Killer B’s 2023 Story Thread - Embellishments Encouraged

[POk3s]

Iowa eastern-

The afternoon and evening before opening day I went and drove around, looked for turkeys, and looked at access points. The place seemed empty, which I loved, and not many truck tracks in the parking areas. I was a bit shocked. The wind was blowing pretty steadily over 20mph and gusting over 30, so I went to a roosting knob I knew well from hunting this same place in 2019 and hoped for the best. I was able to see a big ol paintbrush bearded longbeard walking through a field and heading to bed. I had messed with a bird in the same spot on my last hunt and figured he would roost in the same cluster of trees off of a point.

Opening morning before daylight I attempted to sneak onto the point above where I suspected the turkey would be. I got held up by a tangle of cedars. I was making too much noise and using my light too much so I cut my losses and sat down waiting for it to get light. When it did I heard him sound off and he was right where I thought he'd be. Rats! I wasn't able to get close enough but was able to hear him gobble a few times on the limb. After his hen answered him he shut up.

I stuck it out in there all day. From before daylight to dusk. I survived on a few granola bars, a handful of pistachio nuts and 3 bottles of water. I have a million little stories from within the day I will save, including s bird coming in directly behind me spitting and drumming while a bird come in just out of range in front of me. I squandered them both. My little honey hole from 2019 was loaded with birds and I expected to stick it out in there until I killed one.

Day 2 was the only day I slept in on the whole turkey trip, and not by design. I woke up at 4 AM to driving rain hitting the tent.

I headed out about 7:00 after the rain had slowed, but the wind had started. I had learned a lot of things and planned to put them to use and slow play through there all day, much like the day before. I saw a couple and finally had one come in gobbling...behind me....again! Typical. I then promptly spooked him trying to readjust.

The rain came back mid morning so after a bite to eat at a local cafe, I headed out for a drive to check out some stuff on the map I had marked, that I had never laid eyes on. When I got to one piece I saw 5 longbeards working the back of a public field. I quickly got my stuff together to loop around in front of them. I did so but all I found were jakes where I figured the gobblers would be. I hung out in the woods for a while hoping something would materialize but it didn't.

On my way out of the woods I had that uncomfortable sensation in my lower abdomen. I unloaded my shotgun for the paperwork about to take place (yes this is important). I then started sneaking my way out of the woods again when my task was complete.

As I crested a hill where I'd already called from a couple hours before, I let out a few calls and was treated with a thunderous gobble just to my left. Caught completely out of position (and nearly with my pants down) I hit the deck and crawled into the thick brush. The gobbler was less than 80 yards and I was screwed. I heard him come by me just over the rise of the hill, spitting snd drumming the whole way, as I laid still muttering cuss words under my breath. I wasn't able to raise up and shoot him as I had hidden myself way too good in the brush in my panicked state.

I heard him strut back to where he came from so I eased out of the brush I was hidden in. I crept up the line of brush staying as low as possible, listening to the sound of his deafening drumming as I went. Finally I watched him come out of strut and just saw the top of his head come up. I eased my gun into position and rose up slightly. CLICK! I FORGOT TO RELOAD MY GUN! Panicking I hit the shell release button on the bottom of the gun, pulled the slide back, and let it go. He simply raised his head higher. I settled and my shot rang true.

Until that moment, I hadn't been able to even take a full breath without spooking these high strung easterns. I got lucky that he never really saw me, and I had just enough wind noise to confuse him.

I kept saying to myself that it only takes one. That it did. I'm calling this "The Poor Man's slam", just missing the Osceola of course on this turkey hunting adventure. Here are a few pics.

[harleytom]

Beautiful pics and a great bird! Congratulations on both


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JeffC]

Congrats on a great hunt, thanks for the great story and pictures.

[Tom007]

Wow, a slammer there. Fantastic job.....

[Tom007]

I start tomorrow in NJ, then May 1 in NY. It's finally here.......

[zsully]

Congrats POk3s. Sounds like you've had one hell of a trip!!! That Iowa bird is an absolute hammer!

So I was able to get off the sidelines and into the game yesterday (kinda). Yesterday was Pa youth day and I had been scouting every morning this past week. Asked for permission on a couple new spots. Received permission on one good piece and the boys got to hear "No" for the first time. They were shocked.

So fast forward to Saturday morning. A_jabbo gets to the house and I'm already in a mood. Getting an 8 year old and a 5 year old ready at 4:30am ain't easy. On top of that I went through a scramble to find Easton's license (poor planning dad). Get the boys in the truck, start the truck. Back tire is 14 psi. Whatever, we can make it to the gas station on the way fill with air and fix the problem after we hunt. We accomplish the tire fill and are on our way again when we find ourselves passing a doe on the side of the road. The doe had just crossed the road but for whatever reason as I passed she decided to spin a 180 and launch herself into the passenger side headlight/wheel well of the new truck I've owned for less than a year. I was furious!!!!!

