I love listen to there non-stop gobbling while in the trees, today was one of those days were they never stopped even when they hit the ground. Lots of gobbles every direction can't beat it makes a person feel alive.
I took a buddy and fellow Tradganger out opening day and helped him get a good bird. I noticed how bad my gobbler decoys tail was getting after several years of being beat up. I told Paul I needed to shoot a Jake for a new tail when I got a chance, well today was the first day and chance Ive had.
Most of the hens and gobblers headed for water right off but a hour later after nonstop gobbling through the whole valley I noticed 5 jakes entering my clearing. They seen the dekes and came right in never touched a call, they started harassing the decoy and that's when I picked one mostly facing me and let him have it. He went down almost immediately, kinda flopped once and was done 8yds from the decoy. The others picked on him a while got bored and finally left putting the whole way.
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/55C64ADA-2DB8-44F5-88B4-500D7206F236_zpsqnzqmxso.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/55C64ADA-2DB8-44F5-88B4-500D7206F236_zpsqnzqmxso.jpg.html)
200G Ace took out another one!
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/01F5D2C5-79ED-4EC2-B0AD-36ACD306C7A8_zpsa7kuhti2.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/01F5D2C5-79ED-4EC2-B0AD-36ACD306C7A8_zpsa7kuhti2.jpg.html)
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/6EFED14B-E7D9-41DA-B59A-B00B793733EA_zps6mug2bde.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/6EFED14B-E7D9-41DA-B59A-B00B793733EA_zps6mug2bde.jpg.html)
The set up!
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/D04369DC-18CE-41E9-831C-3CECA611048C_zpsr7gejlsw.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/D04369DC-18CE-41E9-831C-3CECA611048C_zpsr7gejlsw.jpg.html)
See if I can't find one of those long beards now. Thanks for looking.
Tracy
Congrats
The kill shot was right in the boiler room, passing thru and hitting the far hip shattering it. I have never got a pass thru on this shot but it sure puts them down hard.
Those 200G Ace heads always leave some big old holes!
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/1B7DF005-A5DC-4CD3-89D9-1D0A1B3E90EC_zpsbx527sxq.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1B7DF005-A5DC-4CD3-89D9-1D0A1B3E90EC_zpsbx527sxq.jpg.html)
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/Mobile%20Uploads/9EC5DA23-3101-4B74-BCE0-BD6751D33737_zpsbzslpqop.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/Mobile%20Uploads/9EC5DA23-3101-4B74-BCE0-BD6751D33737_zpsbzslpqop.jpg.html)
Tracy
Congratulations! That is very cool. Nice shot and beautiful bow.
Congrats, great shot!
NICE!!! :thumbsup: Great pixs too!!!!
Awesome, congrats!
:thumbsup:
Great job Tracy! Love the photos. I am hoping to connect on a bird this year.
congrats
Excellent!! Awesome job!!
Congrats on the hunt and thanks for the great pictures!
Nice work Tracy!
Very nice man! Great shot on a great bird!!
Congrats!
Love your threads, Tracy. Great hunt.
Jake
Congrats. I can't wait to get after them in the morning. Thanks for sharing. God bless.
I can't wait great shot!
Nicely done! odd how its easier to get pass through on a deer than a turkey.
Congrats! Nice pix.
Good Shooting!
Congrats on a nice bird ....GOOD SHOOTING!
Perfect. Killing machine. . .
Better get some gravy ready. Nice bird.
QuoteOriginally posted by mangonboat:
Nicely done! odd how its easier to get pass through on a deer than a turkey.
Very true! But just about everywhere you shoot a turkey to kill it your going to have to hit bone of some kind and they absorb so much of the energy of the arrow when it hits them is why. Don't get me wrong I do get pass through's but not very often, it kills them just as good. :D
Thanks for the nice comments and looking.
Tracy
Sweet! Congrats brother! Perfect pics! :thumbsup:
They are tough birds for sure! Both of mine this year took my arrows with them!
Congrats...
Is that a flambeu decoy?
Way to go buddy!! :thumbsup:
I think it's a old Primos gobbler called B mobile or something Charlie. Had him for several years now He's been beat up, knocked down and stood on but still working good. Better pick of him!
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/null_zpsabec056f.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/null_zpsabec056f.jpg.html)
The hens are Avian's!
Tracy
Great job Tracy!!
Way to go. My season starts next week. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great job :)
Thanks Tracy, I have the flambeu King Strut. I dont have a jake tail but thought if I extended the middle feathers of a Tom Tail, it would work the same.
