I took a couple of 1st time youth hunters out last Saturday for the season opener in the south zone in Texas. While we did see and have some long beards come within 30 yards of us the decoys seem to hang the birds up . I did not let them shoot on account they were using 20 ga guns with #4 steel. It wasnt my choice but that's what dad sent them with. I was hoping for 20 yards and under but that just didnt happen. All in all the boys had a great time in the woods, we also shot skeet, 22's, 17's and did a little crow calling.I think...well I know that they will want to try it again.
I was able to get away from the house Friday and Saturday and do a little hunting of my own. Friday at daylight the pasture was alive with yelps and gobbles, try as I may I was only able to call up jake after jake. I called it a morning and waited till about noon and then went out and let out one yelp and bang... GOBBLE GOBBLE.....the toms were 150yards from me, I set up real quick, ran out and hammered my stake in the ground, set the decoy and no sooner sat down and they were on top of me. There were 8 mature birds all of the sudden not 30 yards struuting and coming in fast to the hen decoy. I had my pick and picked one up in the scope and Bang... I recovered from the recoil only to see 2 birds down and the rest leaving as fast as they could. I did not realize but there was another bird in the line of fire about 10 yards behind the one I shot at. What was amazing was that both were stone cold dead when they hit the ground. Those 3 1/2"Winchester Extended Range #5's did the job.
The bird on the left was a 2 yr old 9" beard with 7/8" spurs, 18lbsthe bird on the right was a 3 yr old with 1 1/8" spurs and sported 2 beards, 9 1/2" and 4 1/4", 21 lbs
TwO ToMs in TeXaS.....