Anyways we get to our spot and get set up. Right off the roost we call a longbeard down off the hill and he eyed the Jake and hen decoy from about 200 yards for 2 hours. We dealt with rain and wind, hungry/impatient kids, and my crappy attitude all while this gobbler strutted with a pair of hens. Just before 9 the hens and the gobbler started walking away and my confidence was just about non-existent. It was at that point that 2 longbeards and 8 Jakes entered the field. The Jake's were pushing the longbeards around and as luck would have it a Jake pushed a longbeard close enough to the decoys that he decided to come investigate and that's when Easton made a 15 yard shot. My attitude did improve slightly after that and all the boys were pretty pumped up.

[Tom007]

Congrats!!! A fine hunt a priceless memory!

[Mossyguy]

Definitely a day to remember...congrats to you all!

[JeffC]

Congrats to your son! Truck hurts, but damage isn't terrible, guess you didn't even get backstraps?

[zsully]

Congrats to your son! Truck hurts, but damage isn't terrible, guess you didn't even get backstraps?

Nope.......I'm sure she had a pretty good headache but she ran away looking no worse for the wear.

[POk3s]

Wow! Quite the eventful morning! Well done sully!

[POk3s]

One more story before I wrap it up for a few weeks!

No Gobbles, no problem.

After leaving those hard gobbling Eastern turkeys in the hardwood bottoms and rolling hills, I pointed the truck back southwest to chase more of the Rio subspecies, and to a place I'd never been before. I had one more legitimate location I could hit, and four days left of my vacation. I nearly went home, but called my wife and told her if I headed home I'd just wish I use my vacation for what it was for, and will hate it if I'm not out turkey hunting. I hope every guy finds a woman like her. She agreed with me and told me to do what makes me happy, even though she's ready for me to be home. One part of me was ready to be home too, but I still had desire for adventure, and I was "already out here".

I tried like hell to figure out this campground I chose, in the dark, and don't know if I ever did sleep in the proper spot or at a daytime picnic location. It was after 10:00 PM so I wasn't going to screw around too long. There was no signage to tell me what to do, but when I woke up at 4AM and the wind was blowing solidly so I packed everything up anyway. No one ever knew I was there.

I had a great high spot picked out to listen. I listened for 15 minutes of prime time and never heard a peep. I figured I better go hit some other high knobs and so I did. Never heard a turkey. Never saw a male turkey but did see a couple hens. I was going to head somewhere else entirely when I met up with a guy named Tim, from Arkansas. He was tagged out, and I told him I wasn't going to be too serious either as I've killed plenty of birds this trip, I was just going to enjoy myself and had one tag left as an excuse to be out there in the middle of no where." He agreed with my reasoning and told me there were gobblers around but just flat out not gobbling in the mornings. Very odd. 35 degree cool and crisp morning without a breath of wind and no gobbles...

Tim and I BSed for over an hour I think before heading our separate ways. During that hour the wind really picked up speed and was gusting over 40 I imagine. I figured I'd make some coffee, drive around, and look at other places I had on the map. The rolling prairie would dump off into these deep ravines filled with oak, walnut, and cottonwoods...I think. Most of it gorgeous turkey habitat.

I walked a couple ravines, calling sparingly, and never got a response. I saw a handful of hens and even a couple gobblers just off the public property line and marked them on the map to potentially come back to in the evening.

Finally after a couple miles of this, "walk and call and sit adventure," I had a hen answer me. She would cut at me and really seemed aggravated I was there, but went the other way. I found that odd as 1) I'd seen a few hens already and they didn't seem to care about my calling in the slightest, and 2) usually when I get into a banter with a lonely hen, she comes in to investigate.

With that, and with nothing else to do, I decided I'd sneak in. I actually saw a coyote bed down while I was en route and changed course to sneak in on him to no avail. I was going to concede the turkey adventure to helping them out, but no dice.

As I snuck a bit further I saw a gobbler standing there in an open spot in the middle of this creek bottom. I couldn't believe with all that back and forth hen talk, he couldn't muster out one gobble. I continued closer and found the coyotes again. Of all things they started harassing the turkeys but the birds never really spooked. They just putted around, walked in a circle and calmed back down. During this coyote dance, I noticed there were TWO gobblers. I cussed them as I thought to myself "two of you rat ******** and you couldn't let out one gobble to let me know you were here. What a shame."

I tried calling to the gobblers from two different positions and they seemed half interested for one second and then veered away. Their path took them around a bend in the creek bottom, I snuck behind them and rose up when I thought I was in range. I was, and was able to end my trip on the highest of notes.

On the way out I couldn't help but stop at this old barn and snapped a few pics. I wish I had a big camera and not just the phone. Also, I only had a 10 second timer so I was quite impressed with my shuttle time 

[JeffC]

Congrats again...great season, great read and great pictures.

[Yoder409]

Man !!!   You guys on FIRE !!!

CONGRATS !!!! 

That Iowa bird sure was eatin' good.  Dang !!!   Meanwhile..........here I sit.   6 days, yet........   

[twyatt]

Awesome POk!!!!  And congrats again Z!!  I just got my butt whooped 3 days in a row.  Tomorrow it's time for plan B