[Bumping this topic up in March 2016 because there's some good stories in here]
Thought it would be interesting to get discussion about that one bird (or birds) that you just never could kill. That ol' nasty boss gobbler that always gave you the slip.
On our property last year there was a bird, the boss bird, that I never did kill. He was the first one to sound off every morning and always surrounded by a harem of hens he roosted with. On one side of his roost oak tree was a big pond, and on the other sides it was all hard woods, a little horse shoe like a "U" that wrapped around the pond. He would roost at the curve of the U right up against the pond and there were hens everywhere inside the hard woods surrounding him, not allowing anyone to set up close in the woods to where he was each morning.
He would fly down, more like flop down, right below his tree and start to gobbling and doing his thing with the hens. He would shut up a lot of times after hitting the ground. And if you called too much the hens would take him the other way. Of course there's a lot more that went into it, he got lucky a few days, and I wasn't up to the task a few days. Never did get him though, only several subordinate birds.
I saw him strut on the limb several times and come out to the edge of limbs to look for "the hen" (me) and nearly break a branch off bc he got too far out on it. Hence forth we called him "Tubby" bc he's a fat ol' boy.
I'm hoping Tubby made it thru the winter and will get some lead to the head this year. :fud: :gobble:
Carl Lewis was his name gobbling and not showing his noggin' was his game!
i hope you get "tubby" this spring :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Just called that gobbler "Him". If he's still around it will be the 5th year I've hunted Him. He's taught me more about turkeys than anybody I know. Had Him this year at 50yds in the woods. He deserves better than a 50yd shot. As I was packing camp this year the last bird I heard gobble was Him. 11am last day of season- killed his brother that morning after being setup 60yds from his roost. He flew out and went a quarter mile down the bluff, His brother came looking for Him and a fight. Late May(no fat) 22lb 12oz, 10 1/2, 1 1/4.
He roosts maybe 500yds from my tent. He lives on 1,000 acres of private property, if he's around this year I think it will be my last chance before Nature takes Him home. I hope I take Him home.
Great account of Tubby, I hope you wax his fat arse this spring!
Great story about both birds. Hopefully there are several more. I like these.
I had one named No Show. I did have him in the sights at 20 yards right off the roost one morning and didn't pull the trigger. I really didn't beat him fair and square and I had a weak moment and let him walk off. Rare for me not to do the deed when it presents itself. I never got another chance at him, but his kin folk have paid dearly.
Dang Muskie, and I thought I had it bad. 5 straight years if in fact it is the same bird is a long time. Hope his luck runs out this year. :fud:
Quote from: northms on February 11, 2011, 10:11:54 PM
Dang Muskie, and I thought I had it bad. 5 straight years if in fact it is the same bird is a long time. Hope his luck runs out this year. :fud:
I know his routine, I know where he goes, none of it has helped. The first time my buddy saw Him(3 years ago) he thought there was a gobbler and 3 hens, till the 3 hens popped into strut, and he was much bigger than the other toms- to my buddies account. One day I bumped Him in His favorite spot(dumb move on my part) the day after I bumped Him, 9:30 in the morning He's in the tippy tops of a massive oak. Flew a half mile before his feet touched the ground. A bird like that, you gotta kill at 20yds. One time my buddy was pretty sure it was Him crossing a pasture, He stopped anytime a little bird flew by and didn't move till it landed-skitso. This is the year I will let every tom poop on my boot and live unless I KNOW it's Him. I hope I don't miss judge.
Hunted a double bearded bird for 2 years and never got him. One morning he flew right over my head(at 3 yards) off the roost. I never got a shot off. Hunted him several times and he always had luck on his side. Don't know what happen to him. He hung out with a bird I ended up killing late in the season and he was 20 lbs 11 inch rope and 1.25 curved sideways hooks.
The Death Valley Bird. Chased him most of the season last year. Never could get close. Ended up with him well out of shotgun range on the last day. Got to sit there and shake and breath hard watching him. He's magnificent.
Problem Child was his name.
Almost killed him multiple times but it always worked out in his favor.
I hope he's alive this year. If so, he'll be at least 5.
Leroy Brown.
He is like my nemisis.
