Well I got up this morning, got my cup of coffee and sat down to check in here. I see where Brent shouted he is off chasing turkeys and given it's the first day here and I never tried calling them, I figured I'd take a walk out back and give it a try. Now I know nothing about calling turkeys or if there are any around. I camo up and grab this little box thing off the self. I don't remember where it came from, but it's been collecting dust around here for probably 20+ years. It seems to make a cluck sound when you give a little push on the dowel sticking out the side. Anyway, I walk back behind the house 300-400 yards and find a nice spot to sit close to the bottom of a low wet drainage between a couple of small ridges. Visability ain't bad....ie I can see out to shot gun range except for a few thick areas here and there. I pull out my little box and give a few pushes on the dowel. Wait maybe 30 seconds or so and do it again. All the time looking, but not really expecting anything as I hardly ever see tracks back there. Anyway, after 5-6 times doing this I hear a dog bark. Just a single bark that ends as abruptly as it started with no tailing off. Well at least a dog finds me interested I'm thinking, so I give him a few clucks back and darn if he doesn't bark again. So this is kinda fun and I do it again. He barks again, but this time he is noticably closer. I'm not sure how far, but at least 2-3 times what I can see, I figure, so maybe 150-200 yards. I give him a couple more clucks and he barks again, still closer. Now I'm watching close expecting so see him any moment. A few more clucks, but now he doesn't bark back. I wait a bit and try again, but just silence...... so now I'm thinking, was this a dog? do turkeys make noise when you call them? If they do, what do they sound like? Maybe this was a turkey? I darn near pulled out my cell phone to call Ragn...... After waiting maybe 5 minutes or so, I get up and head further down the trail. I go may 50-60 yards and darn, I hear the dog, only this time he is around the other side of me. I quick find a spot and sit down. Pull out my little box thing and give a few clucks, but now the dog is back near where he was before and apparently moving along the side or bottom of the ridge opposite the one I'm sitting at the bottom of. Cluck, cluck.... single bark, cluck cluck, single bark closer, cluck cluck, single b..... hey wait a second, that ain't a bark it's a gobble, cluck cluck , single gobble really darn close, but I can't see nothing. Cluck cluck, silence....... cluck cluck silence..... etc. Then a red tail lands 20 feet above my head and starts screaching. I just watch him for a minute or two and he flys off. Now where was I :confused: oh yea, cluck cluck and now here's that gobble coming from further down the trail. We trade a few clucks and gobbles and then silience, only this time I see movement coming up through the thick stuff between the ridges. I figure it must be a Tom right? I wasn't sure and while it probably got within 20-30 yards it was in and out of thick cover. Then I couldn't see it. I waited and watched for a while. Then tried a few clucks, but nothing.
Anyway, it was way more than I had expected and a whole lot of stuff I had never experienced. Amazing!!
So, I figure I got lucky [blessed], but would appreciate any input on just exactly what you are supposed to do and how to do it. The whole time I watched it, it was up wind moving to cross wind from me, but the first one was almost down wind. Do they care?
Stu,
I am no turkey expert but I have killed my share. Two things I can tell you that's the truth. #1 If a turkey could smell , you would never kill him . #2 The best way to kill a turkey is to get between him and where he wants to go.
Bob
Thanks.
I called in another this afternoon. Pretty sure it was a hen. She clucked back at me a couple times from the next ridge over and next thing I knew she was standin within 20 yards of me. I'm not sure who was more surprised. Think we spoted each other at the exact same time and she started running......fast!
I'm no expert turkey hunter either, Stu, but after 20+ years at it I can add some to what Bob D said..... you must have lots and lots of patience and above all sit stone still. The least little movement and the jig is up.
And it REALLY helps if you can find a gobbler with no hens around. :biggrin:
Brents guiding for the next several days...have to hit him up when he comes around if he dont see this.
Way to go Stu. I may have to come over there and let you call me one up. I have not heard a Gobbler here in three weeks.
You know the door is always open.
Stu,
Sounds like your hooked to me! I'm in Columbus testing for my Elc certs. But I got some free time here in the hotel before I head back home late tomorrow. I may haft to put this up in pieces over the next couple days ( I need to spend some time studying as bad as I hate to but I got to pass this test ) So, lets get started!
Turkeys in general are a moody bird. When a bird is hot! They will come! But when they are hened up they can be tough! Real tough! Theres a ton of info and opinions out there on Turkeys, some good some not so good and there's allot of tricks of the trade that can really cut the learning time in half. I figure we can break this down into topic's and we should be able to get allot of the high lights that can help someone out learning to hunt these birds.
