Something new for me…

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Went to a spot I'd been watching for awhile yesterday.  Got there early, set up,  called, heard gobbling everywhere and all that.  What I wasn't prepared for was a jake invasion!  Had 3 come in to start out with, then 5.  In the five there were 2 mature Toms.  The dominant Tom had a full fan and no beard and the sub looked bigger but had a pencil thin beard.  I was close enough to tell neither had spurs.  What's new for me was that I didn't shoot.  Just couldn't do it.  I have one tag left and I felt like saving it for something better or nothing at all.  Never thought I'd be a gobbler snob.

Anyway, went back to the same spot yesterday afternoon and saw the same cast of characters, except I saw 3 more jakes.  Evidently it's jakefest around here.... It was a fun show to watch the dominant Tom keep himself between the sub Tom and a couple of hens while chasing off a pesky jake from time to time.  The dominant Tom really seemed to continuously strut in the sub Tom's face most of the time.


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[JeffC]

It's awesome when there's no pressure and you can just sit back and watch.  Enjoy!

[chadly]

Gobbler snob.  Now that is a new one to me.  LOL.  Sounds like a great time to be in the woods.  I hear what you are saying on not shooting.  The trophy is in the eye of the beholder.  The way you fill that last tag will be what is left on your mind until next year's hunt.  Might as well finish with a good hunt.  Good luck be safe.

[Yoder409]

Good attitude to have !!!!   

I think the "I GOTTA KILL ONE !!!" frame of mind causes all kinds of unexpected consequences.    Besides that, you learn a lot more from the ones you DON'T shoot than from the ones you DO shoot (deer and turkeys both).

I never get wound up in having to fill a tag either.  First time I hunted Merriam's I passed on a full-fan bird with a wispy, thin 7-ish inch beard at 30 yards.  He wasn't the bird I came there for.  Ended up making a 2000 mile round trip and not getting a bird.  The other 3 guys I was with all tagged a bird and were all sad for me.  None of them could understand #1.........why I would pass on that bird, and #2........why I wasn't upset to return home birdless.  Didn't matter.   I understood.

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Gobbler snob.  Now that is a new one to me.  LOL.  Sounds like a great time to be in the woods.  I hear what you are saying on not shooting.  The trophy is in the eye of the beholder.  The way you fill that last tag will be what is left on your mind until next year's hunt.  Might as well finish with a good hunt.  Good luck be safe.

Yes.  Yesterday's hunts would not be as memorable, as it would have felt like just killing a bird to have it done with.  I've killed enough this year even if I don't fill the last tag.  I want the last bird to be a great bird with an exciting hunt!  I want one gobbling and responding to my calls with a little chess match-type action thrown in.  I want a hunt worthy of a story to post.  If it's not a great bird I duel with I'll let him hang around till next year. 


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[Marc]

I know what you mean...

It is always satisfying to have that bird come in gobbling hard the whole time...  Each time he gobbles, he is closer, and you KNOW he is coming in to your calling hard...

But...  That bird that plays the game well and makes you work for every step he takes...  Coming in below you to your right, and comes in above you to your left.  He'd better be in range when you spot him, cause if he does not see a live hen when he steps out, he is gone...  Those are the birds that are really satisfying...  The birds that when down, I will just relish the moment...  Take the vest off, and sit in the sun, and enjoy the moment for a bit before packing him out.

I hope you find him!

[RutnNStrutn]

Next year should be really good!!!

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[Gooserbat]

Sounds like the spot

[Mossyguy]

I've passed on gobblers the last couple years for different reasons.....this year it looks like I'll have one tag left. Do I regret it...not at all.

Last year I called up 3 gobblers but it was in a downpour and the birds looked like wet rats when they came in...I just couldn't pull the trigger. I let another one go because I didn't want my season to end so early.

This year I let a 2 year old bird go on a couple occasions because there was a trio of 3 year olds behind him but a hen ended up pulling them away from me. They ended up disappearing from the area...whether they just moved on or were shot by the neighbors is still a mystery. But I don't regret it one bit.

I know Tom Kelly wrote that if you call in a bird, beat him at his own game but don't pull the trigger then you are doing the bird a disservice...but I don't have to shoot one on every trip to have a good time.

[Meleagris gallopavo]

I've passed on gobblers the last couple years for different reasons.....this year it looks like I'll have one tag left. Do I regret it...not at all.

Last year I called up 3 gobblers but it was in a downpour and the birds looked like wet rats when they came in...I just couldn't pull the trigger. I let another one go because I didn't want my season to end so early.

This year I let a 2 year old bird go on a couple occasions because there was a trio of 3 year olds behind him but a hen ended up pulling them away from me. They ended up disappearing from the area...whether they just moved on or were shot by the neighbors is still a mystery. But I don't regret it one bit.

I know Tom Kelly wrote that if you call in a bird, beat him at his own game but don't pull the trigger then you are doing the bird a disservice...but I don't have to shoot one on every trip to have a good time.

I've been pumped on a couple of hunts that I almost pulled the trigger but didn't or couldn't.  My son (he's 18) has been trying to hunt by himself this year and he's told me the same thing about a couple of hunts where he was close but couldn't finish.  He didn't feel bad or down on the ride home because the hunt was so exciting.


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[bigriverbum]

nothing to look forward to but MORE days hunting. not a bad thing. a great thing

[High plains drifter]

Two years ago, I shot a Jake that I thought was a gobbler. I'm pretty much a gobbler snob, and I appreciate a good challenging hunt. I think I've gotten 21 gobblers in my turkey hunting career,  and maybe 25 years of hunting. I think 2 or 3 turkeys per year is plenty. There is no call for greed. If I don't fill my tags, it doesn't bother me.It's fantastic to be out there.

[topnotch]

There's more to the game than pulling the trigger.
If he comes to your calling you're already a winner.
I always remember a Ben Lee Rodgers quote "If I could beath life back into him I would so I could hunt him again".
That pretty much sums it up it's the game not the bang that makes me get up in the morning.

[runngun]

@topnotch, I have felt the exact same way as the Ben Lee quote, about several very challenging birds.
I always tell kids that I bring hunting especially Turkey hunting, when you pull the trigger and walk up and put your hands on the bird, ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE THE 1ST HUMAN BEING EVER TO TOUCH THAT BIRD/DEER.

Have a good one
Bo

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