Your most exciting hunt....

[MDbowman]

For something a little different, let's here a story about your most exciting turkey hunt, doesn't even have to end in a kill.

Spring of 08, I had 1 bird in MD, Derek had tagged out. He was going with me to help call. We were packing our stuff and I said - bow or shotgun? He said 'if you want to kill one with a bow, you need to hunt with the bow'. So the bow and the new blind went into the truck and off to a bow only public spot we went.   Heard one on the roost but he didn't want to play and headed away from us.  Heard one way off behind us and decided to move.  Packed up the blind and started that way. We were walking up a trail around 8 and a bird gobbled 75 yards in front of us just over the crest of a ridge.  We set up quick, put out one decoy on the trail and I kneeled behingd a big tree with no blind.  Derek got an immediate reply.  Game on.  Unfortunately when the bird came in he swung to the side staying in the woods and caught me sitting next to the tree I was trying to be behind. He came around a deadfall ~30 yds away in full strut. The angle he came from just let me too much in the open. He putted and ran away. We waited a few minutes, Derek yelped, and he gobbled back 100 yards out. He was headed out the ridge he had been on, but still gobbling.  I was familiar with where he was headed and told Derek there is a parallel ridge so we hauled butt and swung down that ridge.  Derek called and he answered WAY out there.  This time set the blind, decoys.  Derek hit him again, the bird was on everything.  Pretty soon he was headed our way.  When he came up he was just above us.  I was in the blind and Derek was 10-12 yds behind me. The bird walked by the blind, I drew a couple times as he walked by at 25 yds. Just no shot, he went by Derek and was going away but still close.  At this point I can't believe how rattled I am. I have shot more deer with a bow than a man should be allowed and this turkey had me jacked up unbelievably.  I grabbed the glass call, dropped the striker cuz I was shaking so bad, mouth yelped and scratched in the leaves and he was all over that and coming back. Came spitting by Derek at 12 yards and swung past the blind.  Finally he saw the decoys and hooked in in full strut headed for the jake decoy. I drew for the 4th or 5th time and waited for him to hit the opening. My heart is pounding out of my chest and I am shaking like crazy. I am literally having to blink hard to clear my sision! Somehow when he came in to the decoy I got the pin just above the beard and shot at 13 yds. He rolled and took off running down the hill with Derek in hot pursuit.  In a few seconds it was over, my first bowkilled turkey!  It was great to share the day with my son and a huge bonus to take a bird with him playing the pivotal role.

Stats:  19 lbs 1 oz; 9 7/8" beard, 1 1/8" spurs, Time: 0850



Me and 'the guide"



8 days into the season and both tagged out on longbeards!  It was an exciting week.

Crazy how the first pic is right where I shot the bird, the second is in my backyard.  The 2 spots are 1 hr apart and look at the difference in the understory!

[MDbowman]

I have to laugh at my own post. Other than those no gobble mornings or when you just can't get a bird to play....there aren't any BORING turkey hunts!!

[new2turkey]

That's a great read.... I'm getting excited... I was ready in december though!

[MDbowman]

I use a 2 blade Rage. It is what I deer hunt with and I just go with that for turkeys.

[BowBendr]

Mine involves a public land hunt here in NC back in 2007.

I was just getting out of a deer club that had some decent bird hunting so I didn't have many options on where to hunt that spring.
I knew that NC had some decent permit/draw hunts on certain game lands, and I knew some guys that had been successful in taking birds, so I decided i'd go for a change in scenery from the mountains I usually hunted in and hunt in central NC if I could draw a tag.

The March 1st deadline came and a few days later I learned I had drawn a tag for an area I wanted, but I drew the last 3 days of the season. That meant that there would be 2 seperate 3-day youth hunts and 3 seperate 3-day adult hunts on this property before I got a crack at it.

In early April, I had contacted just about every state biologist and game warden, field worker, milk man and postal carrier in that area trying to get a hot tip on where I could get onto birds and beat the human traffic that would bombard the land for the next 1.5 months. I was getting nowhere, everybody was really vague in what they could tell me, I had walked a lot of the property and had gathered all the maps I could find, layed google arial shots over it and felt like I knew the land well enough to just burn boot leather and find birds on my own.

Then, about a week before the hunt I talked to a guy from the US Army Corp of Engineers. They actually over-see the property and this guy was a ton of info. He wouldn't quit talking. LOL !
This dude told me exactly where to park, which way to walk, how far and where I should actually set-up.

Well, I walked in there on the Monday before my hunt and heard nothing at daylight. I did however, find a bunch of scratching sign and some good gobbler tracks in the mud, so I marked all the spots on my maps and gps, and tied some trail markers at the location I wanted to be on Thursdays 1st light.

