Stacked up a few toms with the xbow....

[Reloader]

I decided to carry my xbow to TX this year and give it a whirl, but the scatter guns were getting the first leg.

Yesterday evening we decided to go try an old run down house place that is surrounded in trees.  There's a green pasture out back and the birds just love it, often roosting in the trees around the old place.

When we arrived, there was a tom and hen out behind the old house, so I scrambled through my gear and got the xbow loaded and ready.  We lined the old house up with the birds and eased up to it.  I eased around the house and spotted the tom behind some trees.  When he was behind enough cover, I crawled around the corner of the old house and got settled in.  Dad stayed back around the corner of the old house.  I ranged a tree at 30yds and laid my LRF down next to me.  The hen started to ease off, so I showered down on the tom and he fired back with a gobble.  He blew into strut and eased my way, but hung up about 60yds out.  He finally went behind a pile of dirt that was about 15yds in front of me, so I belly crawled to the dirt pile and peaked over til I spotted his fan.  I waited for him to turn away and inched up the pile until he'd face me again.  That went on for a bit until I got set and ready.  I reached for my LRF and yep, it was still sitting right where I left it.  I waited til I thought he was at 40, but he never would budge past that point.  I decided to go ahead and shoot, settled for 40, and sailed one right over his back.  Dad starts chuckling as the tom walks away, but I just stayed still as he didn't act spooked.  I waited for him to go behind some cover and eased off the dirt pile to reload.  Dad waited for him to get in line with the dirt pile and crawled out to me.  We peeked over and made sure we could crawl back up and get set.  The tom was still wondering what happened, but never blew out.  I slipped in a Yargis diaphragm and that was all it took.  He blew right back into strut and danced our way.  This time I let him get to 25yds.  Dad was saying "Shoot, shoot!" but I wanted to watch the show for a while longer and was glad I did.  That rascal started blasting off gobbles right in our lap.  I waited for him to turn and made my move.  Settled in and squeezed one off dropping that rascal on the spot.  He was a nice tom, sporting a 10" beard and 1-1/8 & 1-1/16" spurs.  That was my first archery turkey and I was quite amazed at how quickly it killed him with a body shot through the wings broadside.



Dad was doubtful about the whole xbow thing, but after that he wanted to try.  We took some pictures and found my other arrow, then I decided to call and see if anything else was around.  I cutt and bam! Another tom answered over the hill.  We scrambled around and got set up again, but he seemed to be content where he was and didn't gobble or move much for the next hour.  We decided to move a bit and set my jake and hen decoys out in the pasture.  Shortly after setting the decoys out and settling in, I cutt and several gobbles blasted off just over the ridge.  I poured it to them and they went crazy gobbling and were definitely closing in.  They broke over the ridge to our right and as soon as they saw the decoys here they came.  There was two big toms and two jakes with about 6" beards.  One of the big toms had a real thick beard, so that's the one I told dad to shoot.  Before Dad got off a shot, the biggest tom went crazy on my jake decoy.  That rascal didn't give it any slack, he beat him til the stake bent over and kept beating him some more.  After the TKO he danced around and when he got broad side at 15yds, dad laid the smack on him.  He walked about 10yds and flopped over dead as a hammer.  The other toms ran over to him and just started circling.  Dad says "Load this sucker up, I'm gona shoot the other big one"  So I cock it back and load another arrow.  They were to worried with their buddy and never even looked at me with all that movement.  I handed the xbow back to dad and he shot the big tom right in the back.  He took off running, then slowed down and flopped over.  Again, that was my first go with archery and it will flat lay em down right now.  It wont be my last either

After we walk out to Dad's 1st tom, I find his first arrow stuck in my brand new jake decoy!  His first time out and he sure had a bad day

Dad's toms:



Both of them had several tail feathers missing, so not much for pics.

Ya'll have a good one,

loder

[DirtNap647]

congrats 

[ncturkey]

Congrat's to your dad and you on his nice Xbow longbeard's.

[joey46]

Congrats to both of you.  I've long been in the pro xbow camp.  What broadhead were you using?

[boomer]

Congrats!!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[guesswho]

Nice.

[JVA54]

      Congrats!!

[Hognutz]

Congrats on the nice toms.. Those stinkin' crossbows are deadly..Yowsa!!

[Wrangler95]

 


Very nice gobbler,congrats!!

[Reloader]

Thanks guys!

John,  I didn't take one, should have.  I was a bit let down over the brand spanking new $92 decoy having a nice x in his side, but it was worth it.  Dad was so convinced after seeing the toms response to those decoys he wanted to buy a pair anyway, so I'm going to fix this one with some fletch tite adhesive, order another hen, and give it to him for Christmas.  The hen is 10 for 10 in 3 weeks on toms that have spotted her.

Joey, I had a mixed bag of heads, but all have worked well on deer from this xbow.  One was taken with a 100g NAP Shockwave,  one with a NAP Scorpion, and the last with a 100g Wasp Jackhammer SST.  The 1-1/4" NAPs penetrate very well on deer and blew through the two toms even after breaking the wings.  The wasp went through the back and stopped on the off side of the breast, but the big 1-3/4" CD kept it in the bird.  Those two NAP kills were wicked, they just gave up the ghost in mere seconds.  I'd probably go with the Wasp JHs in the future just hoping to keep them from blazing through.  They were a bit tough on the heads, seemed like they bent back a bit more than when shooting them through deer. Not much to blowing through ribs and lungs on the little whitetails around here. I did once hit a doe in the spine with one of the NAP Shockwaves and it blew through the center of her spine.  That's saying alot for that expandable's penetration capability as that impact will stop some good fixed heads.

[pullit]

You could have fixed the decoy if you had not dressed it when you cleaning the rest of your birds...
You and your dad should both be on cloud nine after that hunt, congrats to both of you.

[drenalinld]

Great stuff! Congrats! I am addicted to killing them with my bow.

[hookedspur]

Congrats

[Gobble!]

I have never took the xbow out. Might have to try it some time. Congrats.

[cannonball]

Way to go!