Beautiful Morning this Morning. I was up before daylight and walking through last years peanut feild to a ridge I had already set a blind up on so the birds would be used to it.Walked up on a near Suicide possum in the dark.When I almost stepped on him in the dark I thought I was snakebit because he hissed like a fat Cottonmouth.
I eased on in and got in my blind after checking it for snakes....
Daylight broke and the Ridge was alive. Squirrels and birds were active but no Gobbles. I know there are Turkeys here becuse I have hunted this place 30 years so I sat back in my chair and waited. The Turkeys were coming to the field everyday and were in it after lunch everyday I checked so I felt confident .
I yelped a few soft yelps every 15 minutes or so and around 8:30 a gobbler hammered three times in a row. I called to him and no answer.I laid the slate down and got ready. 30 minutes...nothing. I heard something to my left oppisite where the Gobbler was at and caught this fella checking me out. Its a gift from God to see stuff like this in the woods..
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/IMG_0793.jpg) (http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/?action=view¤t=IMG_0793.jpg)
More time went by and no Bird. I almost reached for the call and reached for a pack of crackers instead.After a couple of bites I looked over for my water bottle and almost choked. A big Tom was in front of the blind at ten yards . I got the bow up ..Mudfeathers Wesley Special and got ready. I nicked something with the bottom limb and it made a small ding and everything started going to the bad fast. The Big Tom got by a Pine and would have got away but he turned back headed for the swamp instead of running towards the field.I hit a bit forward of the hips where I like to shoot Turkeys but I got lucky and he only went a little ways. Shot him with a Simmons Interceptor I got from the hogslayer Chris Surtees.2 year old bird I think.RC
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/IMG_0797.jpg) (http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/?action=view¤t=IMG_0797.jpg)
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/IMG_0800.jpg)
Awesome RC! Congratulations and thanks for the pictures and story! :thumbsup: You had a lot of "Mojo" going for you.
Way to go RC !!!!!!!!!!!! :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
Awesome!!! Great shooting buddy!! That squirrel is beautiful too, really neat looking colors!
Fantastic!! Nice conect on what must have been a tough moving shot. :clapper:
Good going Robert....
Nice job...did you get change for your dollar...lol!
outstanding!!!!!!
real awesome rc! that top pic is cool what a funny looking treerat.
Congrats!,,,,unlucky for that bird you didn't hear a hog squeal.!
Sweeeet! I have to hand it to ya man. Keeping it together with an alert bird and making the shot under pressure deserves a big thumbs up :)
Congrats! Goodness May can't get here fast enough!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats! :thumbsup:
Congrats RC. Nice bird and great story.
Congrats RC, that's a nice looking bird. 16 more days til our season opens. Can't wait.
BOB
Graet job RC! Nice bird...thanks for sharing the story and pic's.
:thumbsup: :clapper: :clapper: Great to see.
Real nice bird! Right on!
Great bird and nice looking squirrel.
Sweet! Hope to get my first turkey in a couple weeks.
Swet my friend, very Sweet! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats! Great job! :thumbsup:
Awesome job on the gobbler! And thats a really cool looking squirrel!
Way to go RC congradulations.That squirrel looks like a lemur, very cool!
Well done. Impressive that you could maneuver in a blind with that big old Wesley!
Now you only need two more to fill your tag for the season!
When i saw the topic i got excited (thats just me) and when i saw pics....well lets just say i'm glad i was alone.
Nicely done, Congrats!
Nice shootin' and thanks for the pictures and takin' us along.
Our season doesn't start for 15 days, I can't wait to get out in the snow after some Meriams!
Nice bird!
Congrats RC. Enjoyed the pictures/story. Looks like you were truly in "Gods Country". :thumbsup:
Great trophy RC! I really like the pic you took of the bird and blind in the backround - Awesome!!
Nice, congrats!
Congrats!
Awesome :thumbsup: now you can shoot some more pigs :thumbsup:
Way to go RC! :thumbsup:
NICE!!
Fantastic!
