one bird can do to the boss' Land Cruiser...or so I hear. :angel9:
A little hen came half way through the windshield and creased the roof of my wife's S-10 Blazer. My wife was scratched up from the flying glass, but the hen wasn't as lucky.
My second spring gobbler was henned up and was paying no attention to my calls. After 20 minutes of trying to coax him away from his harem with no luck, I lost my patience and yelped and cut as loud as possible on my mouth call. He still paid no attention to me, but the lead hen took exception and came with her hackle raised. The rest of the birds all followed her right into my lap. When the gobbler poked his head out from behind a tree at 20 steps, I took my shot and blew a fist sized chunk of pine bark off the tree. The gobbler took flight and I just watched him climb away in disbelief. I could see him looking back at me as he was leaving. He should have kept his eyes on the road. He flew straight into a pine tree and fell out the air stone-cold dead. He never even flopped when he hit the ground. I was sure that I must have caught him with a flier pellet, but I skinned him to the top of his head looking for a hit and never found a single pellet. I'll take them however I can get them, but I would much rather have smashed him where he stood.
Inside my old 87 Bronco, strangled and broke his neck! It was us or him ;D