Turkey Stories-Let's Hear 'em

[Beaver_]

Here's one of mine:

It was the evening before the opening morning of the 2001 spring turkey season. Bryan (friend) and I setup in the center wooded area of a horse shoe field on his 150 Grayson county farm. We waited patiently to see if any birds would come out and had hoped to at least find out where thery were going to roost at. That would give us a strategy in setting up for the hunt in the morning.

We both sat underneath the same cedar tree for about an hour before we heard the first sound. It was a hen pushing her way through the thick creek bottom brush just before popping out into the field. Seconds later, we heard the first gobble from the top of the hill. We listened to him gobble all the way down until he met up with the hen in the field just in front of us. To keep this story short, this guy strutted around for an hour drumming and gobbling. It seemed he knew we were there and was just giving us a show for free. What a nice bird too. He had a beautiful fan and a huge thick beard that would definitely go 10+ inches. After he worked his way back out of the field, we payed close attention as to where he roosted and decided that this would be a good place to setup in the morning.

That next morning, we got out early and set up right where we wanted to. We just new the action was getting ready to begin when we heard the gobbling from every direction--up in the trees. Well, just as the sun spit out the smallest bit of light, we were suprised by two simultaneous gun shots from the top of the hill where our big boy rested for the night. Apparently someone was shooting from the roost since we hadn't heard anything fly down yet. Just afterwards, we looked in front of us and saw several turkey flying right in to us. Two of them landed just 20 yards right to our decoys. It was two jakes and the landed up walking right in fron of us, within 8 yards. I had reservations in shooting either one since I had my heart set on the big dog. Well, that day and season was over just as fast as it had began. It was opening day of the 2002 season that produced for me.

After the excitement of the previous year, I decided to take my chances in the same spot. This time by myself. I had my 12 gauge in one hand an my video camera in the other. I was ready! I also had two hen decoys and one jake decoy mounted close behind one of the hens. It wasn't 10 minutes after daylight that a nice long beard crossed down that same path, just 8 yards in front of me in a real hurry. I didn't even have time to pull my gun up. By the time I hit the red button on my camera, he had already pounced upon the jake decoy. He was pissed. That must have been his girl!!! Anyways, he just made a mess of that foamy guy and I got it all on film. After stopming and pecking it to death, he decided to have his way with the poor soul--if you know what I mean. It was then that the battery died on my camera and I thought it was time to take the shot. As soon as I layed my camera down, I heard a brief sound from the same place the big tom came from. I turned my eyes to the right and didn't even move my head. It was another big tom and he was in an even bigger hurry towards the decoys. Once again, I didn't have time to pull my gun up until after he passed my shooting lane. Well, he went down and just hammered that first tom. I mean he just beat the tar out of him. Seconds after, the first tom stumbled away from the scene and away from the decoys in defeat. It was then that I knew which one I was putting my sights on--the victor. While he started checking out the hen decoys, I took the shot and he went down in a hurry. I waited for the other bird to scurry off before running out to check out my trophy. I sat down right where he layed and checked out my shot placement and then checked out the spurs and beard. His spurs were nice and long--seemed equal in length, and his beard sure was long. I got him back to the truck and measured him up at 1-1/4 inch spurs and his beard came out to 12-10/16 inches. He only weighed in at 21-1/2 pounds but what a trophy he was. I wish I had a way to post the video but here is a picture of Victor as he sits in my office at work.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/ctroyp/02Turkey.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/ctroyp/CTPTurkey-01.jpg

[SixPack07]

That's a great looking mount!!!

[ryan hickey]

golly gee willickers Beev, way to go man:). and BTW, thanks for the story

[Beaver_]

Here's something that happened just the other day that really pumped me up for the season...

On my way in to work this morning I was blessed with a glimpse of springtime. While driving on the curvy Bells Mill Rd. (Bullitt Co.,) I came up on what I thought was a large dog standing on the side of the road. Well, after what was probably one-millionth of a second, I realized it was an enormous turkey. He stood about 5 yards from the side of the road like a statue. His brilliant bright red head was sticking up at least 3 feet high. I noticed he was only a jake, but man was he a monster. As soon as I zipped by I wondered, "Why in the world was this dude so close to the road and why didn't he spook when the traffic was going by?" I soon figured it out as I looked in my rearview and saw three turkey babes on the other side of the road. He was hot on a honey and probably didn't even care if he was so close to getting hit by my 4x4. He was on the spring time mission a little early. I mean he was no more than 5 yards as I passed.

WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE TO GET YOU EXCITED FOR SPRING SEASON. IT'S ON!!! http://www.bigbuckforum.com/YaBBImages/cheesy.gif

[turk2di]

Fine story & finner mount!

[Willie]

The 2004 Turkey Season

The weatherman said rain opening morning so I left the Exomag crossbow in the truck. I guess I could have packed both, but I have quite a walk to get where we hunt.

We walked in about a half mile where there is a small field that gobblers like to strut in. We’ve scouted the field and have seen as many as four longbeards in the field at the same time. I had set up a pop up “Doghouse” blind on the edge of the field last week

Since my son has limited hunting time because of his work schedule I told him to go ahead and hunt the blind. He said,” If you hear me shoot, hot foot it back” and I could then hunt the field.

I proceeded on another ¼ mile to an area where I had heard one gobble a few days before. I only heard one gobble a few times and I set up. The only turkeys I called in were a coupe of hens that really inspected my decoys at a distance of 3 feet. Satisfied they presented no danger they went about their business of scratching and feeding. Here I had 5 decoys, 2 real and 3 fake, working for me in an area that had an abundance of turkey sign. The gobbler never did come in, so I thought I would move to another area that I had killed birds at before. As I was gathering my stuff I heard my son shoot.

I cut across country and came out into a field on the backside of where he was hunting. Here he came around the corner of some pines grinning ear to ear. He had bagged a boss gobbler. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged.

He said that when he got set up in the blind he heard a few clucks. He responded with a cluck and then went silent. At first light two hens flew down to within 15 yards of the blind and did a little scratching. They then proceeded to go into the woods on other side of the field. They paid little attention to his three decoys. He heard a lot of gobbling, which I did not hear. I wear hearing protection that doesn’t magnify noise levels very much at all. Since I have hearing loss I could not hear the ones he was hearing. He has his momma’s ear – like a bat.

About 7:45 he could hear a gobbler across the field and in the woods where the hens had gone. He does a good cutting call and backs it up with some plaintive yelps. The tom did a double gobble. The next thing you know a bearded hen comes into the field with three other hens. The bearded hen sported a 7 or 8-inch beard and was definitely the “boss hen” of the bunch. We have seen her up there the last three seasons.

Following this bunch was a boss gobbler in full strut all the way. My son did a cut call and the bearded hen cut back. The gobbler gobbled a double gobble again and here they all came. The gobbler would not come out of full strut and kept coming straight on. My son has a Rhino choke that throws an unbelievable pattern out of his Browning semi-auto. He tried clucking at him several times to get him come out of strut and pop his head up but the gobbler wouldn’t do it. My son ended up shooting him at 24 yards. The gobbler’s head looked like mush.

He could not believe that I had not heard the gobbling going on most of the morning. My hearing protection didn’t allow my poor old ears to hear them.

Since it was only 8:05 he said he would go take his bird to a road and go get his truck. I told him to go ahead and I would go back to the blind and put in a couple of hours.

As I rounded the bend to the field I flushed a hen off of it. I hurriedly set up my two hens and a Jake decoy and got inside the blind. My son had shot through the “shoot through” curtain. He had moved that curtain to the side window.

Since I was inside a blind I decided to wear my regular hearing aids until I saw a gobbler enter the field and then replace them with my hearing protection.

After I got settled in the blind I pulled out my MADD Super Aluminator friction call and did a couple of cuts and a series of yelps. I then set back a looked and listened.

My phone rang (actually vibrated) and it was my wife calling to shoot the bull and ask how we were doing. I told her Mark had killed a real nice bird and I hade seen three hens so far.

We talked couple of minutes when I looked out the side window of the blind and there were two longbeards already within 40 yards of the blind. One was in full strut. I told the wife, “I’ve got to go. I’ve got two gobblers in the field with me.” I hung up, picked up my gun and got ready.

I eyeballed them and picked out the biggest bearded one. The other one that was in full strut gave me several shots as he was displaying for my hen decoys and trying to show the jake who was boss. I was holding out for the longest and bushiest bearded one. Finally he got within 30 yards and popped up his head. I shot and he went down immediately.

Only then did I remember I did not change out my hearing protection. In the heat of the moment and being pre-occupied with talking to my wife I had let the birds slip up on me and I flat forgot about making the switch. I paid dearly for that mistake. The people talking to me sound like they are in an echo chamber. It was better the next day, but still not up to snuff.

My son had driven to get his bird and heard me shoot. As I was gathering my stuff he came out into the field. Glad handing all over again. We shot our birds 30 minutes apart off the same field and out of the same blind.

Later at the check station we weighed them and measured beards and spurs.

His was 24# with a 10" beard and 32 MM spurs.

Mine was 21# with an 11" beard and a second beard that measured 4 3/4" and had 30 mm spurs.

BTW - It never rained...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/Woowoo1/scan0003cropped.jpg

[Dev]

My dad and I had seen this peculiar turkey print for two years in the same place. It had one full toe, one half toe, and one big knob for another toe. This thing was as big around as a half dollar. We had seen this print in the mud only a few times. I like a challenge in hunting so I made myself hunt for this bird. It didn't work out the first year but this past spring I had my first and last encounter with him. I had already killed a nice bird on opening day and was taking my time and trying to find "the knob". One morning dad was on his way to work and called and said that there was a big bird in a field just down the road from our house. I begged mom to let me go and was actually successful for once. So I headed out. I crossed the creek and took my time walking up over an open hillside but when I topped it I heard nothing, I saw nothing. I turned and looked and across the creek and up over another hill was three big gobblers following hens across the ridge top. I hiked the gap pretty fast. Made it up through the thicket and as I got to the edge I was getting ready to call. Just then a bird gobbled right in front of me. I got down and crawled to the edge of the field and saw the three fans just over the crest of the hill. I crawled from cedar to cedar till I got within 15 yards of the crest. The hens came over the top of the raise followed by the three amigos. I put the bead on the first one and just as I was about to pull the trigger I noticed the last bird limping. I quickly turned my attention to him and preceeded to hammer him. After walking up to him I realized this was my trophy. It was "the knob". The Knob sported two beards 11 1/2" & 10", weighed in at a heafty 26lbs and had 1 1/4" spurs. This has been my best bird to date and definately the most challenging.