4/22 and 4/23 and 4/25 (updated with story)

[whitelightning]

 I went in to work at 12 pm on Sunday and left work at 2:30 am and drove 2 hours to my hunting location.  Its a tract of land that I had found some birds on last year  so I was hoping theyed be there this year.  This tract has a field that runs east to west and to the north and south are woods. On the west side of the tract it borders a private field.  The north side of the private field is private woods.  The woods on the south side of the field are public. I set up on the south side of the public field in the woods.  A goose started honking close by and the world exploded. First the gobblers on the other side of the field started going at it, and I stopped counting at 12 in the same spot.  All around me the woods were on fire with gobbles. Most were on the private lands around the public, but in all my days Ive never heard so many gobbles from so many different birds.  A hen also started getting into it cutting and yelping non stop from the tree. She was located with the gobblers across the field from myself.  I figured the only way I was going to get the gobblers to leave this hen, and the others that were calling too, was if I called the hen in to me.  So I started copying everything she did. She did not like being copied and got even more agrressive.  The gobblers started to fly down first and much later the hen finally flew down. When they flew down they flew into the private field.  I do hear one gobbler getting closer to me and he sounds like hes on the other side of this field from me.  Pretty soon I see a red head and a tail fan cross the ridge in the field. But alas his tail has a step in it and his beard is small.  Him and his smaller buddy walk by at about 30 yards and once they pass I slip down to the woods that border the private field to get a look at how many birds were in the field.  With my binoculars I count at least 5 longbeards in 2 different groups and about 5 jakes as well.  I suddenly catch movement out of the corner of my eye and its a hen and shes walking right at me. Now in the woods that border the private field is a road, which I was standing in when I see the hen. I know she'll spot me and putt if I dont move so I just lay down in the road.  She walks within 10 steps of me, she does see me but doesnt putt and eventually walks off. I move up the field a little bit because it seems as if the gobblers are working that way.  I get about 20 yards up and hear something walking in the woods next to me. I stop and again see a hen walking towards me and again I am in this same road. So again I lay down and again the hen walks within 10 yards of me and goes on past.  Im trying to figure out what direction to go because I hear two groups of birds in the field, one right in front of me, and one down on the other side of the field moving towards the woods.  As Im watching the birds in front of me, I hear a gobble to my left and see two long beards and several hens in the same road as I am crouching in.  They are about 50 yards from me and there are way too many eyes watching me for me to make a move.  For probably 15 minutes I had 9 gobblers within 50 yards of me gobbling and I couldn't get a shot. Talk about torture I was almost in tears lol.  The birds in front of me eventually moved to the public woods on the opposite side of the public field and they were still gobbling well. The birds that were in the road with me have gone quiet and I can not see them anymore.  I slip back down to the woods that I started in  to go after the birds across the field and no sooner have I gotten there then I hear a shot close to me, but on the other end of the private field. Im pretty sure one of the birds that had walked up to me in the road had just been shot.  I wait about 10 minutes and let out a cut and get 3 gobbles back from the opposite side of the public field.  Sweet game on! I start working them, getting them riled back up. Now where Im at Im looking around for a tree to sit to, and there are none because of briars.  Every tree has a tangle of briars around its base. However I am standing behind a group of 3 trees.  So I decide to stand behind the trees.  After about 15 minutes of calling and them gobbling back I see a red head come over the rise in the field, followed by a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh.  The 3 first gobblers were longbeards, the last 4 were jakes.  The third longbeard had a rope of a beard and it looked liked it was split.  The first longbeard was moving a lot faster and would be at about 10 steps from me very soon so when the rope bearded bird stuck up his head it got filled with hevishot. Tagged him, went home and cleaned him and took pics and went back to work. 
22 lbs
1 1/4" spurs
10" beard


That night I again left work around 2 am and went to another location Ive had success at before.  I was a little late getting there and there were two guys just getting out of their trucks.  I talked to them and figured out where they were going and I went in the opposite direction.  Come gobble time I hear a bird let out his war cry and could tell he was roosted a couple of small fields away. He didn't gobble until late so it was a race to try to get to him before he flew down.  When I finally got close I could tell he was roosted just off the corner of this field and I had a good feeling he would fly down into the field.  By now I could tell he was them and I could hear several hens clucking. There were again no good trees to sit at so I crouched behind a tree limb and got ready.  The hens flew down into the field in front of me about 50 yards away. I can hear the birds gobbling in the corner of the field but they are not moving.  I was hoping the hens would work my side of the field but they don't they start moving away, so I give a soft yelp and the gobblers answer back.  They keep gobbling every few seconds and I can tell they are getting closer.  Soon I see a bright red head and a swinging beard walking towards me followed by another. They both seem about the same size so I pull the trigger on the lead bird and down goes bird number 2 in less then 24 hours. 

17 lbs 8 oz
1" spurs
10.5" beard


Fast forward to today.  A few days ago I had hunted this bird who gave me the run around, was on him until almost 11.  So I went back after him this morning and snuck into the woods where he had been roosted the last time.  Come sunrise and no gobbles great me. The wind is really blowing and I cant hear very far so I decide to move about 15 minutes before fly down to find something that is gobbling.  I hoot at the edge of a field and a bird answers me across the field in the woods and across a small creek.  I get into the woods and call again and can tell there are several birds.  Listening to them I can tell at least 1 is a jake but I cant tell if they all are.  In between us is a small creek bottom as I am on a slight ridge and they are on the other side.  They are all strutting and I can tell 2 have stepped tails, but the other I cant tell for sure. After a few calls they start to work my way and get within 20 yards. I get a really good look at all their beards now and yup sure enough all the beards stick straight out.  I let them walk on past and decide to move back to where I was at first light and try that side again.  As Im walking up to this field I look to my right and see a strutting tom and a hen in a field. They are just at the edge of my range but I decide to try and slip up closer to the edge of the field before I shoot.  So I belly crawl to the edge and peek into the field to find I am by myself, they have vanished.  I guess that they are moving into the woods, so I back out and try to circle around.  I get into the woods and as Im creeping along I see a turkey take flight through the trees about 150 yards away.  F*&* F*&* F*&*! I say to myself thinking Id just screwed up badly but I see other turkeys moving around and they look confused but not spooked.  There is a blow down in front of me so I sneak up to that and lay on top of it.  I wait about 10 minutes and cutt then yelp then cutt again and get a double gobble back. Yup that's the boys I hunted before so now its time for round 2. I keep calling to get them worked up and shortly I see them walking through the trees angling my way.  The back bird is the one in strut so that's the one I want.  When they get within range I squeeze the trigger on my nova and watch him fold like a sack of potatoes. His buddy decides to take this opportunity to peck and spur my bird and is so distracted by this he doesn't see me until Im about 10 yards from him and he takes off running.  All in all its been a very eventful week.
 
19 lbs 13 oz
1 1/16" spurs
8.5" beard

[BowBendr]

The last pic on that old stone foundation is really cool. Congrats ! 

[DMP]

Do it son....

[canadatom]

Very nice, like the stone foundation photo also. Congats

[MDbowman]

Nice work!

[derek]

Just saw the update, very cool man.  Congrats on a successful week, you can sleep May 25th. 

Very cool pic on the wagon wheel!

[bawana]

Wow! what a week, Great job.

[MDbowman]

Nice job and great pics!

[Fullfan]

Great hunt man, congrats....

[BoWhoop]

Nice write-up and pics Stump Liquor, you earned those birds.