Gotta start with thanks to the Good Lord as he continues to bless. I also gotta admit I often get down right ...LUCKY.
My honey hole near home has been sold,clearcut and purty much mangled up. I had these birds figured out for sometime now as they do almost the same every year as they have since I been a Turkey hunter and thats been sometime. Since the carnage on the woods here I have been really saddened by the lack of Turkey sign. The Bottom Chris killed his bird in here a couple of years ago got cut as well so I had my mind set on public land this year and a new to me lease I was blessed to be able to get in.
Last Thursday I was walking around shooting my bow and waded a run of water onto an Island I`ve killed deer and Turkeys on in the past and found a few Turkey tracks and some strut sign and some dustings as well. I like to hunt an area with dustings because that usually means Turkeys at any time of day not just morning birds. I went home and got a trail camera and put it on an opening with scratchings and a dusting hole. I went back and checked it around 11:00 today and it had two different pics of Turkeys from yesterday. I have my camera set on 5 minute delay.....
After looking at these pictures today I decided to take my blind down to the Island and get it set up . If nothing else it would be ready for in the Morning. I get down there...set up the blind with wet feet as the water had risen a bit and went over my boots. The wind is howling and I had to tie the blind down to keep it from flipping. I then realized I had left my Tree Shark tipped arrow on my desk in my bow room after I touched it up. No problem because I had a Dawgware full of tiger Sharks. I also typical of me on the first hunt of the year for me for anything forgot my vest with decoys and calls in it.I had a mouth call in my front pocket which ended up being enough...
:)
:coffee:
:campfire:
Love your stories RC!
Patience, he'll be back.
QuoteOriginally posted by fnshtr:
:campfire:
Love your stories RC!
:campfire: Agreed some of the best.
:archer2:
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/WGI_0013-1_zps04d53127.jpg)
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/WGI_0010_zps564b7134.jpg)
look at the strutter in the back...
:jumper: Surprise, surprise, surprise...kilt and RC in the same sentence!!!
I get the blind set get inside and open two of the four big windows and leave the netting up. I usually only open one to keep the blind dark inside but since I had forgot my Dekes I figured I would need more shooting/seeing room. I yelped a few times ....After about 10 minutes I decided I would close one as there was more light inside than I wanted. I zipped the one to my right simply because I was sitting better for a shot out the left...plain laziness..lol.
After about 10 more minutes I started out thinking myself as we sometimes do...called a couple more times and was going to open the window back just in case a bird came around the other side of the blind. About that time I heard one hammer down...maybe 40 yards away.....
My blind has zip up windows that are loud so there would be no unzipping. Luck was with me as the Bird came into veiw on my left side. He was "dressed out" as Brother John would say. He would strut and drum then unfold and take a step or two. I got the bow up as he was blowing back up. I don`t like to shoot strutting turkeys as there is a whole lot of false target showing then. He unfolds and the Simmons hits hard and he strikes out ..barely able to run. He sorta tried to fly but could not get in the air. He was out of sight but I felt good...Another bird sounds off behind me...
Congrats, RC! Keep it coming!
Bisch
And so begins the 2013 pile of dead stuff by RC!
Here we go. To get to this place you gotta go bout a half mile out of the back door to here...
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0395_zps84585be2.jpg)
cross and go here...
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0394_zps6475a165.jpg)
cross and go up the bank...
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0403_zps569d69f5.jpg)
Gods country. Set the blind up. I like to back the blind up against stuff for cover and to maybe cut down the places a bird can come from...
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0393_zps016802c8.jpg)
Congrats RC.. wondering about the other birds fate. :readit:
here I was thinking a trail cam picture of a bird in a kilt ...didn't know they were Scottish.
Good job RC I always enjoy reading about your hunts
Back to the tale. I sat and called and waited but the other Bird never showed. I got out and heard him fly through the swamp spooked...no patience on my part and walked the long 40 or so yards for my Bird. shot was 8 yards....
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0380_zps7ccd0e0b.jpg)
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0392_zpsf80005a4.jpg)
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w39/rcswampbucket/turkeys/IMG_0391_zpsd6c03c86.jpg)
If not for the trail camera pics I would have set the blind for in the mornings hunt. May still go back.
2 year old. 9" beard and 7/8 spurs.Thank you Lord.RC
Congrats again brother :thumbsup:
Way to go.
Congrats on a fine bird and thanks for the pictures and story!