Congrats again!
Way to go Buddy! Great shot, right in the 12 ring. :thumbsup: :notworthy:
No "Putts" this time eh..? ;)
Nice one Tracy! Congrats! The tail will serve a good purpose, but I'll bet he eats great too. :thumbsup:
Congrats, what a great way to start the season.
Congrats!
Congrats. :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Well done! I'm with you, there is something magical about when they start talking in the morning! Congrats on a job well done!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Awesome job! Nothing like the sound of a gobble from a wild turkey
That would work great Charlie good luck bud!
Oh there was lots of putting again Paul but this time because of there dead buddy on the ground. :bigsmyl:
You bet Joe, we're going to cook some of him up today with some fresh morel mushrooms and fresh asparagus. :thumbs up:
Thanks and good luck!
Tracy
Congratulations! I'm still working for that first trad-bird. I love to hear'em gobbling in the mornings too!
Nice work!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
what kind of bow is that?? very pretty, i like your arrows too. man that looks like great whitetail country. nice shot!
Congrats on a great hunt, and some great shooting. :thumbsup: loved the pics and story, thanks for sharing.
Bob
Pete, that's a Mohawk but I modified the grip. Lots of Mojo in that bow turkeys and deer. :D My arrows are made by Treekiller on here, been getting arrows from him for years. Great guy!
There's a few deer around here, my son killed his biggest buck a 187pt 50yds behind that blind. He's still trying to top dad and getting closer I'm sure he will one of these days he's quite a bowhunter.
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/t1-4.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/t1-4.jpg.html)
I have know idea how many deer and turkeys we have killed in that little valley. This will be the last year to hunt that clearing those stumps in the picks are because there getting ready to build a house right next to that blind. :dunno:
I've had a lot of my Tradgang buddy's hunt right there with us in that valley. I think we're all going to miss that spot but will just move up in woods farther up on the ridges. Already have stands there anyway been hunting this place for over 20 yrs.
Tracy
Very nice!
Guess those folks were right when they said that there were a lot of turkeys around there. :)
what a beast! i dont care where you live thats a world class whitetail...pic made my day!
Tracy,
Well done on the bird....!
Congrats Tracy! I know that exact spot. Remember being there. That is a fantastic hunting spot! Could happen to a better guy! Now for number 2.
Nice Tracy! :thumbsup:
Nicely done Tracy! Are those the same arrows I made you several years ago? Getting a lot of use out of them if they are! :thumbsup:
Way to go!
Congrats,
Bisch
Yes Ron, same set! You know that your arrows are all I shoot buddy and that set is is unreal tuff. Shot six animals with them last year and only broke two and this one was fine after killing this turkey. :thumbsup:
Still need a new set though I'm down to 5, time to order :D
Thanks guys, hope everybody has a great season!!!
Tracy
Congrats brother :clapper:
nice congratz..r you wearing black inside your blind??
QuoteOriginally posted by trubltrubl:
nice congratz..r you wearing black inside your blind??
Not this time, the blind is facing NW and nice and dark on a morning hunt. This is what I was wearing but I did have a camo half mask on I made.
(http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac248/TmPotter47/93C2B90F-2E2B-4C13-AF93-61318D3A8EEE_zpsdvkwrydx.jpg) (http://s904.photobucket.com/user/TmPotter47/media/93C2B90F-2E2B-4C13-AF93-61318D3A8EEE_zpsdvkwrydx.jpg.html)
If it was facing the sun I would defently had black on my upper body and face. Most of the time there focused on the decoys anyway but it dosent hurt.
Tracy
:clapper:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Congrats again brother!!!
Awesome! Big congrats!
congrats. I had the same type of gobbling that very same morning in Iowa.
Love the way you set up your blind!
:clapper:
That man just looks like a killer!!! :archer2:
Nice job like always.
bretto
The "Kansas Killa" strikes again!! Congrats brother, you make it seem so easy most of the time!!
For those that don't know Tracy, he's as fine a woodsman as I've eve been around, super guy, a true asset to traditional archery!!
Sorry to read of the house going up in the clearing...
Thanks guys for the comments sure hope everybody gets a chance to fill there tags this year. :bigsmyl:
Curt, brother I feel the same about you my friend always a pleasure to hunt and just be around you my friend. Sure wish we didnt live so far a part and looking forward to this fall and helping you drag a big buck out at Kenny's.
Good luck to you and Cade looking forward to the story's and picks can't wait. :wavey:
Tracy