2021 Strut Stopper Story Thread

[turkey harvester]

This is where we want to hear your story. Tell us the details too

[fmf]

Been a rough start, I haven't heard anything the last few days. Heck, I haven't even seen any sign that turkeys still exist in the last few days.  After a quiet start this morning in strong winds, I decided to spend the rest of the day scouting/hunting spots that I've never walked in before, and looking for ones that looked to have less vehicles pulling in.  If nothing else I would find a pretty spot for lunch.  The first spot that I tried was in a general area that I had hunted before, but never this particular spot and it didn't look like every truck that drove down the road stopped there.  It climbed up on a ridge that had younger pines on the right and a steep drop down into a pretty hardwood creek bottom on the left, so it looked promising.  I just slipped along that ridge real slow while listening until I got to a draw where the ridge curved around.  I was standing there contemplating sitting there or rounding the ridge because I was only about 500 yards in when I thought I heard faint drumming, so I just sat down there an listened for a bit.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so after 15 minutes or so of not hearing any drumming I had just about convinced myself that I was hearing things when a jake gobbled across the draw but up on top of the same ridge that I was on, he was at about my 2 oclock.  I hadn't called any so I gave a few pretty loud yelps on a glass call and almost immediately I can hear that drumming again.  Several minutes pass by and that jake gobbled a terrible sounding 2 note gobble (it barely sounded turkey like), out in the bottom in front of me, but I couldn't see anything.  Several more minutes pass and I can hear drumming again that sounds like it is now to my 10 o'clock, then distinctly hear a turkey cluck to my 9, but again never see anything or hear anything else for about 20 minutes.  Then that jake gobbles again right back up on top of that ridge where he was first, so I call again and he tries to answer me.  I figured he'd come back into that bottom and if nothing else I could fool around with him to pass the time. I kind of thought he would be alone the way he was trying to carry on, but I wasn't completely convinced he was doing all that drumming.  It was only a couple minutes later and I saw him easing down the other side of the draw and into the bottom about 100 yards away.  Well trailing not far behind him was this longbeard.  They make it straight out in front of me at about 70 yards and the jake gobbles and when he did the longbeard blew up for a few seconds.  A few steps later they were both behind separate trees so I got my gun up and they just walked straight up the hill to me without a care in the world.  Just a dumb 2 year old that never acted the least bit wary or even took the time to stop and look, but I will sure take it!  Shot him at 10:40. 

[Vintage]

Congrat's looks like a nice bird.

[turkey harvester]

Congrats!! you broke the ice!! Great story

[bornagain64]

Congrats! Nice job.

[Kygobblergetter]

Congrats! We're on the board!


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[birdman67]

Took my sister on her first turkey hunt this morning. Heard a bird gobble way off at daylight. We setup in the edge of a green field in a low area. The wind was high and it was misting rain. After an hour of working the bird and getting him to ease closer and closer, he finally decided to give in and come show himself. He eased in the field in full strut and put on a 5 minute show before I told her to let him have it. Her first turkey was a pretty good one. 11 inch beard, 1 inch sharp spurs, 17 lbs. A nice 3 year old that gave us a memory of a lifetime.

[birdman67]

Way to get us on the board!

[Huckleberry91]

Good looking bird and awesome story to go with it! We on the board now!

[dzsmith]