Very nice. Can't wait still up to our necks in snow up here :banghead:
Congrats RC. Love your stories!
chris <><
Nice work!
:thumbsup:
Thank you RC for another enjoyable hunt to tag along on.
Way to go, RC !!!
Congrats again, RC.......now go get you another one!
Bisch
Way to go MR Robert!! :thumbsup:
:archer:
Congrats on a beautiful bird! Loved the story and photos as well. :clapper:
Good shootin brother Robert. DB
Way to go RC! You gotta be one of the best hunters I know. I LOVE your tales! Keep them coming!
awesome man, congrats and great story
Way to get on them swamper. :thumbsup:
Congrats RC. That stuff in the trees looks like the perfect cover for a blind.
Very nice!
:clapper:
You're a good man RC. :thumbsup:
Way to go RC! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Very nice. I love those southern woods. I miss S.C.
Way to do it RC, thanks for taking us along for the hunt. Iv' still got a month to wait. Pile em up bro. :thumbsup:
Way to go RC!!! :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Congrats! Nice shootin'. What kind of bow you got there, and what length?
Congrats!!! Great job RC. I really love reading you post. I need to come to GA sometime.
Great Tom and story RC, as always.
It was a pleasure meeting you at the Hill Gang hunt in Feb.
Bud
Way to go RC!
Gonna be another tough spring for gobblers in your area RC. Congrats on a fine one!
Cool !
Great stuff!
Well done great story telling and good scouting.
Pretty sweet stalker too.
Both wings pinned down! Cool!
:thumbsup: Thanks for sharing the story and Congrats!
Good job! :thumbsup:
Nice!
Great story! I really like the way you include so many pictures of the terrain you hunt. It really adds substance to your tales. Yep, I guess you still know to keep the pointy end down range when you pull back on the string. Congrats on a good shot on a nice bird!
Great job. Congrats!
You sir, are a killin machine. The part that gets me is you do it in some of the most unfriendly terrain.
Nice! I always enjoy your stories and pictures. That surely is different country from what I'm used to seeing in the upper midwest. Congratulations!
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Congrats and very well done1 Thanks for taking us on hunt with you. 4 weeks yesterday to opening day up here.
Well done buddy!
Good stuff RC! Congrats!!!
Way to go RC. Great story and pictures as usual.
Thanks for sharing and a big congrats! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Way to go RC! You are a critter getter!
Great tale !
Congrats on the the gobler.. Glad to see you back out amongst 'em
:clapper: :clapper:
Very cool hunt and awesome photos. Congrats!
:clapper: :clapper: Very fine RC, as usual !!
congrats :thumbsup: :clapper:
Good job RC! I always enjoy the pictures and stories from the swamp!!
Way cool Robert, congrats!
Nice way to start your season! Congrats!!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
Congrats RC!
:thumbsup:
Great way to start
Great stuff there!
Eric
A lot of guys would have been crying the blues because they lost their honey hole, but a true hunter finds another. Congratulations on the bird.
Great job, as always, Robert. Keep on hammering them. Beautiful bow, too.
Awesome! Congrats. Enjoyed it thanks!
Congrats Robert...good stuff!! :clapper:
If I were a critter in RC's neck of the woods I'd change my zip code!!!
Great story as usual....thanks for taking us along!
Nicely told, as always, Robert. Congratulations!
congrats. Thanks for the pics and story.
No one tells a story better thn RC. Thanks for sharing my friend. Made me feel like I was there. :thumbsup:
You sir, are a deadly man. Whoop whoop!!
:bigsmyl: :campfire:
That is *awesome* Brother RC!
Thanks for sharin' the hunt!
Enjoy the feast!
Celebrate a blessed Easter with your family!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
Thanks everyone for the comments. Somebody asked so here goes.
I was shooting "Charity" a Stalker "Coyote" longbow. Its 60" and 49@27 which is the heaviest bow by two pounds that I`ve hunted with in sometime. Big Jim Gold tips with Simmons Tiger Sharks.
I was hunting with Dave "itimgrow" several years ago and he told me about a friend of his that kills lots of Turkeys. Told me that no matter how the bird was standing he aimed between the birds legs up around mid body. This is the 6th Turkey I`ve killed since then shooting them like that and what can I say it works.RC
Well done RC!
All I can say if I ever had to pick someone to survive with out in the wilds, RC would be the man!! Great job you killin machine!! Shawn