Some local hunters I talked to over the weekend were complaining about the wet and windy weather but it can be an asset when the longbeards are "henned up"; some lose their hens before fly-up and apparently spend uneasy nights worrying about where the gals have gone as they're tossed about by the wind and soaked through the feathers. They can't wait to get on the ground come morning and relocate the AWOL hens. This can create extended ground gobbling sessions with the big boys overly aggressive and once again acting plain dumb:^) The last few wet and wild days have produced some great hunting here in KY. I shot this lonely fellow through the "goodie box" mid-day Monday while kneeling in a big stand of river cane . . . used a 60 pound Acadian Woods Tree Stick and Terminator 250 broadhead. A pretty good bird; 10" beard, 1 1/8" spurs, and weighed 24 pounds. It took an fluffing with an old towel plus an hour of hang time to dry him up enough for these photos. At least he didn't land in the rushing creek where he was heading when he finally tipped over:^)! The old Rancho Safari "Shaggie" came through again.
(NOTE: Hit F5 on your keyboard to refresh if the photos fail to load.)
(http://kystrut.com/2010turkeya.jpg)
(http://kystrut.com/2010turkeyb.jpg)
Nice bird! Congrats
Very nice indeed!
Awesome Gary, I'm proud for you. Like the bird but love the bow. Beautiful.
BEAUTIFUL !!!
Nice bird! I need to move back home LOL
Thanks Tom. I had to work my butt off to get him. Despite all of the pre-season talk of massive numbers of verbal two year olds running amok in the KY woods, well, I haven't been seeing anything like what was predicted. No cakewalk for sure. Where I'm hunting the big boys have been "with hen" and the 2 year olds have been scared to approach any decoys that remotely look like they might kick their tail feathers. The rain and wind really helped my situation by scattering some birds.
Nice bird Gary.
congratulations....Beautiful Pics... :clapper:
Very nice Gary! Congrats! How did your son do? :thumbsup:
Way to go Gary, NICE Bird and even nicer pics!
Nice bird Gary congrats.
Congratulations. Nice bird and outfit
Great Job Gary! Those ghillies work great dont they. WE are having the huge numbers of birds here in Wayne co., Ky. Usual spring kill on gobblers is 125-150 for the county, as of yesterday we had 419 gobblers checked in, about the most of any central or eastern counties! Again, Congrats.
So, THAT'S where all of the turkey's went WAYNE COUNTY:^)???
Ryan, my son hasn't gotten to go a lot due to school, but I have plans to take him on a "turkey camp" before the season wraps May 9. This weekend's forecast looks bad though . . . and by the way thanks for sending the TShirts and caps, nice products. I'll take some pix of Joseph wearing them in camp.
FYI: We haven't seen our turkey poacher since opening morning of the youth season when we lit a fire under his butt by calling in the CO. I hear that he lost his gun and was fined:^)
QuoteOriginally posted by koger:
Great Job Gary! Those ghillies work great dont they. WE are having the huge numbers of birds here in Wayne co., Ky. Usual spring kill on gobblers is 125-150 for the county, as of yesterday we had 419 gobblers checked in, about the most of any central or eastern counties! Again, Congrats.
Sam, almost all county harvests are way up. Talking to biologists this is due to a bumper crop of 2 year old birds, a mild winter, a rainy season last spring and the locust hatch we had last year.
Have I said how much I love Kentucky lately... :bigsmyl:
Awesome Gary! Congrats on the bird. Things have been a little slow up here in Ohio. But it doesn't matter cuz I just love been in the woods in the morning while everythings waking up. I hope you and your son have some luck.
You where talking about some locals complaining about the weather. Sounds like it was pretty good for turkey huntin'.
I always said by golly I was born wet, I can hunt wet!
Just tell'em you gotta want it!
KentuckyTJ...
I was born and raised in KY and you are right about lovin it. My Dad drug me up here. I need to start making a trip or two every year back home to hunt for sure.
Nice bird congrats.
Congratulations on a nice gobbler. Great photos...
Awesome Gary, Have been trying to do this all season with a ghillie. Birds are just staying out of my effective range. How far was the old Tom when you shot him. Glad to hear that the poacher is gone. Tom
VERY NICE Bird!! :thumbsup: Congratulations!! :clapper: :clapper: :clapper: :archer2:
Congrats!!! :thumbsup:
Great pics!
About ten steps Tom. I can't hit-em much farther than that:^) Hunting in a Shaggie is fun stuff, BUT KEEPING STILL (and your wits) IS VERY STRESSFUL. When I want to relax I hunt from my son's blind. Problem is, most of the cooperative birds this year have been made to order for "run and arrow" techniques. I know the area extremely well, so can get in front of a bird once I know where he's sounding off. Having a good hunch where they're heading is a big advantage. There are stands of river cane along the creek bottoms where the birds sometimes travel and I have created makeshift blinds in a few of them by snipping off the center "can poles" so I can kneel in wait. You are virtually invisible dressed in a Shaggie among the cane. Add a decoy or two for them to focus on and good shots are definite possibilities.
Way to get it done Gary....I'm gonna hit em hard this weekend but I'll be in a blind...that ghillie looks like the way to go,I'm sure it beats running around with 35lbs of gear on ya back...
:thumbsup: Nice bird!
OUTSTANDING Gary . Congrats on a fine Gobbler
Nothing wrong with a blind Mark,I've tagged a lot of birds that way. Sometimes it's the only way you'll kill them with a bow. A blind is a good choice this weekend considering all of the heavy rain they're forecasting . . . Churchill Downs will be one muddy track!
Congrats Gary :clapper:
What were you using for decoys, your "secret weapon"?
Very nice!!
Great bird, great pics, great :thumbsup:
Now that's outstanding! Congrats! :clapper:
Yes, I pulled out all the stops Curt amd used old "Frankenturkey" once again, aka the ugliest taxidermist mounted decoy in KY:^) The wind was whipping through his tattered feathers giving him that "that alive and kicking" look. I've gone through a tube of Shoe Goo this season keeping his wings attached.
very nice
Great job Gary!! :notworthy:
Great job with that Tree Stick Gary.
:thumbsup:
Billy
Great story...I love it when someone really knows what these critters are up to and can tell the gang...awesome
Jer Bear
It's a great bird,good shooting.
Guru had his first go at a turkey using a the "Shaggie" styled suit he made recently. Check out his thread . . . I think he may be a new convert to the ways of Big Foot:^)