Hammer
04-30-2005, 05:44 PM
Went out to a new tract with my good friend and "turkey mentor", Kraig. He's the professional forrester I have mentioned on here before (his website is in my signature line) and the guy that got me into turkey hunting.
His skills in the woods never ceases to amaze me, and he's certainly fun to be out with. I sure have learned a lot, and it's not like I haven't been in the outdoors all my life, lol!
Anyway, new property, we went to the high point and listened first thing. Didn't hear any gobbles, so we moved on to a fallow field where Kraig thought they might be using. We found J-shaped turkey scat almost immediately, and we heard a gobble distantly. We got set up and just did a few yelps as he was still in the tree. After he flew down, he started cruising his strut zone. We moved again to get a bit closer and set up, and we could hear that telltale shake on the end of his gobble to know he was close.
He would gobble and sound close, then gobble again and sound like he was moving off (I'm sure he was just moving back and forth in his zone). We were facing an old logging trail just inside the woods, and Kraig decided to move on the other side of the tree to face a finger of the field. We were pretty sure the bird had no hens, so we did some tandem calling and shut it off.
He gobbled a few more times and then stopped for a few minutes. I was looking toward where I thought he would come out, sort of over Kraig's shoulder (I had poorer visibility - because I wanted Kraig to take the shot). Suddenly I hear a GOBBBBBBLELELEEEEELLLLEEEEEEE!!!!!! You know, the
C-L-O-S-E kind! It startled Kraig and his son so much they both about jumped out of their skins (one of the greatest things about turkey hunting!!).
I caught a glimpse of him pop into the field, and Kraig's last adjustment had been perfect! BOOOMMMMMM, and a flopping turkey there was after a 20 yard head shot!
Best turkey I had ever seen hit the dirt in my short career.
11 1/4 inch beard, 8 inch beard, 1 1/4th inch beautiful matching black/ivory/black spurs, and 23 pounds. I'll try to get some pictures from Kraig after developing.
This tom also had a deformed middle toe on his left foot. I guess he had broken it early in life or maybe it was some sort of an old abcess that never healed. His track would have been distinctive as this middle toe was gnarled and shifted to the right and unbendable. He would have been giving us "the finger" up on the limb, lol!
Great hunt, and great to share with a special friend!
His skills in the woods never ceases to amaze me, and he's certainly fun to be out with. I sure have learned a lot, and it's not like I haven't been in the outdoors all my life, lol!
Anyway, new property, we went to the high point and listened first thing. Didn't hear any gobbles, so we moved on to a fallow field where Kraig thought they might be using. We found J-shaped turkey scat almost immediately, and we heard a gobble distantly. We got set up and just did a few yelps as he was still in the tree. After he flew down, he started cruising his strut zone. We moved again to get a bit closer and set up, and we could hear that telltale shake on the end of his gobble to know he was close.
He would gobble and sound close, then gobble again and sound like he was moving off (I'm sure he was just moving back and forth in his zone). We were facing an old logging trail just inside the woods, and Kraig decided to move on the other side of the tree to face a finger of the field. We were pretty sure the bird had no hens, so we did some tandem calling and shut it off.
He gobbled a few more times and then stopped for a few minutes. I was looking toward where I thought he would come out, sort of over Kraig's shoulder (I had poorer visibility - because I wanted Kraig to take the shot). Suddenly I hear a GOBBBBBBLELELEEEEELLLLEEEEEEE!!!!!! You know, the
C-L-O-S-E kind! It startled Kraig and his son so much they both about jumped out of their skins (one of the greatest things about turkey hunting!!).
I caught a glimpse of him pop into the field, and Kraig's last adjustment had been perfect! BOOOMMMMMM, and a flopping turkey there was after a 20 yard head shot!
Best turkey I had ever seen hit the dirt in my short career.
11 1/4 inch beard, 8 inch beard, 1 1/4th inch beautiful matching black/ivory/black spurs, and 23 pounds. I'll try to get some pictures from Kraig after developing.
This tom also had a deformed middle toe on his left foot. I guess he had broken it early in life or maybe it was some sort of an old abcess that never healed. His track would have been distinctive as this middle toe was gnarled and shifted to the right and unbendable. He would have been giving us "the finger" up on the limb, lol!
Great hunt, and great to share with a special friend!