Killer B’s 2023 Story Thread - Embellishments Encouraged

[Delmar ODonnell]

Yesterday evening, i roosted this gobbler, along with hens and jakes. They were slightly spread out across the ridge, so I did not want to press my luck getting in too tight. He was roosted in the bottom where the ridge petered out. I set up around 100 yards away on top of the ridge amongst a pile of scratching from the evening before.

He gobbled for the first time at 5:54. I was concerned what his hens might do, because in the last 2 weeks hens have been non vocal, non confrontational, and actively pulling mostly silent gobblers away. Nonetheless, I threw my hat in the ring with some soft tree yelps. He answered. One of his hens also began soft yelping, which he answered. From there on out, I was calling to him, not her, in a way where I was more interested in him than she was, but not aggressive to her.

Around 6:25 he flew down and went silent. I hear drumming. He gobbled just over the crest and I stood on him, cutting. He blew up and the drumming was deafening thereafter. He gobbled twice so close that I could not believe I could not see him. Finally, I catch first the fan, then his head, as he crested the ridge 60 yards in front of me. He drummed loudly as he continued to strut my way. Then, at 38 yards, he gobbled directly into my face. My red dot was glued to his head as he moved between saplings. He paused. I was so focused on keeping the dot on his head it took 2-3 seconds for me to realize he was standing in a clear opening. I squeezed off and ended it.

I told my mentor that one would have to do it perfect for me to kill another in MS. This one, by any measure, was perfect.






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[Tom007]

Your a legend buddy. The Goats Will up their anti for you and Harley Tom for sure. Stick with us good guys, we need ya! Congrats!

[JeffC]

Awesome read and great pictures again, congrats. Want to go on a road trip at the end of April, hire you to write up the hunt and take pictures?? Again Congratulations!!

[POk3s]

Well done my friend.

[harleytom]

Congrats and well played my friend. Love the pics, by the way.


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[Yoder409]

Perfect hunt !!!   Perfect story !!!

CONGRATS, brother !!!!!!!   

[a_jabbo]

Awesome story Del!! Congrats!!!

Now it's my turn to join the story telling. It's been a crazy few days, and I finally found the time to sit down and share the details of the last 3 days in Virginia.

As most of you know, Twyatt has been coming up to PA to hunt with Zsully and I for the past 4 years. This year it worked out that I could make the trip down to Virginia, and it DEFINITELY didn't disappoint. Over the last few weeks my phone as been blowing up with pics of potential worthy adversaries that I would be trying to fool. I left Monday with the upmost excitement for the trip ahead of me. After arriving and getting situated Monday evening, Twyatt and I went over a game plan for the next morning.

DAY 1 - We arrive bright and early and make our way back to where we thought we would setup. We heard one sound off back in the direction that we walked in from. He was the only one gobbling, so we made a move to try to get into a position where we could make a play on him. As we were heading in his direction, a bird gobbled back in the direction we just were. Given the risk vs reward of the first one, we decided to head back to the original spot and setup. After setting up, this guy continued to gobble, but he was probably a couple hundred yards away down a hill, and it sounded like he wasn't moving. We continued to throw calls at him, and he would respond, but then it sounded like he was headed in the opposite direction. We heard another bird gobble off to our left, that didn't sound like he was that far away, so we gave this spot some time. This new bird continued to gobble in an area we felt we could swing around on him, so it was time to make a move.
As we're walking down the road, the stomach pain hit. OH NO!! I need to handle some other business. As luck would have it, business is being handled and pants are at my ankles, the first bird we heard rips a gobble at like 100 yards, which sounded like it was right in my face. I'm in a panic to clean up. He rips another gobble and it sounds closer. I look up and a deer is walking down the road right at me. We lock eyes, and he turns and runs right in the direction of the gobbler. Finally get my pants up, and crawl back to my things and try to setup up. Gobbler went completely silent. I assume, he got spooked by a deer running at him.
We march on, and the gobbler we were trying to make a move on lets one out, within 200 yards. We setup and start giving him the sweet music, and he's responding good, inching his way to us. Then another gobbler fires off from deep, but continues to gobble and sounds like he's coming too. I like the odds. I call again, and both birds gobble, one is getting close. I wait a little, and make one last call. Silence. It's on. We have good back over with a big tree behind me, and a logging road about 20 yards away. He's coming up the logging road, but I can't see him yet. Then I could hear him spitting. HE'S CLOSE. Couple mins late, I see his fan. He came in strutting, and the sun illuminating every single feather he had. It was picture perfect. Only thing is, there was a log out in front of me, and I didn't realize that with his head so tucked, it would be kind of a tight shot. He continued strutting and I had to have patience, until I ran out of it, and had my shot. BOOM!!! Celebratory hugs, and adrenaline shaking bodies. After a few pics, and enjoying the moment, there was another bird still gobbling. We spent the next 2 hours trying to call in old concrete feet, until we ran out of time.