I named my bird the traveling salesman...He didn't roost on the property I was hunting but once every four or five mornings. When he wasn't roosted on my lease, he wasn't even within ear shot. When he did roost on it , he would roost out in the middle of a 160 acre wide open chop on the edge of an old pond. He never flew down the same direction two times in a row. He would gobble enough to let you know where he was but I never could seal the deal on him. Most mornings that I saw him, he would be with a single hen in the middle of the chop. I hunted him one morning watching him until 11:00 and he never moved out of a spot the size of a little league infield. I hunted him for three years and never got within gun range. He whipped me fair and square but deep down I hope he died a most horrible death!!!!!
Yeah there's been a couple. Great topic. :you_rock:
They are the ones that keep you waking up in the morning and getting out in the turkey woods. :z-guntootsmiley:
My story started in 2003, on about 100 acres a friend of the family owns. The property has 3 fields on it. One being about 40 acres, and 2 being about 15-20. It has hardwoods, log roads, cow paths, and swampy spots scattered through out. It is joined by some larger tracts of land also.
I worked for the guy that owns the property when I was in high school building fence and helping out with his cattle, so I knew the property pretty well.
I was having a slow season that year so I called him and asked if he cared if I hunted his places (he owns others). He said that was fine but didn't know if they was any turkeys on them. I had seen turkey sign when I was working for him, so I figured something was bound to be around.
I drove up on the 2nd weekend of '03 season and stood on the edge of the field before daylight to listen.....this was when a 3 season obsession began. The turkey I later named Son Of A _ _ _ _ _ started gobbling 20 minutes before daylight. I seen him fly down later that morning. His wings was a beautiful bronse color, different from any turkey I had ever seen.
I would hunt this tukey about 5 times a week. Just when I would be about to give up, I would see his tracks in one of mine from a couple days before, see his tack in a pile of cow mess, or find where he dragged his wings when strutting in the log roads or something.
I even give up on him one evening and quit. I was walking to the truck and heard him go to gobbling on the roost. I roosted him 2 times, 2 different seasons and he would be gone the next morning.
I got advice from every old timer I knew. I would hunt him in the morning, middle of the day, and evening. I done everything I knew or had been told to do.
It was one thing that was making him come to this property, 3 old hens. I called them up so many times I lost count. I wanted to kill them, and leave them so S.O.B. would see their bodies, and possibly change his warfair tactics!
Later I figured out what he was doing he was back and forth between this place and another piece of property visiting the ladies.
I hunted him for 3 seasons with exact same things happening all 3 years. Then the 3rd year it all feel into place and I killed him one morning coming out of a briar patch gobbling at 5 steps. The briars would normaly seem kind of odd, but kind of fit into S.O.B. list of tricks.
When I ran out and grabbed him I got a spur through the glove, and into my hand (still have the little scar). He had a 10 inch beard 1 3/8 spurs like needles, and weighed 20 1/2 lbs.
I was proud that I killed him and glad it was over in the same since. I hunted other places for a couple of weekends and didn't get on anything so I decided to stop by this place one morning......He was still there, I had killed a different turkey!
As far as I know he died of old age. I did kill 2 turkeys off this place, that one in'06 and one last year. Both of them had the bronse coloration on them. I guess these was sons and grandsons off the 3 old hens I hated so badly.
I had killed a few turkeys before all this began. This turkey is one of 2, that taught me how to "turkey hunt". The other turkey took me the whole Louisiana '02 season. Looking back now I wouldn't change a thing, and to tell you the truth I kind of miss him each spring. I think of him each season. Thank you Mr. S.O.B.
I've been hunting a bird for the last 2 seasons. I have not given him a name but I have called him quite a few. I've never heard this bird gobble. He will come to my calling but his safety zone is around 100 yds. Once he gets to where he can see where the calling is coming from he locks up and starts strutting. I've had him in an open field and in the hardwoods neither time would he commit to came all the way in. I've got a few different tactics I'm gonna try this season.
