Posted: 5/3/2008 6:42:34 AM EDT
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So bird 2 wasn't quite as easy as the opening day bird, but definitely not hard. I got out to the farm at 5:15, sunrise at 6:15 a.m. I set up pretty much in the same spot I was in opening day; put out my jake and hen decoy and settled in for the wait. I heard the first gobble at 5:50 (sleeping in a little!) and the bird gobbled every 10-15 seconds until about 6:15. He was roosted across the river field from me, maybe 20 yards inside the treeline. I was on the "house" side of the river field, about halfway down. I gave few tree yelps, then shut up. At 6:15 a hen sailed down right into the middle of my decoys. She poked around, looking a little nervous, and slowly wandered off. The tom had quit gobbling but I figured he was still around. Where I was sitting I couldn't see much more than 30-40 yards of the field, there's a slight rise out there and I figured he was down on the other side. I gave some soft clucks with my slate every 5 minutes or so, hoping he'd wander by. Well, just when I was getting impatient (and thinking about sneaking to the field edge so I could see down in the field), off to my left I see a tail fanning out! Then, off to my right, here come two hens running at the tom. I mean hauling butt, like they'd never seen something so good. They ran right along the field edge, 10 feet in front of me. The tom is strutting around, looking at my decoys and the hens, and he finally got to an opening in the bushes along the field edge. I figured that if I was going to get a shot this was it; he'd be getting to know those hens soon and my decoys just can't compete. I dropped the hammer, hens went flying, and he's down in a pile flopping around. Time was 6:58 a.m. He weighed 19 lbs, 15 oz., 11-1/4" beard, 1-3/8" spurs. Dropped him with 2 oz. of No. 5 shot in a 3-inch shell with my 870. 35 yard shot. He's the oldest bird I've ever taken; I figure he's at least a 3, maybe 4 year old bird. A great way to start the day!  |
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I had turkey tracks all over my property this winter. I wasted 4 hours yesterday sitting, calling and waiting for nothing! I didn't see or hear anything, except for my grouse that was drumming all day. (I won't get frustrated and go and blast him either!) PS - I am jealous,,, nice bird. |
That's what they call turkey hunting. I spent probably 25 days last year chasing ol' Tom and didn't get a bird. This year I've been 4 days, got two birds. The key (to me) is getting out there well before dawn. I've only taken one bird in my life that I didn't hear gobble on the roost, and that bird was taken at 10:30 in the morning. No gobbling AT ALL, until about 5 minutes before he went down. Late morning birds can be very good, they go looking for some action after the hens have gone to sit on the nest. I also experience the situation where one morning I hear lots of birds gobbling (4 or 5), and the very next morning hear absolutely nothing. The birds are still there, but for some reason they just don't want to let me know about it :) Oh, and for the heck of it, here's the spurs on that last bird... 
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