QuoteOriginally posted by huntmaster70:
Thanks for posting Sockrsblur!  Top bird I got this morning,bottom bird was yesterday morning

Not bad for an old guy........    Heck, any guy.......well done  

No problem Charlie on the pics. I was thinking about the last two mornings- these birds really co-operated, I wonder if there is a lack of hens making them more "receptive" to calling? I didn't hear or see any either morning, & The past few weekends when I was scouting around my area I didn't see any either.

I had a news flash this morning that a couple turkeys were ravaged by a Sasquatch in NY...    :eek:   I guess its true....        

Nice shooting Terry.  

Congrats Terry,well done.

Turkey down! 6:30 AM this morning. 1" spurs, 9" beard. Story and pictures soon.   :D    

Bob

congrats Bob!

Congrats Terry! Way to go!!!

Congrats again! Great pix.

Thanks Terry. Sorry I haven't gotten back with a picture yet, the grandkids have been here all day. I'll get to it.

Bob

CONGRATULATIONS, Bob!!!!!!!!!!      

Thanks woodchucker. I guess I better at least tell  you about the hunt, and hopefully I can get a couple pictures up at some point today. I'm not very good with this kind of stuff. Anyway....

I decided to start the day in the end of a hedgerow that juts out into an old pasture. There's an old fallen tree there, with a mound of dirt behind it that breaks my outline, and a smaller downed tree about four feet in front of it. Each year before season, I brush the sides and front in a little to help hide me better. On an average year, when we have more birds than we seem to this year, I'll have birds roosting on both sides of me before they fly down and come out into the fields.

As it started to lighten up, a bird cut loose in the woods across the field to my left. When it lightened up enough out in the field, I gave him one loud cackle and shut up. I didn't count them, but he must have gobbled 30 times before he flew down. When I could tell that he was on the ground, I gave him a few yelps, and it was on. a short time later, his muffled gobbles told me that he was in a dip on the other side of the field and headed my way. I called again and he gobbled, closer this time. We had a stand of small thick spruce trees between us at this point, and I could tell he was getting close to them. Gobble, gobble, gobble. It's crazy how many things can happen between this point, and loosing an arrow, but you can't help getting excited. About the time I was expecting him to come around the end of the spruces along an old fence line, and into the part of the field I was in, a hen started yelping non stop to his left, and moving towards him. They got together behind the trees and he shut up. The hen kept answering me, but they started moving along the back side of the trees parallel to, and away from me. Either way, I knew they'd come out into the field, but the way they were headed, would bring them out a couple hundred yards away from me and over a slight rise, instead of the 60 yards, and in sight of my decoy, if they'd come out where he was headed to start with. I couldn't see them when they came out in the field, but the hen and I were still talking back and forth at this point, and then the tom gobbled again. I poured on the calling, and the hen gave it right back, but no more gobbles. I turned a little to face the direction of the birds, and in a few minutes, I could see the gobbler strutting through the branches of the trees in the hedgerow, about a hundred yards off. They'd crossed to my side of the field. A couple minutes later, I could see the hen coming towards me, walking fast. Oh boy! she came to within 20 yards of me, then turned into the hedgerow where I was hiding. I thought she was crossing into the other field, but as soon as she got into the hedgerow with me, she turned and started through the thick stuff right toward me. She came to within less than ten yards, turned, and went around the mound of dirt I mentioned, and walked back into the field and around me. At this point, I could have almost kicked her. I was watching her out of the corner of my eye, praying that she wouldn't spot me, when it dawned on me that I could hear the tom drumming back where she'd just come from. When I turned my eyes back in that direction, there he is, IN THE HEDGEROW, where the hen was just standing. I was expecting him to stay in the field, and come right along the edge to me, but he must have thought she was crossing into the other field too, and was following her. Now I've got what I realise is a nice bird, ten yards in front of me, but no shot, and I can hear the hen directly behind me walking in the dry leaves and purring. If I bat an eyebrow, I'm busted. The tom was putting on quite a show for being in cover as thick as it was, and then turned back out toward the field where I'd have a shot, IF this played out right. Once he'd taken the few steps that brought him into the open again, he walked about 15 yards into the field where he could see my decoy, and the hen that I could still hear behind me, but sounded a little further away. He started to strut again and walked up to my decoy. Meanwhile Im hoping the hen keeps going. The farther away she gets, the less chance of her seeing me draw, and she's behind me, so I can't see her, but she's moving away from me, so I'm hoping when I do, that she's facing away from me. I just want to say at this point, that if I could bottle the way I feel right now, I could probably put every drug dealer in the country out of business lol. After the gobbler had shown off for the "hen" for a few minutes, he turned his head and looked toward the spruces. That's when I drew. I got lucky. He didn't see me, and no alarm put from the hen behind me. I let the arrow fly, and made what looked like a good hit. The gobbler jumped at the hit, and started to hurry across the field, and I reached for the other arrow I always keep next to me just in case, but it wasn't needed. By the time I had it ready, he was down. I gave him some time to make sure it was over, then walked out to look at my bird. Like I said above, he had a 9" beard, and sharp 1" spurs. I haven't weighed a turkey in years, and I won't guess at his weight, but he was a load to carry back to the house.

As exciting as the hunt was, and as happy as I am to have taken that bird, I have mixed emotions over it. Our turkey numbers are down a LOT this year from what they usually are, and I can't help feeling a little guilty over killing one.

Bob

GREAT Story, Bob!!!!! Thanks for sharing your hunt with us!!!

You're welcome, thanks for taking the time to read it. I'm hoping I can figure out how to post the pictures. They're just crappy quality flip phone pics, but at least they're pictures. Thanks again.

Bob

Woo Hoo, way to go Bob!

Thanks Charlie. I'm going to give the pics another try in a minute, hopefully it works.

Bob

Got home from work 5am...slept til 8:30 then dressed up and headed out back. Decided to hunt the eastern side of the property, more open orchards.

The sun was out and already getting hot. One hour of calling produced nothing. At 10:30 a tom gobbles to the north roughly 300 yds away. He's walking the perimeter, circling and gobbling every so often. I'm hidden by a rock on the south end of a small knob.

Depending where he comes in, my only shot is slightly down hill to my left where a few oaks will hide my draw. Maybe 20 minutes later he's 100 yds in front of me, gobbling and displaying. Time to sweet talk then keep quiet.

Finally I see the tom make his way in...40...30...then at roughly 25 yds, stops and shakes the woods with a gobble. Please go left...he slowly starts working his way to my right.

I have to cover to hide my draw and worse case scenario he walks by at maybe 10 yds and sees me or walks by me. Decision time...I draw back "The Demon"...my nickname for the Kitittiney Longbow and...pick a spot and let fly the down hill shot.

My arrow hit just underneath the large breast. He was roughly 22 yds away, nice bird with probably a decent 8" beard. He bolted out of there totally unharmed. Such is the life of a turkey hunter not using a Pop Up blind and just relying on natural cover.

Maybe this week I can get out a few days before the weekend. This turkey hunting is addictive and just as exciting as bugling in a big bull elk.

I'm glad you saw some action just the same Joe. There have been years when I never loosed an arrow, but still had a blast. You described my favorite way to hunt turkeys. It isn't an easy way to hunt, but when everything works out, It's the ultimate IMO. Best of luck on your next hunt.  

Bob

I was finally able to get a couple pics uploaded. They're a couple posts up if you're interested in looking. Man, I need to take a computer class.    :rolleyes:  I apologise for the quality and size, I thought I had them resized a little larger, but I'm just glad I was finally able to post them.

Bob

Killed a nice bird yesterday morning.