In general.......
Turkeys are easy to find in the spring. The get all fired up and gobble before season starts, so a few mornings out at day light can put you right in the mix of them. This will also give you a good location of were the birds are roosting. And if they gobble good it will also give you a good idea of were they are going when they come off the roost. This can be a big help when the weather is bad or they are not gobbling good. I always make sure I know the area I'm hunting well. Sometimes they will hang up on little things like creeks, fences, thick brush or even ditches. So with a good look at the lay of the land when you get on a bird you can make sure you give him a good lane to approach your stand set up. Thats about all the scouting I do. I will try and locate around 30-50 birds per year. In several diffrent areas. If they are not ON in one area then they very well maybe ON in another.
Gear...........
Good camo from head to toe, face mask, gloves are a must. Turkeys have very good eye sight! And they pick up movement very well. Goos camo that blends into your area will be a big help. A good butt seat is a must! Helps you set still and keeps the rocks from poking you in the ass! Lots of guys use the Turkey vests and I do as well, but there not a must, they are nice to keep all your gear strait, mushroom bags, knife, toilet paper, water, snacks, and all that good stuff. I cover allot of ground for turkeys, I'm a run and gun hunter for them. A 10 mile day is not uncommon for me. So, a good drink of water is a must in these hills. I good set of shooting stix are good as well. It sucks when a bird is hung up at 50 yards for 20 min and you try and hold you gun ready up on your shoulder. I don't use them all the time but early season when the leaves are off there nice.
Good boots are a must as well. A 10 mile hike will wear some big blisters on your feet if you don't have good boots. And wet feet sucks. The springs are wet here, lots of mud and slippery hills, so good tread helps when your making double time getting in on a bird. I also carry rain gear with me. I got a small pack set of rain gear that goes right in my vest. Its nice if you get cough out in a thunder storm 10 miles from the truck.
The Reese Turkey tote are nice as well. When you got a long walk back to the truck these things take allot of the discomfort out of packing them out of the woods. They also come in hand for dragging coyotes out in the fall.
Gun........
This is a big debate about the Turkey guys, but to me. A good 3" mag with a good super full .660 - .670 choke will get the job done well out to 40 yards. Main thing is to just make sure your gun shoots a good tight pattern and know your maximum yardage for a good clean kill. Turkeys are head shot so, its a small target. I Black Powder hunt them most of the time but its just a matter of knowing your yardage.
More to come after supper!
I will post a few more lines then I got to hit the books!
For calls............
There are a ton of calls out on the market right now. And about all it boils down to is finding a call that you are comfortable with. I use almost exclusively mouth calls, but all of them work. The main thing is to sound Turkey! Learn to cluck, purr, yelp, and a excited yelp and learn to cut and your good to go! There are a ton of good Cd's out there with some great real hen sounds. A good slate, box, or even push button calls and a few hrs of practice and your good to go!
Daylight..............
I'm not a big fan of setting up on birds right off the roost. It works but for me and my style hunting. I get in the area where the birds roost, take up a seat and wait for the birds to start gobbling. When they start gobbling on there own, I Liston to them for a bit. Allot can be learned by the way a bird gobbles on the roost. I take in all the goblin and then decide which bird I think I get the best chance of calling in. I take there location, how much they gobble, and how hot they seem. And then make my move!
If all is calm at day break. Sometimes I will give them a owl hoot or two, but most of the time I let them gobble on there own if they will. Also sometimes I will use a crow call at first light. If I can get the crows fired up and comming to me then if I get enough crows and racket going I can get a gobble out of a bird some were.
If that don't work then I hit the ground running! I will start out with a few yelps and wait. Then a few more clucks and a little more excited yelping. If I still don't get a responce then I do a good run of cutting with a few excited yelps in there. Wait for a bit, depending on how sure I am there is a bird there. If I still get no responce then I move about 300 yards and do it again. I keep this up till I hit a bird that will answer me. Then once I get a answer I wait a few min and hit him again. Just to make sure he answers again. If he don't I wait a few and hit him one more time. Allot of the time if the bird is on the move they wont answer. But if you go silent, then when they get in your area they will gobble on there own. I want them to haft to look for me. If you keep calling to them they will have a pin point on your location and there is no need for them to gobble. Most of the time I will stay on a stand for 45 min, if the bird don't gobble no more or show up. Then I move about 75 yards away and hit him again.
