Butterball (UPDATED)

[bigriverbum]

was lucky enough to harvest this fatty today. don't know if the fat head is a result of hormones, being shot, or just genetics. my nephew's 28lber last year looked the same. i guesstimated him at about 24/25 based on my old bathroom scale. i noticed his legs were much whiter that most birds i've ever seen 'round here.




birds are incredibly hen'd up on this property. called one to 5 yards yesterday just sitting on my knees, cutting and cackling at her. another came into 20 and spooked after not seeing another hen. the last one walked past me at 10 yards while i was playing a word game on my phone. set up this morning about 30 yards from where that happened and found myself a nice depression along a fence line to sit.


i arrived late and proceeded to drop one of my contacts somewhere in the car. glasses it is. except i can't find my cork or face paint and a mask makes my glasses fog up immediately. a little water/dirt took care of that as i knew the sun would be rising in my face.

hunted til 1pm yesterday in high winds and didn't hear a gobble. today was calmer and i hear 5 birds going off by 5:40. all on another property, but 2 are workable. one was going crazy, gobbling every 30 seconds it seemed. having used this incredible resource of a board i had been researching hen'd up toms.  i was going to try only calling long after he gobbled to turn the tide on him, but he wouldn't shut up. he responded to my initial tree yelps, but then just kept going. so after a while of him being on the ground but not moving i decided to cut him off. he'd gobble and i'd cutt hard or yelp aggressively. this resulted in him clearly working towards me. once i could tell he was in the field i shut up. with the sunlight just coming over the steep hill of tilled field i saw a head. i was fiddling with something and he pulled back. a minute later i see a tail fan with the shimmering glimmer of sunrise illuminating out from the form of his strutting posture. his body dark in shadow.   i had a jake decoy(with a fan duct taped to it from a bird my dad got friday)in breeding position with a hen and another feeder


in 23 years of turkey hunting i've never killed a bird in a field with decoys.  i initially had the breeding pair facing left, but once he started gobbling so much i ran out and turned them away from his direction.

when he saw the decoys he stopped coming towards me and started going left. he might have just been repositioning  to attack the fanned decoy from behind, but i figured he was in range and gave a quick cutt. he stuck his head out and i fired at 6:20

he doubled over, head on back and never even flopped at 40 yards.



i met up with a buddy afterwards and trout fished for a bit and he took those last pics. gave him all the marabou feathers for his handtied jigs.


*****ADD ON*****
Just wanted to share my younger nephews first turkey which he harvested this morning.


Right away we had a bird working but it got cut off just as it was about to enter the field and onto our property. An impenetrable fog rolled in from the valleys.  Couldn't see 50 yards for about an hour. Soon after it receded I saw birds behind us on top of the field. 2 hens and a tom that strutted and put on a show for my nephew. He thought that was awesome. I was pretty certain he wasn't killable and he faded over the hill. A minute later I see heads 100 yards downhill. Jakes. They saw the strutter decoy and decided to skirt left. 2 were well out of range. The closer one, I looked at for 5 minutes before I saw his little bitty beard.  I gave him the ok and he knocked him down.  Great 2nd season for us! Grandpa, uncle, and the little guy all tagged one

[Caleb7mm]

Good deal bud! Congrats on a fine gobbler!!

[JeffC]

Congrats on a fine Tom, good story and pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[the Ward]

  congrats on taking a great gobbler, and thanks for the story behind it!

[Yoteduster]

Good story heck of a gobbler...Congrats!

[eddie234]

Congratulations


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[Hobbes]

Congrats!  The swelling is likely blood and "jelly" from the shot.

[dublelung]

Congrats on the gobbler! That's a sho nuff jellyhead!

[bigriverbum]

Congrats!  The swelling is likely blood and "jelly" from the shot.

that's what i kind of figured. just never seen one that big lol

[Muzzy61]

Congrats

[Wigsplitter]

That fat head is from a direct blow to the noggin from whatever you are shooting!!

[bigriverbum]

That fat head is from a direct blow to the noggin from whatever you are shooting!!

that'd be federal heavyweight out of a stevens .410. bought it for my nephews to hunt and i enjoyed carrying it so much i just started using it. it's taken 5 birds in 2 years.

pretty crazy at 40+ yards

[WV Flopper]

I few years ago a shot one that scaled at 25#15onces, he had a noticably large head. Combined that with blood and swelling and they get even bigger. Like the size of your hand, I am sure yours is a combination of both.

[richard black]

Nice gobbler and enjoyed the story. Congratulations to both of you. Well done,

[joey46]

Congrats!