Season Starts?

[JeffC]

18th before I can start, dont know if I will even go, havent found a place to hunt here yet. Will be in woods on 21st for sure!

[austinc]

Season doesn't open here until the 21st, but I do have a tag for a state that opens on thr 15th and might make a weekend trip there before our season starts, haven't decided yet for sure.

[JeffC]

Really thought lacire would've posted up something by now? Any updates??
pite0007 and Scott, when are you guys getting after them???

[notsure]

One week to go...

[Kaleb978]

Man I can't hunt until the 21st but just seen a gobbler and 7 hens in my north field. Can't get here soon enough.

[JeffC]

And out of the woods of the lovely West Coast comes LACIRE!!  AWESOME job!! Big old TOM!!!! Post up some details of your hunt!!!   

[ScottTaulbee]

We open up tomorrow here in Ky!.


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[JeffC]

Good luck tomorrow Scott, hope you saved a big old Tom for yourself. Will the kids tag along or is this dads day?

[ScottTaulbee]

Good luck tomorrow Scott, hope you saved a big old Tom for yourself. Will the kids tag along or is this dads day?

Thanks Jeff, tomorrow morning/ afternoon will be for myself and tomorrow evening and Sunday will be for the kiddos. Also have a couple co workers that are interested in turkey hunting but haven't been before that I'll be taking before season is out. Tomorrow should be a good one, it's rained the past two days, the temps have dropped into the mid thirties in the mornings and highs are around 45 to 50°. Should have them talking I hope.


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[lacire]

Good luck to you tomorrow. 

[lacire]

And out of the woods of the lovely West Coast comes LACIRE!!  AWESOME job!! Big old TOM!!!! Post up some details of your hunt!!!   

Ok, give me a little bit and I'll get you another story...   

[lacire]

Here you go Jeff, as promised.
   
    This year I had an unexpected hospital visit and couldn't make my usual opening day of the spring turkey season. I did have enough time to recoup myself and get permission from my cardiologist to drive a car and shoot a shotgun (my wife was a lot harder to convince, in fact I don't think she was convinced at all) and I was able to get out for the second weekend.
    My son and I talked it over and he knows I don't like hunting out of a blind, but he suggested that because we were taking my grandson hunting with us we'd set up in a blind versus our usual running and gunning up and down the mountains. (I didn't think of it until now but maybe my son and grandson did the talking over and the blind was for me, those kids of mine can be tricky). The day we were hunting was a clear blue sky morning after a day of rain. The tall grass was wet and the ground was spongy as we walked out to set up the blind. The area we selected has green rolling hills studded with large oak trees, low growing manzanita and wild blackberries, there's a private lake there also that you can paddle small boats around on. This morning it held some Mallards and a couple pairs of Canadians. We got out a little late in the morning and the turkeys were already off the roost and on the ground by the time we got set up. Looking out of the blind through our binoculars we could see a couple turkey hens milling around in the sunshine across the lake from us. In the distance we watched a man come out of his house, walk over and let his chickens out of their pen, then he threw a bunch of feed to them. The hens joined a mixed flock of about a dozen other turkeys that came into view and they all stood by expectantly waiting and as soon as the man left in his car they all ran for the chicken feed. We made a few calls now and then and got some response from the Canadians but the turkeys weren't going to budge off that feed.
    After about an hour the turkeys had dispersed and we finally got some action with one of the box calls. Every time this one tom would gobble my son would cut him off with some yelping. I then spotted him through the brush, he was moving fast across the hill side about thirty yards above the edge of the lake and probably two hundred yards from us. I told my grandson to get ready, this was his bird. As the gobbler cleared the edge of the lake he came straight for the hen and Jake decoys we had set out about ten yards from the blind. My son started filming him as he came strutting in at about forty yards away, he puffed up again at thirty, then at twenty, my son let out a series of yelps from a mouth call and at fifteen yards the tom again puffed up and stuck his head straight out with a long gobble, my son whispered to his nephew take him and as the tom pulled his head back in the full force of the shot hit him in the beak and knocked him backwards.
    After congratulating my grandson, we left his tom on the ground as the three of us inside the blind sat staring at the small screen replaying the video my son just took. It wasn't very long but we watched it several times when my grandson said "oh shoot, there's more turkeys coming in". A flock of about ten jakes were running in on the decoys and in the middle of the flock was one large tom looking like a giant compared to them. This Goliath went straight for the tom my grandson had just killed and jumped him. The jakes attacked the decoys en masse while Goliath stood on the toms back triumphantly pulling his lifeless head a foot off the ground and dropping it over and over. My son again started recording as I set on my knees with the bead of my shotgun on the toms head waiting for permission from him to fire. I got the go ahead and pulled the trigger, the shot hit Goliath like a rock and he fell and lay motionless by his fallen foe, the jakes looking confused just like the philistines of old ran off about twenty yards from the blind wondering what just happened to their champion.
    After again congratulating ourselves, we were back starring at the screen looking for my video but my son realized that he failed to hit record so we didn't get to replay mine. We checked our guns and were getting ready to exit the blind when I saw two more toms coming in at about thirty five yards, I told my son to take the one with the blue head and his shot rang out and the tom went down... I said " this is a first, we'll never do this again, a triple out of the same blind, all within the space of probably ten minutes". (Goliath turned out to be the second heaviest tom we've ever shot with Hercules still number one at 25.7lbs)
    Because of my hospital visit I wasn't allowed to carry anything heavier than a gallon of milk. My wife must have given my son instructions because he wouldn't even let me carry my own bird, (another first for me) so my son and grandson collapsed the blind,  bagged the decoys and collected the birds, the only thing they left for me to carry was my own gun.
    As we left the property we stopped by the owner's house, while we were visiting with him out front, the man with the chickens drove by, he stopped his car, got out, didn't say a word to any of us just went directly to the back of our truck and peered in, he then looked at us with a scowl and said "better not let my wife find out... those are her pets".

[JeffC]

  AWESOME story!! You really are blessed to go thru what you did, turn around and get to go an experience that fantastic hunt with your family. Thank you for making me smile. The picture of the 3 of you was great!! You did a fantastic job with all the necessary contest photos also, thank you.  Please rest up and listen to your wife and doctors.

[lacire]

AWESOME story!! You really are blessed to go thru what you did, turn around and get to go an experience that fantastic hunt with your family. Thank you for making me smile. The picture of the 3 of you was great!! You did a fantastic job with all the necessary contest photos also, thank you.  Please rest up and listen to your wife and doctors.

Between you and I it probably was a little too soon to be back out... but the way that hunt unfolded I wouldn't wanted to have missed it. I am glad to be back home, and my wife well... she is still really pampering me. 

[Kaleb978]

Great story. An unforgettable experience for all involved. I am sure the bird is a minor detail compared to being able to have that experience with your son and grandson. A memory like that is what every hunter is hoping to get someday. Congratulations and happy to hear you were able to get out.