If he is still there allot of the time this will make him gobble. He think the hen is moving off and wants to let her know he is still there or is on the move. If he answers, I will stay with him and see what he does. If he don't I keep moving.
Better hit the books....... I will post some more up latter!
Brent
I'm a listening ..... just in case you was wondering.
Planning on hitting a new farm at daylight. Just talked to the farmer and he said ta come on down. :biggrin:
Set up.............
If I got a bird that is gobbling good on his own. Then I move in on him and let him keep gobbling on his own with out giving him any calls at all. I like to get as close to the bird as I can with out spooking him. If I can 50 yards from him, I will. It takes some time to get to were you can judge the sound of a gobble and know how far or were the bird is. But the more you do it the better you will get. I just don't like to try and pull a bird from 500 yards. I want to make it as easy as I can for him to get to me. Most of the time 100 to 150 yards is my comfort zone. If I can get that close I'm good to go. Also keep in mind that I don't want any hang ups between me and the bird. Thick cover, ditches, fences, etc may cause them to hang up. Also, I dont want him to be able to see me until he is with in gun range. In other words a small crest in the hill, a bend in a logging road or anything else I can put between him and me I will do that so he has to come with in my gun range to get a good look at the spot the sound is comming from. Sometimes you can do this, and then you just haft to watch your calling. And be patient.
Now, this will happen if you Turkey hunt much. If I am running and gunning. And I stop at a spot and give a few yelps and a bird answers me, and say he is on the next ridge over from were I am. I want to make sure the bird is ready to be called and he didn't just shock gobble at my call. I will pick me out a tree close by and have a seat. I will wait about 3-5 min and hit him with the call again.If he don't answer I will wait 3-5 min and do it again. If he still don't answer I move! I move about 100 yards and hit him again. No answer I'm gone.
Allot of the time the bird will be on the move. I wait 3-5 and hit him again and he is closer. I stay there. Wait a few more min and hit him again, if he is still comming then I get ready, and set still, let him close the gap to me.
One thing to watch for is sometimes they don't answer. Stay the bird answers me 2-3 times then goes silent. Get ready! Allot of the time the bird is on the move to you and just don't gobble. Wait a while and see if he gobbles on his own. You may get a suprise and the next time he gobbles he just out of site. What happens here is when he gets close to were he thinks the hen is and cant find or hear here he will gobble to let her know were he is. This happens allot!
There is nuthing worse than getting a bird to answer and he is across the ridge. Take off after him and when you get over there and call he gobbles from right were you just left! This will help keep that from happening some, but be careful. Always be ready with your head net and gloves on and you gun ready, or they will bust you every time. This is the OL SHIT factor.
Also on my set ups I want to be just a little above the bird or dead even with him. I don't like to set up below a bird. I wont say they don't come down hill but most of the time it causes problems. I just try and stay even or just above them.
Calling.......
When I set up on a bird, every one of them seem to be diffrent. Over the years I have kind of learned to go by gut feeling as to how to call to them, so this one is hard to explain.
But a couple things to keep in mind......
As the bird gets closer tone down your calling. You don't want to call as loud to a bird that is 100 yards as you would to a bird across the ridge.
Don't over call! I like to hear them gobble to but I'm more interested in killing the bird not listening to it. You over call they hang up! Remember your reversing the rules here. Usually the hen goes to the gobbler. Your making him come to you! Standing rule with me.....If he is still comming I don't need to call! If he stops, I give him just enough to put him back on the right track.
When the bird is real close, and you need to position him or turn him a bit. Use soft clucks, purs and very light calling. And not much of it, just enough to get him were you want him, or keep him from getting off track.
When your running and gunning, start out with a few yelps, no answer then drop the hammer loud and strait into so cutting. But start light first.
On those days when they don't gobble. Life sucks! But all you can do is know your area and were the birds go. Get in the area and set up. Call light every 15 min or so and stay ready. Fist time you relax they will bust you.
Rainy days. They like the fields. I do the same thing, just set up on the fiield edge. Put out a couple decoys and call light every 15 min or so and keep a good eye out and listen.
That should give you a good start Stu. If you got any questions just fire away! I will answer if I can!
