Like every week, I find myself purchasing more and more calls off this forum. I received a nice Buster in Osage, glass over slate from forum member, Jester. I decided I'd carry it hunting the next day.
Typical morning, get set up in a spot near where turkeys historically have been observed. At first light, a gobbler strikes once. Crows and owls abound, all was rather quiet for the first half hour or so. Finally he gobbles again and I get a good bearing on him, 200 yards due to the south of me. I call at him with a series of fly down and morning yelp calls, When all of a sudden his hens start cackling like hell and yelping profusely. I mimicked exactly the excitement, tone and series of calls she produced.
Pissed isn't the word...
They fly down and close the distance in a short, short matter of time. From the wood line, they bust through the treetops, flying over a barbwire fence and land in the field, running full speed in to my two decoys. Fighting puts, purrs and strutting, these two hens would peck and circle my inflatable gals.
Now, I have a redhead in the field... a Jake. That's when the gobbeling on the adjacent two-rut woods road really fired up at my calling. Double, then triple hammering, they too, bust down the woods wall over the fence.
The two birds land in the feild in full strut, The dominant bird, Full white head. The sub dominate bird blaze red, chasing the jake. Every once in a while would go semi strut, Yet pull his feathers back in as if he was reminding himself he did not want to be beat up that day. They close the distance and make it all the way to the decoys at 20 yards in which they both went into full strut.
Here's where it gets interesting.
I had a first time Hunter sitting to my right against the same oak tree as I was, on the ground with no cover(that's my game).
He whispers in my ear "My adrenaline is through the roof"! I tell him to calm and wait for a good shot on my mark. He tells me "I don't want to shoot your decoys" and "the real hen is in the way". "Wait", I tell him.
He finally clear the decoys and is nothing but neck, at which point my guy fires...
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!!!
Miss. Miss. Miss.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200420/3afe1f6af7086711fd4535c80a27eab0.jpg)
Bird takes flight and lives to play another day! I'm in total shock.
I raise up and take the 2nd in command at roughly 40yards with the Hevi-18 and sink his battleship.
It was the morning that you go thirty mornings for.It was the morning that they edit heavily, hundreds of hours of film, to make a three minute show. It was incredible. It was the definition of spring gobbler season in your mind, and it happens rather rarely in Florida like that.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200420/fd1b671be0d4e70154a4829c63306cfb.jpg)
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Good story and congrats on a really nice bird thanks for posting
Congrats on a nice bird.
Buddy we havent met, but I appreciate being a small part of that hunt. Thanks so much for sharing.
Buster.
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Sounds like a great hunt congrats
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Man ....you should be an outdoor writer. I lived through every moment of your hunt.
Thanks for sharing your story.
GunRunner
Thanks guys! Not the biggest bird and who knows what he scores, but I will say, mornings like that are the TROPHIES! Just felt bad for ol guy, he didn't though...he was ecstatic!
I've bought wayyyy too many calls the last two months, but hands down my favorite (and the birds) are the Kaiser-Maple/Glass/Purpleheart(GS-1)and the Halford-Osage/Glass/slate...no particular order. I am enthralled with these two, they will ALWAYS be within my reach on a gobbler hunt.
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Quote from: Gobbler2577 on April 20, 2020, 01:08:38 PM
Buddy we havent met, but I appreciate being a small part of that hunt. Thanks so much for sharing.
Buster.
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Fine as they come Mr.Halford, I mean that.
Thanks so much! Gonna have to get with you and see what woods you offer :)
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Nice one. Congrats
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Congrats man!
Congratulations.