Great job, and story/pics!
Man, what I would do to have our season open...gotta wait til May up here!!
Awesome - loved the story....loved how you had to check you blind for SNAKES too.
Jer Bear
:thumbsup: Way to go! Four weeks today till our season opens up.
Nice bird! Congrats!! :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :clapper:
Great stuff! Congrats :notworthy: :clapper:
Beautiful bird.. thanks for sharing the pics with us..
John III
Congrats Robert!
Do you have any other pix of your bird bud? I noticed something "weird" about it and if I saw more pix I won't think I'm nuts! :confused:
Any spur and head pix? Or more any other close-up pix of the whole bird?
nice bird
:thumbsup: Great bird!!
:clapper: :clapper: ya Baby!!
Congratulations!
NICE!!
congrats!!! :archer:
Congratulations RC! Good shooting.
All Right !!!
Congratulations !!
Very nice bro!!!
Way to go RC! Congrats my man!!!
Awesome RC !!! Hills all the way !!!
Way to go RC.....that's awesome!!!!!!!!
David
That's really cool, Robert. Good shooting.
Looks like a nice bird. Maybe one day..........
Dan
Way to go, RC! That is awesome! :clapper:
That's so cool
REAL NICE BIRD :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good going RC!!!
Thanks for posting!!!
As always, great shooting!!! :thumbsup:
Way to go RC!!! :bigsmyl:
Great bird RC! Thanks for the inspiration! Our season starts next week.
Sweet...... VA turkey opens up April 10... I hope to duplicate it.......
Congrats......
Nice Bird! :clapper:
Thanks Guys.
Curt I did`nt take but a couple of pics. I tried to get the blind,peanut field and bow all in one. I mostly did show and tell with the video camera at home.I`m trying to get a bunch of stuff on a seasonal dvd like Mr. Womack does.
If your talking about the frazzled breast feathers they are the first I`ve seen like that on a two year old bird. I`ve seen a lot of jakes like that here. He had 3/4 spurs.He had a good bit of red on his head but no white cap.RC
Congrats!
Awesome Job. I'm going tomorrow am! HOOOOO
Goooood Stuff!!!!
congrats RC...beautiful bird!!! :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Sweet!!
Awesome! :thumbsup:
Way to go! Beautiful bird.
Nice bird RC congratulations. Always enjoy your stories.
Nice shooting, Congrats!! :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Tracy
Way to go RC.
Awesome stuff RC, congrats! Our season opens April 17th.
Awesome congrats
Congrtulations. Great job. I am going to try for my first traditional bowhunting bird on April 15.
Good stuff RC.
Yes sir Robert, that was it. I guess it's the taxidermist/turkey fanatic in me that makes me notice things like that :knothead:
I've never in all my years seen a gobbler with brown tipped "wispy", for lack of a better term, breast feathers.
It's normal for hens....I thought maybe you'd shot a giant, world class bearded hen.
I know turkeys come in "color phases" like most other critters, but even still, had never seen breast feathers like that on a gobbler.
Pretty cool man, congrats again!
nice bird, congrats
Way to keep the composure. Come on April 10th.
Great job buddy!
Good one RC!!
Congratulations. Nice bird. I can't wait till Michigan's season begins.
Way to go Swamp Rat!!
RC I like your style of hunting ! Sure wished you lived close by so you could teach me a thing or two . Nice Bird !
Guru, I`m trying to find pics of a blonde Jake I killed 7 years ago.It had feathers like that as well as being blonde.
Britman I get awful lucky sometimes just from being there.RC
My friends told me I should`nt have been proud of the blonde Jake because ...well...it was blonde. RC
RC,
Do you use a decoy with your blind setup?
I use two hens at about 10-12 yards. I did`nt on this time. RC
Mr RC you are a machine ! Way to go.
That is *awesome* RC!
Nice shootin' and enjoy that Wesley!
Shoot straight, Shinken
Great Bird !!!!!!!!!!
Good Job.
DD
OUTSTANDING CONGRATS RC :thumbsup: