1st Public Land Bird

[bigriverbum]

It's been a tough year here in WI. Hunted youth season, got my nephew his 1st bird durning 1st, 2nd was a slog of not even sniffing success. Stuck with it and on 3rd day hunting 3rd season it finally came together. I've been experiencing drastically fewer gobbles in the morning with silence after flydown. I also think I've been bumping birds as our woods have been bone dry and any movement sends shockwaves throughout the hollers.

Tuesday I went out with my cousin. He'd never done anything but sit in a blind on a field edge.  We crept out on a ridge around 4:30. 2 birds started responding to an owl so we took a short drive and started down into the ravine.  The rain started. I think i about killed him by the time we got up to the other ridge, but we were rewarded by seeing a hen in the field as we broke out of the woods.

I figured we'd cut off the gobbling birds on an open flat ridge between their roost and the field.  We set up at the bottom of a downfall and I enjoyed a smoke as we quietly caught up with one another. I begin to call in the steady rain and hear nothing. Disappointing given how much those birds had gobbled. I quietly call again a few minutes later and my cousin says he heard a gobble. I didn't, but lets try again. I give a few quiet purrs and yelps and I hear him.  He's a few hundred yards away, but on the other side of the field and coming from the opposite direction were facing. My cousin sits still as  I swing around to face the field that's 50 yards away. 

I call again as soon as I'm seated and from the next gobble it's clear this bird is coming. I get the gun up and go quiet.  In the dark morning rain i see a bobbing head enter the woods. For a second I think he's spooked, but then I see him in color. His glaring red head flying through the woods. He's not spooked, he's running. In fact, he's about to be running right past us. I cluck, I putt, yet he's still chugging along. Finally I shriek on my diaphram and he thankfully stops with head outstretched.   Trigger pulled, bird down, weight off shoulders.

I added it up and I've put in nearly 30 miles of walking until I was blessed to harvest this bird.  21 pounds, 10" beard and 3/4" spurs. Maybe, I didn't measure any of these lol

The breasts/breastplate is in the freezer waiting to be smoked next week and I simmeredthe legs and thighs last night for 9 hours.  Fall off the bone. 











a few ramps to add to the onions



turkey fajitas. would never guess it wasn't shredded beef

[AppalachianHollers]

Congrats on some beastly persistence!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Greg Massey]

Glad for you getting your gobbler , and the dark meat all cooked up looks yummy ...

[Tom007]

Wow, slammer public bird. You should open a restaurant. I am impressed with those dishes. You just made me hungry....congrats

[bigriverbum]

Wow, slammer public bird. You should open a restaurant. I am impressed with those dishes. You just made me hungry....congrats

thanks! please ignore the detail that i used parmesan cheese! in these "trying times" we were all out of cotija or feta

[Tom007]

Does not matter, looks delicious.......Looking forward to stopping in to The Big Riverbum Cafe......

[Magdump]

What a well earned bird!  Well done sir!

[Yoteduster]

Congrats on a well earned gobbler

[JeffC]

Congrats on a hard earned turkey.

[Tomfoolery]

Congrats on a great hunt.  But you can't be posting pics of a meal like that without a recipe!

[MNGobbler]

Congrats to you on your first public land bird and a dandy to boot! Your persistence was rewarded and that is what makes turkey hunting so addicting is the story you told us!!
The meal looks killer as well and agree pictures without a recipe!? Don't hold out on us... 

[Muzzy61]

Congrats. Now my hungry.

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

Congrats man!

[bigriverbum]

Pretty simple. I don't use recipes. I do 95% of the cooking in our house and usually wing it.

Frontera taco skillet sauce
Sliced pablano, green/red peppers
Sweet onion and wild ramps sliced
Sour cream
Cotija or feta cheese
Cilantro
Cayenne, paprika, garlic to desired heat

Put whole legs in chili pot
Cover with water and some stock
Simmer on LOW for 8 or 9 hours
Pull meat off bone and shred with hands
Simmer with sauce
Built fajita and douse in favorite hot sauce

[bigriverbum]

I leave the breast plate attached to the breasts for smoking. Helps hold meat up for better smoke distribution and you can put a can of beer or cranberry juice underneath it.

Use toothpicks to cover every inch in bacon.

Smoke with cherry or Applewood chips on LOW for a good 8 hours