First Turkey

[FishinsMyLife]

Finally in my 4th season of hunting 'em, I killed a turkey. My first season, I went a lot with a turkey veteran/game hog, but we couldn't close the deal. I didn't go too many times the next season, and last year, I hunted them hard on my own with a lot of near kills but no dead birds or shots fired. I passed on plenty of jakes and opportunities to go with people that would call one in for me.

I've been on this bird twice before today this season. The first time, I had him coming at 100 yards, but one of the guys that leases the land for deer rode up on me thinking I was a trespasser. The second time, a coyote messed up the hunt. Today, he had roosted 300 yards farther back in the woods. I was about to pack up and head to spot #2 when I didn't hear any birds gobbling (I almost didn't try this spot since the birds haven't been talking past 8:00), but he let loose a gobble 200 yards off.

I made a move to close the distance, and when I got close to where I thought he was, I busted a turkey out of a tree. I figured I had blown my chance, but the gobbler gobbled again 75 yards off. If the busted bird was a hen, I might have helped myself out I thought he was still in the tree, so I got a little closer and gave him a few light yelps. He gobbled back closer, and I realized how bad my setup was. I was up against a small stump in a ditch with 2 little openings where I would have a shot.

The bird came right in and of course stood right between the two openings in the thick stuff. He would strut, spit and drum, gobble, and repeat. He did that for 5 minutes not moving but 3 feet each way. He finally got tired of that and started clucking like a feeding hen. He just started walking back and forth (not strutting). He put his head in the opening, and I let him have it at 25 yards.

Coyote from the week before.

17lbs 3oz, 9" beard, spurs right at an inch

 

[bcritch]

Nice job =D> =D> Turkey hunting is such a challenge and very rewarding.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Very nice! Congrats on your first. =D>

Season starts up here in 2 1/2 weeks and I'm hoping for a repeat of last year.

 

[KMixson]

Nice bird you have there. I have hunted deer, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, raccoon, possum, and a multitude of other wildlife but I remember my first turkey the most vividly. I still remember where I standing and where he was like it was yesterday. That was thirty years ago. Turkeys seem to be more of a challenge than the rest. Congrats on your first.

 

[lswoody]

Nice Bird!!!! Glad you got that yote too!!!!!

 

[basshunter25]

Congrats! That coyote is sweet too.

 

[BassAddict]

Winner Winner turkey dinner!!! =D> =D> nice job FML =D>

 

[jkbirocz]

Very nice bird, Congrats and nice work =D> Calling by yourself can be tough especially if you don't use diapham calls...I don't I am terrible with them. I haven't done much hunting in the last few year, but spring gobbler season is my favorite and I might try to get out this year, that's if the fish aren't biting #-o

Nice Job, now put on your slippers and catch some lunker bass already :lol:

 

[Jim]

If you were wearing "THE" hat and "THE" slippers you would be allot more consistent.

Good job man! :beer:

 

[Brine]

Congrats on the gobbler.

Now how about the story on the yote? Everyone says they are pretty hard to get a shot on.

 

[FishinsMyLife]

Double post.

 

[FishinsMyLife]

A little more info.

Last Saturday, I set up blind on a small field back in the woods. I lucked up and had one bird gobbling off the roost about 300 yards away. He got hung up on something back in the woods (I couldn't see what) about 75 yards off his roost tree and 200 or so yards away. I gave him the silent treatment, and after a standoff, he gobbled right inside the treeline 100 yards out and closing. Then I heard straightpipes...Truck rolled right up in the field before he head me yelling.

Apparently someone in a white truck had been parking on this land and hunting it during the week when they didn't have hunting rights.The landowner told the guy that deer hunts this land (who drove up on me) that I was coming to hunt that morning, and my RED JEEP was parked right off the road, but apparently he had to check it out anyway.

The next day (Sunday) I set up to kill the bird right off the roost assuming he was in the same little swamp. Turns out he moved 200 yards westward, but I just rotated around the tree and I was in business 100 yards away from him. Right before flydown, a hen cranks up between him and me and gets him gobbling hard. She was already on the ground and I got into a pissing match with her. She eased up to 30 or 40 yards with both of us raising cain cutting and yelping. I hear wings flapping and putting and I thought another hen was fighting her or something since I couldn't see much in the thick woods. A 'yote popped his head up at 25 yards (looking for the other "hen") and he ate lead before he had a chance to realize that movement was a gun barrel swinging on him, not a turkey :lol: Both birds took off out of there after that.

I tried the same spot again on Wednesday with no gobbles on huntable land.

I wasn't going to even try that spot this morning, but I changed my mind when I missed the turn for the big field I was thinking about hunting I figured I'd see if I could hear a gobble close early on, and if not, I'd pick up and go to the big field.

 

[Andy]

Congrats!!

Can't wait til it opens here, I'm excited on trying to get one with my bow.

 

[dyeguy1212]

Nice! I've got another month until I'm chasing them with an OTC tag. They should be nice and educated by the time I get to them, as there's two seasons in April that you have to draw a tag for.


But whatever, it'll give me an excuse to take the boat up north and do some fishing too..