Kaintuckee's second part of shotgun fall turkey season is underway. The weather looked perfect (cold, clear, calm winds) for this morning so I decided to give it a try. I went last Saturday (opening day) but didn't see anything. It rained Sunday and was way too windy yesterday.
I got to my hunting spot later than I like. I usually try to be in the woods when its still black, well before daylight. Anyways, I hiked about a half mile from the truck through a CRP field and entered the woods about 5:50 am just as it was just turning light.
I got no more than 10 yards inside the tree line when a turkey flush from its roost and headed to parts unknown. "Dammit", I thought. :madd: I should have gotten out of bed and got going earlier. I took a couple of steps and then another turkey flushed off the roost and headed in the same direction as the first. :shck: "Sit down! Be still! And don't move!" I hollered inside my pea brain. My experience is that in the fall, likely as not, if you bump in to one turkey there are a bunch more nearby. Fall turkey hunting is lots different than spring hunting.
I picked out a tree and sat down as fast as I could without making more noise. I already had put in a mouth call on the way to the woods. I sat still eyeballing the trees looking for a silhouette sitting on a limb. But saw nothing. I started telling myself I'm facing the wrong direction. The turkeys I flushed were in trees behind me. It was getting lighter by the second and I knew that moving now and changing positions was not an option. So I'll just have to make the best of it if they are behind me, I thought. About 20 minutes went by and then I heard a soft "yup" "yup" in front of me at about 11 o'clock and maybe 75 yards away! I was pretty sure by the sound it was a gobbler. The tone was too low to be a hen. I ever so slowly eased the butt of my SBE into my shoulder.
I gave him a couple of the softest hen yelps I could muster. Just enough to let him know "Hey big boy, come on over and check out this sweet thang and maybe we can hook up come spring time". :biggrin: Well, after about 5 seconds I see him gliding through the trees coming straight at me. He lands about 15 steps away at my 9'oclock and immediately walks behind an old downed cedar tree. Which is precisely why I aimed my shotgun to just left of the cedar. And then I waited.
Well, he stepped from behind the tree and, as the old timers used to say, "Goodnight Irene!" :biggrin: At 15 steps there's not much of a challenge for a super full 12ga. 3 ½ inch no. 5 birdshot.
So by 6:30 am I'm on my way back to my truck with my 18 pound, ¾ inch spurs, 7 ½ inch beard gobbler. He probably would've been two years old next spring if he would have made it till then. :wink:
All in all, it was a perfect morning.
Thanks for lookin.
Semp
Here's a pic of my turkey, my gun, my truck, and my FnF decal (just for you, Jimbo :eyebrownod: )
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/aggiecat/Dec420071.jpg)
.........and one of me
(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p28/aggiecat/Dec420075.jpg)
Nice decal,Just messing with you nice bird how long was its beard looks like a old tom.
QuoteHey big boy, come on over and check out this sweet thang and maybe we can hook up come spring time
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
Nice looking lunch. That boy's got some nice looking tail feathers too. Very nice, you made it sound so easy.
Oh and that decal :yoyo:
Nice write up on your hunt and a very nice bird. It was nice that after flushing two there was another one waiting to say hello.
Jerry
Way to go Semp..... you sure do know how to talk turkey :highclap: :congrats:
:thumb2:
"Hey big boy, come on over and check out this sweet thang and maybe we can hook up come spring time"
Semp the Turkey Pimp? :laf:
Turkey Pimp!! :roflmao:
That sounds way too easy. It's not like that around here. :wink:
Nice job Semp!
Semp,
Great hunt and write-up.
Nelson
Nice bird, congrats Semp !
Way to go. :highclap:
He won't toot his own horn but Semp is one hell of a hunter. :bowingsmilie: He taught me how to deer hunt not that I am anything special but I would have been lost if it weren't for Uncle Semp and really I am not a slouch either.
Next spring, I got to see if I can get him to teach me how to Turkey hunt. That would be some pretty priceless experience to learn from.
Great bird. See you soon.