CA 2013

[TRKYHTR]

Today I filled my last tag of the CA 2013 spring turkey season. It was a great hunt. It was my first solo morning hunt this year. I heard several gobblers off in the distance when the sky got blue and then heard the one I was after. He wasn't roosted in the same place as last week but he was close. I almost got up from my set up and went his direction but decided not to and to just sit tight. I was only 200 yards away and could hear several hens with him. I didn't want to bump him so I decided to stay and try to call him to me. After flydown I could hear a hen every once in a while but they weren't going crazy. He only gobbled 3 times from the roost and ground total. But I could hear him spitting and drumming. Finally I saw a turkey moving thru the trees at 100 yards, then another and another etc... There were 4 hens before I saw the full tailfan. At about 75 yards he saw my decoy. I was set in an open field edge near where he had roosted the last time I was there. The hens got closer but at about 60 yards they started moving to the right. He was following them. I waited until he wasn't looking at me and yelped a little and he stood up and went back into strut towards my decoy. Then he started coming my way. Away from the hens. He got to a spot and I thought he was in range. He strutted around and then put his head down to peck at the ground. I called when his head went down so that he couldn't peg me against the tree. He popped up and went back into strut. Taking a few more steps towards me. Then he looked at his hens who were getting further away and he turned towards them like he was going to follow them. I was all cockeyed trying to get my gun on him and finally was able to look with both eyes and could see he was in range. He turned sideways and I putted. He went into 3/4 strut and I pulled the trigger. He shouldn't have done that. At 38 steps the Hevi 13 #7's took him out without a fight. Now it's time to take my camera until I leave for AZ to kill another Merriam. This was a great hunt and my CA season ended with a great gobbler: 21.8lbs, 11" beard, 1 1/4" spurs.

TRKYHTR

[paintbrush]

Congrats Joe! You've been having one heck of a great spring.

[guesswho]

Congrats on another good'un.  Wear'em out!

[slamman]

Joe congrats and nice bird.  next hunt San Carlos?

[tomstopper]

Congrats. You sure are putting a dent in the turkey populations everywhere you go.

[alloutdoors]

Another great bird Joe, congrats!

[Wrangler95]

 


Very nice gobbler,congrats!!

[Improvinghunter101]

Congrats!  4 more days til I get to go

[DirtNap647]

congrats on a great season

[boomer]

Congrats!!!

[mudhen]

Nice work Joe!

Where to next?

mudhen

[Rio Fan]

You are having one heck of a spring!  Congrats on yet another nice bird.   

[socalturkeyman]

Is that a public land bird Joe?

[TRKYHTR]

No a small piece of private land I got this year. We've killed 2 birds off it so far. My SIL Jason killed his first turkey there last week.

TRKYHTR

[socalturkeyman]

Nice, I've been thinking about heading back out to the area you told me about with my B.I.L to see if we can get on those birds again. Maybe my luck can change.