Goals

[zelmo1]

To beat last years high score we need to average 64.6 per bird, lets call it 65. Thats the goal gentlemen. Sounds easy, all 9 scoring birds on the " big bird list". No plan without a goal to make. Z

[cannonball]

I don't know if I can beat my 76.01 from last year but I'm going to try.

[Roost 1]

It would be hard to do but I've seen it happen.

[zelmo1]

Just numbers, go get 'em boys . Z

[3seasons]

I'll see if I can run into the brother of the one I got a couple years ago. Doubt I'll ever see another one like that in my life but it's worth a try.

[zelmo1]

They are out there. The farm I hunt has a few 4 year olds on it, just need to meet up and " talk it out", LOL. Z

[FullChoke]

I have hunted birds that were so big that I couldn't see the ends of their beards, real big Alpha Males. You have to hunt them so subtly and make absolutely no mistakes. The truth is that they can die just like all the rest.

Hunt big gobblers.

Cheers 

FC

[zelmo1]

I take the kids to where the big bunches of Jake's are. I take Mrs Z to the most Tom's and I hunt the big boys. I am a good guy, not a great one, lol. Z

[BBR12]

I will check for beard and spurs before I shoot one to make sure it's big enough. .... Oh wait that's for deer hunting some places I get to hunt. I'm just hoping to kill a few.
I do have to confess I killed a bird with not impressive measurements the other day. I was in a hurry to get him and the one my son had killed a few days prior processed and in the freezer before I had to go back to work the next day. I forgot all about getting the measurements until I had cut off the legs and beard I  then questioned myself about how much he weighed and it hit me that I had forgot to get the data for entry. I'm hoping to kill at least one more this year and it won't take much to be bigger than him anyway. He had 5/8 spurs and 8.5 beard. Probably only weighed about 15#. I think he was a late hatch 2 yr old. 2 summers ago we had 2 hens in the area that were together. The one had 1/2 grown poults and the other hens  poults were maybe quail size. It was by far the biggest size difference I've ever seen in poults.

[Zobo]

Wow Zelmo, that's a lot of pressure you're putting on the guys. You're like the Vince Lombardi of turkey hunting  

[zelmo1]

Not pressure, goals. No pressure when we get to hunt turkeys, pure joy bro. ? Z

[3seasons]

Well in hopes of hitting the min score that Z has put on us I've let 3 walk this week.  Had one at 35yds one at 15yds and one this morning at 45yds  All killable but just not big enough.

LOL the only reason they got a pass is I didn't get to see the show I was wanting to for my last bird. They did everything I could ask for except for the finish when I could finally see them. For that reason alone I didn't pull the trigger. It's actually kind of nice to know I can go back after them tomorrow.

I know Z's Goals are all in good fun and if it wasn't fun I wouldn't do it. But I wouldn't mind my last bird in MS to be a good one. But on the other hand if a 2yr old does it right then that's gonna be it.

For me personally if I had to judge a bird off of his size other than if he's got a hanging beard, I'd quit hunting and go back to chasing crappie or speckled trout in the spring. It's ruined deer hunting and I for sure would never want to see that mess in the turkey world.  I shoot a deer off of age and could really care less what he's got on his head. But a turkey if its beard is swinging I'm shooting.

I'm hunting new areas in the forest so I don't know the land yet but I've had some real good hunts. I'll keep them short.

Monday morning I worked a bird that of course was across the line on some private. Ended up playing some chess and got him to break and come to my side of the fence only prob was he came in below me and I couldn't see him. Then he periscopes his head up at 35yds just over the roll in the hill and looks around for about 2 min.  I burned him up with my red dot but just couldn't pull the trigger. 

Didn't go Tuesday because of the weather.

Wednesday same deal, bird across the line on private. He hits the ground in the dark and gobbles going the other way. Dang runners.
I hear another bird in the distance so I get up and run his way. I close the gap to about 100yds and set up. I'm up on top of a ridge that has a log road going to where he is. Perfect. I set up on a huge pine tree that has one gum tree that will prevent me from swinging to my far left and I told myself it would probably be an issue. I end up calling him in, but he drops down below the ridge and comes in to my far left and pops up at 15yds. He staired a hole through me.  I was able to get my gun around as he was easing off but elected not to end my season that way. But wow what a hunt.

This morning in a different spot. I got close to a bird on the limb and set up. He was fired up. When he went to fly down I heard an awful racket then he flies straight up over the canopy and glides about 100yds past me and crashes in a tree then regains his composure. About 10min later he drops out over the ridge edge. A hen drops out in front of me and starts yelping and he gobbles.  I jump and cut the distance between me and him and push the hen in a different direction.  I make it to a big bowl and he's on the other side of it just over the rim. I can hear him drumming so I set up on a tree with some cover on the opposite end of the bowl. He ends up coming to the rim of the bowl and just stands there looking at 45yds I'm burning him up with my red dot again.  He never broke into the bowl with me or I probably woulda filled my last tag. I elected to pass in hopes that we will run into one another again soon and I'll get to see the show he was putting on that I could only hear today.   After it was over I eased up and saw that the rim was way steeper on that side and i could have gotten a lot closer. To the point that we would have been about 5yds apart. now that would have been a heck of a way to end it.     Only thing I can figure is an owl or hawk got after him at fly down and caused him to fly off the way he did, because there was a pile of hawks and owls buzzing around this morning.  One crazy hunt.

[Happy]

Congrats on the successful hunts. I can completely understand derstand where your coming from. It ain't the score that matters. It's the experience and finishing the game on your terms.

Good-looking and Platinum level member of the Elitist club

[3seasons]

Sorry Z I thought this last one would make the min but one spur was an 1/8" short.

Haha wouldn't have cared if he was a little 2yr old the way he came in. Couldn't ask for any more.


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