Season Starts?

[Muzzy61]

Congrats Lacire! Great bird.

[HillclimberWV]

Glad you were able to get out and be successful. Congratulations on you and your grandsons birds.

[lacire]

Thank you Kaleb978, Muzzy61, and HillclimberWV it was a memorable hunt. 

[notsure]

Great story Lacire and congratulations! MN Season A starts this morning and I'm on my way out the door!

[JeffC]

Good luck notsure!!Have a great safe hunt today!!

[notsure]

I scored on a nice fat 2 year old! I'll post all the necessary pictures this evening. 

[JeffC]

Awesome job!! Look forward to seeing your pictures, post up some story/ details of your hunt!!! 

[snoman4]

Lacire that is an awesome story and bird. 

[ScottTaulbee]

Monday, my first day of vacation from work, I got my first of the season. 25mph winds, not a peep on the limb or gobbling to any calls. Around 7:10 am I heard a full gobble close (within 100 yards), maybe a minute or two later I look to my left and there is a blood red head popping over the rise in the ridge at 20 yards. I had a split second to make a decision so I raised my gun and nailed him. Get over to him and he's flopping, I grab the leg and didn't get a good hold and he starts spinning in my hand, at this point I'm thinking " Here's where I get spurred". The spur hits my hand and its buttons. Then it hit me that it's a Jake. Beard wasn't much, around 5" and he weighed probably 16 or so pounds. I didn't measure or weigh him. Didn't hunt yesterday due to having class in the morning and needing to mow the yard and I spent some time with the kids.

This morning, my last day of vacation from work, I got to my favorite piece of public in the mountains that I love being on. It hasn't had birds the past two years and I wasn't sure if it had any this morning but I pulled up and the parking at the gate was empty so I walked in to my spot I always listen at and let the song of the whippoorwills fill my soul. It was barely breaking gray light and one gobbled. And then again, and again. And I knew pretty well where he was on the mountain so I took off after him. The mountain goes up on the right and then snakes back left at the spine as the elevation increases. The way it lays it creates a bowl in the holler and he was roosted on the left side of the bowl on the side of the mountain and I was coming up the right side of the mountain. He was roosted where I needed to be I thought to kill him and when I was about 150 yards from him diagonally I didn't have a choice but to set up. I had two down trees in the forest road in front of me that I couldn't get past without him seeing me, and the only cover I had was a rose bush about the size of a 5 gallon bucket. I set up with a bend in the road ahead of me so when he rounded it, I could kill him. I gave a couple soft tree yelps with my trumpet and he ate it up, I bet he gobbled 100 times on the limb. I stopped calling and let him get in his head, he didn't gobble for probably 10 minutes and I figured he flew down so I gave a yelp on my mouth call and he hammered, on the ground. I saw him come across the top of the mountain above me at about 120 yards in full strut with one tailing him. The sun was just rising and I could see the silhouette of him against the sky, it was incredible. And then I heard him spit and drum, a lot. In the 24 years I've hunted I've never been able to hear one do it and it tore me up bad. He stayed up there for maybe 5 minutes and I clucked a few times at him with my OG pushpin and he broke strut and I lost sight of him for a little while, just bits and pieces of his bright white head coming through trees down the road. He stopped at maybe 50 yards and was spitting and drumming and strutting behind a tree, I could only see half of his fan. I was tore up, I had my gun up and had to put it down three times because I was shaking so bad, and I typically don't get excited until after the shot. He steps out right in the bend where I thought he would and he gobbles at me head on. I slowly raise my gun out of my lap and put the bead on him and the mossberg got another tally. It's the best hunt I've ever had hunting by myself. Nothing will top the kids getting their firsts but for me and my hunting career, this takes the cake.


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[ScottTaulbee]

Mondays and this mornings. My daughter was at school both mornings but I did pull her out of class a couple minutes this morning to let her see him.


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[JeffC]

Awesome Scott!! Great write up and pictures!!! Will get him entered tonight.

[snoman4]

Congrats Scott on a fine bird.

[Muzzy61]

Congrats Scott, good bird and pictures.

[JeffC]

Great job notsure!! #25.9lbs, might be our heaviest Tom yet!! Will get score card updated tonight.

Season opens tomorrow, still havent decided if it worth going out, did see a strutter on way to work this morning, he was in field next to a friends house, I might reach out to him, but I think hes out of town. Heading to Jersey on Saturday for a listening/ scouting mission, Monday is opener, have Monday and Friday off, will be there on the 26th and 28th also. GOOD LUCK GUYS, Safe and Successful Hunting!! Post up the good and bad stories!!