I'm tagged out in Carolina with a nice gobbler on an exciting hunt. :icon_thumright: Not much gobbling on the roost that morning, but after relocating, a gobbler fired up 200 yards away at 1015. :gobble: He gobbled 84 times in the next 40 minutes, at my calls, song birds and crows. Finally he got quiet, so I fed him silence as well.
After 10 minutes I floated out a few clucks followed by some soft yelps. He roared back his approval from just inside the woods. :gobble: Five minutes later he stepped out on the edge of the field. He walked into the field, but wasn't on course. I clucked at him, he raised his head, spotted my DSD hen, broke into strut :turkey: and started angling his way in towards her.
It took him about 8 minutes to work his way in. I dropped the hammer on my Dad's old Browning A5 when he was 25 yards out. The Federal Heavyweight #7's hit home and he crumpled into the dirt, a mere 10 yards from where the other two gobblers fell on my last trip. He weighed 18 pounds, had a 9-5/8" beard and twin 1-5/16" spurs.
He was the first gobbler I've taken with Dad's old gun that I tracked down and bought back after Pop passed away. :icon_thumright: It was an emotional harvest. I finally got a gobbler with my Dad's gun!! I knelt over the bird, looked towards Heaven and said thank you to my Dad. I know he was watching over me, and was smiling.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016d_zpsfxew3zum.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/RutnNStrutn/media/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016d_zpsfxew3zum.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016c_zpsdvaeyqyd.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/RutnNStrutn/media/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016c_zpsdvaeyqyd.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016k_zpsu2yabmew.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/RutnNStrutn/media/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016k_zpsu2yabmew.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016b_zps1if7ku1p.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/RutnNStrutn/media/Hunting%20Pics/SC%202016b_zps1if7ku1p.jpg.html)
Dad's A5 that I tracked down and bought back after he passed away.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Hunting%20Pics/Dads%20A5_zpsvherj97a.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/RutnNStrutn/media/Hunting%20Pics/Dads%20A5_zpsvherj97a.jpg.html)
Congrats! Glad you got your dads gun back and put it to good use.
Awesome bird and story brother. Congrats.
congrats , great story ! Your dads old gun make it real special. :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Congrats!!
Congrats!!
Awesome!! That's a great bird and a real nice A-5.
Congratulations!!!
Congrats!! :icon_thumright: A beautiful bird and a great story, thank you.
Bob
Congrats on a beautiful bird. And that's so cool you shot it with your dad's gun. :icon_thumright:
Congrats on the bird and great story. I am betting your dad was smiling from ear to ear.
Thanks guys!! I'm sure he was as well. :icon_thumright:
Well done, Sandlapper!!
Very cool.
Rock on brother! BTW we don't have Turkeys in SC, just sayin ..
:icon_thumright:
Great story! Congrats on a nice bird too.
Congrats! Well done
Way to go!
Great story! Glad for you.
Great story, and nice fowling piece...
I have my grandfather's gun, and have thought about putting it to use for turkeys... What loads did you you shoot through it?
Very nice Jim. The gun made the hunt. I know that meant a lot. Your Dad was watching for sure.
Good going with the ole gun...must have been a special moment.
Not bad. I just picked morels and walked my tail off chasing toms that would rather love hens than blow up dolls. Oh yeah did I mention I picked morels.
Quote from: Gooserbat on April 13, 2016, 12:12:30 AM
Not bad. I just picked morels and walked my tail off chasing toms that would rather love hens than blow up dolls. Oh yeah did I mention I picked morels.
Yes, you did indeed!! :lol: I'm very jealous!!
Quote from: Marc on April 12, 2016, 12:34:21 AMI have my grandfather's gun, and have thought about putting it to use for turkeys... What loads did you you shoot through it?
I used a friend's recommendation. I have the factory full choke in the barrel. I'm shooting the 2-3/4" Federal Premium Heavyweight #7's with the Flite Control wad. Throws a pretty decent pattern. I would shoot at a gobbler out to 45 yards with that set up.
Thanks guys!! Finally getting a gobbler with my Dad's gun was definitely a very special moment for me. I could feel Pop there with me. Sure wish he really was.
awesome hunt and very cool on getting your dad's gun back and taking "him" hunting with you :icon_thumright:
Great hunt, awesome spurs and bird. Way to go on tagging out.
Congrats to you. Weren't you the same fella who had a dismal SC season in 2015, posted here about no birds etc? Reckon the limit reduction fixed all that this year, made those 19 jakes I've called in so far just magically appear. LOL!
To borrow from Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell), Charles Ruth can suck it!
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,56416.0/topicseen.html (http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,56416.0/topicseen.html)
Indded, that was me!! Good memory!! :z-winnersmiley:
Amazing the difference one year makes! I saw lots of jakes and hens on that property last year, worked some gobblers but never even saw one. This year I didn't have to hunt many times to tag out, and saw more gobblers than I harvested, along with more jakes and hens. Looking forward to next season on that place!! :icon_thumright:
I sure wish they hadn't dropped the bag limit from 5 to 3. I could have used those extra 2 tags this season!! :lol: ;D
Very neat, well done!
Nice! Thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks guys!!
Congrats Jim! That's a real nice bird and using your Dad's gun will make him an extra special memory. :icon_thumright:
Congrats! I've got a gun that looks really similar to that one. It's an A5 light twelve...
Quote from: Tail Feathers on April 18, 2016, 09:07:26 PM
Congrats Jim! That's a real nice bird and using your Dad's gun will make him an extra special memory. :icon_thumright:
Thanks David!! It truly was a special hunt to me!!
Quote from: taylorjones20 on April 19, 2016, 10:12:53 AM
Congrats! I've got a gun that looks really similar to that one. It's an A5 light twelve...
Taylor, that is exactly what this gun is!! An A5 Light Twelve. My Dad used it for years duck and upland game bird hunting. Many a morning I took Dad's gun apart, cleaned it, lubed it and reassembled it for him after duck hunts. About 25 years ago, he sold it to a friend of mine at my FD. He in turn sold it to his brother a year later. After my Dad passed 3 years ago, I tracked Dad's gun down and bought it back. This was the first gobbler I've taken with Dad's gun. A very special gobbler to me.
Quote from: RutnNStrutn on April 10, 2016, 03:41:02 PM
He was the first gobbler I've taken with Dad's old gun that I tracked down and bought back after Pop passed away. :icon_thumright: It was an emotional harvest. I finally got a gobbler with my Dad's gun!! I knelt over the bird, looked towards Heaven and said thank you to my Dad. I know he was watching over me, and was
That's a special feeling I can relate to. Good for you and congrats.
Nice shotgun and gobbler
Thanks guys!! It was a very special hunt for me.