Wednesday morning was cold 18 degrees and Not being a morning person I was slow to wake. Shooting light found me at a new price of public land and as I exited the truck and stretched, coffee in hand a bird gobbled not 300 yards right in front of the truck. Long story short, me being somewhat new to turkeys and the lay of this land I ended up bumping him off the roost.
Checked some more sports and headed home for some food around 9:30.
At noon I left the house for another public land that I had seen turkeys on this winter when calling coyotes. When I got to the access it was all mud. I had 2 options go home or walk the mile plus to the woods. I walked to the woods. Around 1pm I entered the woods that had more snow in it than I expected but about a hundred yards in I cut some tracks and some fresh dogging in the snow. A few more steps and a hen runs out from behind a log. I continue on until I come to a small opening in the timber. I noticed fresh tracks and some wing marks in the snow where they must have flown down. All the tracks converged onto one trail that leg over to some private land. With no other options I set out my avian x hen and moved back 20 yards. I hit the box call and got cut off by a gobble! Another call and cut off again but it was louder already. I sat silent for about a minute then called again and was again cut off by a loud gobble. By this time I was surprised I could t see the bird. Another 30 seconds or so and he was strutting in to sight. He hobbled 2 more times around 40 yards and when he cleared a tree at 25 yards. I pulled the trigger on my Benelli. Trulock and a load of longbeard #5 sealed the deal. It was a long walk back to the truck but worth it. Came in at 25lbs even on my scale with. 10" beard and short spurs.
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Nice bird. Congrats! It was chilly out there in the turkey woods Wednesday.
Nice one especially in some not so great conditions. Congrats.
Great bird especially for the conditions. I was hunting in SE MN on Wednesday and it was brutal. And I have to say the fattest turkeys in America live in MN!
Nice! I was out in MN opening day too. SE public.
It was extremely cold. Basically wore my November deer hunting get up.
Tons of snow on the ground.
Made it real hard to put the sneak on when you have 6-8" of snow crunching underneath you.
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Congrats on your cold weather bird.
Congrats
Congrats. Those long hikes out, carrying a bird, and walking trough mud are exhausting. Big bird for sure.
Nice one. Congrats
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Congrats
Congrats
Fine job. I head out Thurs morning. I'm hoping the snow is gone by then!
Congrats!!!
Awesome, congratulations!!