First Solo NC Turkey Season

[TurkeyPhanatic]

I've been following the site since March but this is my first time posting.  I've hunted turkeys since 2005 with friends of mine but this is the first season I've gotten after them by myself.  Prior to the season opening I secured exclusive rights to a 100 acre property.  During my scouting trips I found a few tracks in the agriculature field on the property but did not locate as much sign as i would have liked.  The few mornings i went to listen for gobbling prior to the season opening did not yield any more promising results as I heard zero gobbles.  Nonetheless, I decided to hunt the property on the opener as I had paid for the exclusive rights.  I even declined an invitation to a buddy's farm that has been historically productive.  I had set up a double bull blind on the agriculture field in the area that the land owner had seen the turkeys frequent the most so that I would have it as an option in case the birds weren't vocal opening morning.  I arrived at the property and was set up in the blind at 5:30 and didn't hear a single gobble all morning.  I elected to sit tight and call every fifteen minutes or so on my crystal mistress call as I felt it was a good spot and some birds may filter in the field or respond to my calling.  At around 9am I heard some hens calling and scratching in the woods behind my blind.  A few minutes later they walked right past my blind and into the field.  At the same time I heard a gobbler strutting directly behind my blind.  He eventually followed the hens into the field but then headed directly to my DSD Jake Decoy and proceeded to flog it.  I harvested the bird with one shot of hevi-shot 3.5" magnum blend from my Mossberg 835 Ulti Mag outfitted with a primos jellyhead choke tube and tru glo strut-n-rut scope.  It was my best bird to date.  He weighed 21 lbs 7 ouces, 10 inch beard, and 1.25 and 1.375 inch spurs. 

After getting into some birds the next week at my buddy's farm but unable to harvest one, I decided to return to the property that I had harvested my first bird of the season.  However, rather than get there as early as I had before I elected to arrive there around 7:20 as the majority of the birds i had seen or heard during the season thus far had occurred between 8 and 10am.  On the property there is a farm road that bisects the two sections of woods that border the agriculture field.  The land owner had told me that the one section of the woods is where he thought the birds routinely roosted thus i had not walked through there prior to the season in order to not disturb it.  As i walking through the woods to get to my intended spot i was about to step in the farm road when a crow called and a gobbler hammered it at about 100 yds in the woods on the other side of the farm road.  I quickly put my DSD hen and jake decoys out in the road at about 10 yds in front of me and looked for the biggest tree that i could find.  I got settled in and hit my box call a couple of times to let him know i was there.  He gobbled a couple times to crows and each time sounded closer.  At one point he sounded like he was about 40 yds away but due to the lay of the land i could not see him as he was either up the farm road or still in the woods.  Shortly after that gobble i heard a hen calling profusely and i didn't hear anything for fifteen minutes.  Havin had my gun up for a while I decided to lower it on my lap to rest as i thought the hen had pulled the gobbler away and they had worked off.  It wasn't one minute later that the gobbler came strutting down the road and was 8 paces away with the hen following.  The hen was paying attention to the hen decoy and the gobbler had postured up and circled the jake decoy once. I decided that while he was making his second lap around the decoy that i would life my gun up once his tail fan was facing me.  When i did this the hen became alert and he broke strut in response to the hen. He took two steps and i was able to swing on him and deliver the lethal blow.  Bird #2 down and my NC season was over.  He was also a good bird but not quite as nice as my first.  He weighted 20lbs 1 ounce, 10.5 inch beard, and 1.0625 and 1.125 inch spurs. 

I know some people appreciate the play-by-play and some do not but I just wanted to share my season with forum.  I tried to post pictures but i think they are too large and need to be compressed.  Not sure how to do that but any advice would be appreciatetd. 

[TurkeyPhanatic]

Here are some pics!

[NCYelper]

Congrats on a successful season buddy!

[TurkeyPhanatic]

You too bud! We'll have to line up a hunt during deer or next turkey season!

[bowmike]

Great birds.

I too had to try and go alone. Last year i went out with a buddy of mine and decided that i would try by myself. The friday before my harvest I called in a bird but wiffed. He offered to take me out on Saturday but i wanted to do it by myself. Nothing is more rewarding than a hard earned trophy, you get by yourself! Congrats and great birds!!

[DirtNap647]

congrats

[coyote1]

Congrats! Both are nice birds.

[Publicland]

Couple nice gobblaz! Congrats

[Rokhal07]

Congrats. Great job!

[kansas hooks]

Congrats on two great birds and a great season!

[beagler]

Congrats!

[surehuntsalot]

good looking birds
congrats on a great season

[trkycaller]

congrats!

[J. Adams]

 :you_rock:Awesome season

[tomstopper]

Congrats on some good looking birds....