It was a quick season for me in NC this spring

[RS]

Last Sat. on opening morning I set up on a powerline at my club in Halifax county NC where I knew some gobblers were roosting based on scouting. One starts gobbling about 6, but he's back up and across the poweline from where I'm sitting. As it gets toward flydown I sweet talk a little on a box and get him to respond. When I hear him on the ground I call and he cuts me off. I watch and wait for him to pop out on the poweline, but after a while he gobbles again but going away onto another property. He keeps going away, so I think I should change calls. As I reach for my crystal call I hear a putt really close down the powerline. I cut my eyes that way and two hens have come in from the other direction. They mill around at 20 yds for a little then one has had enough and takes off cackling and lights in a pine tree accross the poweline from me. At the cackle the gobbler hammers, but still is a good ways off on the other property. The other hen stays around me for a few more minutes, but gets to about 12 yds and sees something she doesn't like and flies cackling to a pine tree next to the 1st one and the gobbler gobbles again, but in the same place out several hundred yards on the other property. I wait a little to see what the hens are going to do, and they just continue to sit there about 100 yds away. I hit my box again and the gobbler gobbles quite a bit closer. A few minutes later I call again and he is CLOSE, sounding like he is just past the hens in the trees, which are still just sitting there. I get my gun ready for him to pop out on the poweline accross from me, but after a while of not hearing or seeing anything, I yelp softly on a mouth call and he about blows my hat off from 40 yds to my right where he is srutting in the poweline. he had come around on a farm road that cuts across the powerline. He drums and works toward my decoys, but at 30 yds, see something he doesn't like and slicks down, turns and start putting.  I ease my gun around and am able to take him at 30 yds. The hens only fly when I get up to go get him. I think their cackling got him fired up and turned him in my direction.

17.5 lb
9.5" beard
7/8" spurs



Since it rained hard during Sunday night I thought the turkeys would be using the fields Monday morning. I got set up on the edge of a 10-15 acre field on the other side of our club before daylight with a hen and jake decoys. About 6:15 a turkey starts gobbling along a creek bank across the field, about 250 yds from me. He gobbles several times and then is joined by another. As it gets close to when I think they should be flying down, I call and they answer, so I shut up until I'm sure they're on the ground. About 6:45 I see turkeys pitching out of the trees to the edge of the field. Through my binos I can see a white head on the ground. I call and they cut me off. Soon I see two longbeards making their way across the field, but they get about 150 yds from me and stop ata ditch that cuts across the field, with the biggest going into strut. They continue to answer my calls but stay put. Soon I see why, when 5 hens make their way to join the gobblers. One of the hens cutts a couple of times and I cutt back at her but get no response. The hens start feeding with the gobblers particularly hounding 2 of the 5 hens, strutting and not letting them get more that a few feet away. The hens feed to my right for a while and I just keep making turkey sounds (clucks, purrs and soft yelps) on a slate call. Then after a while they start moving back to my left to the corner of the field with the gobblers in tow. About 7:45 they start to make their way out of the field, and as a last resort I tried gobbling at them. The gobblers would aswer me, but stayed locked on the 2 hens. They leave the field, and I figured they were gone. I sat there trying plan my next move and after about 5 min. lo and behold here come the gobblers strutting back out into the field, leading the 2 hens. The come toward me but stop again, this time about 100 yds out.  About that time I hear a single coarse yelp from my left and here come 6 jakes right up to my decoys. I think if I can get them fired up, maybe the gobblers will want to come up and run them off, so I yelp sharply on a mouth call and get the jakes to gobbling. The longbeards don't even look our way, but the jakes see the gobblers and hens and take off to them, starting a pretty good ruckus. The gobblers started chasing the jakes, and some of the jakes started chasing the hens. They went round and round for a little bit and next thing I know things settle down a little and all 10 turkeys are working my way. Soon all 10 turkeys were within 40 yds around my decoys with the longbeards still persuing the jakes and I was able kill my 2nd gobbler at 8AM. I'd rather be lucky than good any day.

Sorry about the stupid photo. I  hate trying to use self timers.

Now I hope to be able help some other club members and my wife get on some turkeys the rest of the season

17.5 lb
10"beard
1" spurs

[hookedspur]

Congrats !! Sounds like the adrenaline was flowing .

[cuppednlocked]

Halifax County is a great place to turkey hunt!!!

[anbrown]

Congrats!! I live in SC now but lived in Harnett country for almost 10 yrs. I wasn't a turkey hunter then, but I've been wanting to get up there where my parents house is and try to hunt out there.

When doess the turkey season end in NC?

[RS]

Sat. May 11 is the last day of the season this year.

[anbrown]

Sat. May 11 is the last day of the season this year.

Thanks, it's a week after we close here in S.C. Maybe I'll still have time to make it up there.

[DirtNap647]

congrats

[trkycaller]

congrats!

[spur collector]

Congrats on a fine tom.

[Wrangler95]

 



Very nice gobbler,congrats!!

[kansas hooks]

Congrats!

[boomer]

Congrats!!

[slamman]

thanks and congrats

[surehuntsalot]

congrats