Been a rough start, I haven't heard anything the last few days. Heck, I haven't even seen any sign that turkeys still exist in the last few days.  After a quiet start this morning in strong winds, I decided to spend the rest of the day scouting/hunting spots that I've never walked in before, and looking for ones that looked to have less vehicles pulling in.  If nothing else I would find a pretty spot for lunch.  The first spot that I tried was in a general area that I had hunted before, but never this particular spot and it didn't look like every truck that drove down the road stopped there.  It climbed up on a ridge that had younger pines on the right and a steep drop down into a pretty hardwood creek bottom on the left, so it looked promising.  I just slipped along that ridge real slow while listening until I got to a draw where the ridge curved around.  I was standing there contemplating sitting there or rounding the ridge because I was only about 500 yards in when I thought I heard faint drumming, so I just sat down there an listened for a bit.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so after 15 minutes or so of not hearing any drumming I had just about convinced myself that I was hearing things when a jake gobbled across the draw but up on top of the same ridge that I was on, he was at about my 2 oclock.  I hadn't called any so I gave a few pretty loud yelps on a glass call and almost immediately I can hear that drumming again.  Several minutes pass by and that jake gobbled a terrible sounding 2 note gobble (it barely sounded turkey like), out in the bottom in front of me, but I couldn't see anything.  Several more minutes pass and I can hear drumming again that sounds like it is now to my 10 o'clock, then distinctly hear a turkey cluck to my 9, but again never see anything or hear anything else for about 20 minutes.  Then that jake gobbles again right back up on top of that ridge where he was first, so I call again and he tries to answer me.  I figured he'd come back into that bottom and if nothing else I could fool around with him to pass the time. I kind of thought he would be alone the way he was trying to carry on, but I wasn't completely convinced he was doing all that drumming.  It was only a couple minutes later and I saw him easing down the other side of the draw and into the bottom about 100 yards away.  Well trailing not far behind him was this longbeard.  They make it straight out in front of me at about 70 yards and the jake gobbles and when he did the longbeard blew up for a few seconds.  A few steps later they were both behind separate trees so I got my gun up and they just walked straight up the hill to me without a care in the world.  Just a dumb 2 year old that never acted the least bit wary or even took the time to stop and look, but I will sure take it!  Shot him at 10:40.

.  Hmmm very interesting. I was in a similar situation as you described on the same day you killed this bird around the same time . I had messed with a gobbling bird the day before .... I got him in shotgun range one time , but I was on the edge of a thicket and couldn't see him. I roosted him that evening . The next morning he pitched my way , full strong gobble , stayed in the bottom below me . Would only gobble at random things but wouldn't answer a call directly . The next time he gobbled he appeared to be going away from me. I made a small maneuver and got on the neck hill top. No sooner than I sat down.... a strutting jake comes up on the hill with a hen , and another super young jake . They went right on by. I was very convinced it was the jake doing the gobbling and actually there was. Jake gobble as well, but there was also a second jake not strutting . I left that area and haven't been back . But folks have hunted the piss out of it. I wonder if there was a gobbler there the whole time , but I'm positive the bird gobbling and strutting in the bottom was the jake . Interesting. I've called up 9 different jakes this year. In different Forrest gates or at my camp. Covid was not nice to this area. Other than that bird .... I've yet to hear a gobble anywhere .

[turkey harvester]

Took my sister on her first turkey hunt this morning. Heard a bird gobble way off at daylight. We setup in the edge of a green field in a low area. The wind was high and it was misting rain. After an hour of working the bird and getting him to ease closer and closer, he finally decided to give in and come show himself. He eased in the field in full strut and put on a 5 minute show before I told her to let him have it. Her first turkey was a pretty good one. 11 inch beard, 1 inch sharp spurs, 17 lbs. A nice 3 year old that gave us a memory of a lifetime.

Congrats on her first bird!!

[fmf]