Goodness I could crash the server again with this question :TooFunny: Will post up one or two in a few
Quote from: shootumindaface on February 13, 2011, 10:43:24 AM
Goodness I could crash the server again with this question :TooFunny: Will post up one or two in a few
I bet if yours don't crash the server then Headcrusher could with his experiences with "Maytag"! ;D
Well.......I typed out a big long masterpiece and my log in timed out and I lost the entire thing (*&^%$), so just take my word for it.........it was a heartbreaker.....LOL
Tank that story about S.O.B was hilarious. :TooFunny:
Got some good stories going here.
ole helmet head you can figure that one out :help:
Well i will make this short.This past spring was my first actual miss within range 42 yards well i dont know if it was actually a miss or not but this gobbler hung up on a page wire fence and would not come across and he was in some thick stuff but i actually could still see his head through it so i shot threw the thick stuff and he stumbled around and took of flying and most of my shot hit a couple of saplings and tore one down and just about broke the other down.Anyway this bird had a bigger and thicker rope than my previous bird and he had a 11.5 inch beard.So i will be hunting him this year if hes still around.
Another one is this past fall i hunted 2 longbeards with a bow everytime i would go deer hunting.I didnt put the stalk on them i just climb in my deerstand everytime hoping i would get a shot off and never did.The closet these two birds ever came was 58 yards and i didnt take the shot.These birds are hefty to.They never would roost in the same spot everytime.So when fall shotgun came in i got to hunt one morning and i wanted to make it count.The evning before i was bowhunting and saw one of them come into the field right at dark running like something spooked them and i pin pointed the tree he flew up in.Next morning shotgun in hand i set off to get this bird.1 hour before daylight i slipped in with no flashlight and got what i thought to be about 100 yards from the roost tree.Got settled in and soon as daylight started peeking through i was straining my eyes to find him and couldnt.My plan was to make a few gobbler clucks at daylight so he would think it was his buddy and he flydown pretty close to me and i would be eating turkey that night.WRONG.As i was looking i couldnt find him anywhere that tree.He flew out of another tree 150 yards away from the tree i thought he was in as soon as daylight would let him.I watched him fly and he musta flew 1000 yards before landing across a lake.He was in that tree i thought he was in but he musta got busted by something in the dark.I will be hunting him also this spring.
20 years ago I was hunting a WMA in CA. I was with my BIL who was going to be the shooter this morning. Oh I had my gun but he had first shot. I was 1 mile from my vehicle and at the property line of the WMA when we got a turkey to gobble. The turkey was on the other side of the property line. So we sat up 50 yards from the fence and started calling. The turkey came close enough to hear him spittin and drummin. I heard several hens start gettin excited and the next time I hear him gobble he was 100+ and going away. 3o minutes later I heard a bunch of turkeys fly across a creek getting closer to our location. We closed the distance and my first call was cutt off by a gobble. This gobbler came in on a string. The first time I saw him he was 30 yards away from my BIL ( the shooter). He dropped down in a little ravine and when he appeared he should have been 20 yards away from him. The next time I see him he was 60 and going away. Thats 2 times. I called him back to the exact same location 30 minutes later but my BIL couldn't get a shot. After he left I was ready to kill my BIL. He was frustrated because he could have killed him easily but waited for him to get to 20. Thats 3 times. He still wasn't spooked he just couldn't find the lone he who was making all the racket. I headed up a cow trail towards the direction of the gobbler when I peaked over a rise and there was a full fan. There were 7 hens feeding around him. He was at 30 yards and my gun was in hand but very low. His head was up but he had not seen me. I couldn't move for hours which was really 2 minutes. I whispered to my BIL who was sneaking in behind me that I could see him and he was 30 yards away. His 2 words were "Kill him". I eased my gun up and when I pulled the trigger turkeys flew everywhere. There were about 15, mostly hens, and I never touched a feather on that gobbler. That was 4 times he should have been dead in 1 day. That one haunts me.
TRKYHTR
I got one from last year "muddy foot"..........had him at 20 yards drumming his heart out, too thick. He gave me the slip several times. This year he might not be so lucky. :fud:
Lightbulb,gave me and Kamski1151 absolute fits for what seemed like hours.We seen him at least a dozen times,but he would not commit.Far as I know hes still out there. Makes for good conversation every time we get together. :turkey2:
So far we have birds named "Tubby, Muddy Foot, Ole Helmet Head, Mr. Son of a B_ _ _ _, Maytag, Traveling Salesman, Leroy Brown, Problem Child, Carl Lewis, No Show, Him, and Death Valley Bird."
