Bought some property in February 2015. Had been a long time coming as i had always dreamed of owning land. I had always knocked on doors or joined hunting clubs to hunt turkeys. But now I get a spot to call mine, although be it a small parcel.
That spring I got on some birds at that spot and I remember killing one on it. Of course I had cameras out and would always get pictures of two gobblers together that year. I had a few encounters with these two birds but they would seldom show themselves and really wouldn't gobble much. I could tell they were 2-3 year olds I had thought judging by pictures. 2016 I had high hopes for this piece as my cameras were presenting me with several gobblers. The two brothers as I called them then were again always together. I could tell them by their thick long beards. I should have killed one of them that season but a winter storm had knocked down lots of trees and one of them blocked my shot while the bird strutted at 20 yards one sunny morning. They were regular visitors on camera and at that time I had a heck of a turkey spot down the road that I was hunting hard. 2017, February once again found the two brothers on my cameras, they had a harem of hens with them mid February. The birds were already together early that season. I again spent most of that year hunting a different tract. I gave the brothers a try a few times and the end of season found me trying to locate them. A week before season ended one of my cameras had one of the brothers on it. I was worried one of them were dead but I had to spend some time trying to find one of these birds. A few days went by and one afternoon at around 2:30 I walked in and sat on the edge of my food plot. I struck a bird up across the plot and he took his time. 25 minutes into it he had gobbled three times and then a coyote shot across the plot. I passed on the yote at 50 yards. I waited 20 minutes more and hit a slight Yelp. The bird answered and had shown himself on the field edge at 100 yards. The bird made his way to 45 yards and strutted for a few seconds and they wing tucked. I shot him immediately. What do you know I had killed one of the brothers. 12" thick beard. Spurs were both broken off. He had an ugly head. I remembered both of them at times in pictures just looked ugly in the face for whatever reason.
The other brother was nowhere to be found sightings wise or on camera until a few months after the season that year. I was glad to see him one June afternoon on camera In my plot. I set my cameras low all season specifically to identify turkeys.
2018, at this point I figure the other brother is 5-6 years old at this point. He was a regular on camera but again I spent most of that season on a different parcel. That different parcel had a bird on it I had hunted for several seasons as well and cameras indicated he had monster spurs. Anyway, the few times I hunted my property the birds just weren't there much when I hunted. I tried to find the brother bird but didn't turn him up late season. 2019, I started planting chufa and brother bird was a regular from October to March but the opener found him disappeared. Mid season I took a trip to Kentucky and wouldn't you know brother bird was all over my cell camera during those 4-5 days. I came back home and again the bird had disappeared. Season came and went and again June showed brother bird was still alive. He was probably 7 years old at this point. 2020, I again planted chufa and again October - March big brother was a daily visitor according to my cameras. I got some good pictures of his spurs on several occasions and his beard was still thick and long but with a little less strands. I figured the bird is now approaching 8 years old and the third day of the season he showed up on cell camera and I was at the spot 30 minutes later. I snuck to the field and sat until dark. Nothing. I did everything to try to find this bird in 2020. He was a no show after 3rd day of season. Season ended, I was thinking no way the bird is still living. August 2020, trail camera tells me brother bird is still roaming. Pictures in September, October. 2021: I have three gobblers frequenting my field. Brother bird appears to be one of them. His beard, you can almost see light out the other side because it has thinned some within the core of the thickness. I figure him to be 9 years old now. Last pictures a week ago of him. I suspect he will die of old age. I just hope I get a crack at him and that he can live 1 more month or so.