Been a rough start, I haven't heard anything the last few days. Heck, I haven't even seen any sign that turkeys still exist in the last few days.  After a quiet start this morning in strong winds, I decided to spend the rest of the day scouting/hunting spots that I've never walked in before, and looking for ones that looked to have less vehicles pulling in.  If nothing else I would find a pretty spot for lunch.  The first spot that I tried was in a general area that I had hunted before, but never this particular spot and it didn't look like every truck that drove down the road stopped there.  It climbed up on a ridge that had younger pines on the right and a steep drop down into a pretty hardwood creek bottom on the left, so it looked promising.  I just slipped along that ridge real slow while listening until I got to a draw where the ridge curved around.  I was standing there contemplating sitting there or rounding the ridge because I was only about 500 yards in when I thought I heard faint drumming, so I just sat down there an listened for a bit.  The wind was blowing pretty hard so after 15 minutes or so of not hearing any drumming I had just about convinced myself that I was hearing things when a jake gobbled across the draw but up on top of the same ridge that I was on, he was at about my 2 oclock.  I hadn't called any so I gave a few pretty loud yelps on a glass call and almost immediately I can hear that drumming again.  Several minutes pass by and that jake gobbled a terrible sounding 2 note gobble (it barely sounded turkey like), out in the bottom in front of me, but I couldn't see anything.  Several more minutes pass and I can hear drumming again that sounds like it is now to my 10 o'clock, then distinctly hear a turkey cluck to my 9, but again never see anything or hear anything else for about 20 minutes.  Then that jake gobbles again right back up on top of that ridge where he was first, so I call again and he tries to answer me.  I figured he'd come back into that bottom and if nothing else I could fool around with him to pass the time. I kind of thought he would be alone the way he was trying to carry on, but I wasn't completely convinced he was doing all that drumming.  It was only a couple minutes later and I saw him easing down the other side of the draw and into the bottom about 100 yards away.  Well trailing not far behind him was this longbeard.  They make it straight out in front of me at about 70 yards and the jake gobbles and when he did the longbeard blew up for a few seconds.  A few steps later they were both behind separate trees so I got my gun up and they just walked straight up the hill to me without a care in the world.  Just a dumb 2 year old that never acted the least bit wary or even took the time to stop and look, but I will sure take it!  Shot him at 10:40.

.  Hmmm very interesting. I was in a similar situation as you described on the same day you killed this bird around the same time . I had messed with a gobbling bird the day before .... I got him in shotgun range one time , but I was on the edge of a thicket and couldn't see him. I roosted him that evening . The next morning he pitched my way , full strong gobble , stayed in the bottom below me . Would only gobble at random things but wouldn't answer a call directly . The next time he gobbled he appeared to be going away from me. I made a small maneuver and got on the neck hill top. No sooner than I sat down.... a strutting jake comes up on the hill with a hen , and another super young jake . They went right on by. I was very convinced it was the jake doing the gobbling and actually there was. Jake gobble as well, but there was also a second jake not strutting . I left that area and haven't been back . But folks have hunted the piss out of it. I wonder if there was a gobbler there the whole time , but I'm positive the bird gobbling and strutting in the bottom was the jake . Interesting. I've called up 9 different jakes this year. In different Forrest gates or at my camp. Covid was not nice to this area. Other than that bird .... I've yet to hear a gobble anywhere .

What makes it even more interesting is I killed that bird more up your way than mine.  Other than that jake, I never heard a bird gobble all week until Sunday morning and I heard 6 or 7, but 4 or 5 of those were almost certainly jakes. 

[dzsmith]

Heard one this morning. Well after daylight. He answered so I set up on him. No sooner than I sat down a pack of beagles came through and hung around for 20 minutes . That was the end of that.....drove back to that other gate , never even got out the truck and that same Jake I assume was standing there on the side of the road . That's the only gobbling Jake I got on. The rest of the jakes came in silent . Called one up in a burn 2 days ago . Totally silent . I really got to get it done this week. This isn't "normal" for me lol. But it is what is , some years are like this

[fmf]

Heard one this morning. Well after daylight. He answered so I set up on him. No sooner than I sat down a pack of beagles came through and hung around for 20 minutes . That was the end of that.....drove back to that other gate , never even got out the truck and that same Jake I assume was standing there on the side of the road . That's the only gobbling Jake I got on. The rest of the jakes came in silent . Called one up in a burn 2 days ago . Totally silent . I really got to get it done this week. This isn't "normal" for me lol. But it is what is , some years are like this

yep, some years are just like that.  Keep after em and you'll be stackin em

[bornagain64]

Congrats birdman to you and your sister. Its great when it all comes together.