That sounds like a ruff and tumble crew that is left out in the woods this year. :gobble:
Quote from: northms on February 14, 2011, 05:49:46 PM
So far we have birds named "Tubby, Muddy Foot, Ole Helmet Head, Mr. Son of a B_ _ _ _, Maytag, Traveling Salesman, Leroy Brown, Problem Child, Carl Lewis, No Show, Him, and Death Valley Bird."
That sounds like a ruff and tumble crew that is left out in the woods this year. :gobble:
Kinda sounds like members name to a biker gang, lol. :icon_thumright:
There was one bird from last season that outwitted me at every turn. Just before turkey season last year there was a logging crew doing some clearcutting on a property adjacent to mine, and this gobbler took up residence in the hardwood bottom directly behind my house. Figuring him for an easy kill, I roosted him one evening,Daylight found me set up a hundred yards from his roost, settled in on a large oak with waist tall palmettos surrounding me and a lone hen decoy at twenty yards. With my my favorite mouth call, the Tom Teasers "Meat Call", I threw a few sleepy clucks and a soft tree yelp at him. He fired off from his tree. A few minutes later, I gave a flydown cackle and flapped with my hat for good measure, and shut up again. After gobbling a few more times, I heard him fly down and he sailed fifty yards away from my set up. He started my way in full strut. From what I could see of him at this point, he was a large gobbler with a paintbrush beard. A good friend of mine who had never killed a turkey before was the shooter on this hunt, and I was thrilled at the thought of his first gobbler being as large as this one. In short order this bird had strutted around just to the left of my decoy, a mere twenty yards. Whispering to my friend to be ready, I putted once to bring the bird out of his strut. BOOOOM!!! As the shot echoed away throughout the bottom, this magnificent bird flew away, not a feather out of place. However, my Featherflex hen was not as fortunate. Thats right, my friend missed the gobbler and wasted my decoy. With this gobbler now figuring his only threat in his new home were two turkey hunters with a crooked shotgun barrel, he moved his crew of hens into the bottom shortly thereafter. With my own gun in hand, I chased this bird several mornings and never could connect. He had a close call or two, but I never got another shot opportunity I was comfortable with. As far as I know he still lives in the bottom behind my house and I intend on tagging him this year. And for those of you wondering, the decoy was beyond repair. If you think Hevi 13 #6s are devastating on live turkeys, you would be shocked at the carnage they create on a Featherflex hen. ;D
Bumping this topic up for some more convo.
The Lone Ranger. Went to scout him one day after legal hours (1pm in Illinois) and bumped him out of his roost tree at about 3 O'clock. Kind of stuff he pulled! Watched him tree hop one morning to get close enough to really look at my setup, he flew down the other way. Had him coming hot one time during youth season, boss hen called him away. Closest I ever came to killing him. Hunted him off and on for 3 years. Have killed some of his relatives though!
I spat on the ground shook the dirt off my sandles and cast him to the wind....I have supressed his said memory and moved on with my life....
Great stories, tanks!
I've known some and I'm grateful to them for the encounters we had. I've learned more from the bad birds that I didn't kill than I have from all the birds that have come right in and got shot put together. Let me decide on one and I'll get back to you.
Bob
32 lb bird with 2.5" spurs, and a 17" beard... I have a friend who knows someone who's cousin's aunt got a picture of it... :drool:
Actually mine was from last season... Nice bird, nothing special though... Except for the fact that he out-witted me every trip... Either hens stole him, coyotes chased him off, or he just plain hung up on me...
Problem Child, Houdini and the Power Line Turkey.....
Never killed any of them; one died in a harsh winter, one lost his home to subdivisions and the other probably died of old age. All were hunted many times over the course of 2-3 years.
Of all the birds I've hunted and killed, those three are legendary to my brother and I for their resilience, luck, and the uncanny ability to keep their heads in tact.