Brent
Brent,
This is great stuff and I really really appreciate it!! :bowingsmilie:
I have read and reread, plus Randy gave me a 30 min cell phone tutorial including sounds, so now I actually know what a cluck, purr, and yelp are :eyebrow: I was in the visitor waiting lounge at the hospital at the time and the looks from the people around me were priceless :laf:
I think I have probably been over calling and I'm pretty sure the gobbler that came in but stayed in the thick and turned away cause I moved to get on him....... but the hen that stood 20 yards away in the clear with my gun on her convinces me that with a bit of this great coaching I'll get this to work. I feel a bit exposed/under gunned with my current little box call, so I plan on fortifying with a few calls from our resident call craftsmen, though I'll need to do a fair bit of saving before I can spring for a THO Crumpler :shck: It sure is fun, but I'm not sure it's quite that fun :biggrin:
Thanks again and I look forward to the possibility of posting and FnF tutored kill soon. :highclap:
If you got any questions Stu or anyone for that matter just drop me a line! Numbers on the website.
Brent
PS! Dont forget the camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well this evening was argueably the best yet. I haven't been able to get out at all this week, but hey, it's Friday. I headed out about 3:30 and made several stands, but never heard or saw nuttin. About 6:30 I'm in the same area as the start of this thread and where I had talked to a gobbler till dark last Friday night. I find a nice spot and figure I'll make this my last stand. After about an hour and a half with nothing, I lean my head back against the tree, close my eyes, and think about 'if ya ain't in the field there's no chance..... and .... it sure is a purdy evening.... and those kinda thoughts. I give a few more clucks w/o opening my eyes. Maybe a minute after that I here a gobble. :biggrin: it's maybe 75 yards to my left and I'm figuring I better not chance moving, so I just sit there with my gun up on sticks pointing straight in front of me. Maybe a minute later I see him coming. Walking steady, head up, very few and very brief pauses. He's never behind a tree for more than a second or two, so I can't move. He's on a path that would bring him right in front of my gun at about 20 yards out. I'm thinking.... 'hey, this might be the day..... How should I write it up when I post it?..... Who am I gonna get to take a picture so I can put in the contest thread?......... ' :nofgr: he is gettin real close. I can see he has a nice beard.... he is 10 yards to the left of where my gun is pointing and goes behind the last tree and I move ever so slightly to sight down the barrel...... waiting....waiting.... how come he hasn't come out from behind that last tree :confused: waiting, waiting.... :madd: Never saw him again.
I'm hearing some of you guys using decoys :wo: maybe this is something I need?
A turkey inside of 10 yards is getting too close. He can see your eyelids close at that distance.
Had I been in that situation, i would have prepared for a shot to my left when he gobbled 75 yards away. If you are right handed, you could have had the gun across your body and still been able to shoot anywhere to you right. And this is just me, but I would loose those sticks. In my opinion, there is just too much restriction using them in a turkey hunting situation.
I used to use decoys years ago, but I have quit using them. I had too many gobblers that would get goosey as soon as they saw the decoys. Just my experience.
Randy
Thanks Randy!!
He was 20-25 yards out and 10 yards to the left of where my gun was pointing. I'm right handed, but left eyed, so I shoot lefty.
Note to self: turn toward the gobble the moment I hear it.
stu-- I don't like the sticks either. Not even for predator calling. I really like those rests you strap around at the knee. It cradles the gun nicely.
I'm wayyyy far from being anything but a lucky turkey hunter but I would like to add a little something if you don't mind. If you know your area real well you will know where the hangups are for him. When you know the easy access routes they like so much you can setup on those & have an idea of how you want to be setting. A good rule of thumb is to position your off shoulder toward the intended travel route. This will give you a much wider swing without repositioning your body. HTH
Hey HaMer, All thoughts and ideas are much appreciated. I have never seen the kind of rest you mention. I'll have to check into that. I don't like the sticks much either except they give me a way to have the gun kinda up and ready w/o killing my arms. I agree on your postioning point. I wasn't really sure which direction the bird would come as they have come into me in this spot from both directions. What mostly drove my positioning was the sun so I would be on the shaded side of the tree.
I got to tell ya, these turkeys are just down right fun. :hahaha:
Stu-- Good choice on the shady side of the tree. Camo makers even mention that helps their patterns. Predator hunting tricks will help with turkey hunting IMHO. Here's the rest I mentioned. When used in conjunction with the "Gobbler Lounger" ,, search for it at Cabelas while you're there :laf:,, you can really get low & have support for the shotgun. Almost like shooting off a rest. That is the setup I use. HTH
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20712-cat20790&id=0044463228601a&navCount=1&podId=0044463&parentId=cat20790&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20790&hasJS=true
Quote from: RShaw on April 27, 2007, 09:06:38 PM
A turkey inside of 10 yards is getting too close. He can see your eyelids close at that distance.
Had I been in that situation, i would have prepared for a shot to my left when he gobbled 75 yards away. If you are right handed, you could have had the gun across your body and still been able to shoot anywhere to you right. And this is just me, but I would loose those sticks. In my opinion, there is just too much restriction using them in a turkey hunting situation.
I used to use decoys years ago, but I have quit using them. I had too many gobblers that would get goosey as soon as they saw the decoys. Just my experience.
Randy
I do the same thing Randy...walk in and an see a decoy :eyebrow:...and everything falls apart :biggrin:
The hen decoy actually brought the Tom to me this year. Those 2 hens he was with didn't lke the raspy clucking it was giving them so they came to take care of it. :laf: :laf:
stu-- If you go back & wait on that Tom in the evening I would set up closer to where you heard him gobble in case he comes thru there again but remembers something further along the trail wasn't quite right. JMO
Give us a update Stu!
Brent
:wo: Last encounter I posted was Friday evening....... I headed out Saturday morning before dawn [or is that daylight? sun up? ajax?]... anyway, decided to try a farm that runs along a river and where I had seen turkeys a time or two during trapping season. Other than a few thick hedge rows [which the farmer is in the process of dozing into piles and burning, it's all fields, but directly across the river it's thick hardwoods. I figured that they would roost in the hardwoods and maybe fly over into the fields.
I set up pretty close to the river at the base of a tree with a small patch of remaining hedge and waited for .... the sun. Light fog hung low across the fields, but I had a reasonably clear view of shooting range. When I could see well enough, I gave a few clucks and purrs. A couple minutes later I here a gobbler, but he is behind me, out in the field :shck: I shift positions and get ready, but can't see him through the fog. Had to be pretty close at that point, but could tell from his gobbling that he was moving away. Tried to circle around to get a jump on him, but never saw him. Made several other stands, but never saw or heard anything.
I did give Hamer's suggestion a try and went back to where I encountered the gobbler Friday night, but he never showed.
No sunday hunting here, which kinda sucks as it's hard to get out during the week and I almost always get the urge to make a stand, short hunt, etc sunday morning before church.....ah well.
Figure I'll try and get out this evening. They have been bailing the winter wheat in many of the fields around here the last couple of days. Not sure how/if that will affect things.
Keep us posted and stay with them! It will happen!
As far as them cutting the fiels. Dont seem to bother them at all here. The day after they cut the birds seem to like the fields well.
Brent
Mr Brent,
Your encouragement and tutelage is much appreciated. :bowingsmilie: :highclap:
I did pick up a hen decoy at lunch time today and hit the woods just off a field around 4pm. Stayed put till dark, but didn't see anything or hear any gobbles. I did have a hawk swoop over the decoy and the deer didn't seem to mind it or my clucking as they grazed through. I did hear something I'm not totally sure about. Kind of a sound somewhere between a cluck and a click. I have no idea what it was, but it came through, but not so I could see, twice during the stand and gave 3-4 volleys of that sound each time.
The quail must be doing something similar to the turkeys as they made a ruckus all around me right before dark.
I agree with watching those fields. They will be easy pickins for those birds. Keep after em for sure. It's only a matter of time. :eyebrownod:
:argh: I am getting soooooo tired of this. Ya'll will start thinking I can't hit the broad side of a barn. Maybe you'd be right. First I choke big time at Randy's on the yotes and tonight I get my first shot on a strutting gobbler at 35 paces and he flies away. It was the one behind my house that I have called in 3 times previously, but never had a clear shot. Well, tonight I had a clear shot...... geezzzz
I set up in the woods there this morning, but didn't hear or see a thing. I decided to give the field a try as they finished hauling out the bails this morning. Set the hen decoy 25 yards out in a corner and set in a group of cedar on the edge I figured he wouldn't come to. He came to his typical spot and kept gobbling, but I didn't answer once I heard him on his way there the first couple. It was like he was trying to talk the decoy into coming into the woods vs him coming out. Eventually he went silent and a couple minutes later he is cresting the ridge in the field with his feathers spreading. All I could see of him was his head and his tail feathers as he headed up the crest to the decoy. About 10 yards the other side of the decoy his tail feathers went down and he started moving slowly toward the corner of the field. I was holding on his head and figured he must have spotted me, so I fired and he flew. No feathers, no blood and I walked the woods for an hour looking and cussing.
