Opening weekend

[g8rvet]

Been super busy with work and hunting and had poor cell signal where I hunt, so have not posted my opening weekend results.  Was eventful and boring at the same time!

Towed my camper over on the Friday before opener. A 90 minute trip took over 2 1/2 hours due to absolutely torrential rain.  Halfway there my phone starts beeping with tornado warning in the county I am driving through.  With no where to pull off and no cover anywhere, I soldiered on.  Rain stopped right as we pulled in.

Opening morning was overcast, but no rain.  We hit spots I had scouted with no gobbling and all tracks obliterated, so was going on week old intel. At about 10 I decided to just do a blind setup at a spot I had picked on a topo map.  We sat mixed calling for about an hour.  I looked at the guy I had taken and said "well, I guess we can head in and grab a bite before hitting other areas".  We sat there for a few more minutes when he says "There he is".  I thought he was messing with me until I hear his breathing.  Boom!  Down goes his first Florida turkey!  Not a single gobble.  A beat up two year old that we decided was used to being whooped and was trying to sneak in to the hens (us). 

We headed in then and had some fresh fried turkey for lunch. Roosted 2 birds that night.

Sunday morning, they were where we left them and three more birds that were gobbling in hearing range. We got in between two of them and they had zero interest in us or our calling.  All of them hit the ground and went silent.  We eventually moved out and  tried to strike a bird with no luck. Headed back to my truck where a buddy was waiting on us.  He is a deer hunter and was telling me about a pretty spot that he had seen a lot of birds.  I could not figure out where he meant so he said let's drive down there.  We got out and were scoping out a trail next to a bottom, just walking along when a bird gobbled, not 200 yards from where we parked.  It was after noon and we had left our gear at the truck.  We hustled back and grabbed our stuff and moved out past the bird, away from the truck and he fired up to our calling.  We were facing him and had a very deep, sheer walled drop just a few yards to our south.  The bird surprised us and dropped down into it and walked right by us, gobbling like crazy.  I belly crawled to the lip, scratching leaves as I went, but he went on by out of sight.  After he got past us, we called a few times and scratched leaves he came back up on the ridge with us. I had no time to reposition, so I had to stand behind a tree. He came back and finally offered a shot after giving us a heck of a show, gobbling and strutting his way back in. 30 minutes from his first gobble, we were toting him out.  Beard was only 7.5" but very thick and a little over 1" spurs.  Looked like beard rot with all his beard having off colored brown tips.  I'll put pics in reply, they are on my phone.  Crazy opening weekend.  My buddy has an app on his phone that said we had walked 7.5 miles in the first two days. 

The birds have been hot one day, and closed lipped the next.  Weird year.  Seems like we hear three plus or none! 

[g8rvet]

Saturday


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[g8rvet]

Sunday


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[squidd]

Nicely done - they were quiet this morning as well

[Gobbler-one]

Nice birds. Congrats to you both.

[tomstopper]

Congrats to you both

[JeffC]

Congrats on 2 fine Toms, great job on the story. Thanks for sharing.

[Cottonmouth]

Nice job and congratulations

[RutnNStrutn]

Good start to the season Larry!! Congrats!!

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[OJR]

Good deal. Congratulations!

[Yoteduster]

Congrats on a nice gobbler

[Cowboy]

Congrats on a good hunt!

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[Tom007]

Congrats, great pics...