I am on the board in 2020! Long read here, but you guys know I like to tell my stories. I had seen some turkeys that piqued my interest two days in a row so I figured with the incoming weather I was going to try and hunt this morning before it got bad. I called from home to two different landowners and both lines were not working anymore. So I made a drive to knock on a door since that was the only option I had left. The lady who gave me permission was real nice and I stood plenty away from her door to respect her with the 6 foot space rule. Went by where I had seen those birds and they were no where to be found. I figured they had to be somewhat close so I went home without roosting them. I got there plenty early this morning and tried locating them with an owl call, then I tried coyote howling, and then I just used a box call and I didn't get one response. I was a bit worried so I took a drive down the road and did the same thing and located them. Problem was they were between a 1/4 and 1/2 mile from the property boundary where I had permission. I set up in the corner of the property and got pretty aggressive with my calling as I wasn't even sure they could hear me. About a half hour after sunrise I noticed a few going up into a corn field to feed, about 600 yards away. I got after the calling again, but with no response. They started to feed away from me so I stood up in the blind and glassed and noticed a bigger group further away pulling those others towards them. I did however see one single head in some tall grass coming my way. I couldn't tell what it was but I started getting excited. It came around a corner and saw my decoys and instantly went into strut and my heart started racing as I knew I had a chance now. It took him forever to come the last 135 yards but he put on a heck of a show. He only gobbled about four times but strutted the whole way. My heart was pounding so hard I thought he was going to hear me inside the blind! The benefit of him coming so slow though was I could get myself calmed down to get ready to shoot. He got to seven yards but he was on my left side out my first left window that was only down slightly. He started getting nervous and so did I, so I drew back and aimed through a small opening and let it fly. My arrow found the target and I was so relieved. I've never been happier and more excited to shoot a turkey in my life. This even beat out my first ever archery bird from last year just for the fact I was on my own, and I called him out of a far away flock, and he strutted the whole way in. It was an incredible morning that I'll never forget.
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Congrats
Beautiful bird
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Great pic,...pretty bird. Good for you!
Very Nice!
Nice bird and great reflection on your perseverance!!
Congrats, great picture and good story.
Nice bird!!
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That is pretty damn sporty. Nice hunt.
Nebraska will probably be real good this year without all the nonresidents hammering them.
Good job getting it done on a beautiful gobbler. Congrats
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Congrats!
Congrats, nice one
Great job!
Way to go!!
A real trophy with a bow........congrats
Very nice merriam's congrats
Gorgeous gobbler. Congrats.
Congrats!
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Another report for you fellers. Opening day of shotgun was today and I was able to get a buddy his first bird this morning. Showed up right at shooting light to try and hear some birds from the road and make a play. Had to drive a bit until we found some and made a move on them. Looked like a few gobblers, some jakes, and hens in the group from a distance. Snuck up a tree line and was getting ready to set up and saw a head peak out so we just sat where we were. Started calling and immediately 5 jakes sprinted right to us and were about 10 feet away. They eventually turned around and went back to the group. Had to move to try and get in front of them again and I was able to glass the whole flock from a distance and didn't see any longbeards. Maybe from a distance the first time I just saw jakes strutting but I thought for sure there were some gobblers out there. They eventually fed off so we made a play on some other birds nearby. The calling and decoys just was not working on this next group so we did an old fashioned spot and stalk and it surprisingly paid off. We both doubled and my buddy couldn't believe he had just shot a turkey. He kept saying that the whole drive home too. I think he is hooked for good now!
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I am officially tagged out! Not much of a story today though. I went to the same property my son got one off of this past Saturday. Took awhile for the birds to gobble as I couldn't get them to respond to an owl or coyote call. Moved in on them on the roost and realized they were probably roosting in the same tree as Saturday. There was only one gobbler on the roost, but not sure how many hens he had. I called quite a bit and he responded and I thought it sounded like he was coming my way but just as fast it seemed as if he was going away. Needing to get back to work by 8:00, I made a play on them. I snuck around the backside of the hill they were at the bottom of and came over a little crest. I tried calling him over to me as he was less than 40 yards, but he was behind a little knob himself and I couldn't get a shot. He wouldn't come and as soon as he got on the backside of that knob completely I snuck up the rest of the way and shot him at 20 yards. He ended up having four hens with him, so I don't know if I would have been able to call him off or not. He was a heck of a bird for a Merriam's in rugged terrain with a 9 1/2" beard and just under 1" spurs. It truly was a gorgeous morning in some incredible terrain! We as sportsmen/women are blessed to be able to do the things we get to do!
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Absolutely gorgeous bird! Congrats!