Guess my games with him are over. ...... man I hate to post this :sad:
Its not over yet! I have had many birds shot at and missed, give him a couple days to forget and go back and kill him. Shoot we have shot at birds in the morning, and went back to the same area and called them back. JD was with me over in KY a couple years ago, I called in the same three birds two times that day. Missed the first time and killed the lead bird the second time. So, don't give up yet!
Was the bird still in strut when you shot? A few clucks will cause them to break strut and run there head up to look around. Giving you a full extended neck shot. There hard to kill in full strut. Most of the time I wont give the signal to shoot until they got there head and neck ran up.
Those birds get hot and they will come.
Brent
:wo: The first movement I saw was his head. It looked white. Then his tail. I was looking almost directly straight at the decoy and he was approaching almost directly from the opposite direction. It seems to me I saw his head go straight up and his tail go down. Then his head was leading him toward the corner of the field. Then I fired.
I will give him another try as our play spot is only about 400 yards behind my house and makes for a handy hunt. I just wish he was in my freezer.
Back to the river in the morning with my new found hen decoy friend.
Well now that you have that out of the way you can get serious Stu!! :eyebrow: No biggie. Just a miss. I did that last fall on a hen. :laf: I was only mad for a few minutes until I realized that my shooting really does stink sometimes. :laf: I would go with Brents advice. Their head is smaller than a base ball so their brain can't be that big. He will forget & you won't miss. Hang in there!!
Yep, I agree. A miss is not a big deal.......except when ya do it! The bird will come back. They're very wary but I wouldn't say they are extremely bright. :biggrin: Keep at it! Also, if you haven't done so yet, check the pattern on your shotgun at say 40 yards. Might have something to do with it.
Semp
To summarize....... What I know about turkey hunting I learned from you guys and Randy Reeves [RagnCajn]. They weren't around when I grew up and my dad still has never hunted turkeys [course that is going to change :wink: ]
Y'all pointed me in the right direction, quickly and openly shared your knowledge and experience, and were consistent and quick to give me encouragement as I tried, learned, screwed up........
:wo: That is a whole lot of what this site, that Jim created and you made real, is about. I can't fully describe my appreciation or my amazement of the folks who [dare I say] embraced me without even really knowing me and shared..... not just anything, but the knowledge, techniques, tools, and enthusiasm to not only do it, but be successful at it.
Well guys........ This bud.... I mean bird..... IS FOR YOU :biggrin:
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f372/StuDaBaka/DSCN00084.jpg)
Awesome!!!
:congrats: :highclap: :yoyo: :congrats: :highclap: :yoyo:
Ya made the connection. Nice job!
Congrads Stu! Thats awesome! Its like we were right there with ya! :yoyo:
Brent
OK...let me get the feathers out of my nose, refill the wine glass [again] and give ya the low down.
After last night I was seriously worried that I was going to be the weak link and let me [and you] down. I set the alarm for 4am, but didn't really need it as I woke up at 3:30 thinking about where to go, what to do, would I see one, would I have a shot, would I choke again, etc.....
Decided to head down to the farm on the river and was set up and ready at 5am. Light started coming around 6, but during the wait I didn't hear a thing. I stayed until almost 9am as a light rain began to fall. Headed home and the rain came hard and lasted till 3pm.... temp dropped to mid 50's as the cold front blew through. Kept thinking do I want to go back out....wet, cold, where to go as I seemed to be running low on good potential spots...... But the words of Ragn kept ringing in my ears 'never hit nothing I didn't burn power at'... to me that meant, you got no chance sitting on the couch, get your butt out there somewhere.... I geared up and headed out.... back to the place I was this morning.... why there? not exactly sure, but seems they are sometimes in a spot and the next you hear and see nothing. I know there are turkeys along the river, so maybe they will be there.
I set up in a hedge row looking over a field that runs along the river. The field is probably 800-1000 yards long, but bends so you can only really see 500-600 yards of it and it has a thick hedge along the river side. I set my hen decoy [luv that gal] 25 yards out in the field and setup in a drainage hedgerow about 50 yards off the river. Time is a little before 5pm... You can hear the church chimes out there and I hear it ring 5, then 6, then 7, all the while clucking and purring every 5-10 minutes....... a little after 7pm a turkey enters the field out of the hedge row along the river. It is probably 200 yards out from me. Not sure if hen or gobbler....I never heard it gobble, but in a couple minutes I see it strutting and flaring it's feathers. It flares, then stops, raises it's head, walks a few steps into the field and flares again. It moved out into the field and kinda in the direction of my decoy, but dang, it wasn't in any hurry to get there. I hear the chime ring 8pm and that sucker is still probably 125 yards out and still doing it's 'ain't I a hot item dance'. I'm wondering if the night will end with an hour plus dance out of gun shot range. My butt is killing me, my arms and back are tight and sore....geeeeezzzz. deep breath, try to relax, enjoy the show, it will be what it will be. I thought 'Lord, is this my bird? Will it come close enough before dark? Will I make the shot? how about you take the shot lord and I'll just work on getting my butt arms and back to stop aching. I have moved nothing but my eyes for over an hour. Will he see me and run?
Finally, I can't take it anymore, maybe he is close enough. As he does on of his dance Pieroets and has his flared tail facing me, I raise my gun. He faces me again, unflairs, and raises his head. I aim, pray, and squeeze off..... and down he goes, but still flapping. Pump another round aim and wait a second, then get up and bolt for him. He never gets up and I'm standing over my very first turkey. :biggrin: ... That grin is stuck and hurts now much the same as my butt did then.
I paced it off. 47 paces. Grabbed my cell and left Ragn a message. Then called dad and gave him the blow by blow as I grabbed my stuff and my turkey and humped it back to the truck. He weighed in at 21 lbs. Has a beard just a hair over 10 inches. One spur is 1" and the other an inch and an eighth.
Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you.
Congratulations Stu . Great story . Every turkey kill is special but there is nothing like the first.
Great hunt and story. Look forward to many more!! :yoyo:
Nelson
Way cool, Stu!!! Great lookin bird and even better story! Congrats my man!!! :yoyo: :highclap: :highclap:
You are now DOOMED to the world of turkey hunting forever!! :roflmao: :roflmao:
Johnny
I cant wait till the LBL. Stu said he's bringing us all turkey sandwiches :yoyo:
Way to go Stu!! That story is similar to mine for this year & I could picture the hedge row along the river the way you told it. I could see that ol boy struttin all the way in too. :congrats: :highclap: I bet your gald you got that miss outta the way the other day now aren't you?? :laf:
I think you answered your own question about "why down by the river" when you said you knew there were turkeys there. You can't hunt what isn't there either. Perseverance & patience won this for you. And 47yds is a purdy good shot on him.
When I seen that Tom on the table I knew it was yours. The wife even told me to quiet down in here!! :roflmao:
:nono: That aint gonna happen!!
I like mustard on my turkey sammich too!! :roflmao:
BTW-- The next one will probably play the same head games with you as this one did!! :roflmao: :roflmao:
Congrats on the turkey and the write up was equally as good. So you are bringing turkey for EVERYONE at LBL? Have you thought of going to the grocery for another 5 or 6 birds? No one will ever know which one is which.
Jerry
:roflmao: :roflmao:
You are a wise one Jerry. If turkey is what is desired at LBL then I'll make sure there is enough for all [and mustard for Glen], but I agree I'll have to find an additional source :eyebrow: ...... or I could stick a case or two of bud light in the truck and probably do just as well :biggrin:
Stu,
That might be gone quicker than the turkey, but it also might help some forget the turkey. :wo:
Jerry
I like mustard!! :biggrin:
:yoyo: Way to go Stu! :congrats:
Great story Stu, really enjoyable. :biggrin:
Makes me almost want to buy a tag & call HaMeR & go after them. :laf:
git er done!!
:roflmao:
Great story and congratulations on your first turkey!
Well..... working on number 2...... season ends Saturday. Should have had one tonight :holdon:
I went back yesterday morning to see if I could raise the one I have called in 4 times and shot at and missed. I figured I try another edge of the field vs the setup I had gotten the shot from. About 15 min after light, he starts gobbling and coming to my clucks, which is great cause a) the dumb sucker is responding again and b) I now know he ain't dead or maimed from my last attempt. Anyway, he would not come out of the woods near my decoy, but dang if he didn't come out and cross probably 250 yards of tilled field almost directly over the spot I took a shot at him a week earlier. He took his time, clearly saw the decoy, but only gobbled at it and never strutted..... but now I know he is there and still responding, so I figure given our ongoing and intimate relationship, I should work on him and court him into my freezer. I think he is notably bigger than the one I got, but that's kinda a 'fish that got away story', so will have to get some verifiable proof.
Tried him again yesterday afternoon, but couldn't hang till dark as I had to get to my daughter's soccer game [side note: first round of state playoffs and they one 3-0 :congrats: 2nd round is saturday :shck: which means I need to connect by saturday morning].
