Hayudog scores twice in Idaho!! (updated)

[RutnNStrutn]

I won't steal his thunder, but he got one! Stayed tuned!! Good job brother!!

[Hayudog]

It's an upgrade from that eastern jake, but it will be the smallest two year old I've ever shot..I have not scaled him yet, but it looks like 1/2 inch Spurs and about an 8 " beard. And he ain't no 25# Iowa bird either. 
But for stepping into the woods of Idaho for the first morning, and getting zero on the roost he's a good enough bird.
First stop this morning was on a Forest Service road that a warden told me to check out.  He's into game conservation.... Not a gobble... Hour before sunrise to about thirty after.  I made a ten mile move.  Was feeling pretty low.  First stop after the move, get out of the rental car and one is self gobbling. And four more are chiming in from the distance. 
Ended up making three moves to get into his back pocket.  He would never come towards me.  Last stop I found his strutting area.  Wing feathers and poop all over.
Sat down, one call, he cut me off at twenty yards over the hill. Ten seconds later he's balled up infront of me at fifteen. The little twenty made short work. 



I'll get his numbers up shortly

[Deputy 14]

Awesome bird. Love the colors on it.

[RutnNStrutn]

Can't wait to hear about your second Idaho gobbler!!

[Dr Juice]

Congrats. Awesome job.

[WildSpur]

Congrats!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Hayudog]

Classic hunt only in that nothing usually happens as planned when turkey hunting. Shot this bird 100 yards from yesterday's bird....after a two mile adventure chasing other gobbles. Shot this one as he walked down the road gobbling towards me, and I never made a peep. I guess it's called getting in their way. These mountain birds have rubbed off Spurs and thin wispy beards. He'll be an upgrade, but just by a few points.
Keep after 'em boys.

[RutnNStrutn]

When I hunted Merriams in NW Nebraska, it was steep, rocky terrain also. The birds clicked off the points of their spurs walking down rocky embankments. They all had shorter, rounded spurs. Goes with the terrain I guess.

[TrackeySauresRex]

Congrats! WTG  Great lookin fan

[Hayudog]

Raining here this morning, and I'm not a rain hunter. So, I'll tell the story of the second day bird. 

I had an idea of where the birds were strutting from the previous day's hunt, so I didn't roost the birds. I spent that time scouting another access point to some land, private, but you pay a fee to access. So, basically public land. 
Morning of the hunt I went in about 45 minutes before shoot time, still pretty dark w/o the moon. Shoot time arrives and I hear the first gobble.  My guess about 200 yards down the ridge.  Then as others wake up I can hear 4-5 gobblers scattered throughout the canyon. Then , 30 yards away, at eye level, one goes off.  Now, this is shoot time, a half hour before sunrise.  He sits on the roost and gobbles for at least thirty minutes. I'm thinking... He must have seen me move or something. And he's just sitting there to torment me.  Meanwhile, most of the other birds are still going off. I'm kind of pinpointing them , so I can get after them when this guy exits stage left. I never heard him pitch down, just all of a sudden it's all quiet close by.  So, he'd flown out, down the hill.
Other birds in the canyon are still gobbling, so after twenty minutes I started after others. As I snuck out, I saw him strutting about 100 yards down the hill. A jake. I kinda laughed at it.  I killed his wing man yesterday...( I'd heard two gobblers at times together).  And this lad was king of this strut area now...
So, after chasing birds for a few hours.  One I was cut off by a river. Another, responded to a shock gobble and one time to calls.  Only to hear him twice as far up a ridge ten minutes later. I decided to slow walk back to the car for a snack.
Heard one self gobbling in front of me, at about the same level. As I cut the distance, I figured I had a good chance at him.  The road had enough curves to allow me to get close. He gobbled enough for me to wait each time he went quiet to pin point him.
Last curve, I'm about 60 out.  No trees, just shrubs on the side of the road. I'd just sat when he gobbles, and it sounds likes he's walking towards me.  Sounded like he was at the curve I was looking at. Maybe 30 yards if that. Then he walks out, does a quick turn and disappears back in the direction he'd come from.  Gobbles, and it sounds like he's going up an embankment to the right. Crap.... 
What to do.... Sit, say nothing.  Cluck wigth a mouth call?  Soft yelps?  I'm not a  good do nothing guy, thus, Easterns are my toughest so far.  So, a couple clucks...  And the response was ?  Putts from him.  But , he did walk out to see what he was putting at. 
Tagged out in Idaho.  Felt good to walk into an area I've never been. Do some pre ground work before arriving, fish and game folks.  Talk to everyone I came in contact with looking for an angle.  The young check in girl gave me a lead on some private access. Follow up and close the deal. 
Hopefully next year when I ask my hunting buddy's if they want to take a road trip they'll be on board. Like my duck hunting partner says....can't kill them at home.

[TrackeySauresRex]

^ right on! 

[Twowithone]

way to go we need all the points we can get were close.

[RutnNStrutn]

Way to stick with it and tag out brother!! Sounds like your homework paid off.

[TURKEYWHACKER]

Congrats on some nice birds 

[Dr Juice]

Congrats tagging out!