Fine 2 days of Indiana turkeys

[Hoosier2]

Well this year seemed to be the year it all went to plan.  The last 3-5 years I have been taking my old man out with me and having him be the shooter. I tell him every year just bring camo, shells, and your gun. I'll take care of everything else. We have spent 20 plus opening days here in Indiana. Wednesday morning on the drive down we realized that I left the gobbler chairs in my garage and were dreading sitting on damp ground. About 10 miles north we noticed the rain stopped and we were Atleast gonna have dry ground to setup on. We pull down the drive 5:45 am. I hear the first gobble at 6:15 setting up my dsd flock (jake, upright and feeding hen). I get dad setup and make sure the jake is in clear site. These birds are a guarantee with that jake. The whole morning birds were fired up. Tons of gobbling. Group of jakes making all kinds of racket. It was a morning we all dream of. Sunrise was 6:45. Well the morning progresses to no avail. Birds were gobbling but nothing on fire. For the last few years I have been running sams (gooserbat) mouth calls and have really loved them. My go to is the bacon. With not a lot of response on the diaphragm call. I pulled out my favorite glass pot call. David halloran twisted sister with a Purple Heart striker. It just has the perfect sound for Indiana woods. Well I get to turnin on that twisted sister and about every 15 min but nothing really responding. Me and dad are kinda looking through one another and he looks and says "turkey". Here comes a hen to the spread and sticks around for a few min before drifting off the peak of the ridge. About 60 seconds later "Billy there's the Tom". I peak over my left shoulder and hear the spit and here comes a beautiful eastern bird in full strut. I go to look back at dad and about that time BOOOOMMM!! He hammers him. We get fired up and run out to the bird. I gave him grief saying what if there was another bird coming. From the time we saw the bird to him shooting no less than 10 seconds! 7:30 am was the time of kill but an absolute dandy of a bird. Great hooks and another memory I get to store away.




Now after the excitement of opening day. It was my turn to run these birds down. After the old man left. I got up the next morning and headed out to the same setup as yesterday morning. Only when I started the walk a bird sounded off closer than yesterday at about 6:10 this morning. I get setup and the birds are gobbling hard again. Same area as yesterday and lots of different birds moved in. Prolly 3/4 longbeards and a group of 3/4 jakes that were loving their gobbling. I'm hunting an abandoned vineyard that used to be a hardwood ridge. It's a perfect setup but the 1/4 mile drive way is about 250 yards on the east end. I've never had a hunt ruined by somebody coming down the drive but a lot of birds come from the other side of the drive and come into this open field. Well as the morning goes on the birds are gobbling but nothing responding hard to my calling. I finally switch out mouth calls from bacon to gooserbats heckler and boy what a difference that made. After making the switch I had 2 birds that were on fire but based on terrain felt very Leary they would make it to me. In the midst of all that these birds were about 2-300 yards north of me. I've got my right ear facing north and my left south. I thought I heard a bird gobbling behind me but everytime I heard it my back was turned and I couldn't pin point it. I finally heard a gobble and knew it came behind me. In my head I just knew If there are birds in this vineyard then they can see the decoys and they will show up. I shut up and face that left shoulder to the jake deke and just wait. I'm about 5 yards into the timber and tucked under a cedar with a big cedar covering all the left side of my. As I'm sitting there I keep hearing what sounds spitting and drumming but my back is turned to the way these birds are coming in. Finally I'm sure that's what it is. As I peel my eyeballs as far to the left as I can to see thru this cedar. I finally see a black ball coming down on the mowed rows. You could see my brand new weatherby bouncing off my chest when they made that death walk down. The birds come to the dekes and I got to click the safety and since this is a new gun still stiff. I click that safety and Mr Tom figures out. I put the bead on his head and pull. First turkey with the new 20 ga. 2 2 year old birds came in on a string. 7:45 am. 23.5 lbs 9.5" beard and 3/4" spurs. The perfect 2 year old hunt. Got to hunt a total of about 4 hours this year. Told my wife I may start letting them walk opening week just so I can fool with them more! Anyways enjoy the season men, it was one for a lifetime for me!

Billy







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[Hoosier2]

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[twyatt]

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!

[JeffC]

Great hunt with your father, Congrats to you both. Great pictures and story well told. Congratulations

[zsully]

Congrats Hoosier!!!!! Fantastic pair of birds there.

[twyatt]

Hoosier, check your PM's please

[Tom007]

Congrats, way to go....

[Yoder409]

CONGRATS !!!!!!!!   

[POk3s]

What a pair of perfect gobblers! Congratulations on a couple of fine hunts Hoosier!

[harleytom]

Congrats


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[a_jabbo]

Heck yeah!!! Congratulations.