New Memeber Saying Hello

[TookyRiverCalls]

Just wanted to say hello to other members on the forum and thought what better way then to start it off with some great news from my morning hunt ......................Well it's time to start thinking deer hunting!  I smoked my fall 2007 gobbler late this morning.  I won't get into the hunting story just yet seeing I've got a few things like cleaning my bird and taking a good nap. 

I will tell you, I started at 5:30 and didn't finish until about 12:30! It was my only hunt all day that ended with a sweet 20 yard or less shot.  Now he's not one of the bigger birds I've been seeing but it was an awesome hunt!  One that I'll never forget

Here are the turkey stats and a few photos
18 lbs. 7 ½" beard ¾" spurs
Tooky "Enticer" call (kept the hens close by for a longtime )

[Todd Rahm]

Nice Bird and welcome aboard.  Look'n foreward to the story.

[iahntr]

Very nice !
Welcome to FnF 

[FinsnFur]

You know how to make an entry don't ya  Welcome aboard.

Nice job on the bird, thanks for bringing it in. Can't wait to hear the story myself.

[Red Dog]

Great job with the stick and string Be watching for more. Welcome

[CCP]

Good Job and WELCOME to FnF TookyRiverCalls

[TookyRiverCalls]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.  Looking forward to learning a few things around here and hopefully able to help other when I can.

Now for the hunt.....it's a long story but I hope you enjoy it

   I have been hunting quite a few different birds since the season here in NH opened.  I've had a lot of missed opportunity and four misses   The birds I was hunting today, I've been after several times with no luck at all.  Hens didn't respond and the gobblers wouldn't even give my calling a second thought.  So this morning, I wanted to set up my blind where I've been seeing them the most in the early mornings to see if I could ambush them.  Well that plan might have work if I had remembered to put my blind in my truck.  I ended up sitting between two fields in a hedgerow that about 15 yards wide using a large stonewall as cover. 

I did want to try any early calling until I saw birds which unfortunately took until about 9 to happen.  Man it was a long wait!  The flock of three hens and 12 dozen Jennies I've seen before started working the larger of the two fields.  As they were feeding I notice they were doing a lot more talking than they have on my other hunts.  As they feed across the field away from me, I'd give the same tone clucks they were putting out and it brought them right back to the middle.  I figured the longer they're out there, the better my chances of the gobbler's joining in with them.  This went on several times before something spooked the birds and they all took flight out of the field.  I decided to sit it out another 30 minutes before packing it in. 

While waiting out the clock I thought I heard two gobbles (over lapping each other) from the tree line at the top of the field 100 to 150 yards away.  Because of the windy conditions, I wasn't sure and thought I was trying to make myself hear things that weren't there.  Well I wasn't!  It was gobbling I heard and it was right where I though it came from.  I moved in closer hoping to maybe catching them in the field if they decide to feed in it.  After another long wait and hearing a lot of gobbling to crows in the area, I decided to try and move in closer.  This meant backing out and taking a long hike around the field to them.  As I did that, I noticed the crow's kind of quit calling along with the gobbling.  So I gave my own crow call to see if they were still around.  They were so I used the crow call to move in on the birds.  They were just up on a flat above me about 40 yards away.  I'd wait for the wind to blow to use it to cover me moving hoping it would cover my approach up the hill.  I actually came to a spot where the sun was shinning real well through the tree tops.  I didn't dare try and make it across it so I back down the hill and came up the other side of the hill along the field edge.  That idea wasn't as good either because they could probably see my silhouette against the field.  As I was making this move to the top of the hill, I heard a few gobbles and a few clucks from time to time but as I got to the top, it all stopped!  I thought for sure I was busted and it was time to go home.  I was too close to crow call and calling seemed to drive other gobblers away so I was stuck standing behind a group of trees just wondering where they were.

I had my bow committed to the left side of the trees I was stand behind and I keep peeking through and around them trying to see where the loud mouth gobblers were.  Next thing I knew they were walking about 25 yards away straight to me.  I started to panic a little about which side of the trees they would go.  If they went to the right, game over and I lose!  Well, they went left and I wasn't going to be picky as to which one I thumped.  I decided first one behind the tree 15 yards away was the one I was going to draw on, the heck with the others.  As soon as he went behind the tree I went to full draw but I did it too fast.   My arrow fell off on to my hand and I was messing around way too much getting it back on.  I remember thinking; I can't believe I'm going to blow this hunt and all this hard work over my arrow falling off the rest.  The other three gobblers were putting and heading out fast but the one I was trying to shoot just stood there.  By the time he decided something was wrong and started to join up with his comrades, it was too late.  I had tone and my arrow was being launched...........heard a loud thud and watch as the gobbler run off with my white wraps sticking out of his back.  As he turned and went around me, I could see the front half of my arrow sticking out the front of his chest.  Right on the mark   He ended up running a big "C" from where I shot him and died before getting to the field.  The way he ran, it was close to 75 yards, the way a crow flies from point of impact and where he died, 40 yards.

  The actually recovery is another long story that I won't get into   Let's just say what should have been a 15 minutes recovery (after I had waited 20 to 30 minutes) took about 45 minutes to an hour!  I've kicked myself several times already and even asked a good friend (when he sees me) to give me a good smack on the noggin!

Thanks again!  Off to bed now to get rest for some fishing on the big pond in the morning

TookyRiverCalls

[FinsnFur]

This guy can type! 

Sounds like you still had a blast amidst it all Tooky 

[Bills Custom Calls]

Way to go  Congrats on the bird That was some good reading

Welcome to the board TRC 

[HaMeR]

Welcome to the board Tooky!! Congrats on the bow bird too. I'm gonna try for one this fall myself. 



How bout some more info on those Tooky River Calls.

[studabaka]

Great story. Welcome to the board! I crindged when your arrow came off the rest. Felt like I was there...heck, felt Like one of my hunts  We only have a spring season here  I'll have to see how this bow hunting works out for deer before I think about going for turkey with one.

[wv_yoter]

Great story & pics, welcome to the board.

[Silencer]

Howdy Tooky, nice to meet new bird hunters. Spring Gobbler's my fav !!!!!

Welcome aboard, congrats on the bird with bow

Vic

[TookyRiverCalls]

Thanks again for the welcomes and the comments   Next time I'll try to cut my posting down a little without skipping too much excitement.

Howdy Tooky, nice to meet new bird hunters. Spring Gobbler's my fav !!!!!

Welcome aboard, congrats on the bird with bow

Vic

Yeah, I've been a THA for quite awhile now and I hope to never change!  For those that don't know what THA is, it's a TURKEY HUNTING ADDICT

Great story & pics, welcome to the board.

What happened to our boys the other Friday night?  I can't believe we let them do it to us again   I also can't believe what I caught the end off tonight! 2X

Welcome to the board Tooky!! Congrats on the bow bird too. I'm gonna try for one this fall myself. 

How bout some more info on those Tooky River Calls.

I started stretching my own mouth calls in the spring 2006.  With some awesome advice from a few great call makers, I'm now just starting to turn pot & strikers calls, grunt tubes and crow calls.  I need to ask a staff member about adding my wed site address to my signature.  I know how, I just don't know if it's OK

[studabaka]

I believe the official position about adding a link to your sig line is 'you'd be silly not to'.

.... though clearly the hope is that you reciprocate via participating and contributing to the camaraderie and learning in the forums..... I'm thinking your off to a great start there

[wv_yoter]

Tooky, I think USF just has our number right now but there's still time to win the Big East. Besides a good butt whoopin might do them some good.