Feedman
04-12-2005, 04:44 PM
I killed a nice 2yr old bird in Tennessee on Sunday. 20.5 lbs, 10.25 inch beard and 1/2 inch spurs. Sorry guys but I did not have my camers with me. I killed him at 12:30 and with the heat, I dressed him out quickly.
The morning started out with one bird giving 2 gobbles on the roost. My hunting partner said he would go after that bird. I continued across the field through the woods to another field. Just when I got to the edge of the field, I saw movement, ( a doe) walked across. Then before I could move after she had crossed he came a coyote, then another coyote, then another coyote all out of range. I thought no luck here so I went across the field to get away from where the coyotes had been. Started calling, a bird gobbled on another ridge across the small valley. I gave him a few choice words because he was in Kentucky. Every call that I made he would gobble. I thought that I would get a bird fired up on my side. I was sitting with the sun shining on my back. While I was playing with him, i say movement out of my left eye. I moved my head a there was a coyote walking toward me at about 15 feet. I don't know who was more scared me or him. My gun is laying on the ground to my left. i grab my gun he takes off and I shoot him in his rear end as he is running away. I hear him fall as I am trying to get up but he runs on away.
I head back to the truck and meet up with my hunting partner. He did not have any luck with the bird that we had heard. Almost to the truck we see another coyote run across the field by the truck. This makes 5 that I have seen. We drive around for about 15 minutes trying to decide what to do. As we are about to leave this farm I see 6 turkeys in a back hayfield. We drive and park and start the long walk of trying to get in front of them. When we get close we split up he goes high and I go low.
I start out with some soft calling nothing. we wait 20 minutes and my partner says they are gone. I can't figure what happen to them. About that time a hawk flys over a screams. Two gobbles sound off. They were still there.
We move position and cross a fence again my partner goes high and I stay low. I finally spot the hens out in the field and look and look for the gobblers.
Finally, i see them, they are close to the woods in full strut. What I did not know was until that moment, the farmer had build a brand new fence around the edge of the woods. I am on the side of the hill wanting to go lower beut afraid of the hens seeing me. The gobblers cannot come straight to me because of the fence. I start some soft calling and leaf raking. The hens start to move toward me. Then I lose sight of them due to the uneven ground. I wait and wait and wait out in the hot sun. Where are the turkey's??
Then I hear the Spit and Drummmm. The 2 gobblers come into the gate opening. i can't shoot. In my haste to set up I did not get a clear shooting lane established. A multi-flora rose bush was partly blocking my shot. I waited. They strutted. They then moved back out of sight finally. I am soaking wet with sweat and nerves are getting fried. I slowly lay down flat on my back and slide slowly to my right. I then slowly raise back up. Great Clean shooting range and no turkeys!!!!!!!!!. I finally spotted them they had moved about 20 yards and were strutting in the shade of a large cedar tree. I called softly on my K + H Lonesome hen. On of them gobbled twice and here they come again. I lost sight of them due to the lay of the land. I had my gun up and ready when the Blue head appeared in the gate opening. He was looking for that hen. I shot and he flopped.
Sorry for the long post, but it was a very exciting hunt.
The morning started out with one bird giving 2 gobbles on the roost. My hunting partner said he would go after that bird. I continued across the field through the woods to another field. Just when I got to the edge of the field, I saw movement, ( a doe) walked across. Then before I could move after she had crossed he came a coyote, then another coyote, then another coyote all out of range. I thought no luck here so I went across the field to get away from where the coyotes had been. Started calling, a bird gobbled on another ridge across the small valley. I gave him a few choice words because he was in Kentucky. Every call that I made he would gobble. I thought that I would get a bird fired up on my side. I was sitting with the sun shining on my back. While I was playing with him, i say movement out of my left eye. I moved my head a there was a coyote walking toward me at about 15 feet. I don't know who was more scared me or him. My gun is laying on the ground to my left. i grab my gun he takes off and I shoot him in his rear end as he is running away. I hear him fall as I am trying to get up but he runs on away.
I head back to the truck and meet up with my hunting partner. He did not have any luck with the bird that we had heard. Almost to the truck we see another coyote run across the field by the truck. This makes 5 that I have seen. We drive around for about 15 minutes trying to decide what to do. As we are about to leave this farm I see 6 turkeys in a back hayfield. We drive and park and start the long walk of trying to get in front of them. When we get close we split up he goes high and I go low.
I start out with some soft calling nothing. we wait 20 minutes and my partner says they are gone. I can't figure what happen to them. About that time a hawk flys over a screams. Two gobbles sound off. They were still there.
We move position and cross a fence again my partner goes high and I stay low. I finally spot the hens out in the field and look and look for the gobblers.
Finally, i see them, they are close to the woods in full strut. What I did not know was until that moment, the farmer had build a brand new fence around the edge of the woods. I am on the side of the hill wanting to go lower beut afraid of the hens seeing me. The gobblers cannot come straight to me because of the fence. I start some soft calling and leaf raking. The hens start to move toward me. Then I lose sight of them due to the uneven ground. I wait and wait and wait out in the hot sun. Where are the turkey's??
Then I hear the Spit and Drummmm. The 2 gobblers come into the gate opening. i can't shoot. In my haste to set up I did not get a clear shooting lane established. A multi-flora rose bush was partly blocking my shot. I waited. They strutted. They then moved back out of sight finally. I am soaking wet with sweat and nerves are getting fried. I slowly lay down flat on my back and slide slowly to my right. I then slowly raise back up. Great Clean shooting range and no turkeys!!!!!!!!!. I finally spotted them they had moved about 20 yards and were strutting in the shade of a large cedar tree. I called softly on my K + H Lonesome hen. On of them gobbled twice and here they come again. I lost sight of them due to the lay of the land. I had my gun up and ready when the Blue head appeared in the gate opening. He was looking for that hen. I shot and he flopped.
Sorry for the long post, but it was a very exciting hunt.