I hunted all day Thursday in perfect weather and never heard a peep. I trolled around and put about 3 miles on my feet and still found nothing. Friday morning, same thing...nothing. But about 1 o'clock Friday afternoon I was coming up a logging road on the edge of a pine plantation and I got to thinking, "you know, all this public land easy-footing around here ain't getting it". I decided it was go time or bust, so I went into my vest and got out an old aluminum pot call with a purple heart striker and started cutting for all it was worth. I hadn't made 5 good cutts when a tom just exploded out in front of me about 60 yards. I had a good set-up I thought and sat down and made 3 or 4 nice yelps on my mouth call and went silent. I never heard another peep and I waited a long time in case he was sneaking in on me, but to no avail. I wasn't 100 yards from where I was starting each morning and I tied some brite-eye markers on a bush and left to return the next morning.

Saturday morning found me at my selected spot waiting on day light. As soon as I heard the 1st song bird of the morning I tensed up in anticipation of what I might hear. In less than a minute, I heard a tom fire off not more than 65-75 yards out in front of me, then another, then another. There were 3 toms roosted together and I was right in amongst 'em. I gave them a soft tree call that they honored and I just shut up. Of course, they pitched out away from me but didn't fly far, down into a logging road and started strutting. They never really got close, and I could only just see the tips of their fans as they paced back and forth. So when they turned to strut up the road away from me I crept up toward where they were turning around and sat down. They gobbled again so I know they hadn't spooked. I made 2 or 3 soft sets of purrs followed by 2 or 3 clucks, scratched in the leaves a couple of times and got ready.......

The next sight I saw was 3 big toms all puffed up and side straddlin' around each other like horses on a race track, getting jockeyed for position. When they closed to about 30 yards, a little putt on the mouth call was all it took. Heads up, and #5's on the way. I don't know how I hunted in there for 2 days without raising a bird, but I made the victorious walk back to the truck with a nice mature gobbler. He weighed 19.5 lbs. and had a 10.5" beard with jet black 1" spurs. The most fulfilling walk of my life.

Do your home work, it pays off in the long run, even if you think you ain't got a snowball's chance. It works !!!!!!

[turkey slayer]

Great stories yall!!

[derek]

That was a pretty exciting hunt.  All I could do was sit as still as possible as that bird walked right up to me spitting his head off. 

A very exciting and possibly most unique hunt I've had was 2 seasons ago.  I found a field bird in Jersey that I dubbed "Mr. Whispers" after a very frustrating day running circles around this field trying to convince him to come into the woods.  He got his name by his very quiet gobble when he was in the field.  He had 2 jakes and 4 hens with him all morning, and the jakes never gobbled, and never strutted.  Got to watch him breed a hen the first day too which was neat, but the time he came into the woods, I was trying to move closer and he busted me. 

The second day, I planned on getting to the spot in the field where he seemed to want to be, putting a jake and hen decoy out and waiting him out.   He roosted all the way on the other side, but right away went to the far side the morning before, so I thought I'd be there for him.  As its getting light, he gobbles from the tree.  He's exactly where I thought he'd be.  Soon he and the 4 hens are all on the ground.  The jakes flew down from a little farther away and they all met up again in the middle.  I had Mr Whispers answering me a little, and the group slowly, and I mean slowly was making there way towards me.  I was thinking to myself, that it just might work
These birds are about 70-80 yards away at this point, and he's looking hard.  Out of no where I hear a "THWACK" and see a redtail flying off of my jake decoy.  Hawk came down, attacked the decoy, knocked it off its stake and flew off.   I was pissed, here I had this bird all but there, and a hawk is gonna mess this up for me.  Well that thought soon goes away as my attention focuses back on the gobbler who is at a full run into my decoys, purring his head off.  2 jakes were right in tow, half puffed up as they ran with the hens trailing behind.  As Mr Whispers reaches the downed jake decoyhe puffs into strut, I make a quick assessment of which red head belonged to the tom, wait for them to seperate a bit and take a 15yard shot killing Mr Whispers.  20lbs, 9 inch beard and 1 1/8" spurs.  It was crazy and very unexpected.  I don't think he had been on the ground for 15 minutes. 

[DMP]

Instead of typing all this again I just copied it from another site from last year.

Man we have hunted hard the last few weeks with little to show for it. Haven't killed a bird since the second day and was starting to get frustrated. We've been on birds and have been close a hand full of times to always have something go wrong whether it be a hen cutting him off or a farmer checking his cows running the birds off but there have been many a mornings that we have heard nothing. All around its been a tough season.
Well this morning things turned around and the birds were on fire. Located 2 on the roost and got set up with in 100 yds of them and when they hit the ground a 3rd joined them.  After 10 to 15 mins it seemed like they were staying in the same spot so we figured some hens were in the area but thankfully there were some jakes around also. A jake gobbles off to my right and the next thing I know the toms are making tracks in the jakes direction and fast. Well this is going to put them behind us so we swing so we can both get a shot and I make a few yelps and gobbles came from everywhere. A jake steps into the road and then a tom ran him off but only to be run off by 3 other jakes but then 2 more toms run them off and all 7 birds start fighting.  Finally two of the toms stand off alone and we do the count down and hammer them at the same time or we think we do. We jump up and I only see one flopping and the other is flying right at me but my gun is jammed and I never get a shot off as he flys right over me and my heart sank not knowing who missed but when I turn around I see the other tom and jakes are still in the area and we jump back down and give a few yelps and the big boy can't stand it. He runs to the flopping tom and I roll him.  Well then it gets good. While running to claim my prize the bird gets up and starts running so I hammer him again and he flops. While walking to him all sprawled out he jumps up again but wait im out of shells. I yell to the guy with me to give me one and im off to the races.  I bet I ran 500 yds down the creek bottom before getting to where I could shoot again and finally he is done.

