Happy's hunt log

[JeffC]

Congrats

[crow]

Congrats. I didn't know a .223 could shoot 500yds

[TrackeySauresRex]

Great work and a great photo! Congrats on a good one 

[Happy]

Congrats. I didn't know a .223 could shoot 500yds

It's a theory I use called accuracy by volume.

[zelmo1]

Good deal bro, congrats. Z

[GobbleNut]

Great pics,...even better gobbler.  Way to go, buddy!   

[Happy]

Today was guiding day. Loaded up my backup 20 gauge and pointed the truck East. Made it to my buddies place before daylight. All I have heard from him the last two days is how many gobblers he was hearing. So it was only natural that we heard nothing at daylight, not a peep. We were sitting and listening(I hadn't even started calling) when we spotted a coyote headed our way. Told my buddy to get ready and shoot it if he could. At 27 steps, he rolled it with a chest shot. It managed to get its legs under it, and I put one in its ribs on the exit. I made it to a nasty privet and brier thicket, but judging by the blood, it's done.  After that excitement, we went and got on a high point and sat, listened, and let things calm back down. By ten, we still hadn't heard a gobble and went prospecting. We covered his entire property and finally found about 5 gobblers of strung out on 2 ridges off limits to us. They were anywhere from 300 yards out to barely audible. Sizing things up, I picked out our most likely candidate. He wasn't the closest either. I found a spot I liked, put my buddy in position, and went to work with an EZ wingbone and Sadler Mcgraw diaphragm. We had an hour, and long story short, the trigger was pulled at 11:44.
22lbs, 7 ounces, 10" beard, 1 1/4", and 1 3/8" spurs.

[JeffC]

Nice job "Friend" on helping out a friend. See all your Grumpies are still sleeping, so i will say congrats to you and your friend, and since we are practically neighbors, which makes us friends, feel free to offer me a hunt on some of your private ground, "Friend"?!? And I wont even make fun of your terrible camera work...

[Happy]

Thanks, I ain't the best photographer or cameraman. Took the boy out this morning had some good gobbling for a bit, but they hit a large, clear-cut with some hens. We tried circling them with no luck. By 9 the wind picked up and it was spitting rain. The boy was done, so we quit. It was his hunt, so his call.

[cannonball]

Congrats to you both and great job putting that yote down. There is no telling how many nesting hens and poults you might have just saved.

[zelmo1]

Nice day all around bro. Z

[Happy]

Went out this morning for a bit. Made a mile hike back in deep to a favorite ridge. Heard a few distant gobbles and had a gobbler and hen fly down right in front of me and mess around for a few minutes before getting suspicious and bugging out. Didn't even try to kill him as I hadn't even called yet that morning and didn't do anything to earn him. Snoooed around for a bit. Went back to the truck and drove around looking at some new potential spots. Ran into an old gentleman I used to work with on one of the backroads and spent the last hour catching up with him. Have to work tomorrow and Friday. More than likely, I will guide sat and Sunday. Weather permitting.

[lacire]

Nice bird you called in last Saturday. 

[Happy]

Made it out this morning for a little exploratory hunt on a section of public land I have never hunted before. Rain was still coming down when I parked, so I just sat in the truck until 7:30 or so. I decided to take my great grandfather's 1950 model 870. It is full choked and will give me a killing pattern with lead #6 shot to 30 yards. The fog was socked in heavy, so I moved slowly and sat a lot listening. I thought i heard a gobbler to my extreme right and extreme left once the fog started lifting, but wasnt 100% sure. I decided to make my way toward the "gobble on my left that was further out the ridge and below me. I never made a call until about 9 and had maybe made it 100 yards when he gobbled. He was pretty close, and I made the best out of the situation. I wasn't seated for 10 seconds when I saw his white head coming. He made it to the 35 yard mark and stopped. He was looking hard, I just held still, hoping he would break. He didn't, after a few minutes, he tucked his wings and walked away. I let him go, waited a bit and circled him. Set up in an area that was a bit better for hand to hand combat and proceeded to get him fired back up. I was set up on a bend on a dirt road leading to a piece of private land about out a half mile away. This is clearly marked as a private lane, and these fellows weren't local judging from the license plates. There was a dip in the road that started about 75 yards out, and it came back up about 25 yards in front of me.  I saw the gobbler go into the dip headed my way, and I got down on the gun and ready. About a minute later, a truck came up the road and proceeded to drive past me and stopped right in the dip. One fellow got out a cut loose with a box call for three of 4 rounds. Then he jumped back in the truck and took off. I decided to cut my losses and head back to the truck. My boy bailed on me for tomorrow, so I will be out weather permitting. My trigger finger is starting to itch so I might take one of my 40 yard guns. Once the leaves are out in full I will have a little more flexibility with my set-ups.

[crow]

 
Good hunt