Western Montana Longbeards

[spurcrazy]

Last season was a great one.  I wanted to share this display I made of my bird.  The other one is at the taxidermist.

This bird was a total stud mountain bird.  I set up on a ridge close to where we lost a long beard to hens that morning.  I put just one hen DSD in the middle of a clear area and started some soft calling.  After an hour or so I had hens on both sides of me.  The first surprised me when she came up out of the bottom, the same way I had hiked in.  She instantly went to pecking and whacking on the decoy.  I knew there was a gobbler with the hen above me just over the ridge as I could hear him drumming.  Since I had the first hen on the decoy going crazy with fighting purrs and taking jabs I just kept quiet at this point and let the show happen.  For me fighting hens are like fighting bucks, it seems like others just have to come see what it's all about.
 
It only took about 3 minutes for the Gobbler and his other hens to top the ridge.  The hens saw the battle and came running, HE slowed his roll and strutted, spit, drum and gobbled all the way down (maybe 50 yards).  I was turning inside out at this point as one of the hens had nailed me.  She didn't putt, didn't run, just stared straight through me at about 18 yards.  Luckily the Gobbler wanted to meet his new girl all the others were so upset about and he circled around her twice.  As he started to walk away from her I made the slight move I needed to and leveled him. It was one of those crazy full body, almost temporarily crippling adrenaline rushes.  I've shot my fair share of long beards but this one was special.  I had only hunted this state for 2 seasons and pretty much got schooled the season before which ended with me shooting a small 2 year old with beard rot.  So needless to say I was ecstatic. 

The part which made this hunt even better was that my now Fiance Laura had already killed a long beard the weekend before which was my main goal for the season.  So my bird and hunt was just icing on the cake.  I am a turkey freak and learning a new area, new birds and all that comes with hunting some place new pretty much came together last season.  I just can't wait for April!!

[LX_Trkyhntr]

Nicely done!!  The mount looks great!!

[Rio Fan]

The sounded like an awesome hunt and I love that mount! 

[jshively]

Way to go!  Really like the fact that you got your girl out there as well.

[M,Yingling]

 

[vicksburg]

Sounded like an awesome hunt! Nice mount as well!

[tjh24]

Great looking mount!   Where you from im Montana?   I lived in Plains MT. For a while,   near Missoula.   Its goergeous around there.

[hookedspur]

Nicely done!!  The mount looks great!!