Just couldn't drag my butt out of bed this morning in time to make a stand, but asked the boss to move up a conference call, and was able to hit the field by 3:30pm. Time to see if I can raise my boy. I have a setup in the woods very near where I took my shot and where he came out yesterday morning. I tippie toe down to it, set my decoy, and head to my cover spot. Figure I'll just sit quiet for the first 30-60 minutes. I get my seat out, set down, and start getting my shooting sticks set to hold my gun. it's about 4pm and I'm figuring to be there for several hours before he wanders back to that area. He must roost there, but I haven't figured out exactly where. Anyway, I hear this sound that I have heard a couple times on other stands. It doesn't sound like one of my clucks, but more like the cross between a cluck and a click. I keep an eye on where it came from hoping to find out what is making it as I finished getting settled in. At 4:10, I turn my head a bit to the right and dang, that bad boy is standing there staring at my decoy. His face is crimson, but then he looks my way and it turns white....then back to the decoy and crimson again....then back to me and white. He's about 10 yards away from me and I'm doing the old statue of liberty play. If he takes 1 step forward he is behind a tree..... 2 steps forward and he is standing in front of my gun, which is setting with the barrel on the shooting sticks and the butt setting on my thigh.... but he doesn't take a step forward he takes a step toward me. Like he's going to join me in my little hiding spot.... He slowly circles me, but continually closer. He is standing at most, ten feet behind me when he decides I ain't cool and squawks and takes off in a roar of wing flapping.
So now it's, 4:20pm..... I'm busted on my boy.... what to do? :wo: Should I head to the river or maybe head across the road where I called in a hen once, but have never heard a gobbler? I figure I'll try across the road. Set the decoy out in a secluded field in the bright sun. I find a spot to set back in the thick. I have my doubts about seeing anything here, but settle in and position myself so I have a shooting lane if one comes along the edge inside the woods or out in the field. My back is facing up the edge of the woods/field I just walked in on. I check the time 5pm. Figure on just setting quiet for maybe 15 minutes and then start clucking. Don't see or hear anything during that time, but that decoy does look fine standing in the sun in that field may 20 yards out from me. I give a couple of soft clucks and watch and listen. Nothing. I turn my head to look off my right shoulder and across the field and dang There is a gobbler in full strut not ten yards away from me right along the edge of the field I just walked in on. :madd: if I had just held off clucking for a few more minutes. I go into my statue of liberty routine, but my cluck must have clued him in on my location an he must have been thinking it was his lucky day and he had two hens :eyebrow: He stays in full strut, but keeps moving along the edge of the field between me and the decoy. He's maybe 5 yards away from me. His face is as blood red as anything I've ever seen and he is as puffed out as he can possibly get, and he is staring at me trying to find that hen..... not quite to where my gun is pointing and he figures out....oh crap.... head down and making tracks. I wing a shot at him, but I couldn't swing my gun as fast as he was hauling and I knew when I shot I was behind him.
So....... now it's 5:30pm.... 2 gobblers in damn near kissing distance..... what to do? head home? Na..... I picked up and moved maybe 800 yards and setup again. Decoy on a field crest, me in a bunch of thick stuff under a tree in the field, near the hardwoods leading down to some thick stuff on a creek bottom. Stayed till dark.... clucked only a handfull of times. Heard gobbles and clucks and that strange cluck click sound I now know to be a gobbler being sneaky. Never saw one, but now I got to figure out where to be at 5am tomorrow.
Great job Stu. You rock man.
:yoyo:
Thats just plain cool Stu! Great write up!
Brent
Great story, Stu!
If the bird gets in that 10 yard range, move the gun and kill him before he figures out you're sitting there! He will see the movement and will probably run instantly but, hey, he can't out run that 12 ga. :biggrin: Also, I always keep the gun in my shoulder. Saves time and movement. Good luck!
Thats true Stu! I have swung the gun around and shot several. Sometime its that or nuthing. Most of the time there is that split second when you first start to move that they run there head up "like what the hell" and it gives you just enough time to pull the trigger.
I don't recommend it for guys I take out but for most guys they can pull it off, its usually a clean miss or a dead kill. At 10 yards its like shooting a slug....lol....Sometimes it all you can do though.
Brent
Something tells me Stu's gonna show up at the LBL this year with a head dress made out of turkey feathers :biggrin:
Awesome post Stu. You have every right to be proud :yoyo:
Wow ! That is too cool. :biggrin:
Great story Stu. :congrats: