Here's the story of the 1st bird:
I put in for a draw hunt in MS at a place that I killed a gobbler a few years back, when it was open to everyone. I never went back bc it was swamped with people but this year I saw it was permit only for the first 2 weeks so I figured I'd try. Sure enough, I got drawn for opening weekend... the only time I could go. I put my buddy's name in too, bc you can add a partner.
My buddy headed to the WMA Friday and listened and scouted but heard nothing. We went to roost some Friday evening but heard nothing. My gameplan was to go to where I killed the bird a few years ago but that was all I had.
At the check station, a young guy started talking to me and he told me where I could go to find some birds. I thought this was fishy but I had nothing to go on so took his advice. I heard a couple birds but they were too far off to even try, and another hunter came walking up. So at about flydown time, I head to my original spot I wanted to go and luckily there was no truck parked at that gate. I walk through a big bottom to the top of a hill and within minutes I hear a gobble down in the "holler". I get about 20 yards off the road (closed off road) and make a few calls and they shut up. About 15 minutes later, a nice jake comes walking in and comes right by me. As soon as he passes, I hear a turkey gobble farther down the drain.
I get back up on the road and head a few hundred yards up the road and back down the steep banks headed for them. I get even with the gobble and set up... I make a few calls and don't like my setup (its too thick and uncomfortable). They gobble a couple hundred yards away and I know I can get closer and a better setup. As I get up, I look in an old scrape and find a shed so I put it in my vest. I reposition and pull out our travelling call. I make a few calls on my diaphragm with no immediate response. By now, I can tell there are at least 2 birds gobbling in this group. I make a single yelp on HCC travel call and they hammer back at me. One more yelp and I set it down... it's diaphragm call time. I make a couple more yelps and go silent.
The gobblers shut up and I "think" I know what is happening. They were all fired up and I say to myself " these guys are coming in" My eyes are peeled but the terrain only allows me to see about 75% of what's in front of me. And then the unmistakable swish swish swish sound of footsteps in front of me and to my right. I see one gobbler come over the rise at 50 yards, then another, then another but they are moving to my right. Luckily there was some brush and a tree and I was able to swing on them at 40 yards. I am now maxed out as far as I can to the right and leaning. THis is no time for picking out the dominant bird or biggest bird... I pick out the first bird that clears the tree. He is walking to my right and I PUTT at him. Head goes up, I move slightly to get on him, my bead wings to base of neck and BOOM!!! FLOP, the other birds don't even spook and I let them go over the knoll (I figure I'd let my buddy have a crack at them later)
Dead bird and I go in there with my buddy the next day. I call the other 2 longbeards in, with 4 other jakes and he kills one of them too. It was an awesome time. I had 3 total setups and called in gobblers each time, on public land.
-Sorry, you asked for the story and I got long winded. The 2nd bird didn't have too much of a story. We tried and tried to call them in but they hung up. I put a Mohican sneak on them and shot one at 12 steps.