We went and checked the area the other bird flew to and found nothing and I pray one of us made a clean miss on him.

All in all a great morning.

My bird:
19 lbs
10 1/4 beard
both 1 " spurs
Score 59.5

Buddies bird
17 lbs
1" spurs
10" beard

[DMP]

Finally I closed the book on a bird that I have been after for two years. This bird and his partner have been some of the toughest birds I have ever come across.

Got in right at day light to hear them ripping the woods up just across our line on a field edge. Got to about 100 yds from them and started some light calling. I really didnt think I would have a chance because we got a BUNCH of rain last night and the ditch between me and the birds was flooded but I had no other options. Birds gobbled at every sound in the woods and then I realized I wasent alone in the pursuit of these birds. Someone was on the other property about 150 yds from me and they were calling like crazy. Decided to stick it out anyway. Birds flew down to the field with a few hens and continued to rip everything up gobbling. After about 15 mins I realize the birds are going away from me and the other hunter. Decided to wait it out anyway. Another 15 mins has passed and all at once I see the toms running my way with no hens. They get to the ditch and what do you know they fly over. Now when I realized someone else was on the other property I relocated to put about 50 more yds between me and them. Well the birds come into the bottom with me and go straight to where I had originally set up. Dang it I figured I was done seeing how now they would have to come down hill to me. I did forget one thing, when the birds went to enter our property the hunters on the other property decided to pepper them and try to scare them I reckon so they wouldnt come to me but it didnt stop em. The other hunters were atleast 100 yds away from the longbeards when they peppered them.

Well after the birds strutted around where I was first thing they began to head towards the other hunter and I thought I was really done now. After about 5 mins of not seeing them anymore but could hear them gobbling I see them working back to me down the ditch. Back in the game now. The lead bird gets to about 70 yds and flys back to the field and I figured game over again but the second bird keep on coming. He got to 40 yds and the 835 with hevi 13 and jelly head choke pounded him. My bird flops around which the other bird couldnt resist. He flys back across but this time he is coming right at me and lands at 10 yds but I could never get the bead on him good since it happened so fast and he picked me out in under a second and hightailed it out of there and I didnt want to risk woundind him.

These birds have broken my heart many times but no more. I finally got the best of em.

22lbs
10 1/2" beard
1 1/4" spurs

[Fullfan]

I guess the one that sticks out for me was a public land hunt in Missouri 15 years ago. It was HOT and I was headed back to camp at 11:00. Walking on a logging road. I had just run a series of calls with no answer. I was standing where a small drainage was off to my left. I cutt as loud as I could and a bird ripped back so close I hit the ground. I could not tell what direciton he was, then I could hear him drumming, still so cloce it sounded from everywhere. No mask on  I inched to a stump that was about 12" high. I pulled my gun up and clucked, nothing so I purred and he drummed. I eased up on my knees with my gun at the ready and there he was. Ten feet away in full strutt facing me, oh  is what we both thought. I pulled the trigger and a very nice 2 year old was on the ground.   

[Duke0002]

It was last spring.  4 years I tried pulling gobblers off of some "no-no" land on to my permission land.  I knew the big boys roosted and took care of business down in that bottom land.  Occasionally I could get one up into the hayfield I hunted, but only for a few seconds before they would zip back down to safety.   

I learned that if a real hen wasn't in the hayfield, they didn't spend much time in the open -and only mid morning until noon (hunting ended at noon).

Last season I was determined to pass on anything that wasn't one of those big buggers.   4th day of opening week I set up a DSD hen and some other feeders about 15 yds from a travel lane into the field.  3 different times hens/jennies came out and expressed their displeasure with the DSD hen.   Have never seen a decoy cause that kind of response.

Anyway, it was getting close to quitting time when I made some nasty raspy yelps.  Gobbler responded and was headed my way.  Turned out it was 3 nice ones.  Up the path they came, but stalled just inside the tree line, looking out into the field.  All 3 would strut in silence, but wouldn't come out into the open.  I could watch through the brush.

After a couple of mins, they headed down the hill into the bottom land.  Clucked on a mouth call and that brought them back up the hill.  This happened 2 more times, the last time only one returned. 

By then I found an open area through the brush that would allow me a clean, safe shot.  With only a few mins to go until noon, I hit him.  No flopping or kicking, went down like a sack of potatoes.    My biggest bird to date, 23lbs 11 oz. 

That was so much fun I'm going to try for his bros again this spring!   

Later in the season I got the other 2 (I assume) out into the field, but both were pretty shy about coming close (75 yds) and slipped back into the bottom land after a short look-see.

Very satisfying hunt!

[MDbowman]

Some good stories!