DAY 2- Not much action here. We heard some gobbling, but everything went tight lipped around 8, and we caught a ride on the struggle bus. We walked and tried to strike a bird, but no dice.

DAY 3 - We get to a new spot that a few gobblers had been frequenting the past few weeks. We get setup, wait, and listen. It didn't take long to hear two gobblers start the day. Both to our right. One not that far, and the other quite the distance away. We felt confident in the spot, so we were hoping the closer of the two would give us a look. I start letting them know we are here to mingle. About 40 mins goes by, and they aren't getting any closer, but I'm still ripping the calls like I normally do, when I get too excited. I was looking out in front of me casting these calls, and out about 100 yards I catch some movement of a bobbing turkey head, and then it went into full strut mode. Little tight lipped tricky fella. He continues to strut through the open timber. Walk a few steps, strut. Walk a few steps, strut. The whole way into about 15 yards. BOOM!!! A quick and exciting hour hunt to close out the trip on my last day. I can't thank Twyatt enough for the hospitality and friendship.

Gobbler 1 stats : W-16.93 lbs, Beard - 9 1/8", LS - 7/8", RS 5/8"
Gobbler 2 Stats : W - 19.39 lbs, Beard - 10", LS - 1", RS - 1"

[Yoder409]

DANG, bro !!!!!!   Action-packed 3 days!!!

CONGRATS X2 !!!!!!!!!

[twyatt]

[zsully]

Freaking awesome!!!!! Congrats brother!! Only 6 days left till we hit the woods for youth season and I'm jacked!!!!!

[JeffC]

Congrats jabbo on 2 fine Toms, glad you got the pictures loaded to go along with the great story. Thanks twyatt.

[Mossyguy]

That's awesome man!

It would be easy to laugh at your ill-timed stomach pain...but I've been there my friend!

[harleytom]

Congrats guys! Way to get after them!


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[Delmar ODonnell]

Congratulations Jabbo and Twyatt!!! Great memories and fellowship!

I'm en route back home from Texas with my best friend and his wife. We had an absolutely incredible trip.

The first morning, we made some maneuvers on a bird, finally pulling him from a predetermined route, and he strutted to 13 yards.

The next morning, we went to a property new to our host, an old pecan orchard on the river. I finally heard a bird from 960 yards away. As we closed distance, it became apparent he had pitched down in a field opposite a small tract of woods. A dry  shallow creek bed ran diagonally through the woods to the other side. We moved up it and sat 20 yards from the field edge. He was all over the call and it wasn't long before he was strutting on the field edge  20 yards away. My red dot was trained on his head as he drummed, I answered and he broke strut and left his sunny vantage point and entered the dark woods with us. I ended it at 13 yards.



Yesterday, the three of us went to a new property, mostly fields. The wind was gusting 30 mph and we set up on the fence line adjacent to a property that looked "turkeyish" on the map. After 20 minutes, he gobbled behind us to a distant gunshot. I'm assuming he had heard my precious glass call but was too far away for us to hear him respond. Either way, the 3 of us crawled down the fence line to a point where he was more likely to cross. I see him at 25 yards at a 45 degree angle to my left through a hole in the brush, his head vibrant red and his gaze attentive. After a few minutes of this dead stare, he broke into half strut and drummed, which I answered with a muffled 3 note yelp. He gobbled and immediately began walking our way. He crossed the fence 8 yards in front of us, and of course he wigged out when he saw the 3 of us laying there. My friends wife, Morgan, made an incredible shot at 36 yards as he was getting out of there. My favorite hunt from the trip.

Yesterday evening, I had one tag to fill, although at that point my trip had already been made. The three of us went to hunt a bird we had tangled with 2 days prior. After walking through some hogs, we struck him and he quickly gobbled, strutted, and drummed to 12 yards. I watched the show for a few minutes before ending it at 20 yards.

We had an amazing trip, thanks in no small part to our gracious host, David. Every turkey killed played the game to perfection and gave us memories we won't ever forget.


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[twyatt]

Absolutely fantastic Delmar!!!  Great stories and fantastic pictures.  Congrats on a heck of a trip