There used to be a great big gobbler (I named him Gobzilla) at my old lease that we all saw, but he managed to keep distance and had enough luck to save his life. Each of us had a close encounter with him where things just didn't work out in our favor. My best friend, E.P. was holding his gun on a 2 year old gobbler to his left, debating whether or not to shoot and Gobzilla crept in behind his right side and saw something he didn't like. A few PUTTs and both birds scrambled, no shots fired. The land owner had fallen asleep and woke up with Gobzilla at 35 yards in front of him just coming out of strut. The land owner tried to move his gun too fast and it was game over even faster, turkey wins again. I was sitting just off a newly disced fire break in some pines and saw a hen easing along from left to right, about to pass in front of me. I knew she couldn't see me, but she started acting real nervous and looking my way. She threw her head up, did a 180, and went back to the left, the way she came in a hurry.????? I hadn't moved anything but my eyeballs. I was looking left as hard as I could without moving my head, when I caught movement slightly to the right in front of me @ 7 yards. You guessed it, Gobzilla was double-timing it after that hen. Since the soil was freshly turned over I couldn't hear him walking. I shot once and missed because he caught me moving and kicked it into high gear, plus my pattern was about the size of a tennis ball that close. I know nobody ever killed him, because you'd hear about it in that part of the country. Gobzilla was still the biggest gobbler I've ever seen. We have killed 3 birds over 24 pounds on that property and many in the 22-23 pound range. He'd top 'em all easy.
Jim
I called him Bigfoot. He had the biggest track I've ever seen. Everyone knew where he hung out but no one could get him. I caught him alone one morning and had him in my sights at 15 yards just one minute into the season. I didn't pull the trigger.
I just didn't want to fill my one bird limit that early into a season.
I've regretted that decision ever since. ;) He died of old age as far as I know.
My best MS bird was 11 3/4" 1 1/4" about 8 yrs ago. Best Nebraska bird last year 11 1/2" 1 3/8" . He was in a group of about 6 hens and jakes. Every time the jakes let out a squawk yelp, he would jump on them so I started mocking them and he headed my way. Shot him at 20 steps.
I first found this bird 2-3 weeks before season came in. He looked like he was heavy and had a beard that dragged the ground. I called him a lot of things......none of them can be typed here.I had a good idea where he was living so I scouted other areas because I dont like to put all my eggs in one basket,and my permit for this county was not good for a few weeks.
The first time I hunted him was with my youngest son he was 5 or 6 at the time He was off school the first day of this season and if I was gonna be able to hunt he would have to tag along. We got to the Forrest Service road around 8 ,after a big breakfast thinking that the little guy would be able to stay in the woods longer. We were 200 feet from the truck when he gobbled on his own. I called back he cut me off and we scrambled to hide cause he was coming. After what seemed like forever I saw him at 60 yards he just strutted back and forth and after not seeing the hen he heard he was gone.
The next morning I was heading up the road with a good idea he was roosted on a high ridge. He gobbled just about where i expected him to be and I was off. I couldnt tell if he was on top of the ridge or just off to the side and not wanting to get to close and him see me I sat at the bottom of the adjacent ridge. He flew down and strutted around and I let him have it.At this point I didnt have anything to loose. To my surprise he headed right to me. I watched him all the way down the ridge and into the holller . At 60 yards I almost shot but if he stayed on this path he will be closer. He went behind some brush,I moved to get a better shot then some hens fired off down the ridge and 5 minutes later I heard him gobble 100 yards farther away. I tried the rest of the morning to get in front of him but I just couldnt. Later in the morning I struck him but he just stayed in one spot and gobbled his head off.
The next three days went just about the same. I roosted him and no matter where I sat he flew the opposite direction. The last day of the season I was determined to get him. I knew what tree he was in and I was gonna get as close as I could. I got there 2 hours before sun up and slipped down a path that deer hunter had made. I even wore mu Crocs so I wouldnt make a sound . I got within 30 yards of the tree I saw him fly up in and sat and waited. The hens started clucking but he had not made a peep yet. Right about time to fly down I heard him start gobbling his head off on a little finger off the main ridge 400+ yards away ! Hoping that this was just a different bird I sat tight till all the hens flew down and were gone. Latter in the morning after going back to where he had roosted the night before I struck him and he was heading my way. He was no more than a 100 yards and the alarm on my phone went off.......1:00. I said out loud "You got me this time buddy." and walked to the truck with him gobbling.
It was like he knew my plan ever single day !